Sinking Ship?
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For months I have tried to tell anyone who would listen to not crown the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Super Bowl Champions just yet.
It took the Bucs only one week to prove it.
All of the preseason hype surrounding the Bucs came crashing down in the Superdome last Sunday as the New Orleans Saints showed the experts why they are the team to beat in the NFC South currently.
So, what was wrong with Tampa last Sunday other than being crowned as Super Bowl Champions in August?
The spin from the Bay is they didn’t have OTAs. They didn’t have a preseason. The offense has a ton of new pieces, moving parts and a brand new quarterback in Tom Brady. There were bound to be some speed bumps on the road to a world title.
Breaking news; nobody in the NFL had OTA’s, or a preseason, and you have the GOAT.
You can’t use the classic we have a new QB excuse, can you Tampa? You can spin that with a rookie, but not a 6-time Super Bowl champion QB in Tom Brady.
Brady is the GOAT, and if Tampa does not live up to the hype this year it damn sure won’t be because of Tom Brady.
This is the NFL and even the all-time greats may toss a pick-six now and then. Brady did toss for 239 yards and 2-TD’s.
He did throw the ugly pick six. Mike Evans was dealing with a hamstring issue and only had one catch for two yards, but it was a touchdown catch. Evans will get healthy to be the deep threat Brady has been missing since he had Randy Moss in New England.
Despite the loss against the Saints, the offense had their moments. The unit moved the ball and actually out-gained New Orleans in total yards.
The offense has to run the ball better moving forward. Ronald Jones II had 66 yards rushing, but once Leonard Fournette gets up to speed in this offense look for this combo to take some of the heat off of the passing game.
The running game needs to click this week because Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin is experiencing delayed-onset symptoms after a hit to the head last week and is in the concussion protocol for Week 2.
What I was impressed with last week was the Tampa defense. Yeah, they gave up some points but held Drew Brees to only 160 yards passing and played well, so there is plenty to build from on this side of the ball.
Devin White is a stud at linebacker. This unit will have to step up until the offense comes around. The offense will come around very soon.
As expected, I turned on the TV on Monday and the talking heads on sports shows were kicking dirt already on the Bucs.
Not so fast there experts. I’m going to revise my predictions in the NFC South. With the Saints losing Michael Thomas for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, and the Falcons looking like complete garbage again on defense I’m picking Tampa to now win the NFC South.
I had the Bucs picked third, but after seeing the potential of the Tampa defense I now pick them to win the division. Brady and the offense will be fine moving forward. The NFC is up for grabs in 2020.
Tampa Bay hosts the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, which will be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bucs to cure a week one hangover from New Orleans.
Honestly have you ever left New Orleans without a hangover?
Panthers Prowl
By: Mike Anthony
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
To say that Georgia State’s tenure in the Football Bowl Subdivision has been a roller coaster ride might be a bit of an understatement.
The Panthers enter 2020 on the heels of a 7-6 record last season and the program’s third bowl appearance, however the team has been prone to big dips in performance, going 3-9 and 2-10 to follow up their previous seasons in which they reached a bowl.
A big reason for the inconsistency has been Georgia State’s struggles to build depth at quarterback.
The Panthers have had their share of impact passers, but have routinely needed a year or two to break in a new star after losing one.
That task once again presents itself this fall as two-year starter and dynamic threat Dan Ellington has moved on.
Ellington was one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the Sun Belt Conference in 2019 before tearing an ACL two-thirds of the way through the season.
Showing plenty of toughness – and the aforementioned lack of QB depth – Ellington played out the season, but was rendered into a one-dimensional threat and the offense suffered greatly.
Mikele Colasurdo seemed to be a fitting replacement, but has opted out of the season after suffering from COVID-19. That leaves redshirt freshman Cornelius Brown as the most seasoned option available for the Panthers.
Many other pieces remain in place for a Panther offense that was potent before Ellington’s injury.
The running game has been on the upswing for the past two seasons and Georgia State returns four offensive linemen who may be a bit undersized, but who proved their effectiveness last fall.
If the Panthers are to avoid another post-bowl falloff, fixing the defense is a huge priority.
Georgia State ranked just 112th in the country against the run last season and was amongst the worst in the nation at getting to opposing quarterbacks when they dropped back to pass.
The Panthers’ seven wins in 2019 easily could have been more if not for the fact that their defense couldn’t stop any bleeding despite getting plenty of help on the scoreboard from its offense.
All four starters in the defensive secondary return, but it remains to be seen whether that will be a positive. Georgia State allowed 8.5 yards per pass attempt last season and allowed 27 yards through the air.
In a season that is certain to be remembered for its uniqueness, Georgia State has been one of the hardest hit Sun Belt teams in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Panthers lost a Sept. 5 home date vs. Murray State and a Sept. 12 visit to Alabama and weren’t able to schedule any makeup games, leaving them with just 10 matchups this fall.
Overall, the Panthers seem poised to remain as a solid team and avoid too much of a drop-off this time around.
Finding a suitable replacement for Ellington should keep them competitive in most games, but making a run at the Sun Belt East division might be a bit of a stretch as Appalachian State enters 2020 as the prohibitive favorite, with Georgia Southern and Troy also widely predicted to finish ahead of Georgia State.
Down South
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. Let’s take a look at what happened around the NFC South after the first week of games.
Seattle 38, Atlanta 25: The Falcons defense looked just as bad as they have the last few seasons. Russell Wilson completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He also had three runs for a team-high 29 yards rushing. Atlanta sacked Wilson 3 times but that did not slow him down.
Matt Ryan threw for 450 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.
Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage each had 9 receptions for over 100 yards.
In Todd Gurley’s first game as a Falcon he rushed 14 times for 56 yards and a TD.
Atlanta outgained Seattle 506 yards to 383 but came up short all four times they tried to convert on fourth down.
The one good thing for the Falcons is Ryan surpassed John Elway for ninth on the NFL career passing yardage list.
Las Vegas 34, Carolina 30: Matt Rhule made his coaching debut as the Panthers head coach.
They had the best defense in the NFL just a few seasons ago, now they need all the help they can get.
The Raiders offense did whatever they wanted.
Second year running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 93 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Derek Carr threw for 239 yards and a score.
This was the first game for the Raiders since moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. Gruden didn’t hold back on praising Jacobs.
“That was a little bit like Walter Payton used to play,” Gruden said. “It was hot as hell. He got beat up early. He insisted on coming back and he insisted on getting the ball as a runner and receiver. He is special. He deserves some national attention — and I hope you give it to him.”
This was Teddy Bridgewater’s first game as the Panthers QB.
He had a solid game, completing 22 of 34 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown.
Former New York Jets receiver Robby Anderson also made his Carolina debut and played well. He had 6 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Of course, Christian McCaffrey had another great game. He ran for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns and he had 38 yards receiving.
New Orleans 34. Tampa Bay 23: This was the most anticipated game of the day. We all know Tom Brady left New England this offseason to become a Buccaneer.
He has a ton of offensive weapons. The Saints also feature a geriatric quarterback surrounded by playmakers.
This was the first game featuring two starting quarterbacks in their forties and they played like it.
The game started good for Brady. He rushed for a touchdown to give Tampa an early 7-0 lead.
It was downhill from there. He threw two picks and one of them was returned for a touchdown. Jameis Winston had to see himself in Brady as he watched from the Saints sideline.
“I made some just bad, terrible turnovers,” Brady said. “I obviously have got to do a lot better job.”
Drew Brees only threw for 160 yards and 2 TD’s. Alvin Kamara had a rushing and receiving score.
Surprisingly Michael Thomas only had 3 catches for 17 yards.
The Return
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When the NBA resumed their season, I heard Bomani Jones mention on a podcast that he didn’t realize how much he needed the return of basketball, until he watched the opening tip.
As someone who has been concerned with how the college football season was going to take place, while keeping everyone as safe as possible, I understood exactly where Bomani was coming from.
I paused my game of Red Dead Redemption 2 and took a break from binging The Big Bang Theory, to watch what was essentially the opening weekend of college football.
We all know this upcoming season is going to be something completely different than we’ve experienced before and if the first weekend is a taste of what the next few months hold, we’re in for a wild, unpredictable ride.
It didn’t take long for Covid to start wreaking havoc on the schedule with both Houston/Memphis and Virginia/Virginia Tech postponing their respective games.
There were also a few other games postponed, as well as some, Oklahoma/Missouri State come to mind, that were almost cancelled.
However, some of those cancellations brought on new games, (Houston replaced their game against Memphis with Baylor and Appalachian State’s game against UNC-Charlotte also took place because of previously cancelled games), so it was interesting to see teams adapt on the fly to that adversity.
Looks like you can add each team’s schedule to the list of things that will be fluid throughout the year.
There was also the news the Big Ten and possibly Pac-12 will vote to resume their seasons, with a start date sometime in October. If you thought the debates about who made the college playoffs in years past were contentious and heated, imagine what it will be like this year when two of the five conferences will have only played half the games.
As for the actual games, you had three Sun Belt teams (Louisiana, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina) beating three Big-12 schools (Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas) as well as Georgia Tech’s victory over Florida State.
I know upsets happen every year, and outside of Iowa State not much was expected from any of the losing teams, but with everything going it feels like a precursor of things to come.
A couple weeks ago I thought this might be the year a school from outside the power 5 would have a shot at the playoffs, and I’m still hanging onto that belief, if only by a thread.
Then you had the case of Georgia Southern, who squeaked out a win over Campbell, due in large part to 33 of their players not being eligible to play.
Not all their players sat out because of Covid, but many them did, even if the cause wasn’t directly related.
I realize this will only be a blip on the ticker at the bottom of your screen, but insert Georgia or Clemson in place of Georgia Southern and see how big a story it becomes.
The great 1980’s poet, Tom Keifer (Cinderella) once wrote “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone)” and while I tend to agree with his sentiment, I would like to add a caveat to it.
In some cases, you know exactly what you’ve got, you just don’t realize how much you missed it until it comes back.
It was good to see you again, college football. Here’s hoping everyone can stay safe enough for you to stick around for a while.
MVP
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It seems bonkers to be thinking about and talking about end of the year awards for the Major League Baseball season when not even two months have passed since the first pitch of the season was thrown, but here we are.
The pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign will be over soon and things like Cy Young Awards, MVPs, Gold Gloves, and Silver Sluggers must be given out.
So, with that in mind, I’d like to make a case for a player who should be the National League Most Valuable Player this season: Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman.
Freeman has long been respected as one of the most consistent players in the game, if not the top player at his position.
He’s had All Star appearances, won Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers, but the one thing (other than a World Series ring, of course) missing from his trophy case is an MVP award.
This year, for all its flaws and weirdness, presents the best opportunity for Freddie to fill that spot on the shelf.
As with most seasons, Freeman has hit for average and power, with good RBI numbers as well as a great OPS and WAR (for you sabermetric fans out there).
But it also seems like every year he hovers just under the radar for serious award consideration.
This year seemed to be shaping up much in the same way, but Freeman has gotten incredibly hot, slugging his first two career grand slams, tons of multi-hit games, and a two-homerun game to boot.
In that stretch, his batting average skyrocketed over .330 and his OPS topped 1.000 (a whopping, and league leading, 1.075). He also is the top of the league in RBI’s, driving in runs at a torrid clip.
But the case isn’t just made because of his numbers alone. The Braves, who have been favorites to win the NL East all season, have seen their starting rotation decimated over the course of the season, and Cy Young candidate Max Fried hitting the Injured List could very well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Short of taking the mound himself, Freddie’s offensive explosion has seen him do everything he can to prevent Atlanta from slipping out of first place in the division, as the Philadelphia Phillies have given chase.
Freeman is also a team player. The Braves third hitter for almost his entire career, he responded well to being moved up to the two-hole after leadoff man Ronald Acuna, Jr. was hurt and kept out of the lineup for a few games.
He responded so well that Brian Snitker has kept him there after the young outfielder’s return.
Credit to where it’s due: Freddie always thrives when someone with some thunder hits behind him.
Last season, Freeman was awarded the Silver Slugger after a year of having Josh Donaldson batting in the cleanup spot.
This year Marcel Ozuna has been a revelation, protecting Freddie and giving opposing pitchers a veritable Sophie’s Choice of who to pitch for in any situation.
In fact, for a while there it looked like Ozuna would be the Braves’ most likely MVP candidate.
While Ozuna continued to thrive in Atlanta, Freeman has jumped into the forefront of the conversation both in Atlanta and, I hope, the minds of the MVP voters.
It’s time for Freddie to stop being the bridesmaid and get married. I now pronounce him the NL MVP.
You may win the World Series now.
Killer Gator
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC football season starts on September 26th.
Millions of college football fans, like me, in the South have that day circled on the calendar.
SEC football junkies tune into the SEC network to soak up all of the information we can regarding the upcoming season.
The SEC Network talking heads are asked their opinion on a variety of topics and one of those topics I heard recently was ‘who was the best returning quarterback in the SEC going into the 2020 season?’
That question was raised this week on the network and the answer given by one on the talking heads was Kellen Mond of Texas A&M.
I raised up in my chair and said ‘no way, can that be true’ because the obvious answer to that question from my perspective is Kyle Trask from the University of Florida.
Let’s do some stat comparisons from 2019:
Kyle Trask:
CMP: 237
ATT: 354
YDS: 2,941
CMP%: 66.9
TD: 25
INT: 7
Kellen Mond:
CMP: 258
ATT: 419
YDS: 2,897
CMP%: 61.6
TD: 20
INT: 9
As you look at the stats on paper you will see that the yards were similar between the two starting quarterbacks.
You will notice that Trask had a much higher completion percentage than Mond.
The most glaring stat is that Trask threw for more touchdowns 25 to 20 on 65 less passing attempts.
The thing that separates Trask right now from Mond, in my opinion, is confidence.
Confidence is a quality at the QB position that brings calm to the rest of the football team.
You could see it in Trask when he came off the bench last September when he led a huge 4th quarter comeback against Kentucky in Lexington after Feleipe Franks went down with a season ending leg injury.
Other than the 2018 classic seven overtime win over LSU, you haven’t seen that confidence in Kellen Mond in his entire Aggie career.
Mond is a pretty good QB, don’t get me wrong, but when the big games on the schedule roll around he just doesn’t seem like a confident QB in those games.
Mond led the Aggies to an 8-5 record in 2018 with a Texas Bowl win over Oklahoma State.
Trask led Florida to an 11-2 record that included an Orange Bowl win over Virginia.
Even in the two losses against LSU and Georgia, Trask handled the pressure of those two games well.
Yes, we know the SEC West is a better division than the SEC East currently.
Florida travels to Texas A&M on October 10th to play the Aggies. This game will match up the two top returning QB’s from 2019.
This will be a huge road game for Florida as the Gators deal with high expectations in the SEC East for the first time in 4 years.
Dan Mullen is building this thing back at UF and this game in College Station will be a huge measuring stick as to where they are.
The Aggies have to take the next step in 2020 or the heat may begin to build under Jimbo Fisher. I expect this to be a classic game.
Let me leave you with this question about this contest. With the game on the line in the 4th quarter, which QB do you want under center Mond or Trask? Give me Kyle Trask please.
Kyle Trask is the best returning QB in the SEC.
Here come the Auburn fans whining about how I have disrespected Bo Nix.
Saturday’s Buzzing Chant
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Mike Norvell era begins on Saturday September 12, 2020 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
It’s game week for FSU football, which means it’s time for Coach Norvell to unveil his plan to get FSU back to relevancy.
After four seasons as the head coach at Memphis, Coach Norvell was hired to replace Willie Taggart.
FSU comes into the game week as a 12.5 point favorite against Georgia Tech.
One of the biggest questions going into the contest is Mike Norvell; is he the right person to lead FSU back to prominence?
The past two seasons FSU has struggled with costly penalties, turnovers, personnel, alongside other detailed issues.
The first offseason at a new school is always a challenge for a head coach, as they set out to install their offensive and defensive schemes. FSU’s culture and expectations for the program remains high.
This offseason has been even more complicated by COVID-19, Norvell was attempting to operate the offseason remotely. The trying nature of this offseason has taken the anticipation to perhaps an even higher level ahead of Saturday’s kickoff.
Saturday is a great opportunity for the FSU football team and Mike Norvell to show their fans, alumni and supporters that the program is in good hands and is heading in the right direction.
Watching Coach Norvell’s press conference on Monday, Coach Norvell never stopped smiling. He beams confidence and leadership. His job is to rebuild one of the most dominant college football programs from a deflating down period.
Don’t get me wrong, FSU is not competing for a National Championship or even an ACC Championship this season, but Coach Norvell must show positive results on the field. He will be playing his home games on Bobby Bowden Field.
Norvell will be facing a program in Georgia Tech with second year head coach Geoff Collins.
Georgia Tech coming off a very disappointing 3-9 campaign in 2019. The Yellow Jackets look to rebound in 2020.
Saturday’s game is a big game for both teams as the Jackets look to take a big step forward in year two of the Geoff Collins era, while FSU looks to get the Mike Norvell era off to a good start in his first game as the Seminoles head coach.
With both programs having plenty to prove, I expect things to be sloppy at times with missed tackles, blown assignments, and penalties on both teams.
I think it will be a fairly high scoring game, but we do have to take into account the lack of practice time.
The Seminoles biggest problem on offense last year was their offensive line which allowed a whopping 48 sacks, that’s a weakness that Georgia Tech must exploit to win.
Look for James Blackmon to stay upright and FSU’s team speed will be the difference in this matchup, as Florida State simply has too many talented weapons at their disposal and that leads tips the game heavily in favor of the Seminoles.
Final Score Prediction: FSU 34 Georgia Tech 13
Corky Kell Kickoff
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The high school football season kicked off last week. I’m going to recap the Corky Kell Classic, which features some of the best teams around the state.
Greater Atlanta Christian 20, Denmark 0: Greater Atlanta Christian is ranked sixth in class 3A.
The defense had six interceptions, including a streak of five consecutive on five Denmark possessions. Senior cornerback, Saiku White had three of the interceptions, and Josh Williamson, Luke Field and Joseph Rose each had one.
The Spartans had a solid performance from quarterback Deymon Flemming, who was 15-of-28 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
This was the final game of the Corky Kell Classic.
Lowndes 51, Archer 21: Lowndes is ranked second in class 7A and No. 9 nationally.
The Vikings are led by 4-star quarterback Jacurri Brown.
He went down with an apparent leg injury midway through the second quarter. The game was tied at 7.
He had a short breather and got his ankle taped before returning. He threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns, completing 50% of his passes. He also had a rushing touchdown.
Archer is ranked No. 7 in class 7A so this is a very impressive win.
Collins Hill 46, Carrolton 24: This was a matchup between 7A and 6A teams.
Carrolton is No. 4 in the state in 6A but they were no match for the Eagles.
Collins Hill forced three interceptions.
They have a junior four-star quarterback, Sam Horn. He’s the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the country for the junior class.
He was 27-of-40 passing for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns and lead an offense that gained 509 total yards of on 66 plays.
St. Pius X 38, Flower Branch 28: The Golden Lions ran 62 offensive plays and gained 430 yards. 398 yards of that offensive production came on the ground as Pius averaged seven yards per carry on 57 rushes.
Mason Benefield finished with seven carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns.
Shug Bentley had seven carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Paul Quigley had four carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Dennis O’Shea was 1-of-5 passing for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Walton 35, Kell 28: This was a battle between Cobb County schools.
The Raiders trailed 28-16 in the third quarter before making a comeback.
Zak Rozsman was 9-of-21 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed nine times for 49 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski was 3-for-3 for 58 yards. Braylen Stokes had 15 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Kenny Djaha had nine carries for 76 yards and three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
North Gwinnett 35. McEachern 7: The Bulldogs are led by four-star Clemson-commit Barrett Carter. The linebacker finished with a 7-yard touchdown run from the wildcat formation, a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown and a team-leading 10 tackles, 2.5 for a loss.
Brookwood 40, Dacula 34: This game went to four overtimes before the Broncos scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexander Diggs.
Brookwood quarterback Dylan Lonergan was 28-of-43 passing for 433 yards and four touchdowns.
Denylon Morrissette had 12 receptions for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
West Forsyth 42, Mays 6: Coach Dave Svehla got the win in his first game.
He coached at Etowah from 2012-19 and had a 49-41 record there.
The Wolverines led 35-0 at halftime.
Daba Fofana carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns with one touchdown reception.
Cherokee 38, Carver-Atlanta 12: The Warriors dominated and Keith Adams Jr. ran for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The New Crew
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
NBA franchises were forming Super Teams or The Big Three long before LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach.
That particular situation is oftentimes looked at as being the origin for the idea because it was the first time the players actually made it happen, as opposed to it coming together through trades or the draft.
Those instances take place more frequently in basketball than any other sport mainly because three players joining together can have more of an impact than say in football or baseball.
That doesn’t mean franchises in those other sports can’t make an attempt in their own right, the approach may just be a little different.
When Tom Brady decided to take his talents a few hundred miles north of South Beach Adjacent you knew Tampa would double down and bring in as many as players as they could to help complement their new quarterback.
The names of some of the players brought in are impressive on paper (Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Leonard Fournette) yet they don’t remind me of LeBron and Chris Bosh heading to Miami as much as they do Karl Malone and Gary Payton joining the Lakers.
Gronkowski, arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, is the headline grabbing name, but who knows what type of production the Bucs will get from him.
Even though he took what amounted to a year sabbatical from the game, remember, he originally retired due to the beating his body and mind were taking.
A year off may help him recover from some of those wounds he already received, but it doesn’t protect him from future ones. The potential to be great is there, alongside OJ Howard, but so is the probability he’ll only play a handful games.
The McCoy acquisition would’ve been bigger news four to five years ago, but there’s not much left in the tank for the former fantasy football stud. I can’t see his impact on the field being more than minimal, at this point.
Which leaves us with the newly signed Fournette, who may wind up being the best signing of the group.
The young running back’s time in Jacksonville ended earlier than expected for a variety of reasons, but he’s coming off what statistically was his best year as a professional.
The improvements he’s made catching the ball out of the backfield, combined with his ability to pass block (extremely important with Brady under center) and his 4.0 yards per carry, expect Fournette to get a majority of the carries throughout the season, especially during crunch time.
Playing with Brady should allow Fournette to see a lot more openings as he faces less man fronts.
I may be a prisoner of the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up Pro Bowl type numbers throughout the season.
Brady is definitely an upgrade over Jameis Winston and the potential for their newly acquired players to contribute, along with players like OJ Howard and Mike Evans, could make the offense in Tampa Bay one of the more exciting ones to watch.
There aren’t any super teams in the NFL, but you can see where Tampa has attempted to make a splash on the offensive side ball.
And even if they are more like the Lakers than the Heat, that’s not exactly a bad thing, the Lakers did make it the Finals that year.
Mis-Managed
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Major League managers are simultaneously the most overrated and underrated members of a baseball team, depending on the team’s record.
If the team is winning, then the manager is probably being over-credited. If the team is losing, then the manager is probably getting over-blamed.
This isn’t to say that managers don’t have an important role on a team’s success beyond simply penciling in a lineup, just that sometimes the role of a guy who isn’t actually participating in the game can be overexaggerated in one way or another.
I bring this up because I want to discuss Atlanta Braves’ manager Brian Snitker. Specifically, I want to discuss whether or not he’s actually a good manager for the team of which he is currently at the helm.
I’ll go ahead and spoil the ending: I think he is – which isn’t to say there is nothing to discuss, but there are ways in which he seems to be failing the team.
Let’s talk about the obvious first:
Bullpen Usage. All managers are judged most often and often most harshly on how they implement their bullpen.
It’s the easy thing to criticize, as it’s the primary way in which a manager influences the game while it’s being played.
The inspiration for this article is, in fact, because of Snitker’s sometimes flabbergasting use of his relief corps. Specifically that he brought in Charlie Culberson, a position player, to pitch in the second game of a doubleheader when the Braves were down by just one run.
Charlie Clutch delivered, easily getting the one out he was tasked with getting, but the question is still begged…what?
Especially egregious was this move in light of the fact that A.J. Minter, arguably the Braves’ best bullpen pitcher (in a veritable overflowing pot of good ones) was wasted in Game 1 when the Braves were up 7-1.
There seems to be some kind of a disconnect between Snit and any analytics or forethought in this regard.
Taking that same example as a for instance: he knew they had a whole second game to play that day, so why burn Minter and put yourself in a position to then use a position player on the mound in a tight game? Did the Phillies offense worry him that much?
The bullpen has been overused, certainly, and that’s no fault of Snit’s; the starting rotation has got holes on holes on holes, but why use your talent unnecessarily in a blowout when you have to play another game less than an hour after the first one ends?
There’s also the constant, unending use of Luke Jackson in high-leverage situations.
Now, Jackson’s numbers at a glance aren’t awful (though they also don’t warrant how he’s often used), but he’s constantly getting himself into jams through walks or hits.
Jackson was the saving grace of the bullpen for the first two months of 2019, but it seems almost like Snit still feels indebted to the righty when there are better arms available.
Moving away from the ‘pen, there’s also the curious reliance on guys like Ender Inciarte.
Inciarte has played primarily when Acuna has been hurt. But Ender is so bad at the dish now that any start he gets is a head-scratcher.
Even if the normal starting trio of Acuna, Adam Duvall, and Nick Markakis needs a day of rest, then isn’t even Marcel Ozuna’s sub-par defense overshadowed by his bat?
Ender should be a defensive replacement and nothing else at this point. But Snit keeps running him out there nonetheless.
All that being said, I still think Snit is a good manager or maybe it’s more accurate to say that he’s a good leader, since some of his actual managing leaves a little to be desired.
Why do I say that? Well, two primary reasons: one, his players absolutely love him.
Freddie Freeman has long advocated for Snitker to remain as the team’s skipper, and wanting to play for your manager is not nothing.
Two, his record pretty much speaks for itself. He’s won two straight division titles and has a third in sight. And at the end of the day, winning is what he’s supposed to do.
I don’t know if Snitker is the manager in five years, but for now, so long as the team tries their hardest to win for him, and do, then he’s still the guy.
