-On December 31, 2009, Tom Brady's top 3 receivers were Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Sam Aiken. His tight ends were Ben Watson and Chris Baker. Welker promptly tore his ACL in Week 17, and if not for his superhuman rehab effort, Brady would have an entirely different receiving corps on December 31, 2010. And despite all the change? He's practically a shoo-in for NFL MVP.
-Also on this date last year, Laurence Maroney and Fred Taylor were the Patriots' top two running backs. Combined rushing totals for Maroney and Taylor this year: 69 carries, 194 yards (2.8 yards per carry), 0 touchdowns. Fortunately, BenJarvus Green-Ellis needs just 72 yards on Sunday to surpass 1,000 yards for the season, and, well, do we need to say anything about Danny Woodhead?
-Tim Thomas has gone from being written off as a one-hit wonder for the Vezina, to quite possibly taking home his second award in three seasons. Who knew hip surgery made all the difference?
-Milan Lucic's statistics for the 2009-10 season: 50 Games played, 9 goals, 11 assists, -7 rating, 44 PIMs
-Milan Lucic's statistics for the 2010-11 season: 36 Games played, 16 goals, 11 assists, +13 rating, 58 PIMs
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| He still fights. Now he scores. Good news for the Bruins. Bad news for the rest of the NHL. |
-The Red Sox were selling us on the merits of Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro, and "Run Prevention" in December 2009. Glad to see it only took one summer of despair to right the ship.
-Josh Beckett was, by most accounts, the ace of the Red Sox pitching staff looking towards the 2010 season. One must ask: is he even our no. 3 starter at this point?
-Throughout the early portion of 2010, many questions arose about the longevity these Celtics had as a Championship-caliber team. Sure, they made a surprising run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but was that just one last hurrah with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett truly looking as though they were running on fumes? A 24-6 start to this season, thanks in large part to the Renaissance of KG, the Celtics remain on a short list of teams capable of winning the NBA Championship.
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| KG's resurgence has given Celtics fans hope that the Championship window is still wide open. |
And those are just the main plot points that are different around here. You could look at every roster from this time last year to the updated version you'd find today, and notice wholesale change all around, be it completely new players or previously under-heralded ones taking on larger roles. And that's just what's gone on around here. How about across the country?
-Michael Vick has gone from that "washed-up, dog-killing 3rd string QB" to a legitimate MVP candidate. You have an opinion on him one way or the other. We all do. But there is no justifiable way you can hate on the man for what he does on the gridiron. Forget resurgence; Vick was never this good to begin with. He's possessed the talent all along, but apparently it took a 23 month sentence in a Kansas prison, coupled with a year as Donovan McNabb/Kevin Kolb's backup, for him to realize that talent once and for all. Better late than never.
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| Michael Vick was the NFL's no. 1 overall pick in 2001. The Eagles 1st round selection that year? Freddie Mitchell. It took 9 years, but it definitely looks as though the Eagles wound up with a good 1st rounder from that year after all. |
-LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. I'm not discussing this one anymore. I'm sick of it. You're sick of it. Period. Although it definitely warrants mentioning that he was among the most beloved players in not just the NBA, but all of professional sports this time last year. What a difference a decision can make.
-The San Francisco Giants (last World Series title: 1954) and the Texas Rangers (last World Series title: Never) faced off in the fall classic. Wasn't this kinda thing supposed to happen back in 2003 when the Red Sox and Cubs were both within 5 outs of winning their respective league titles? Eh, this was cool enough (although the executives at FOX or the Nielsen Ratings people would beg to differ).
-Brett Favre retired a few more times, just like the year before and the year before that, but it looks like no. 4 will be out of our lives for good come Sunday. Unless, as my man Bill Simmons ponders, he returns to Green Bay to be Aaron Rodgers' backup in 2011. Would you put it past him? And sorry to go here, but if you think back to LeBron's "What should I do?" commercial, wouldn't the line "Should I really pretend I've ruined my legacy?" apply more to Favre than LeBron?
-Jayson Werth signed a $126 million dollar contract. No, this is not a misprint.
-People pretended to care about soccer for a few weeks in June and July, and now, I defy anyone to name the "Final 4" at the World Cup event in South Africa. I'll even spot you Spain, the winner. I think they won anyways.
-Cameron Beckham, Derek Lamely, Arjun Atwal, and Matt Bettencourt were among the players with more PGA tour victories this year than Tiger Woods. Which would be, 1 apiece, compared to 0 for Eldrick.
-The New Jersey Devils finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference with 103 points in the 2009-10 season. They are currently ranked dead last in the entire NHL with a mere 20 points, on pace for 46. Yikes.
-Staying on hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks had the longest Stanley Cup drought entering 2010 at 49 years (1961 was their last title). After winning the Cup, the onus now falls on the Toronto Maple Leafs (1967). And the Bruins jump up a notch to second (1972). Damn.
Alright, enough about 2010. It was quite a year in the sporting world, no doubt about that. I mean the New Orleans Saints are now a model franchise in the NFL. Before I head off to Boston to celebrate the New Year, a few burning questions for 2011:
-When will Tom Brady throw his next interception? Sometime in January? February at the Super Bowl? September, the opening month of next season? 2012? Later? Never?
-Kobe Bryant is one ring shy of tying Michael Jordan at 6. But with the Lakers struggling somewhat of late, is it too late for Kobe to match MJ? How much left does Kobe have in the tank?
-How far will the Miami Heat go in the NBA playoffs?
-Is the Sidney Crosby/Alex Ovechkin debate over?
-Should we really forgo the regular season, LDS, and LCS and just play the World Series between the Red Sox and Phillies?
-Are Peyton Manning's recent struggles just a slump, or a sign of things to come? The Colts have to sign him to an extension regardless, right?
-How many championships will be won in the city of Boston?
-Can Duke repeat as college hoops champs?
-Is the end of the BCS near, so I can finally start caring about college football?
That's about all I've got. Everyone, stay safe tonight, and don't drink too much. I know I won't. Be sure to check back next year for a new edition of The Jake Levin Experience.
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