Monday, August 13, 2012
Taylor Swift Has 'Cool News' For Fans On Monday
Taylor Swift has some big news for her Swifties, but those fans will have to wait almost a week to hear what the country star has to share with them.
The singer announced on Tuesday (August 7) that she will be doing a live webcast on Monday (August 13) at 7 p.m. ET. The event will go down on her official
YouTube channel. The date of the livestream is hardly a coincidence as 13 just so happens to be Swift's lucky number.
"Hey, it's Taylor. So I really want to talk to you about something. I would love it if you would join me August 13 for a live webchat," she said in a video
tease posted online. "You can ask questions. I want to share some news with you, some really cool news. Not gonna go into it too much, but it's cool. I'll
see you there."
Fans who want to get in on the action can ask Swift questions through a live social chat that will take place during the stream. Additionally, there will be
a Google+ Hangout created around the event.
Given that Swift has been hard at work on her follow-up to 2010's chart-topping Speak Now, it seems likely that Swift's "really cool news" has something to
do with some new music.
She has worked with folks like British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran on the release, and when MTV News last caught up with the singer at the top of 2012, she
explained that this album will show her growth as an artist.
"I made my last album, Speak Now, with this idea I really wanted to make an album without writing with anyone else just because I always wanted to do that.
And now I have a different approach to this record. I'm getting to work with people that I've always wanted to work with." That means that she's seeking out
some assistance "from all different places in music."
"I'm trying to be as much of a sponge as possible," she explained. "You have to evolve and try new things and change and that's what I've loved to do with
this album."
While some of what she's putting out may sound different, there will remain one central Swift-ism that remains. She will be writing about the ups and downs
of love.
"I think that love is always going to be a huge theme in what I write about just because there are no two similar relationships, there are no two times that
you feel love the same way or hurt the same way or [feel] rejection [in] the same way. It's all different and I'm fascinated by that," she said. "I really
love to go back to human interaction and the way we make each other feel. But that at 22 is different than it was at 18 or 19 when I made my last album and
16 and 17 when I made Fearless. As you grow, you change in the way you process emotion."
What do you think Taylor will reveal? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
NOTE IT!
ABC’s AMY WALTER: As Ohio goes, so goes the election. And right now even many GOPers concede that the state is tilting heavily toward Obama. This is a huge
change from earlier this year when many Democrats were privately writing off the Buckeye State. If Romney can’t bring Ohio back, it’s hard to see how he
captures the White House.
ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Add tax cheat to the list of horrible things President Obama and his supporters are calling Mitt Romney. Another new ad drops as two new
national polls show Obama opening up some breathing room against Romney — a seven-point gap in a new CNN poll, nine points in Fox polling. The scattershot
strategy stands in contrast with the Romney campaign; to cite this week’s example, the Romney folks didn’t make a big — that is, candidate-level — deal
out of David Plouffe’s speechmaking. (Think Team Obama would have let that one slip by?) It puts more pressure on the Romney campaign to deliver on their
one big piece of messaging, around the economy, meaning the veepstakes-fueled bus tour needs extra mileage.
change from earlier this year when many Democrats were privately writing off the Buckeye State. If Romney can’t bring Ohio back, it’s hard to see how he
captures the White House.
ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Add tax cheat to the list of horrible things President Obama and his supporters are calling Mitt Romney. Another new ad drops as two new
national polls show Obama opening up some breathing room against Romney — a seven-point gap in a new CNN poll, nine points in Fox polling. The scattershot
strategy stands in contrast with the Romney campaign; to cite this week’s example, the Romney folks didn’t make a big — that is, candidate-level — deal
out of David Plouffe’s speechmaking. (Think Team Obama would have let that one slip by?) It puts more pressure on the Romney campaign to deliver on their
one big piece of messaging, around the economy, meaning the veepstakes-fueled bus tour needs extra mileage.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Olympic Daily Preview - Thursday, August 9th
Jamaican sprinting star Usain Bolt will try to captivate the crowd at Olympic Stadium with another historic performance as the London Games hit Day 13 on
Thursday.
Bolt will aim for his fifth Olympic gold medal when he races in the 200-meter final. Four years ago in Beijing, he won gold in the men's 100, 200 and 400-
meter relay and he's already won the 100 here in London. Bolt joined Carl Lewis of the United States as the only men to win consecutive 100 golds and no man
has ever claimed two Olympic titles in the 200.
Once again, the biggest threat to end Bolt's run of gold is expected to come from his countryman Yohan Blake, who beat Jamaica's national hero in both the
100 and 200 earlier this summer at the country's Olympic trials.
Bolt easily qualified for the final of the 200 on Thursday with a time of 20.18 seconds. Blake had the best time of the three heats, running the half- lap in
20.01 seconds. American sprinter Wallace Spearmon was next after Blake, finishing only .01 seconds behind. Spearmon crossed the finish line third at the
Beijing Games, but was later disqualified for stepping out of his lane.
Also, U.S. athlete Ashton Eaton will try to finish strong in the decathlon to win gold. The world record holder in the event is leading the field in London
with 4,661 points -- 220 more than countryman Trey Hardee.
The decathlon concludes Thursday with the final five disciplines: the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.
Thursday's track and field competition will also see the women battle for gold in javelin, while the men will vie for medals in the triple jump and 800
meters.
Following a thrilling semifinal victory against Canada, the U.S. women's soccer team will try to capture its third consecutive Olympic gold. The Americans
only reached the final after winning their semifinal on an Alex Morgan header in stoppage time of the second extra period against Canada.
The U.S. will face Japan, which edged France on Monday to advance. The final will be a rematch of the 2011 Women's World Cup final, which was won by Japan.
However, the Americans have won three of four gold medals in women's soccer since the sport became part of the Olympic program in 1996.
Brazil's Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego will play Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in the gold medal match for men's beach volleyball. The bronze
medal match will feature Latvia's Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins against Reinder Nummerdor and Rich Schuil of the Netherlands.
Reigning Olympic champion Chen Ruolin heads into the semifinals of the women's 10-meter platform event as a heavy favorite. Chen, who has already captured
synchronized platform gold with Wang Hao in London and is the world champion in both platform events, was the top finisher in the preliminaries Wednesday.
She will be looking to sweep the platform events for the seconds straight Olympics. Brittany Viola, the daughter of 1988 American League Cy Young Award
winner Frank Viola, was among the 18 divers who qualified for the semis. The final is Thursday night.
Rhythmic gymnastics kicks off its slate for the London Games, with Russia's Evgeniya Kanaeva looking to win her second straight all-around Olympic gold. On
the group side of things, Italy has won the past three world titles, but has never won Olympic gold in the group all-around.
Thursday will feature the individual gymnasts doing a pair of routines -- the hoop and ball -- while the groups will perform one routine with five balls.
The U.S. women's basketball team will look to move another step closer toward a fifth consecutive gold medal, as it plays Australia in the semifinals. The
Americans have a 39-game Olympic winning streak, which began 20 years ago and was continued with a quarterfinal win against Canada. Australia has taken
silver behind the U.S. at each of the last three games.
In the other women's basketball semifinal, France plays Russia, which has won the last two bronze medals. Semifinal winners move on to Saturday's gold medal
game.
Gold medals will be awarded in women's boxing for the first time in Olympic history, and an American has a chance for one. Claressa Shields will fight
Russian Nadezda Torlopova, the 2011 world champion, in the middleweight final. Great Britain's Nicola Adams fights Ren Cancan for flyweight gold, while
Ireland's Katie Taylor is up against Russian Sofya Ochigava for the lightweight title.
There are four sprint canoe medal events Thursday -- the men's 1,000-meter canoe double and kayak four, and the women's 500m single and double kayak.
In sailing, medals will be awarded in the men's 470 class. Australians Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page head into the medal race with a four-point advantage
over Great Britain's Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell. Additionally, there are sail-offs to determine fifth through eighth place in the women's Elliott 6m
match racing competition.
The U.S. women's water polo team will try to capture its first gold, as it plays Spain in the final of that tournament. Since women's water polo became an
Olympic sport in 2000, the American women's team has won two silvers and a bronze, but have a chance to make history. Australia and Hungary play for bronze.
Great Britain's Keri-Anne Payne will try to capture gold for the host country in the women's 10-kilometer swimming marathon. She won silver four years ago in
Beijing, and is the reigning world champion in the event. Haley Anderson will compete for the United States.
In women's volleyball, the U.S. team will try to get back to the gold medal match as it plays South Korea in a semifinal. The Americans finished with silver
at the 2008 Beijing Games. Brazil, which won four years ago, takes on Japan the other semifinal.
The final medals in equestrian will be handed out at the London Olympics after the dressage individual grand prix freestyle while synchronized swimming will
be back with teams technical routines.
Two taekwondo weight classes will be contested -- the women's 57-kilogram and men's 68kg. Additionally, freestyle wrestling medals will be awarded in women's
55kg and 72kg classes. Ali Bernard, a bronze medalist at the 2011 world championships in the 72kg weight class, competes for the U.S.
Semifinals will take place in women's handball and men's field hockey, while BMX has men's quarterfinal action.
Thursday.
Bolt will aim for his fifth Olympic gold medal when he races in the 200-meter final. Four years ago in Beijing, he won gold in the men's 100, 200 and 400-
meter relay and he's already won the 100 here in London. Bolt joined Carl Lewis of the United States as the only men to win consecutive 100 golds and no man
has ever claimed two Olympic titles in the 200.
Once again, the biggest threat to end Bolt's run of gold is expected to come from his countryman Yohan Blake, who beat Jamaica's national hero in both the
100 and 200 earlier this summer at the country's Olympic trials.
Bolt easily qualified for the final of the 200 on Thursday with a time of 20.18 seconds. Blake had the best time of the three heats, running the half- lap in
20.01 seconds. American sprinter Wallace Spearmon was next after Blake, finishing only .01 seconds behind. Spearmon crossed the finish line third at the
Beijing Games, but was later disqualified for stepping out of his lane.
Also, U.S. athlete Ashton Eaton will try to finish strong in the decathlon to win gold. The world record holder in the event is leading the field in London
with 4,661 points -- 220 more than countryman Trey Hardee.
The decathlon concludes Thursday with the final five disciplines: the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.
Thursday's track and field competition will also see the women battle for gold in javelin, while the men will vie for medals in the triple jump and 800
meters.
Following a thrilling semifinal victory against Canada, the U.S. women's soccer team will try to capture its third consecutive Olympic gold. The Americans
only reached the final after winning their semifinal on an Alex Morgan header in stoppage time of the second extra period against Canada.
The U.S. will face Japan, which edged France on Monday to advance. The final will be a rematch of the 2011 Women's World Cup final, which was won by Japan.
However, the Americans have won three of four gold medals in women's soccer since the sport became part of the Olympic program in 1996.
Brazil's Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego will play Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann in the gold medal match for men's beach volleyball. The bronze
medal match will feature Latvia's Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins against Reinder Nummerdor and Rich Schuil of the Netherlands.
Reigning Olympic champion Chen Ruolin heads into the semifinals of the women's 10-meter platform event as a heavy favorite. Chen, who has already captured
synchronized platform gold with Wang Hao in London and is the world champion in both platform events, was the top finisher in the preliminaries Wednesday.
She will be looking to sweep the platform events for the seconds straight Olympics. Brittany Viola, the daughter of 1988 American League Cy Young Award
winner Frank Viola, was among the 18 divers who qualified for the semis. The final is Thursday night.
Rhythmic gymnastics kicks off its slate for the London Games, with Russia's Evgeniya Kanaeva looking to win her second straight all-around Olympic gold. On
the group side of things, Italy has won the past three world titles, but has never won Olympic gold in the group all-around.
Thursday will feature the individual gymnasts doing a pair of routines -- the hoop and ball -- while the groups will perform one routine with five balls.
The U.S. women's basketball team will look to move another step closer toward a fifth consecutive gold medal, as it plays Australia in the semifinals. The
Americans have a 39-game Olympic winning streak, which began 20 years ago and was continued with a quarterfinal win against Canada. Australia has taken
silver behind the U.S. at each of the last three games.
In the other women's basketball semifinal, France plays Russia, which has won the last two bronze medals. Semifinal winners move on to Saturday's gold medal
game.
Gold medals will be awarded in women's boxing for the first time in Olympic history, and an American has a chance for one. Claressa Shields will fight
Russian Nadezda Torlopova, the 2011 world champion, in the middleweight final. Great Britain's Nicola Adams fights Ren Cancan for flyweight gold, while
Ireland's Katie Taylor is up against Russian Sofya Ochigava for the lightweight title.
There are four sprint canoe medal events Thursday -- the men's 1,000-meter canoe double and kayak four, and the women's 500m single and double kayak.
In sailing, medals will be awarded in the men's 470 class. Australians Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page head into the medal race with a four-point advantage
over Great Britain's Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell. Additionally, there are sail-offs to determine fifth through eighth place in the women's Elliott 6m
match racing competition.
The U.S. women's water polo team will try to capture its first gold, as it plays Spain in the final of that tournament. Since women's water polo became an
Olympic sport in 2000, the American women's team has won two silvers and a bronze, but have a chance to make history. Australia and Hungary play for bronze.
Great Britain's Keri-Anne Payne will try to capture gold for the host country in the women's 10-kilometer swimming marathon. She won silver four years ago in
Beijing, and is the reigning world champion in the event. Haley Anderson will compete for the United States.
In women's volleyball, the U.S. team will try to get back to the gold medal match as it plays South Korea in a semifinal. The Americans finished with silver
at the 2008 Beijing Games. Brazil, which won four years ago, takes on Japan the other semifinal.
The final medals in equestrian will be handed out at the London Olympics after the dressage individual grand prix freestyle while synchronized swimming will
be back with teams technical routines.
Two taekwondo weight classes will be contested -- the women's 57-kilogram and men's 68kg. Additionally, freestyle wrestling medals will be awarded in women's
55kg and 72kg classes. Ali Bernard, a bronze medalist at the 2011 world championships in the 72kg weight class, competes for the U.S.
Semifinals will take place in women's handball and men's field hockey, while BMX has men's quarterfinal action.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Majority say foreign talent is the way to go
I am for foreign talent if they can also push our local athletes to a higher level.
I read with disappointment the number of discouraging reports about Singaporeans not being proud of Feng Tianwei for winning the bronze at the recent
Olympics because she is not a "local".
We must all agree that despite the many promises of our local athletes, all of them have failed when it really mattered.
I think one of the main reasons is that we do not really have a sporting culture in Singapore.
Yes, we have the Singapore Sports School, but focus there is also on academic excellence, rather than sporting excellence alone.
I watched Feng during the Olympics and was hugely impressed by her determination and her never-say-die spirit.
Sure, detractors will say that she was playing for the $250,000 carrot dangled by the SNOC but I choose to believe in what I saw - a woman representing
Singapore and playing her heart out for the country.
If Singapore wants to establish itself as a sporting nation, getting foreign talent is the way to go.
- Deborah Kong
Accept the universal reality of engaging FT
FOREIGN talent is the way to go for Singapore if we want to achieve and excel in sports, arts, sciences and music etc. for the following reasons:
1. Our small population will get smaller and smaller because of the declining birth rate. With a smaller population, it will be more difficult to develop
talent.
2. Most, if not all Singaporean parents, do not encourage their children to pursue professional sports as a career. So how can we groom local talent?
Generally parents emphasise careers that provide material gain.
3. Singapore can make good use of the screening and training infrastructure of countries such as China to attract budding talent.
After they have received the fundamental training, let them bloom in Singapore. Singapore's attractiveness as a place to live will draw FT.
4. Most important, as long as the heart, soul and mind of the foreign talent is for Singapore after he or she has settled in, it does not matter where they
came from originally.
5. With globalisation, it is not only Singapore attracting foreign talent, every country in the world also seems to be doing this.
So let's wake up and accept reality.
- Patrick Chia
We celebrated Feng's triumph
I WAS down with high fever, watching the table tennis match between Feng Tianwei and Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa with my two children.
Every time Feng won a point and released a yell, my two kids jumped up and down, with my daughter also doing a victory dance from the living area to her
room.
In the end, the triumph was fantastic and gave us joy.
Feng is an imported foreign talent. A medal won by a foreign import is for Singapore.
Whatever awards won during that individual's representation as a Singapore citizen belongs to Singapore.
When he or she flies the Singapore flag, that's the country he or she is representing at that point in time.
I respect and applaud Feng for her passionate and arduous fight in the sport she loves and for the country she represents.
So stop complaining, Singaporeans.
- Nigel Gan
Yes, and no...
IS FOREIGN talent the way?
Yes, if they stay here long enough to adapt and speak English or are groomed from young. No, if you want to focus on our training systems as well as coaches
to further enhance the competitiveness of the locals.
- Jamil Pungot
What about grooming locals?
I AM against pursuing Foreign Talent (FT) to represent the Republic in local and overseas competitions.
It is a waste of public funds to groom FT.
What is the point of having the Singapore Sports School (SSS) when most of the time the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and other sporting
associations focus on FT to boost their medal chances in competitions.
The SSS graduates have little chance of competing with the FT who receive great support, and train and play full time.
Why can't Singapore focus on locals as do Malaysia and Thailand?
A Thai girl lost in the quarter-final against a Chinese player, but her effort made the Thais proud. I will be proud if we have such a player.
What is so great about Feng Tianwei's bronze-medal triumph?
She is a product of very strong support from the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) who use much of their funds to develop FT.
In a report in The New Paper, we read that in the STTA stable are five Chinese FTs waiting to take over from Feng and company.
Where is the talk about grooming local talent?
- Daniel Chan
It's a shame...
I STRONGLY feel that it's a shame to use foreign talent to gain glory for Singapore.
They may be citizens, but only on paper. They are not truly Singaporean.
- Cheong Koon Guan
Monday, August 6, 2012
Olympics 2012: Lolo Jones's marketing blitz masks reality about ability
We interrupt this Lolo Jones Program to bring you some less-titillating news.
She might not win the 100-meter hurdles on Tuesday. It may go to an Aussie or a Turk or even another American
That might shock millions of people who don’t realize there actually are other American women who can hurdle. One of them is even the defending gold
medalist.
Ever heard of Dawn Harper?
Maybe if you subscribe to Track and Field News. Almost every other magazine and TV show went loco for Lolo in the buildup to London.
She has a compelling story—poor upbringing, deadbeat dad, redemption after falling in Beijing. But let’s be honest.
If Jones wasn’t H-O-T, she might as well be rowing for Burma. Among her many skills is marketing, and she has preened her way to the top of the Olympic
medal stand.
Lolo was on the cover of Time magazine’s Olympic preview edition. She’s been profiled by Rolling Stone, HBO and NBC Nightly News. She did the Tonight Show.
All that, and she barely made the U.S. team.
Harper won the Olympic Trials and Kellie Wells was second. The fact fame can out-race accomplishment isn’t exactly a shock. Ask Tim Tebow.
But isn’t the whole point of the Olympics to run really fast?
What Paris Hilton rock have I been living under? Celebrity inevitably trumps substance, so we might as well enjoy Lolo’s semi-nude magazine spreads. It’s
just hard not to be bothered if you actually have a substantial resume.
“Hmm,” Harper said. “At one point it did.”
When that point ended, she didn’t say. You get the feeling we’re not there yet.
Harper has a pretty good story of her own. She was raised in tough East St. Louis. She didn’t even have a shoe sponsor last Olympics, so she went to China
with scruffy old spikes.
Embarrassed, she borrowed some nice ones from training partner Michelle Perry. Harper won, but most people just remember Jones hitting the next-to-last
hurdle to lose.
And it’s not as if Harper isn’t attractive. It’s easy to imagine her posing in only a red ribbon, as Jones did for Outside magazine.
Harper has been asked to pose for a few pictures at the Olympic Village the past week. But if Lolo is Tebow, she is Matt Hasselbeck.
“I’ve had my family issues as well,” Harper said. “But I’m not willing to say all of them just so I can be in the paper.”
It sure sounds as if Lolo-mania rankles her. Jones went from genuine article to marketing maven when she came out as the Almost-30-year-old Virgin a couple
of months ago.
Then she did the Tonight Show and told Jay Leno she might ask Tebow on a church date.
Talk about media catnip. Kim Kardashian probably fired her publicist that day for not thinking up a Tebow/virginity angle .
Jones is now up to 247,660 Twitter followers, by far the most of any U.S. track and field athlete. She has a half-dozen sponsors, ranging from Red Bull to
Asics to Oakley to BP.
Harper has one. Nike has spared her the indignity of borrowing shoes for London’s races.
“Everything Lolo’s gotten is wonderful,” Harper said. “I don’t want to take anything away from her. That’s her journey.”
You can’t blame Jones for taking it. But when the hurdlers go on their big Olympic journey Tuesday night, I can’t help but pull for Harper.
Even if all she does well is run really fast.
She might not win the 100-meter hurdles on Tuesday. It may go to an Aussie or a Turk or even another American
That might shock millions of people who don’t realize there actually are other American women who can hurdle. One of them is even the defending gold
medalist.
Ever heard of Dawn Harper?
Maybe if you subscribe to Track and Field News. Almost every other magazine and TV show went loco for Lolo in the buildup to London.
She has a compelling story—poor upbringing, deadbeat dad, redemption after falling in Beijing. But let’s be honest.
If Jones wasn’t H-O-T, she might as well be rowing for Burma. Among her many skills is marketing, and she has preened her way to the top of the Olympic
medal stand.
Lolo was on the cover of Time magazine’s Olympic preview edition. She’s been profiled by Rolling Stone, HBO and NBC Nightly News. She did the Tonight Show.
All that, and she barely made the U.S. team.
Harper won the Olympic Trials and Kellie Wells was second. The fact fame can out-race accomplishment isn’t exactly a shock. Ask Tim Tebow.
But isn’t the whole point of the Olympics to run really fast?
What Paris Hilton rock have I been living under? Celebrity inevitably trumps substance, so we might as well enjoy Lolo’s semi-nude magazine spreads. It’s
just hard not to be bothered if you actually have a substantial resume.
“Hmm,” Harper said. “At one point it did.”
When that point ended, she didn’t say. You get the feeling we’re not there yet.
Harper has a pretty good story of her own. She was raised in tough East St. Louis. She didn’t even have a shoe sponsor last Olympics, so she went to China
with scruffy old spikes.
Embarrassed, she borrowed some nice ones from training partner Michelle Perry. Harper won, but most people just remember Jones hitting the next-to-last
hurdle to lose.
And it’s not as if Harper isn’t attractive. It’s easy to imagine her posing in only a red ribbon, as Jones did for Outside magazine.
Harper has been asked to pose for a few pictures at the Olympic Village the past week. But if Lolo is Tebow, she is Matt Hasselbeck.
“I’ve had my family issues as well,” Harper said. “But I’m not willing to say all of them just so I can be in the paper.”
It sure sounds as if Lolo-mania rankles her. Jones went from genuine article to marketing maven when she came out as the Almost-30-year-old Virgin a couple
of months ago.
Then she did the Tonight Show and told Jay Leno she might ask Tebow on a church date.
Talk about media catnip. Kim Kardashian probably fired her publicist that day for not thinking up a Tebow/virginity angle .
Jones is now up to 247,660 Twitter followers, by far the most of any U.S. track and field athlete. She has a half-dozen sponsors, ranging from Red Bull to
Asics to Oakley to BP.
Harper has one. Nike has spared her the indignity of borrowing shoes for London’s races.
“Everything Lolo’s gotten is wonderful,” Harper said. “I don’t want to take anything away from her. That’s her journey.”
You can’t blame Jones for taking it. But when the hurdlers go on their big Olympic journey Tuesday night, I can’t help but pull for Harper.
Even if all she does well is run really fast.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Firestone agony for Furyk after last-hole collapse
(Reuters) - PGA Tour veteran Jim Furyk knows better than most how cruel professional golf can be, and he was on the receiving end of a bitter reversal of
fortune at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.
Having led the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event from the opening round at Firestone Country Club, Furyk stayed in control until the 72nd hole where
he wound up with a double-bogey to lose the title by one shot.
While his playing partner Keegan Bradley savored unexpected ecstasy after sinking a 15-foot par putt at the last to win the tournament, Furyk had to deal
with the agony of a squandered chance at landing a 17th PGA Tour title.
"Right now I'm just a little bit in shock with the way I finished up," Furyk told reporters after his one-stroke lead coming down the par-four last had been
wiped out with an ugly six, having missed a five-foot putt for bogey.
"I turned a five into a six and lost the golf tournament on the last hole. There's no way I should have made double bogey.
"I've lost some tournaments in some pretty poor fashions, but I don't think I've let one ever slip nearly as bad as this one. This was my worst effort to
finish off an event."
Furyk, who had tumbled out of a tie for the lead with three holes to play at the U.S. Open in June, played good golf for virtually the entire final round on
a Firestone layout softened by overnight and early morning rain.
He birdied the first three holes and initially resisted a stirring Bradley charge after the turn with rock-solid pars and an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-
five 16th.
FINAL-HOLE NIGHTMARE
His final-hole nightmare began when his second shot ended up in the rough on the edge of a greenside bunker from where he had an awkward stance.
From there, he chunked his chip to just short of the fringe, then chipped from a poor lie to five feet short of the hole before missing a five-foot bogey
putt to gift the title to Bradley.
"If I wanted one shot over, I guess it would be the third especially as I had the ball sitting high in the rough," 2003 U.S. Open champion Furyk said. "I got
too steep. I got the ball real high in the face.
"That's why it came out kind of dead, didn't have any power to it, and I kind of dumped it short there. The third shot was the one that probably is the thorn
in my side.
"I've known it's a cruel game for a long time. I go back to the U.S. Open and the chances I had there, coming in tied with three holes to play, and I played
poorly the last three holes."
At Firestone, however, Furyk had been in complete control since firing a dazzling 63 in the opening round and his failure to finish the job was a bitter pill
for him to swallow.
"I led the golf tournament the entire way and lost it on the very last hole," said the 42-year-old, who is renowned for his rock-steady play and unorthodox
looping swing.
"To get that close and to know that I played more than good enough to win the golf tournament and not close the door is disappointing."
fortune at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday.
Having led the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event from the opening round at Firestone Country Club, Furyk stayed in control until the 72nd hole where
he wound up with a double-bogey to lose the title by one shot.
While his playing partner Keegan Bradley savored unexpected ecstasy after sinking a 15-foot par putt at the last to win the tournament, Furyk had to deal
with the agony of a squandered chance at landing a 17th PGA Tour title.
"Right now I'm just a little bit in shock with the way I finished up," Furyk told reporters after his one-stroke lead coming down the par-four last had been
wiped out with an ugly six, having missed a five-foot putt for bogey.
"I turned a five into a six and lost the golf tournament on the last hole. There's no way I should have made double bogey.
"I've lost some tournaments in some pretty poor fashions, but I don't think I've let one ever slip nearly as bad as this one. This was my worst effort to
finish off an event."
Furyk, who had tumbled out of a tie for the lead with three holes to play at the U.S. Open in June, played good golf for virtually the entire final round on
a Firestone layout softened by overnight and early morning rain.
He birdied the first three holes and initially resisted a stirring Bradley charge after the turn with rock-solid pars and an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-
five 16th.
FINAL-HOLE NIGHTMARE
His final-hole nightmare began when his second shot ended up in the rough on the edge of a greenside bunker from where he had an awkward stance.
From there, he chunked his chip to just short of the fringe, then chipped from a poor lie to five feet short of the hole before missing a five-foot bogey
putt to gift the title to Bradley.
"If I wanted one shot over, I guess it would be the third especially as I had the ball sitting high in the rough," 2003 U.S. Open champion Furyk said. "I got
too steep. I got the ball real high in the face.
"That's why it came out kind of dead, didn't have any power to it, and I kind of dumped it short there. The third shot was the one that probably is the thorn
in my side.
"I've known it's a cruel game for a long time. I go back to the U.S. Open and the chances I had there, coming in tied with three holes to play, and I played
poorly the last three holes."
At Firestone, however, Furyk had been in complete control since firing a dazzling 63 in the opening round and his failure to finish the job was a bitter pill
for him to swallow.
"I led the golf tournament the entire way and lost it on the very last hole," said the 42-year-old, who is renowned for his rock-steady play and unorthodox
looping swing.
"To get that close and to know that I played more than good enough to win the golf tournament and not close the door is disappointing."
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Tebow brought in to spark Jets with his legs more than his arm
CORTLAND, N.Y. -- The tabloid-ready Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow quarterback drama that everyone wants to make the New York Jets 2012 season all about misses the
point. Or at least half the point.
Tebow isn't a Jet because New York coveted his passing arm. When the Jets choose to throw this season, Sanchez will deliver it the vast majority of the time.
That much is all but certain. But it's New York renewed commitment to the running game, a re-emphasizing of its once-vaunted Ground and Pound attack, that
will be the real story of the season in Rex-ville. And how that goes will determine just how much Tebow's role cuts into Sanchez's playing time and whether
there will be a quarterback controversy at some point.
After all, it wasn't Tebow's left arm that so memorably beat the stunned Jets 17-13 with a late 95-yard touchdown drive on a Thursday night in Week 11 last
season in Denver. As you'll recall, that victory seemed to ramp up Tebow-mania to a new level of frenzy, and it was what Tebow did with his legs that fully
got the attention and admiration of Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Tebow had seven carries for 58 yards during the game-winning drive, none bigger than the 20-
yard touchdown burst around left end with 58 seconds remaining, when he ripped through a Jets defense that seemed to want no part of a 250-pound runner on
that pivotal 3rd-and-4 play.
I'm convinced that play, that touchdown, that galling New York loss, went a long ways toward making Tebow a Jet today. The Broncos improved to 5-5 that night
and eventually went to the playoffs with Tebow leading the way. The Jets dropped to 5-5 with the loss and eventually missed the playoffs for the first time
in Ryan's three seasons on the job, as their locker room dissolved into dysfunction and their offense lost a good bit of its winning, run-first identity of
2009-10.
"The fact that he beat us and we couldn't defend him, absolutely, that certainly didn't hurt the equation,'' Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum told me the
other day, discussing the team's decision-making in the Tebow acquisition. "When the quarterback is a threat as a runner, it's hard to defend. It was a
philosophical decision. We want to be a tough team, and be able to be game-plan specific with what Tim does best. It was like adding another club to our bag
at a reasonable price. It doesn't mean we always have to use that club, but it's there.''
It's there all right, and how it's used this season is going to receive a bit of scrutiny. Down to a microscopic level. But focusing solely on the Sanchez-
Tebow dynamic overlooks the Jets' really big move of the offseason, the hiring of new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.
The ex-Dolphins head coach was quickly snapped up by Ryan in an attempt to reclaim the type of hard-nosed approach to the running game that helped New York
lead the NFL in rushing in 2009 and finish fourth overall in 2010 -- results that coincided with the Jets reaching the AFC title game both years. Last year,
under since-departed offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, New York's muddled approach produced a running game that averaged just 3.8 yards per carry
(tied for 29th), and only 105.8 yards per game (22nd).
Ryan still doesn't know exactly how his 2011 Jets lost the offensive identity he talked so long and loudly about his first two seasons, but he knows they
did. And he's determined to make that a one-year trend, with Sparano's top priority being a restoration of the Jets running game as the foundation of the
offense.
"I think we did lose it,'' Ryan said. "Whether it was because we were behind, or what it was, I'm not sure. But that's something that clearly jumped out
about last season. We struggled in the preseason running the ball and we struggled early in the season. We finally got it going a little bit as the year went
on, but clearly for our team, the best thing for it is to run the football. Or to at least have the ability to run, so that teams know you'd better be
careful against us. You'd better defend the run, because if you don't, we will run it. We have to be able to impose our will on defenses with our running
game. We have to be able to run the football even when they know we're going to run it. That's when you know you have an excellent football team.''
The Jets, Tannenbaum said, made poor decisions last year in terms of how to best utilize their offensive personnel. This is the modern-day NFL. You have to
be able to pass, and pass effectively, to win big. But the Jets convinced themselves that aging receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason had to have major
roles in their offense, and that drew focus and carries away from running backs Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight. With disappointing
results.
"We initially went into the season thinking with Derrick Mason and Plaxico that our best personnel was one back, one tight end and three receivers,''
Tannenbaum said. "Over the course of the season we did evolve back to the running game, but at the beginning we kind of felt our best personnel was going in
a different direction. In hindsight it wasn't the right decision.''
At a recent Jets training camp practice I attended, it was Sparano's distinctive bellowing voice that dominated the proceedings on the field. Barking
instruction, encouragement or criticism, Sparano has everyone's attention at all times. His task is to re-establish the Jets' tough-guy persona, and the ex-
Cowboys offensive line coach has enthusiastically thrown himself into the renovation project.
"I understand why Rex hired me and what he's looking for,'' Sparano said. "What we're trying to do here is get a physicality, and a mentality that when
people watch us, it's not a case of What are they? They're going to have a pretty clear idea of what we are. A big part of winning in this league is taking
care of the football and being able to run the football, particularly in our division, in weather.
"I wasn't here in the past and I'm not really concerned about that part of it. But everything we do, it starts with physicality in the running game. What we
want is when people play the New York Jets, they line up against our offense and know it's going to be a physical football game.''
If you don't think Tebow will factor significantly into that return to a style of physicality in the Jets running game, you either haven't been paying
attention or you were in a coma and missed all of last season. The threat he poses with his legs and his ability to muscle his way through tacklers is one of
the primary reasons New York was interested in his unique and controversial skill package.
And of course, Sparano brings the Wildcat offensive formation that he helped make an NFL sensation back in 2008, when he led the Dolphins to a surprise AFC
East title in part by utilizing running back Ronnie Brown in that direct-snap quarterback role. The Jets used receiver Brad Smith effectively in the Wildcat
in 2009-10, but he signed with AFC East foe Buffalo in 2011, indirectly opening the door for Tebow this year.
Tebow will get plenty of work in the Wildcat in New York, as well as the read-option formation he thrived in (sporadically) last year in Denver. Earlier
indications are that he will be featured in red zone situations mostly, but given his success at times in Denver throwing deep patterns (Tebow had three
passes of at least 40 yards in one quarter of the Broncos' wild-card round upset over the Steelers, one more such throw than Sanchez completed all season), I
wouldn't be surprised to see him challenging a defense vertically on play-action calls. Second-round receiver Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech is a speed threat
who will be asked to stretch the field as a rookie.
"When we made the [Tebow] decision, obviously I talked to [Jets owner] Woody [Johnson],'' Tannenbaum said. "But it was Tony Sparano, Rex and myself in the
room. It was a football decision. Coach Sparano had coached him in the Senior Bowl and obviously ran a Wildcat with success in Miami, and Rex from the day he
walked in the door as a head coach, with his defensive acumen, always referred to it as 11-man football, where the quarterback is a threat as a runner. So
from a football standpoint, I'm looking to my left and I'm looking to my right and for really different reasons, they weren't scared of him.
"For a guy who has three years left on a contract, and may have been the best college football player of all time, we just felt the price of the trade was
reasonable and bringing Tim in here could really help our offense.''
The Tebow factor aside, Sparano's main focus in the running game will be coaxing a career year out of Jets lead running back Greene, who despite being
productive last season (1,054 yards, 4.2-yard average carry) didn't seem to be able to churn out the big yards at the biggest moments, or take over late in
games the way he did during his rookie season of 2009. Greene, who is entering the fourth and final year of his first Jets contract, will have the
opportunity under Sparano to prove he's New York's present and future at running back.
Ryan said he didn't think the Jets did a good job of blocking downfield for Greene last season, citing the departure of receiver Braylon Edwards as a
contributing factor to that decline. "Braylon was a big part in the way we blocked down field,'' Ryan said. "We actually would motion Braylon in and run
behind him, like a tight end. I think you're going to see us get back to that. That's a New York Jet thing. That commitment to blocking downfield. That's
going to help Shonn.''
But Sparano makes it sound as if re-energizing Greene's game will be as easy as giving him the ball. Early, often, and religiously. According to Sparano,
Greene just needs more work, and he defends his 2011 season by pointing out that Greene averaged 79.1 yards in the season's final 12 games, which Sparano
said ranked fourth in the league over that span.
"This guy is a big physical back, and he's built the way I like them, a low-to-the-ground, move-the-pile guy,'' Sparano said. "With Shonn, I have a feeling
this guy gets lathered up the more times he touches the ball. He carried the ball a lot in college [at Iowa]. That's the type of back he is. The most
important thing I try to talk to him about, because of the way we want to use him, is to make sure you take care of your body. It's a long season, and we're
going to use you. That's how we get his game to the next level.''
All of which is music to Greene's ears, with his next contract just around the corner. And the Jets offensive line, which includes the likes of Pro Bowl
selections Nick Mangold at center, D'Brickashaw Ferguson at tackle and Brandon Moore at guard, likes the renewed run-first mentality, too. What offensive
linemen doesn't love to run block, moving forward instead of backward in pass protection?
"We're a team with a great defense, a physical defense, and a physical-minded coach,'' Moore said. "You want to be able to run the football, and we have the
personnel to do that. But saying you're going to Ground and Pound and run the ball doesn't mean you're not going to throw the football. We'll throw it
plenty. But to get our identity back of being a physical, tough-minded team, a team with attitude, you've got to be able to run the ball. It's a welcomed
change around here. You don't feel tough or play like a tough team if you're slinging the ball all over the place.''
With Tomlinson retired after two seasons in New York, the Jets will ask Joe McKnight to add to his kickoff return duties, filling the speed-back role and
posing a receiving threat out of the backfield. And young runners like second-year veteran Bilal Powell and rookie Terrance Ganaway may contribute in
complementary roles. It's up to Sparano to find ways to employ them all, giving opposing defenses a host of different looks and packages to contend with in
stopping New York's running game.
If the plan holds this season, nobody will be used more creatively than Tebow, New York's high-profile backup quarterback, punt protector and X-factor
extraordinaire. But my guess is we'll be talking about his running a lot more than his passing in 2012, and the same might go for the entire Jets offense
this year. There seems to be no daylight between Ryan's and Sparano's mentality on the direction New York is headed.
"It's funny, but when we were researching our options at offensive coordinator, Rex and I spoke to Anthony Lynn, our running backs coach, who had been with
Tony in Dallas,'' Tannenbaum said. "I said, 'Anthony, in 30 seconds or less, what is Tony Sparano?' He said 'He's Rex Ryan on offense.' And that could not be
more accurate. He's tough, he's demanding, he's funny and he's fair.
"Of all the things we did this offseason, I think as much as anything, Tony is going to make a huge difference. Not just on our offense, but our football
team, because he sees the game from the eyes of a head coach.''
So it's time to Ground and Pound again in New York. Even if Tebow Time and the back-page circus has arrived, for Mark Sanchez, it's the Jets' recommitment to
their running game -- and not his celebrated new teammate -- that might wind up being his best friend.
point. Or at least half the point.
Tebow isn't a Jet because New York coveted his passing arm. When the Jets choose to throw this season, Sanchez will deliver it the vast majority of the time.
That much is all but certain. But it's New York renewed commitment to the running game, a re-emphasizing of its once-vaunted Ground and Pound attack, that
will be the real story of the season in Rex-ville. And how that goes will determine just how much Tebow's role cuts into Sanchez's playing time and whether
there will be a quarterback controversy at some point.
After all, it wasn't Tebow's left arm that so memorably beat the stunned Jets 17-13 with a late 95-yard touchdown drive on a Thursday night in Week 11 last
season in Denver. As you'll recall, that victory seemed to ramp up Tebow-mania to a new level of frenzy, and it was what Tebow did with his legs that fully
got the attention and admiration of Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Tebow had seven carries for 58 yards during the game-winning drive, none bigger than the 20-
yard touchdown burst around left end with 58 seconds remaining, when he ripped through a Jets defense that seemed to want no part of a 250-pound runner on
that pivotal 3rd-and-4 play.
I'm convinced that play, that touchdown, that galling New York loss, went a long ways toward making Tebow a Jet today. The Broncos improved to 5-5 that night
and eventually went to the playoffs with Tebow leading the way. The Jets dropped to 5-5 with the loss and eventually missed the playoffs for the first time
in Ryan's three seasons on the job, as their locker room dissolved into dysfunction and their offense lost a good bit of its winning, run-first identity of
2009-10.
"The fact that he beat us and we couldn't defend him, absolutely, that certainly didn't hurt the equation,'' Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum told me the
other day, discussing the team's decision-making in the Tebow acquisition. "When the quarterback is a threat as a runner, it's hard to defend. It was a
philosophical decision. We want to be a tough team, and be able to be game-plan specific with what Tim does best. It was like adding another club to our bag
at a reasonable price. It doesn't mean we always have to use that club, but it's there.''
It's there all right, and how it's used this season is going to receive a bit of scrutiny. Down to a microscopic level. But focusing solely on the Sanchez-
Tebow dynamic overlooks the Jets' really big move of the offseason, the hiring of new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.
The ex-Dolphins head coach was quickly snapped up by Ryan in an attempt to reclaim the type of hard-nosed approach to the running game that helped New York
lead the NFL in rushing in 2009 and finish fourth overall in 2010 -- results that coincided with the Jets reaching the AFC title game both years. Last year,
under since-departed offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, New York's muddled approach produced a running game that averaged just 3.8 yards per carry
(tied for 29th), and only 105.8 yards per game (22nd).
Ryan still doesn't know exactly how his 2011 Jets lost the offensive identity he talked so long and loudly about his first two seasons, but he knows they
did. And he's determined to make that a one-year trend, with Sparano's top priority being a restoration of the Jets running game as the foundation of the
offense.
"I think we did lose it,'' Ryan said. "Whether it was because we were behind, or what it was, I'm not sure. But that's something that clearly jumped out
about last season. We struggled in the preseason running the ball and we struggled early in the season. We finally got it going a little bit as the year went
on, but clearly for our team, the best thing for it is to run the football. Or to at least have the ability to run, so that teams know you'd better be
careful against us. You'd better defend the run, because if you don't, we will run it. We have to be able to impose our will on defenses with our running
game. We have to be able to run the football even when they know we're going to run it. That's when you know you have an excellent football team.''
The Jets, Tannenbaum said, made poor decisions last year in terms of how to best utilize their offensive personnel. This is the modern-day NFL. You have to
be able to pass, and pass effectively, to win big. But the Jets convinced themselves that aging receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason had to have major
roles in their offense, and that drew focus and carries away from running backs Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Joe McKnight. With disappointing
results.
"We initially went into the season thinking with Derrick Mason and Plaxico that our best personnel was one back, one tight end and three receivers,''
Tannenbaum said. "Over the course of the season we did evolve back to the running game, but at the beginning we kind of felt our best personnel was going in
a different direction. In hindsight it wasn't the right decision.''
At a recent Jets training camp practice I attended, it was Sparano's distinctive bellowing voice that dominated the proceedings on the field. Barking
instruction, encouragement or criticism, Sparano has everyone's attention at all times. His task is to re-establish the Jets' tough-guy persona, and the ex-
Cowboys offensive line coach has enthusiastically thrown himself into the renovation project.
"I understand why Rex hired me and what he's looking for,'' Sparano said. "What we're trying to do here is get a physicality, and a mentality that when
people watch us, it's not a case of What are they? They're going to have a pretty clear idea of what we are. A big part of winning in this league is taking
care of the football and being able to run the football, particularly in our division, in weather.
"I wasn't here in the past and I'm not really concerned about that part of it. But everything we do, it starts with physicality in the running game. What we
want is when people play the New York Jets, they line up against our offense and know it's going to be a physical football game.''
If you don't think Tebow will factor significantly into that return to a style of physicality in the Jets running game, you either haven't been paying
attention or you were in a coma and missed all of last season. The threat he poses with his legs and his ability to muscle his way through tacklers is one of
the primary reasons New York was interested in his unique and controversial skill package.
And of course, Sparano brings the Wildcat offensive formation that he helped make an NFL sensation back in 2008, when he led the Dolphins to a surprise AFC
East title in part by utilizing running back Ronnie Brown in that direct-snap quarterback role. The Jets used receiver Brad Smith effectively in the Wildcat
in 2009-10, but he signed with AFC East foe Buffalo in 2011, indirectly opening the door for Tebow this year.
Tebow will get plenty of work in the Wildcat in New York, as well as the read-option formation he thrived in (sporadically) last year in Denver. Earlier
indications are that he will be featured in red zone situations mostly, but given his success at times in Denver throwing deep patterns (Tebow had three
passes of at least 40 yards in one quarter of the Broncos' wild-card round upset over the Steelers, one more such throw than Sanchez completed all season), I
wouldn't be surprised to see him challenging a defense vertically on play-action calls. Second-round receiver Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech is a speed threat
who will be asked to stretch the field as a rookie.
"When we made the [Tebow] decision, obviously I talked to [Jets owner] Woody [Johnson],'' Tannenbaum said. "But it was Tony Sparano, Rex and myself in the
room. It was a football decision. Coach Sparano had coached him in the Senior Bowl and obviously ran a Wildcat with success in Miami, and Rex from the day he
walked in the door as a head coach, with his defensive acumen, always referred to it as 11-man football, where the quarterback is a threat as a runner. So
from a football standpoint, I'm looking to my left and I'm looking to my right and for really different reasons, they weren't scared of him.
"For a guy who has three years left on a contract, and may have been the best college football player of all time, we just felt the price of the trade was
reasonable and bringing Tim in here could really help our offense.''
The Tebow factor aside, Sparano's main focus in the running game will be coaxing a career year out of Jets lead running back Greene, who despite being
productive last season (1,054 yards, 4.2-yard average carry) didn't seem to be able to churn out the big yards at the biggest moments, or take over late in
games the way he did during his rookie season of 2009. Greene, who is entering the fourth and final year of his first Jets contract, will have the
opportunity under Sparano to prove he's New York's present and future at running back.
Ryan said he didn't think the Jets did a good job of blocking downfield for Greene last season, citing the departure of receiver Braylon Edwards as a
contributing factor to that decline. "Braylon was a big part in the way we blocked down field,'' Ryan said. "We actually would motion Braylon in and run
behind him, like a tight end. I think you're going to see us get back to that. That's a New York Jet thing. That commitment to blocking downfield. That's
going to help Shonn.''
But Sparano makes it sound as if re-energizing Greene's game will be as easy as giving him the ball. Early, often, and religiously. According to Sparano,
Greene just needs more work, and he defends his 2011 season by pointing out that Greene averaged 79.1 yards in the season's final 12 games, which Sparano
said ranked fourth in the league over that span.
"This guy is a big physical back, and he's built the way I like them, a low-to-the-ground, move-the-pile guy,'' Sparano said. "With Shonn, I have a feeling
this guy gets lathered up the more times he touches the ball. He carried the ball a lot in college [at Iowa]. That's the type of back he is. The most
important thing I try to talk to him about, because of the way we want to use him, is to make sure you take care of your body. It's a long season, and we're
going to use you. That's how we get his game to the next level.''
All of which is music to Greene's ears, with his next contract just around the corner. And the Jets offensive line, which includes the likes of Pro Bowl
selections Nick Mangold at center, D'Brickashaw Ferguson at tackle and Brandon Moore at guard, likes the renewed run-first mentality, too. What offensive
linemen doesn't love to run block, moving forward instead of backward in pass protection?
"We're a team with a great defense, a physical defense, and a physical-minded coach,'' Moore said. "You want to be able to run the football, and we have the
personnel to do that. But saying you're going to Ground and Pound and run the ball doesn't mean you're not going to throw the football. We'll throw it
plenty. But to get our identity back of being a physical, tough-minded team, a team with attitude, you've got to be able to run the ball. It's a welcomed
change around here. You don't feel tough or play like a tough team if you're slinging the ball all over the place.''
With Tomlinson retired after two seasons in New York, the Jets will ask Joe McKnight to add to his kickoff return duties, filling the speed-back role and
posing a receiving threat out of the backfield. And young runners like second-year veteran Bilal Powell and rookie Terrance Ganaway may contribute in
complementary roles. It's up to Sparano to find ways to employ them all, giving opposing defenses a host of different looks and packages to contend with in
stopping New York's running game.
If the plan holds this season, nobody will be used more creatively than Tebow, New York's high-profile backup quarterback, punt protector and X-factor
extraordinaire. But my guess is we'll be talking about his running a lot more than his passing in 2012, and the same might go for the entire Jets offense
this year. There seems to be no daylight between Ryan's and Sparano's mentality on the direction New York is headed.
"It's funny, but when we were researching our options at offensive coordinator, Rex and I spoke to Anthony Lynn, our running backs coach, who had been with
Tony in Dallas,'' Tannenbaum said. "I said, 'Anthony, in 30 seconds or less, what is Tony Sparano?' He said 'He's Rex Ryan on offense.' And that could not be
more accurate. He's tough, he's demanding, he's funny and he's fair.
"Of all the things we did this offseason, I think as much as anything, Tony is going to make a huge difference. Not just on our offense, but our football
team, because he sees the game from the eyes of a head coach.''
So it's time to Ground and Pound again in New York. Even if Tebow Time and the back-page circus has arrived, for Mark Sanchez, it's the Jets' recommitment to
their running game -- and not his celebrated new teammate -- that might wind up being his best friend.
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