NFL Round 1 Draft recap

So last night was eventful.....

So I missed on 2 things last night..The Dolphins and Jets didnt budge because the Dolphins found out no one else considered Tannehill the 8th overall pick so they were good to stand pat, and the Jets were able to bolster their pass rush by sitting still.  The other miss I had was with the Browns. 

LOSERS:
 
Cleveland-- had a chance to fill a lot of holes on a team that, at times, was flat out horrid. They had a ton of picks and were all in good spots.  Last night they had a chance, in my opinion, to solidify big time play maker spots on both sides of the ball. They did it with Richardson, and before you go crazy saying they gave up too much if they hadn't moved up they would not have gotten the best offensive player in the draft not named Luck or RGIII.Tampa wanted Richardson bad and that made Cleveland pony up to get their man.  I applaud them for that move because it was something they would not have done in the past.  At pick 22 they needed to take an Alabama product in either OLB, and possibly the best Pass rusher in the draft, Upshaw or a LEADER like ILB Dont'a Hightower.  Brandon Weeden was a sign that the Browns are still stupid and still will be stuck in medeocrity.  Colt McCoy is fine at QB with a running attack, solid o line and young receiving core that will make strides.  Little will not drop that many balls again,and this draft has a ton of WR help in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.  Ultimately you don't take Weeden at 28 to not be a starter. The Colt McCoy era never got a real chance and is gone too soon.  Weeden isn't better, but will be the starter week 1.  They wasted a golden opportunity.  Instead they showed the league they still don't know what they are doing.....

Atlanta---Julio Jones wasnt worth not picking last night.  That team needs Defense help and there was some big time talent that could help them. I expect a run on Pass rush when they do draft.

Seattle---I don't know what to even say about this pick.  Pete Carroll and his choices are mind boggling....This kid is a one trick Pony on a team that needs a lot---Tavaris FREAKING Jackson is your starting QB for pete's sake.....Not a good job and an absolute "Al Davis" like waste pick!

WINNERS:

Cinncinnati---They helped their Defense and o-line last night by taking the 2nd best DB and beating the Ravens to Wisconsin Guard Zeitler.  Cincy and Marvin Lewis are building something special....Watch today for them to add another WR to help AJ Green and possibly the addition of a pass rusher

Dallas---Their secondary was terrible.....Plain and simple.  SO Jerry Jones did what Jerry needed to do and moved up to get the only shut down guy in the draft.  No 2nd rd today for Dallas but my guess is their are more defensive picks coming for the Boys Saturday

New England---Damn you mad genius!!  The one player I hoped the Ravens would take, was scooped away by Billy B in a brilliant move.  Their pass rush was laughable, and the defense as a whole wasn't very good.  Yet they somehow got to the Super Bowl (Thank you cards and candy still being sent to Lee Evans by Pat's fans).  Belichek added a tremendous pass rushing DE in Jones and picked up what many people believe is the next great ILB with Alabama's Dont'a Hightower.  With Hightower and Mayo running the middle of the field, the Patriots just got a WHOLE lot better.  Watch for them to add a lot more today on D and possibly a WR.

St Louis.---A team with a ton of holes and a great head coach know that they have to fill the holes in the draft.  They kept trading back and stock piled a ton of picks so Jeff Fisher can fill the holes and surround young Sam Bradford with as much talent as possible....THIS IS WHAT CLEVELAND SHOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE

RAVENS---Yep I put them here because once again Ozzie made the ABSOLUTE right decision.  They wanted Zeitler or Hightower to fall to them.  It didn't happen and the other players they wanted were going to be available later.  SO Ozzie did what he should have and got more picks by trading back.  My guess is they take Upshaw with the 35th pick and WR Randall later in the 2nd rd.  In Ozzie we trust.....

Redskins/Colts---I honestly believe both teams are set for the next 10 years at the QB position.  It is hard to imagine but Andrew Luck may actually have the Colts fans saying "Peyton Who?" in 5 years....RGIII Will be better than Michael Vick and Tony Romo which puts the Redskins in a great position within the division.  RGIII and Cam Newton are about to change the way the game is played....

Who were your winners and losers last night?

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@stevegoldbeck

Goldy

Tonights events in my sports world

Tonight the NFL Draft kicks off and I am pumped!  My baseball team, the Orioles also is going for the sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays tonight!  I will be bouncing back and forth to keep tabs on both.  Here are the reasons why and some predictions.

NFL Draft:

1. Even though EVERYONE in the free world knows that the first 2 picks are Luck and RGIII I wanna see it happen.  This could be the best QB draft since 84 and 04.
2.  This draft is going to be insane with movement.  My guess is the Vikings, Jaguars, Patriots, Ravens, Dolphins, Jets and Eagles all move to a different spot tonight.
3. The Cleveland Browns will end tonight better after the first round then any other team...Hard to imagine but true.  They have the 4th and 22nd pick in the first round. They are going to take Trent Richardson (the new AP) with the 4th pick and my bet is Alabama ILB Hightower (if Ravens don't move ahead of them) at the 22nd pick.  Trent Richardson is THAT good that after just his pick, the browns will be AFC North Contenders.
4. My team, the Ravens, will do 1 of 2 things...Move up to top 20 to take Hightower or sit back and take Stephen Hill, GT WR, at 29.  No chance Hightower falls to 29 (Steelers pick at 24) and Hill has the body and ability to be, dare I say, Mega-tron-esque.  remember either way Ravens fans...IN OZZIE WE TRUST.

ORIOLES VS JAYS:

1. Brian Matusz is the story tonight.  My guess is no matter what he better win tonight.  If he is anything like the last 3 starts, he is packing up after the game and headed somewhere with multiple A's in front of it.  Buck has given him the chances, and yes he is better than last year, but something still isnt right.  THIS ISNT THE LEVEL TO WORK IT OUT AT....He needs the win.  (PS I am guessing this is why Jason Berken was the one brought up for Andino's leave)
2. I am starting to buy in that this teams pitching m,ay actually help them compete this year.  The bullpen and starting pitching have been stellar. (Number 2 staff in AL) The back end, once healthy is as good as any in baseball with Lindstrom, Strop and JJ.  3 Big strong power arms make the game shorter...now you better get ahead before the 7th or game over.
3. Tonight I want to see how many errors they can add to their total.  This defense, mostly 3rd base play, is ATROCIOUS!  They need to fix the defense quick or they are going to waste some of this pitching they have been getting. 
4. Even though they havent been a serious rival since the 90's...I STILL LOVE KICKING THE CRAP OUT OF THE BLUE JAYS!!

What excites you about the draft tonight?  What excites you about your team? Open forum below.....Lets hear from the barmates....

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@SteveGoldbeck

GOLDY

NFL CRAZINESS!!

I know we are only 3 weeks from opening day in baseball but the NFL is so much more interesting right now with all of its stories and I really couldn't let today go without commenting on these 2 stories so without further adieu (yeah I know some french..uhh)

HERE WE GO.......

Peyton Manning trades his horse shoe for a full blown horse (easy jay...)


The domino that is Peyton manning has finally fallen and the greatest free agent of all time in the NFL has signed with the Denver Broncos. First let me congratulate reader Brian for correctly calling this move almost 2 weeks ago.  Look, this makes perfect sense for Peyton and made the best sense over the other finalists, Tennessee and San Fran.  Lets first discuss what the 2 losers had going against them....

1. Tennessee---Peyton would have been governor the minute he signed there.  There also would have been expectations that would only be achievable by GOD himself and an added sense of community stress that would have effected even the great P Manning.  The football issue was that this team had pieces in place, but not enough of them.  Too many questions and an opposite system, offensively, than he would like to run.

2. San Francisco---The defense is out of this world, they just signed Randy Moss and Jim Harbaugh is fiery, intense and inexperienced.  All of that is a turn off.  Peyton is THE GREATEST QB OF ALL TIME!  We can argue that later if you don't agree, but by being that you develop an ego, and Peyton isn't going to let that Defense take some of his spotlight.  Harbaugh isn't like his previous coaches that were very laid back and allowed him to play his way, Harbaugh was an NFL QB who still thinks he may know more that guys playing now, and the simple fact is he doesn't know more than Peyton.  The other issue was the 49ers had a clock because they couldn't afford to lose Peyton and oops we waited too long and lost Alex Smith too.

The Broncos made perfect sense, and John Elway knew, then played it as perfect as possible.  FROM THE START they told Peyton "We are here.  We want you.  Take your time".  they were the only team in this sweepstakes with time.  THAT won them number 18!  Now it helps that they have a Super Bowl ready defense (how do you think Tebow-mania got going and then kept going?), an All-Pro Young LT in Ryan Clady (Neck safe) and an emerging game changing wideout in Demaryus Thomas.  This team is led by a veteran  Coach in John Fox, that even as emotional and fiery as he is, knows how to mold his team around what he has (See Carolina's trip to the Super Bowl with Jake Delhomme, and Tebow-mania).  John Fox has coached teams to be very very good without EVER having a real QB (Take notes rex ryan and Pete Caroll).  Now Foxy has one.

You can be sure that the Peyton Manning domino also likely sets off the Broncos adding Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark.  The Broncos will add more depth at the O-line and secondary as well setting them up.  I would also imagine that in round 3 or 4 drafting a young QB to learn behind the master....

WAIT WAIT WAIT, but what about Timmy T!


At the time of me writing this post (Just got word there is some language in the trade that may void it) Timmy T is now a NY JET.  The Broncos wasted no time in trading the Christ Child to the Dark Side for a 4th rd pick (I really think they could have gotten more from somewhere else).  How UNBELIEVABLY awkward is this situation getting!!!!!!.  I mean think about it...The Pure Timmy T having to listen to Toe Sucking, foul mouthed Sexy rexy everyday at practice.  We all saw the Hard Knocks episodes.....How does Pure as fresh snow Timmy T deal with that?  Look at the guys on that team....Santonio Holmes, Bart Scott, Antonio Cromartie, La Ron Landry...COME ON!!!  How could this story get any better...OH WAIT ITS ALL IN NEW YORK!!!!

On the football side, I actually believe this is a calculated move by the Jets to push Dirty Sanchez and see how he competes.  Currently, gun to my head, I take Tebow over the Sanchize all day.  With Tebow, Rex can really run his ground and pound, and with new O coordinator, Tony Sporano, who is going to run the wildcat better than Tebow....If this trade goes through the Jets may actually be better offensively than since Sanchez has been there.

Sean Payton got bit by the STONED OUT OF HIS MIND Roger Goodell...


Roger Goodell and the NFL (That is just a technicality this is ALLLLL Goodell) suspended New Orleans Saints Head coach Sean Payton for the ENTIRE 2012 season, and also Suspended GM Mickey Loomis 8 games.  Ladies and Gentlemen, give me a minute to climb atop my soap box please........

Roger Goodell is INSANE and might be the most ridiculous Commissioner in sports!!!  This suspension is tied to Bounty-Gate, and yet the Star Perp in teh whole thing, Gregg Williams, HAS YET TO BE DISCIPLINED!!!!  There is no way that Sean Payton deserves to be suspended for an entire season.  that is LUDICROUS!  (when I move you move, just like that...sorry) Roger Goodell has set a terrible tone here.  He has proven that he is a "suspension dependent on mood" commissioner that has no rhyme or reason for any of his disciplinary actions.

Case and Point...Michael Vick was afforded the entire legal process by Roger Goodell before any suspension or fine was handed out because Roger felt it was fair to let the authorities get it right first.....THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE ROGER!!!  Then WHY did Ben Rothliesberger Get suspended 4 games before you even found out that he WASN'T GETTING CHARGED....or you suspended Plaxico Burress before he went through the legal process!!!  You run off at the mouth about player safety over and over, and "sissify" the league with stupid subjective penalties that officials don't even have set parameters for, and yet you want to add 2 MORE games a year?  Now you want to Professionally damage an accomplice/Accessory to.. with an unprecedented suspension before you even made a decision on the ACTUAL offender??

With this being Payton's suspension, it leaves you no choice, ROGER...Gregg Williams had better get a lifetime ban.  I am not saying that's what he deserves, but that's what precedent you have set.

WHAT DO YOU THINK????  Comment, Pass along to your friends

GOLDY

THE QB CHRONICLES

This week has been Peyton Manning week in America and the are no shortages of stories and teams wanting the legend, who was officially cut Thursday morning from the Colts.  The fact is the Colts had NO CHOICE but to do this.  Colts fans are upset, traditionalists are upset, but the simple fact is that Bob Irsay could not in good conscience pay $28million to a guy who just had 4 neck surgeries in a year and turns 36 next month.  I understand people being upset as it is tough to understand cutting, in my opinion, the greatest QB to play the game.  Again, this just proves how the business of the NFL has taken over. 
The other part of the decision process is that the Colts also will be able to take the most promising, and highest scoring, QB prospect since John Elway with the first overall pick in Aprils draft. Andrew Luck is a dream for anyone with the first overall pick, and gives this organization the chance to have 2 legendary QB's for 30 straight years.  It is hard to call Luck a potential legend since he hasn't played a single down, but EVERYONE can't be wrong. He as unbeliveably athletic (ran the same 40 time as Can Newton, and did so with a knee brace), is able to read defenses at a pro level already, studies film like Peyton and is just as accurate.  This is a no brainer for the Colts, especially since they have a new front office, new head coach, and a roster that is turning over. 
Now back to the "Man"ning of the week.  Where he will land is even more news worthy than him being cut.  Like Joe Montana, when the niners had to make the same decision with him and Steve Young, there are plenty of suitors but only a few of them have a real shot..

Her are some potential suitors and where I think he lands....

Buffalo Bills

Yes they just paid Ryan Fitzpatrick, but they are a young team that showed early last year they are very competitive and honestly would be instantly a playoff team with a healthy Peyton.  The reason they will not get him though is that 36yr old dome qb's don't want to play 8 games in Buffalo snow storms.  At the same time the Bills are not going to spend that kind of money twice. 

New York Jets

They just signed Sanchez to an extension so this isn't going to happen, and that just sealed Sexy Rexy's toe loving fate.  He is going to ride the Sanchize straight to the unemployment line.  Peyton would have been a perfect fit to this team and would have been the best story all year..."Which Manning is REALLY King of New York?"  I am not sure that Peyton and Rex could co-exist but it isn't impossible to think they may have actually worked well together.  The Jets will never know now....

Houston Texans

This team is soooo good right now with Matt Schaub, but if they were able to find the right trade partner for Schaub (he would pull a 1st rd haul for sure) and sign Peyton, they would honestly become the favorite in the AFC to go to the Super Bowl. A healthy Peyton would take this team to an offensive level they have been trying to get to and would be almost impossible to stop.  Peyton would have the big WR in Andre Johnson, and his ever important TE in Owen Daniels.  The rest of the NFL better hope this doesn't happen....

Denver Broncos

They have a Super Bowl ready D and a very good young WR corp, oh and they have about $40 mill to spend to fill in around Peyton.  Yes this would interrupt the Disney movie known as Timmy Tebow, but even Jesus would agree that Peyton should replace the christ child as starter.  Timmy T would benefit more than any other QB to learn from the greatest.  They also have probably the best pitch man for winning in your 30's in president John Elway, who if you remember was a pretty OK QB in his 30's. 

Kansas City Chiefs

This team has Kyle Or ton adn Matt Cassel.  That alone tells you why they are a good fit.  Its where Cool Joe Montana went and they are also only a year removed from the playoffs.  This team has a very good defense (Eric berry will be back), 2 stud young receivers and Jamaal Charles as their running back.  All the pieces are there, but can they sell him on November and December KC weather.  This team is my second choice for Peyton

Miami Dolphins/Arizona Cardinals

These 2 teams are  the leaders in the clubhouse I think.  The dolphins are where he has a home, they have Brandon Marshall, a ton of money to spend and the market to promote Peyton.  The Cardinals have amazing special teams, Peytons first offensive coordinator, a pretty good D, oh and some guy named Larry Fitzgerald.  Peyton chooses between these 2 ultimately, and I think he ends up in the Arizona desert with an All World WR, and the Cardinals then will be able to trade Kolb for draft picks. 

What do you think?

Baltimore update....

So it has been a while since the bar last opened for discussion, and hopefully we won't need to be gone this long again.  I am working on adding a new audio portion to the blog and possible video blogs as well.  For right now though lets dive in to the recent Baltimore sports news that has been out and open the discussion on your thoughts...

HERE WE GO....

Ray Rice's Agent says he deserves Adrian Peterson $$$$$$$...

Lets get ahold of some reality here folks because Ray Rice doesn't deserve AP money or even Chris Johnson money.  Hell Chris Johnson doesn't even deserve Chris Johnson money.  He got that contract because the Titans couldnt afford to lose Jeff Fisher, Vince Young AND CJ at one time so they over paid..BIG TIME.  The fact is that the NFL running back is COMPLETELY replaceable in today's NFL.  Just look at the draft as there is rarely a RB taken in the 1st round these days (Rice taken 2nd rd, Arian Foster undrafted, leGarrette Blunt taken 7th rd) and when was the last time a team with a feature back or super RB won a Super Bowl? (Sorry Giant fans your guys are not top backs)

Ray Rice's agent better be looking at the new Arian Foster deal and hoping that is what the Ravens offer instead of his client playing on a one year franchise tag.  The Arian Foster deal shows exactly my point to the value of today's RB and is the exact right contract for Foster and Rice.  His deal is a 5yr $43.5 million contract with $20.75 guaranteed.  I hear you die hards though.."Ray Rice is a way better back and means more to his offense than Foster"..is he really?  Look at this..

Career.                                                                  2011 regular season

Foster--25 yrs old entering 4th yr.                        1224 yds 10 TD's 53 rec 617 yds 2 TD's
3097 yds 29 td's

Rice--25 yrs old entering 5th year.                        1364 yds 12 TD's 76 rec 704 yes 0 TD's
4377 yds 24 td's

Fact is they are the same player. Ray's agent needs to understand that $21 mill guaranteed on a 5 yr deal is better than $7.5 mill guaranteed on a one year franchise tag where his client could blow out his knee and never play again....Trust me OZZIE knows this...

DO YOU THINK HE DESERVES MORE?

Spring training is here and the O's are on the field!!!

This is one of my favorite times of year as Spring has HOPE springing eternal for all MLB fans and their teams.  The Orioles new dynamic duo of Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have put together quite the spring training squad.  As I have stated before they are clearly looking to improve on depth,especially in the pitching department.  The Orioles have 12 pitchers competing for the starting rotation with probably only 1 spot close to set with Tommy Hunter.  On top of that is the fact that 7 of those 12, and at least another 10-12, are competing for bullpen spots.  So here are 5 questions for the O's and my response to them. 
1.  What will this starting rotation look like?
Well I honestly believe the Orioles are headed in the right direction with what has been rumored to be planned.  The Orioles are going to send the young guns back to AAA and make them force Buck and Dan to bring them up because they are pounding on the proverbial door.  They have brought in enough MLB experience and depth to do that. So here is my guess at the starting rotation day 1.  Hunter, Chen, Arrieta, Evaland, Hammel.  This makes Matusz, Tillman, Britton and Bergesen prove they are ready. (Side note: Britton is going to start season on the DL if I had to guess right now) 
2. Will Brian Roberts be back and if not who bats lead off?
I think that unfortunately the most we get from B-Rob is what we got last year..20-30 games Max.  He apparently has made it through workouts so far with no problems, but we have heard this story before.  I feel for b-rob as this has to be just so hard on him and his psyche.  With that said though there needs to be a plan going forward.  I have said before that I think, at this stage in his career, Nick Markakis would be a good value at lead off.  He is fast enough to steal 15-20 bases, he hits 40-50 doubles, bats close to .300, strikes out very little, hits 15-18 hrs and gets on base.  Add 20 steals to that and I just described Brian Roberts.  I have also heard that you could see Reimold in that spot.  He gets on base like crazy, is the second fastest guy on the team, and can hit 20 hrs....take away a walk or 7 and add in some K's and I just described Brady Anderson, and last I checked he was a pretty good lead off hitter on a pretty good team once.
3. Who is the closer?
Barring injury its Jim Johnson.  There is no question to that I think.  If he gets hurt you can use Lindstrom.  Kevin Gregg won't close in Baltimore again ...
4. Whose on first?
I think Chris Davis starts there but he better watch out for Wilson Betemit if he hits, or Nick Johnson if he is health....sorry I couldn't even get that one out.  Understand though if you can get 100 games from Nick Johnson your lineup is WAAAAY better off.  Chris Davis is on his last stand I think.  If he can cut out the strikeouts and have better AB'S we may have the middle of the order guy we have been clammering for. (30-35 HR'S not out of the question for him)
5. Will they get back to. 500?
Plain and simple...NO.  It is not possible for them to do it with how good the rest of the division has gotten over the offseason.  Now don't misconstrue what I am saying here.  This team WILL be way more competitive this year and will play very good baseball (see Showalters year 1 vs year 2 stats).  They will be a team NO ONE wants to face, and will be another pain for some playoff teams in September and October, but as long as the unbalanced schedule exists(this is the last year thank god) they just don't have a shot at getting back to. .500.  I would also say that no team in the AL East will get to 100 wins this year because they will be too busy beating the crap out of each other.  NO OTHER DIVISION IS CLOSE TO THE AL EAST!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS?  LETS HEAR YPUR THOUGHTS.

GOLDY

QB'S rankings....

No one gets more credit and more blame on a football field than a QB.  With all the talk of Peyon, Eli and Tom I thought tonight would be a good time for our first list.  So tonight I am going to give my ranking of the top 15 current NFL QB's and my top 10 all time QB'S.  These lists were not soley based on championships and post season wins, but based on who I would want to start a team with.......

TOP 15 current QB'S

1. Drew Brees
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Peyton Manning--healthy
4. Tom Brady
5. Ben Rothlesberger
6. Eli Manning
7. Philip Rivers
8. Matthew Stafford
9. Joe Flacco
10.  Matt Schaub
11.  Tony Romo
12.  Matt Ryan
13.  Cam Newton
14.  Mike Vick
15.  Andy Dalton

TOP 10 ALL TIME QB

1. John Elway
2. Johnny Unitas
3. Joe Montana
4. Peyton Manning
5. Dan Marino
6. Steve Young
7. Brett Favre
8.  Roger Staubach
9.  Fran Tarkenton
10 Tom Brady

Whose on your lists?  Who do you agree with or disagree with?  I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say...

GOLDY

TRYING TO TALK O'S FANS OFF THE LEDGE

Alright Orioles fans I know where you are with regards to our lowly ball club and I think I can help a bit.  I will admit that after yesterdays Guthrie Trade I was with you and for the first time in my lifetime, really looked at boycotting the season.  As per usual though, I sat back last night and did some research and think I can help explain what may be happening....AND you may be shocked to see a plan seems to be in place AAANND, unlike previous regimes, is being implemented.

So Here we go....

We have heard the Baltimore Orioles front office say time and time again that they have a plan. Each plan seemed to start, or give the illusion of starting, with all the wrong decisions and players entered in.  There is no question that since 1997 the organization hasn't been able to get out of its own way, and that between 1998 and 2007 the biggest miss was the Amateur Draft.  You can not build a successful organization without it. (Just ask the mid 80's Yankees).

Andy McPhail and Joe Jordan fixed that,  and the last few years drafts have been very successful as far as potential for Baltimore.  We were going to grow the arms and buy the bats when teh time was right.  Then McPhail made trades that brought in prospect hauls and started to replenish the minor league system that had been ABSOLUTELY baron due to poor drafting and bad trades.  The "Calvary" of young pitching was being created and a core group of players seemed to be developing.  McPhail also built a Dominican Academy and spoke of an expansion in international scouting, which was another spot the O's were light years behind most of MLB.  The academy was built but no prospects have even been signed or produced.  The time to buy bats never seemed to come.

McPhail leaves, and now comes Dan Duquette.  Here is where I am going to bring you back O's fans .  He has recognized that there is a core and, instead of every regime since 1997, is keeping it together instead of trading it away.  That core is Adam Jones, Matt Weiters, Nick Markakis and JJ Hardy.  There is a common theme with those players and GIANT missing piece within them...THERE ISN'T ONE PITCHER IN THAT GROUP!!!  The Calvary, to this point has failed.  Duquette has acknowledged that buying bats isn't going to happen right now and I think it is clear what Manager Buck Showalter and him have agreed needs to happen...

The Orioles offense wasn't the issue last year.  They were 7th in runs scored, 4th in HR's and 6th in Batting average in the American League last year.  The issue was pitching and it was a HUGE problem.  The Oriole Pitching staff was last in the American league in ERA and Quality Starts.  They were 13th in Opponent Batting avg (.277) and walked the 4th most batters.  The young Calvary fell off as bad as they probably could.  Matusz and Arrieta were injured, Bergesen was throwing batting practice, while Tillman was more erratic that ever and Britton was inconsistent.  Guthrie was the constant and he lost 17 games.  I am going to guess that the Showalter/Duquette discussion went something like this...

Duquette: What is the biggest problem?
Showalter: Pitching
Duquette: Where do we have the least amount of depth?
Showalter: Pitching
Duquette:  If I could get you one thing this offseason what would it be
Showalter:  Pitching

The Orioles have added 14 new pitchers this offseason.  7 of which are on the 40 man roster already and the others have spring training invites.  Yes Duquette traded our one constant over the last few years in Guthrie, but take a step back and realize that we traded a pitcher with two 17 loss seasons in the last 3 years with a career ERA of 4.16.  He was a 32 year old FA at the end of the year and wanted a huge Arbitration payout this year.  The trade brought back a 29 yr old SP and a 31yr old back end of the bullpen proven reliever.  Are either going to win awards...no but they are both under control for 2 more years and arent expensive.  They are also the best deal we could get now and even earlier in the year.  Yes we would like prospects, but they were not available.

Dan Duquette has loaded up Oriole Spring Training with a quantity of pitchers that can start or go to the pen.  On top of that He has gotten in to the international market (where he made his name with the Expos) and signed more international players in one offseason than the Orioles have had in the entire history of the Club.  Are these signings going to make them competitive....no not this year.  The Orioles will still be a losing team, but progress has been made.  There will be depth in pitching.  The lineup that produced those numbers last year did it without Brian Roberts and we know can do it again if he cant come back.  If 2 of the young Calvary pitchers can take strides forward and one of the pitching acquisitions can come in and throw strikes consistently then we may see progress and more wins.  Fact of the matter is a real plan may be in place and we may have a real GM acting on it.  It has been a rough 14 years but Dan Duquette has built winners with no money (Expos), big money(Red Sox) and now he has to try with big money he cant use.  Be patient....Showalter/Duquette have a plan and if you look hard enough you can see what it is and that it may actually work.....

What do you think?