Sports Agenda for Tuesday (2/7/12)
Big Story:
After a quiet night in the world of local sports, the Heat and the Panthers both play tonight and Peyton Manning is said to be almost physically ready, but that's still not enough for the Dolphins to go after him.
When supermodels criticize me, they talk about….more sports.
Heat: (vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports)
Tonight the Heat welcome in the Cleveland Cavaliers to the AmericanAirlines Arena as the Heat look to start off a long stretch of games with a W.
I'd like to see Chris Bosh get more involved in the game tonight, but a win is a win and I won't be too critical.
As I said yesterday, Shane Battier has to find his shot ASAP. It's been missing in action for the last two weeks.
I'd really like to see Spoelstra sit LeBron and Wade a little more in the coming games.
They play 6 games in 8 nights and while every game is important, sitting them some against Cleveland, Washington and others isn't a big deal.
Remember, it's not about regular season victories, it's about the post season.
Don't forget, the team that won the most regular season games last year didn't even make it to the NBA Finals (see Bulls, Chicago)
This game doesn't carry the same weight as it did last year, though I'm sure LeBron will always play with a little extra against the Cavs.
And somewhere, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert burns a little more with Comic Sans type on his stationary.
The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. at the AAA.
Panthers: (@Washington Capitals, 7:00 p.m., Fox Sports Florida)
Well, after a few nights off, the Panthers head to Washington to take on the second-place Capitals.
To say the Cats need this victory is an understatement.
The Cats are one point ahead of the Caps in the Southeast Division.
But the room for error is so small for the Cats it's not even close.
If the Panthers lose and fall out of first place, they go from being in third place in the Eastern Conference to being out of the playoffs.
The Cats hit the wall hard in January and now have to get back on the winning track in a hurry.
The Panthers are 4-3-3- in their last 10 games, but luckily the Caps are just 4-4-2.
Florida can pull three points ahead of Washington with a regulation victory, but even an overtime victory will keep them two points ahead of the Caps.
It should be a tough game for the Cats who then come home for a game against the Kings and then head on the road to take on the Devils and Islanders on Saturday and Sunday.
All four of those games are winnable, let's just see if the Cats can finally get their game together.
Peyton Manning:
So I keep hearing the buzz about Peyton Manning and the Dolphins and I keep asking myself the same thing…
Why?
He's got MAYBE 2-3 years left in the tank and remember, once a quarterback hits the age wall, it gets ugly in a hurry. (See Marino, Dan)
Dolphins fans and owner Stephen Ross are in love with the idea that they will get the Peyton Manning of his prime.
But even then, is he worth potentially setting your franchise back another 5-10 years?
The reason why I say this is that if you sign him, you'll have to go into win now mode immediately.
You'll waste your first-round pick on another offensive lineman to protect him and then draft another running back to take the load off him.
You'll blow your salary cap space on just him and may have to cut some other veteran to get him in the first place.
He's not fully recovered, his arm strength still isn't back in his triceps.
Again, why would this make sense?
Let's look at a different point of view…
You trade several picks and go get Robert Griffin III.
He immediately becomes a big fan draw and the fans get excited to watch him play.
He learns from the guy who put Aaron Rodgers together on how to be a great quarterback.
You lose 3-4 picks and maybe a year of the draft, but you get a quarterback who can be with you for the next 10-12 years.
You can build around him for the next several years and rely on a tough defense to keep you in games as he develops.
He'll develop a relationship with Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush and will make the backfield deadly with Bush and RGIII both back there at the same time.
Is it more dangerous to trade up for a quarterback?
Maybe, but I'd take 10-12 years of RGIII over maybe 1-2 years of Peyton Manning at this point in his career.
The point is, don't fall in love with the name, because that's all it is at this point.
You go for talent and build through the NFL Draft….ask the Packers, Steelers, Patriots, 49ers and Lions.
Otherwise, we'll be right back here again in two years asking who the next Dolphins franchise quarterback will be.
