Revamping the Dunk Contest

It's been just over a week since Raptors' rookie guard Terrence Ross won the 2013 Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Houston.



As dunk contests go, it was pretty good, but there wasn't much that made me jump out of my seat. There were some creative dunks, but a lot of missed attempts watered down the proceedings. I started thinking about some ways that the NBA could improve their annual contest.

More Stars
This is one of the most obvious remedies. First, it would attract more fans to watch the event if the main event is a Blake vs. LeBron finale. There was a rule put in place a while ago which only let players compete if they were in their first three NBA seasons. Regardless, bigger names would make the contest more attractive and add a nice closing to Saturday night. The likeliness of this happening is very slim. Most of the biggest stars want the time off to relax and play in a light-hearted game on Sunday night.

Raise the Rim



Dwight Howard literally raised the bar with this dunk. He showcased his athleticism in a unique way. Sure, he's listed as 6'11". I'm sure other dunkers have tried this. Why not bring this out for the whole contest? Many of the contestants have tremendous leaping ability. We've seen this time and time again when players are dunking in-game with their heads already about the rim. The NBA should want to show this off on the grand stage. It would also make many of the dunks the players try more impressive. Imagine Terrence Ross' first dunk being done on an 11-foot (or even 12-foot) rim. The fans would be out of their seats and some excitement would be back. Or, how about this: first round of the contest is on the regulation rim and no one is eliminated. In the second round, the rim is raised to 11 feet and two are eliminated. The final round has a dunk-off on a 12-foot rim. That would be good TV.

Penalize Missed Opportunities
The dunks were impressive this year. It just took too long to complete the majority of them. The dunkers received multiple opportunities to complete their dunks to what seemed like zero penalty. For example, on Ross' first dunk, he was awarded a score of 50 from the judges even though he missed on what seemed like 10 attempts. Take points off for that. Sure, the dunks wouldn't be as creative since players would be afraid to bring something out they were unsure about. But the surprise would still be there. By the time Ross made the dunk, the buzz in the arena was gone. Everyone knew what he was trying to do. Taking points off for misses would keep the spontaneity up.

Time/Attempt Limit
The league has already tried this: a dunker gets unlimited attempts for 1:30. That's still too long. Cut this down to 45 seconds. Either that or give the dunkers three attempts. If you can't do the dunk in three tries, it's not as special. Sure, it'll look good. Just think about all those great dunks from the past completed on the first try.

Cancel the Contest
This might not be the most popular solution, but it could benefit the contest in the long run. Give fans the chance to miss the contest. Every year, people are trotted out to perform in the contest. To be completely honest, there isn't much left for the dunkers to do. The originality now comes from whatever props each person can bring out. Giving the dunk contest some time off would make the contest fresh again. The dunkers would be able to think of new things to pull out in front of the fans. Plus, they'd appreciate it more after some time off, like sleeping in your own bed after a vacation. You don't realize how much you like it until you go without it.

Anyways, those are just a couple of opinions. Leave a comment with some feedback or your own suggestions to improve the contest.

NFL Free Agency Preview: Defence

In Part 2 of Sports By Schmucks look at the upcoming free agency class in the NFL, I look at the defensive side of the ball. There are a ton of solid free agents at pretty much every position across the board on defense this year. There are no Mario Williams this year, but plenty of solid players to go around. With that in mind, here are my predictions for where the top free agents will land.

Defensive End:

Cliff Avril- Lions, Michael Johnson- Bengals, Osi Umenyiora- Cowboys, Dwight Freeney- Broncos- Michael Bennett- Buccaneers

I kick things off with the league's premier pass rushers and this year's class is a mix of the up and comers and the wily veterans who are coming off down seasons. Cliff Avril, Michael Johnson, and Michael Bennett are the up and comers I had just mentioned. I see each man signing back with their original clubs but each for different reasons. Avril is looking for Mario Williams type money on the open market and will not find anything close to that. I can see the Lions bringing him back at around three years, $10ish million a year. With Kyle Vanden Bosch being let go, the Lions will need pass rushers so retaining Avril should be their first priority. Michael Johnson is underrated. The man knows how to get to the quarterback. I expect the Bengals to franchise tag this man and would be wise to do so. Bennett is a great fit for Tampa Bay. He's great in run defense and can get to the quarterback. With Adrian Clayborn coming back from injury and Daquan Bowers potential legal trouble, Tampa can ill afford to let him leave. Freeney and Umenyiora are both coming off down seasons I see both going to well established teams who could use them. Freeney would be great going back to another 4-3 team and being a third-down pass rusher for the already dangerous Broncos defense would be devastating. Plus, it wouldn't hurt being Peyton's teammate again. The Cowboys could use a 4-3 end to play in their system now that Monte Kiffin is the defensive coordinator in the big D. Playing on the opposite end of Demarcus Ware could revive Osi and cause both men to put up big numbers in the sack category.

Defensive Tackle:

Henry Melton- Bears, Randy Starks- Dolphins, Glenn Dorsey- Buccaneers, Jason Jones- Seahawks

Great young class of tackles this year. Unfortunately for most teams, I see this years big fishes staying put with the exception of Glenn Dorsey. Melton and Starks are incredibly valuable to their teams and the Bears and Dolphins respectively would be fools to let these young tackles get away. Both are disruptive forces on the inside. I expect Melton to be tagged and Starks to get a three-year deal. Jason Jones is another young, up-and-coming lineman mostly used last year as a rotational guy in Seattle. I expect plenty of competition for the services of Jones, but I see his best fit in Seattle on a two or three-year deal and receiving more playing time. The only player I see moving in my predictions is Glenn Dorsey to the Buccaneers. The Bucs have plenty of a cap space. After letting Roy Miller go free this offseason, the Buccaneers could use another tackle to play along side Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. Adding Dorsey to McCoy, a solid run stuffer with some pass rushing potential, would definitely help out along that young Buccaneers front 4.

Outside Linebackers:

Paul Kruger- Ravens, Connor Barwin- Colts, Daryl Smith- Bills, Thomas Howard- Bengals

Two pass rushing linebackers and two conventional linebackers. Two making some big moves with two staying with their current teams. Let's take a look at the two I selected to stay with their current teams. Thomas Howard is an outstanding and underrated linebacker in the NFL. He has a solid all-around game and that's why I expect the Bengals to keep him. He'll match up with break out rookie Vontaze Burfict in the middle of the Bengals defence. Signing Paul Kruger should be the Ravens' main focus after getting Joe Flacco's contract down. Kruger is a solid young pass rusher. He shouldn't break the bank to keep and will give you great numbers across from Terrell Suggs. Daryl Smith is the perfect linebacker for the Bills to pick up this off season. Why is that you ask? Because he is 100x better then anything the Bills have on their roster at linebacker. Smith is solid in all phases of the game. He will really help out that ever-improving Bills' defense. The shocking move of the offseason is the Texans letting Barwin slip away to division-rival Indianapolis. The Colts, needing to replace a mismatched Dwight Freeney since they switched to a 3-4 last year, pick up a younger and more suitable replacement in Barwin. Also, he will get to play Houston twice a year and that will be more motivation for the young man.

Middle Linebackers:

Rey Maualuga- Ravens, Dannell Ellerbe- Browns, Brian Urlacher- Bears

Mixed bag here of linebackers: a young, up-and-comer; a former USC star who had a miserable last season; and a ravaged former superstar linebacker. Rey Maualuga is coming off a terrible year in Cincinnati where he was taken advantage in the run and a passing game. But, he's not as bad as he was last year. I see him moving over to division-rival Baltimore to take over for retiring Ray Lewis. He isn't Ray, but he is a solid linebacker who can fill in for several years while the Ravens look for their next defensive captain. Speaking of players going to division rivals, Dannell Ellerbe to the Browns would be a fantastic boost to Cleveland's linebacking core to add to D'Qwell Jackson. It will also hurt the Ravens in the process. While I believe the Ravens will try everything they can to resign him, I think Flacco and Kruger will take most of the money leaving the Ravens with little cap space left to resign Dannell. Brian Urlacher is a Bear for life, and that is all I will say about that, even with the new coach.

Corner backs:

Aqib Talib- Patriots, Sean Smith- Colts, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie- Buccaneers, Brent Grimes- Steelers

Aqib Talib, former number 1 pick for the Buccaneers and recent pick up by the Patriots, would be best served staying in an environment where he is closely monitored and has plenty of veteran presence. Talib was thriving in New England after the trade from Tampa and should remain there if he is smart, which he is not. So expect this prediction to be wrong. The Colts would be reuniting the former Dolphins corner backs in Sean Smith and Vontae Davis for one of the best young corner back tandems in the NFL, that is if the Dolphins do not franchise him. DRC would be a great fit in Tampa. They need a number 1 corner back in the worse kind of way, and he is still young and a ball hawk. We shall see if Coach Greg Schiano can make him tackle though. Brent Grimes would be a solid pick up for the Steelers who need to get younger on this side of the ball. He's a solid tackler and man-to-man player would be a great number 2 to Ike Taylor in Pittsburgh.

Safeties:

Jairus Byrd- Buffalo, Dashon Goldson- 49ers, Ed Reed- Eagles, Charles Woodson- Patriots

Buffalo's defence would take a massive hit without Byrd playing center field or in the box for Buffalo. Look for the tag to be used on him, or a long term contract. Goldson has been a terrifying player for the 49ers, going to Pro Bowl this year and just being a monster for San Francisco. Last year, he was franchised by the team. Expect them to try to hammer out a multi-year deal before the deadline for the tag. If not, expect another tag followed by negotiations to hammer out a deal to keep Dashon there for many years. I don't expect Ed Reed to be back with the Ravens with the deal that it will require him to re-sign. I expect the Eagles to be in play for the future Hall of Famer. Their safety play since Brian Dawkins left has been abysmal. So, scooping up Reed, even if he isn't at the level he once was, would be a major coup for Chip Kelly. Charles Woodson, another Canton-bound player, would be a perfect fit for the Patriots. He's a solid veteran with plenty of big game experience. Woodson would help on the back end at safety where the Pats struggled to find consistency this year. Playing next to Devin McCourty should also help him in his development and help Aqib Talib stay in line.

That is my preview for the free agents for this coming off season in the NFL, stay tuned to Sports By Schmucks for my first mock draft post NFL combine!

NFL 2013 Free Agency Preview: Offence

NFL's free agency period is just ahead on March 12^th. So with that in mind, I'm taking a look at potential landing spots for - in my opinion - the top players at each position and why I think they are going to that team.

Quarterbacks:

Joe Flacco- Ravens, Matt Moore- Browns, Jason Campbell- Buccaneers

Joe Flacco is clearly the main man here for this year's free agents at quarterbacks. I don't think he moves an inch in free agency, riding his Super Bowl win to make the Ravens pay up. It's just a question now of how much. Matt Moore was a tough call. Many teams could use him as a potential starter, or a quarterback who can put a fire under the behind of the current starter. In Cleveland, he would push Brandon Weeden to either live up to his draft position or make him a 29 year old 2^nd year back up. Tampa Bay is looking to shore up it's quarterback depth. Their current backup isn't going to push anyone to get better and Coach Schiano wants to bring a quarterback in to push Josh Freeman. Campbell is a similar quarterback to Freeman with more experience to create a definite competition.

Running Backs:

Reggie Bush- Lions, Rashard Mendenhall- Falcons, Cedric Benson- Packers

Bush is clear and away the best back hitting free agency and with Jahvid Best's career pretty much over, why not bring in a better version of Best to get the Lion's running game going again? The offense was incredibly one dimensional without anyone for Matthew Stafford to hand the ball off to consistently. Mendenhall was a tough choice. He could be a great number two and fringe number one ball carrier for most teams. I think the Falcons would be a great choice for him to get back on track behind Michael Turner, who has been slowing down the last couple years. So another bull in the backfield who can churn out tough yards would wear defenses down for Matt Ryan, Julio and White to take shots down field. Cedric Benson would be smart to resign with the Packers. He had several good weeks for them at the end of the season. Short of them drafting someone like Eddie Lacy from Alabama, Cedric would be the number one back for the Packers.

Fullbacks:

Jerome Felton- Vikings, Greg Jones- Jaguars

Don't expect any either of the top two fullbacks to stray from their teams this season. These gentlemen get to block for two of the best backs in football in Maurice Jones Drew and Adrien Peterson. Enough said.

Wide Receivers:

Dwayne Bowe- Chiefs, Mike Wallace- Dolphins, Greg Jennings- Bills, Wes Welker- Texans

I'll just come out and say I believe Bowe will be franchised between now and free agency. If the Chiefs let Bowe go, they will absolutely screw their offense out of any production from the wide receiver position. Mike Wallace wants to be the big man, the number one guy. Miami needs a number 1 guy desperately. Expect this to be done as soon as an hour into in free agency opening. I'm that sure. Jennings to Buffalo makes sense. They need another guy to take pressure off Steve Johnson, CJ Spiller, and mostly Ryan Fitzpatrick (or whatever quarterback is starting for Buffalo in 2013). Greg is a team guy. Expect big results out of the Buffalo offense if this happens. [Editor's note: I really hope this happens. Enjoy the rest, Brett] I was looking down the list of teams who would require Wes Welker's services and by far Houston was the best answer. Welker - with Andre Johnson on the other side of the field, Owen Daniels in the middle of the field, and that running game - would absolutely have massive years down in Houston. Matt Schaub will be put into that elite category with this signing.

Tight Ends: Fred Davis- Redskins, Dustin Keller- Arizona, Jared Cook- Titans

The Redskins are quite hard pressed against the salary cap. But coming off a torn Achilles and the chance to be the tight end for wunderkid quarterback Robert Griffin, the 'Skins can retain Davis on a cheap, one year deal. They'll see if he can get his production back up to 2011's year. Dustin Keller would be a fantastic option in the desert in Arizona with no other options but Fitzgerald. Keller would become an instant threat for teams to look out for and possibly open it up for Fitzgerald to have a great season. If only they could find a quarterback to throw to either man. Jared Cook is a beast of a tight end who's just about to bust out and have a massive season, an Aaron Hernandez type season. Look for him to be franchised.

Offensive Tackles:

Andre Smith- Bengals, Branden Albert- Chiefs, Jake Long- Bears, Sebastian Vollmer- Miami

I fully expect the first 2 guys on the list to be resigned by their teams, either franchised by their teams or signed to 4-5 year deals. Either way they will not make it to the market and that would be a smart move. Jake Long on the other hand is not coming back to Miami. He's made that very clear by turning down multiple offers from the Dolphins. I definitely see the Bears make a big play for Jake Long, shoring up that offensive line to prevent Jay Cutler from being murdered on the field. To replace Jake in Miami, I see Vollmer staying in the AFC East to replace Jake as the man protecting the back side of Ryan Tannehill.

 

Offensive Guards:

Andy Levitre- Buffalo, Louis Vasquez- Lions, Eben Britton- Chargers

An extremely weak crop of guards this year in free agency, which is why Buffalo will have to pay a premium to keep Levitre in Buffalo, but he is worth it as a very versatile interior lineman. The Lions need help on the inside of the line. After swinging and missing on Levitre, Vasquez will be a good back up option. He was a solid right guard for the Chargers and will be an anchor in middle of line for Lions. I have Britton signing with the Chargers to replace Vasquez. Britton is coming off a very pathetic season, but he does have the talent and should turn it around in San Deigo with Philip Rivers behind him.

Centers:

Brad Meester- Jaguars

Honestly the crop of free agent center this year is absolutely garbage, Todd McClure and Dan Koppen have already resigned with their teams leaving Meester as the “best” left heading to free agency. Expect him to either retire, or resign with the only team he's ever known. Either way none of the centers in free agency will make a difference to any team.

The Elimination Chamber 2013 – Last Stop on the Road to Wrestlemania

So this past Sunday was the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and while I’m sure many people were watching the NBA All-Star Game, I was watching this. I am a moderate wrestling fan these days, a mere shadow of the huge wrestling fan I was years ago when guys like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and HHH were mainstays and competed every week and not once or twice a year to make token appearances.

Nowadays I try to watch the pay-per-views whenever I can and today’s featured one of my favourite types of match, the Elimination Chamber. I remember watching the very first one and marveling at its ingenuity. At the time not even the Hell in the Cell match had come close to how this one looked, but more on that later. As is becoming the custom, the first match of the night was the World Heavyweight Championship match seeing the Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio. I’ve always found the Big Show entertaining to watch despite his size, today being no different, which tends to change a lot depending on his opponent. Del Rio needed three finishers to win the match but to no one’s surprise he did. Next up was the United States Championship up for grabs which Antonio Cesaro retained over the Miz. The third match, surprisingly, was the chamber match itself, which the entire event is named after and based upon. Generally this match is the reason I watch this pay-per-view in the first place, but the match itself has lost some of its original shock value now that it’s a yearly event and not the special match it once was. Regardless this match followed the general pattern of this type of match and was pretty good even though no one was eliminated until everyone entered the match. Mark Henry predictably took three finishers to get eliminated, but this match had the weakest ending I’ve ever seen for a No Disqualification Match. Randy Orton eliminated Jericho and then Jack Swagger pinned Orton…with a schoolboy pin. This match is supposed to be the “belly of the beast”, but when the Divas match has a better ending, this is considered a letdown.

The next contest saw The Shield vs. John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus. This was a match I forgot was in the card, but I was excited for it since this is my favourite storyline going on right now. Much like the 6 man TLC match they were involved in at the TLC Pay-Per-View, this was the best match of the night and it delivered everything it promised, including Sheamus speared through the crowd barricade and a win for The Shield. The next contest was an “impromptu” match seeing Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston, which Ziggler easily won to the surprise of no one. The next contest was the Divas Championship which was retained by Kaitlyn and left everyone wondering why this match came after the Elimination Chamber match.

The final contest of the evening saw The Rock vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship in a highly anticipated rematch since Punk lost the title after being champion for a record number of days. This match was built around the stipulation that if The Rock got disqualified or counted out he’d lose the belt thus rendering the Championship advantage obsolete. Unsurprisingly, late in the match, the referee was incapacitated and Punk hit the GTS and pinned The Rock for about 10 seconds before a second referee entered the ring, only to be incapacitated as well. Then Rock hit the People’s Elbow and of course Punk kicked out (anyone else remember a time when a finishing move actually won matches?). While the second referee was out, Punk tried to hit The Rock with the title belt and instead hit Paul Heyman in the head, at which point The Rock hit the Rock Bottom and pinned Punk for the win (the original ref made the three-count).

All in all, a rather entertaining pay-per-view, although the chamber match itself was a bit of a let down. Next month is the World Series of wrestling, Wrestlemania! In the words of Ray Arnold, "Hold on to your butts".

Was It a Lack of Steel Chairs?

The IOC dropped a bombshell today. The committee announced that they were removing the wrestling program from the 2020 Olympics.

The biggest shock of this news is how established wrestling is within the Olympic community. It has been apart of the games since they were re-introduced to the modern world in 1896. Oh, and it was part of the original Olympic dating back to 708 BC.

In an article on TSN.ca, IOC spokesman said that the process was conducted by secret ballot.

Seven sports - including wrestling - will be campaigning to be added to the 2020 games now. The other sports are baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding, and wushu (Kung Fu).

Don't get me wrong. I've never really been into this kind of wrestling. Give me some entrance music, a Titantron, and some steel chairs any day of the week.

But really? This is one of the founding sports of the Olympics. It has tradition dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. Removing this sport feels like the IOC is removing some credibility from the Olympics. They are removing a huge part of the history of the Olympics.

Is this a move to try to make the Olympics culturally relevant? Adding something like wakeboarding or whatever roller sports is makes that seem like a possibility. But there are many other sports that could be removed in its place that would still keep the Olympic tradition alive.

Podcast Episode 1 - Super Bowl XLVII

Sports by Schmucks contributors Brett Smith and Sean McDermott discuss everything about Super Bowl XLVII from the gameplay to the commercials.

The Schmucks Pick Super Bowl XLVII

Super Bowl XLVII is tomorrow. The Baltimore Ravens will play the San Francisco 49ers in what has been dubbed the "HarBowl". It's the first time that two brothers will coach against each other to decide the Lombardi Trophy. So, since this is a sports blog, here are some of the contributors' picks for the Super Bowl.

In a text from Kieran Blair (@thekieranblair), he simply said: "49ers because they've got a more dynamic offense. Defence will cancel each other."

Chris Lejambe (@Lejambo) - I, Chris Lejambe, hereby declare the Baltimore Ravens to be victorious in Superbowl XLVII by a score of 27-24. I predict such a victory because of one man, Ray Lewis. His last game in the league and possibly his final championship ring I think will prove to be the X-Factor that gives the Ravens the edge in score. I believe his team wants him to win that coveted ring in his final game as much as he does and I look for them to play their best game as a team when it matters most. Defeating the San Francisco 49ers will be no easy task so they will have to play their best game yet if they have any hopes of a win.

Sean McDermott (@sean_mcd2) -  I see a 24-17 victory for the San Francisco 49ers, crushing the Baltimore Ravens' hope of winning the big one for their heart and soul - Ray Lewis. I see Colin Kaepernick giving the Ravens' defense fits with his speed and arm; a huge game by Vernon Davis who's speed will cause nightmares for the Ravens' safeties and linebackers; and the 49ers' defense - led by Patrick Willis - to be in Joe Flacco's face all game. I predict Kaepernick will be the games' MVP, with 278 yards passing. 2 TDs, 1 INT, 78 rushing yards, and a touchdown. Enjoy the game everybody it should be a doozy!

Brett Smith (@bdot10) -  I've been playing with this pick in my head for the past week. Baltimore has the team of destiny angle, trying to give Ray Lewis one last ride before his retirement. To counter, Colin Kapernick has shown no fear for the 49ers so far since taking over the starting quarterback position from Alex Smith. When I eventually decided on a pick, I looked at Week 14. RG3 led the Redskins to a 31-28 come-from-behind victory with his arm and his legs. Since the Niners and the Redskins like to run the read option, you could see a similar outing from Kaepernick. So, I'm picking San Fran? As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast!" The Ravens defense has now seen the read option. With plenty of veterans in the line-up, I think they overcome the new fad of Kaepernicking. 24-20 Ravens. One of the Rays (Rice or Lewis) is Super Bowl MVP.

And our newest schmuck, Mike Saratsiotis, predicts a 35-24 Ravens win.

So, there you have it. A 3-2 edge to the Baltimore Ravens. What do you, the readers, think will happen?