AP for MVP

Before we get started, let’s put in the requisite disclaimer that we’re all well aware that the MVP in the NFL, as it is in every other sport (besides hockey sometimes), is wholly biased towards offensive players. This isn’t to say defensive players aren’t able to win it, but it’s only happened twice in the history of the award and not since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. It isn’t explicitly stated that the award goes to a player on a certain side of the ball, and you might even be surprised to learn (as I was) that a kicker has taken the honor before. Suffice it so say that there is not much room in the conversation for a defensive player’s impact or statistics to be weighed against that of a quarterback or running back, the two positions who’ve claimed all but three bestowments of the award.

My vote for this year’s MVP is unequivocally Adrian Peterson.

Before we explore his accolades this season, let’s delve into the runner ups, in no particular order.

Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

RGIII is probably the most compelling case, if only because the hype he’s received this year (thanks to playing for a team in huge market) and the dynamism with which he plays the game. His performance this year has shown flashes of elitism both throwing and running the football, and his statistics bear that out. He finished 1^st in yards per attempt and 3^rd in passer rating, but just 22^nd in passing yards and T-19^th in passing TDs. His 815 rushing yards and 7 rush TDs were more than any other QB and he lead the league overall with 6.6 yards per carry. Griffin had a very clean 20/5 TD/INT ratio, though if we consider the full package, that figure is 27/8 Total TDs/INT & Lost fumbles (as a runner).

RGIII’s case probably relies less on his overall statistics and more on the impact he had on turning a 5-11 team in 2011 to a 10-6 NFC East champion in 2012, not just as a player but a leader as well (a fact DeAngelo Hall touched on in his post-game interview last night). But let’s not forget that this was not without the help of Alfred Morris, who finished 2^nd in the league in rushing yards with 1,613 and carried his team in the decisive game last night with a 200 yard, 3 TD performance. While their rankings as a defense are worse than last year, that is purely relative. The Redskins D went from 339.8 total yards per game and 22.9 points per game in 2011 to 377.7 YPG and 24.3 PPG in 2012. That’s a difference of 37.9 yards and 1.4 points, or in other words, an extra field goal every other game. Griffin belongs in the conversation, but ultimately falls short of the competition. For a rookie, that’s pretty damn good.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

The reigning MVP is right in the thick of it again this year and it comes as a surprise to almost nobody. Rodgers’ ascendancy to the elite category of QBs in 2010 has continued each of the past two seasons and his statistics bear that out: 1^st in passer rating, 2^nd in TDs, 5^th in yards per attempt. His efficiency has been insane, throwing for 39 TDs with just 8 picks despite being 10^th in the league in total attempts. He’s done this all while being sacked more times than any other QB in the league, and 21 more times than the next highest in the MVP conversation (Griffin III). He’s also done it with the lack of a good running game.

Upon a closer look, Green Bay’s running game isn’t as bad as the reputation it’s gotten, which is mostly due to there not being any steady featured back. But they rank 20^th in total rush yards and 25^th in rushing TDs with just 9 on the season. The only playoff team with a lower YPG mark is Atlanta. Rodgers himself is second on the team in rush yards and Green Bay has not had a single rushing performance over 100 yards in a game this year. While I do think that has something to do with losing Cedric Benson 5 games into the season, suffice it to say that Rodgers has done the majority of the offensive work by himself this year. The Packers boast one of, if not the best receiving corps in the NFL, but even so I think if anyone besides AP gets the award, it should be Rodgers.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Of course it pains me as a Patriots fan to say this, but Brady does not quite have the numbers this year to take full claim of the MVP, despite how eerily close his numbers are this year to when he last won the award in 2010. The sticking point in 2012 has been the emergence of the New England running game, but Brady had a top 10 running offense in 2010, too. In that year though, he led the league in TDs and passer rating. This year, he’s 4^th and 6^th in those categories respectively. You can’t totally discount the Patriots running game based on 2010 alone, if only because its ranking compared to the two other QBs in this conversation who primarily throw the ball is noticeably better. Stevan Ridley alone picked up over 1,200 yards and 12 TDs, while the combination of Danny Woodhead, Brandon Bolden, Shane Vereen (and Brady) accounted for an additional 900 some yards and 13 TDs.

Other than Brady falling somewhat statistically short of other candidates, what truly makes him a runner up this year is the New England defense. You read that right. This unit finished T-9^th with Houston with 20.7 PPG, finished 2^nd behind the Bears with 41 takeaways, and led the league in takeaway differential with 25. Those takeaways have directly related to Brady getting better field position, easier scores, and more comfortable leads. As we enter an era where 5,000 pass yards is likely an every year occurrence, we’ll need to find ways to differentiate QB statistics. That will likely be borne out this year if Aaron Rodgers wins the MVP despite finishing 8^th in passing yards.

Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

I’m not really going to delve too far into the numbers with ol’ Peyton, but a quick look at his stats has him 2^nd in passer rating, 3^rd in TDs, and 6^th in pass yards, which is well worthy of consideration. He led Denver to its second consecutive divisional championship as well as the number 1 overall seed in the AFC. After losing three of its first five, the Broncos have won 11 games in a row, started by a classic Manning comeback against the Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 6. But here’s why Manning falls short. And I know I said these were in no particular order, but I’d rank RGIII and Rodgers ahead of him, calling Brady and Manning a toss-up. He is a great QB that joined a very good team.

Denver was 7-4 in 2011 once Tebow took over the starting role, having been 1-4 with Kyle Orton before that. That was in 2011 when the AFC West was a much tougher division. Oakland, San Diego, and Kansas City combined for 23 wins in 2011, but just 13 in 2012. The 2011 Broncos actually faced the toughest strength-of-schedule of all AFC playoff teams, and as we know, made it into the 2^nd round. By comparison, Manning’s Broncos have faced an SOS some 63 points easier than the Tebow/Orton Broncos did. Only Atlanta, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati have had easier schedules of all 2012 playoff teams and the Broncos were 2-3 against playoff teams. What Manning has done this year is incredible, he definitely belongs in the conversation (and I believe he deserves the Comeback award), but he falls short of the other MVP candidates.

2012 NFL MVP: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Rushing = 2,097 yards (131.1 YPG, 6.0 YPC, 12 TDs), Receiving = 217 yards (1 TD)

Total = 2,314 yards

Vikings Net = 5,385 yards, AP = 42.97%

Vikings Net Rushing = 2,634 yards, AP = 79.61%

Vikings Offense: 171.9 pass YPG (31^st), 164.6 rush YPG (2^nd), 336.6 total YPG (20^th)

I don’t even think this should be a question, but I’ll be honest with you when I say that I started this article after Week 16 and realized that AP doesn’t justifiably deserve the MVP without the Vikings making the playoffs, which thankfully for me they did. The last MVP awarded to a player on a non-playoff team was OJ Simpson on the 1973 Bills, or the 1973 OJ Simpsons, because there was really no one else on that team offensively besides him. Coincidentally, that was the first time a running back eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark, and he did so in just 14 games. It also was due in part to the lack of a better candidate; unless you think Roger Staubach with 2,400 pass yards and 23/15 TD/INT mark on the 10-4 Cowboys deserved it.

Simply put, the Minnesota Vikings had absolutely no chance whatsoever at making the playoffs in 2012 without Adrian Peterson. After all, isn’t that what “most valuable” is supposed to denote. He ran for over 100 yards in 10 separate games this season, 7 of those were over 150, and he went over 200 yards twice. The Vikings net yardage on offense was only 208 more than what Drew Brees threw for all season. AP has rushed for more yards than his quarterback Christian Ponder has thrown for on five separate occasions this year and the Vikings are 2-3 in those games (more on that in a moment). Of AP’s 100 yard efforts, eight of them came consecutively from Week 8 through Week 15. He’s the 7^th player in NFL history to join the 2,000 yard club and he missed Eric Dickerson’s all-time mark by just 9 yards. In yesterday’s win-or-go-home match against the Packers, AP ran for 199 yards and a touchdown (also picked up his only receiving TD of the year). In the waning seconds, he broke off a 26 yard plowing through tackles run to set up the game winning and playoff clinching field goal.

Three of the five games in which AP has rushed for more than Ponder has thrown have come since star wide receiver Percy Harvin was shut down for the season. Beyond the tight end Kyle Rudolph, this team doesn’t have much else in receiving corps. No worries: the Vikings are 6-2 since losing Harvin and AP has had games of 171, 108, 210, 154, 212, 86, and 199 rush yards in that stretch. Ponder’s high mark in that stretch was the 234 yards he threw for yesterday, and he was under 150 yards in three of those games. In terms of passer rating, it was far and away his best game of the season, but he doesn’t get there against a ball-hawking secondary without AP. In an unheralded era of gaudy passing and receiving numbers, Peterson’s 2012 season stands unprecedented.

The two losses Minnesota had on the year where Peterson’s rush total beat Ponder’s pass total were Week 9 at Seattle (AP 182 rushing, Ponder 63 passing) and Week 13 at Green Bay (AP 210, Ponder 119). Did Peterson cost his team these games? Let’s take a look:

Against Seattle, the Vikings started with the ball and AP promptly ripped of runs of 5, 74, and 1 yards for the TD and a quick 7-0 lead. He accounted for all 80 yards on the drive. Their second drive was ended by a lost fumble by Percy Harvin. The third drive started with 16 yard run from AP, but two incompletions and a sack killed it. The fourth drive sees Ponder make completions of 3 (AP), 7, 14, and 13 yards, plus a PI call on a deep ball to Harvin that went for 24. AP finished that off with a 4 yard TD run. The fifth drive saw AP pick up the majority of yardage, including runs of 24 and 15 yards to setup a 36 yard FG.

Seattle finally finds a way to stop AP in the 6^th drive where Ponder can muster just a 9 yard pass to Harvin before taking another sack to force a punt. At that point it’s 20-17 in favor of Seattle, who promptly drives down the field and makes it 27-17 on 3 yard TD run for Marshawn Lynch. The 7^th drive sees Peterson break another long one, this time for 28 yards. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Seattle puts the Vikings into their territory and a long field goal makes the game 27-20. They would get the ball back again. Peterson has a 12 yard run and 5 yard catch, but consecutive incompletions on a 2^nd and 5 forces another punt. Seattle would pick up another FG, making it 30-20, and the ninth and final drive for Minnesota would end with a Ponder interception on a deep ball from the Minnesota 25.

This is the type of game that is perfectly indicative of not only Peterson’s value to the team, but the way in which it is magnified by Ponder’s shortcomings. It’s pretty difficult to blame the guy who ran for 182 yards and 2 TDs when your QB ends the game with 63 passing yards and an interception. Not surprisingly the Week 13 game in Green Bay wasn’t much different.

Ponder does have a TD drive in this game, but AP accounted for 30 of the 75 yards gained during it and Ponder would only throw for 74 more yards on the day. Without AP’s 82 yard TD run (his long on the year) that put the Vikings up 14-10 in the 2^nd quarter, the Vikings don’t have a chance of winning this game. Up by four points to start the 2^nd half, Peterson ripped of a run of 48 yards followed by another 4 to get to the Green Bay 8 yard line, only to have Ponder throw an endzone interception to kill the drive. He would throw another pick later in the 3^rd quarter. But the Vikings would get the ball with 4 minutes left down by 9 points. Ponder did some arm work here, though AP had a catch for 10, but Blair Walsh missed the 42 yard FG attempt, and the Packers would run out the clock to end the game.

It’s not immediately intuitive to use losses to paint a picture of how valuable a player is to his team, but in this case it works very nicely. As elite players often do, Peterson has performed at an exceptional level when his team has needed him most and he’s kept them in games they probably had no business being in. The four game winning streak to end the season and push Minnesota into the playoffs saw Peterson putting the team on his back and leading them to victory. There was no better way to cap off this historic season than the run he made to win his team the game yesterday. There is no more obvious choice for MVP other than Adrian Peterson.

Playoffs start on Saturday. May the best team win.

Happy New Year!

If I were the Red Sox, I would blow it all up right now

I mean seriously, why wouldn’t they? In a nutshell, here’s what has happened since I wrote how I felt oddly at home after Boston’s historically epic collapse in September of 2011. The Red Sox went out and hired an aging lame duck manager who thought the best way to inspire his team would be to pry on the fat kid. It didn’t help that the fat kid, Kevin Youkilis, held the sway of a great many of his teammates and even more so of Red Sox fans. When the organization realized that time travel is in fact not possible, they agreed that the only viable solution to satisfy all parties was to let Kevin embark on the next stage of his baseball career. The move worked, sort of. The kid that took his place wasn’t half-bad and the Red Sox played marginally well over the next few weeks, and by marginally, I mean the mathematic possibility of winning the division existed and we were already looking at wild card standings in early July (and we knew we weren’t supposed to be doing that so early, but we did it anyway).

Worst record in 46 years? No problem!

The Red Sox won their final four games in July, which was a stark change to the 8-14 record they had amassed up to that point in the month. The other thing that changed was that the organization decided to send three starting players and a huge hunk of change to LA in the form of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett (the first two being the biggest acquisitions made in the previous 2 years, and the third being the “ace” of the pitching staff). The move was applauded by many, myself included, and was generally regarded as the Red Sox closing the lab book on the “we’re going to try and overpay for aging free agents who are over the hill even though we always said we were never going to do this” experiment. It also ensured a few other things; the Red Sox would finish last in the division for the first time, multiple “hasn’t lost this many since” marks were in view (they were broken), and Bobby Valentine would not manage the team for more than 1 season.

And while the blockbuster trade to the Dodgers didn’t ensure this, it still likely means that the Red Sox will stay out of the competition for the AL East and the pennant for the next 6-8 years, given the fact that the Yankees will always be able to out-overpay us and everyone else (thereby being virtually the only team in the MLB who can succeed with this strategy), the return of the Baltimore Orioles to relevance, and the innate ability of any Joe Maddon team to be competitive. I could be over (perhaps under?) estimating how long this lull will be, but I feel confident it will happen.

That’s why I would blow the whole thing up if I were the Red Sox. Here’s what I would do (or would have done): first I resign Ellsbury and Ortiz and spend zero other dollars in the off season. Why? Both of these players are beloved in Boston and are guaranteed to keep people in the seats and watching on TV. I sit down and call Jon Lester’s agent and give him the most absurd contract extension known to man. The first thing the agent says is “Even I know Jon Lester doesn’t deserve this.” And then I say, “whatever dude it’s a good deal, just take it.” Why do I do this? Well, for one, as much as the guy drives me crazy, he’s not a terrible pitcher. I mean, why TV announcers have been obsessed for 3 years in calling him an “ace” or “Boston’s second ace” is beyond me. But a starting lefty is a good thing, and Lester’s above average at that. If he can keep his cutter down, I strongly believe he can shut down any lineup in the league. The other thing is that Lester appears to be the primary beneficiary of Josh Beckett’s departure on the pitching staff. After the trade, Lester posted a 3.79 ERA to close out the season, a far cry from the 5.49 mark he had up to that point. He just seemed like a different person, and pitched like one too. 

More importantly, like Ellsbury and Ortiz, he’s a big fan favorite in Boston due to his presence on the team before 2011 (like the others), his pale Irish red head look that has a certain sway in these parts, and his truly humbling accomplishment of overcoming cancer and still being a professional athlete. Lastly, though it’s also a bit premature (and I let him know the timing is his call), I tell Dustin Pedroia to write a figure down on a piece of paper and let him know I will pay him that until he decides to retire. As an aside, I let Clay Buchholz know of my intentions to keep him beyond his current contract (signed through 2015) and also Jarrod Saltalamacchia because he’s another good fan favorite, seems to have a little knack for the clutch, and is an above average defensive catcher who can hit (which is somehow still really hard to find).

So to summarize, unless Lester and Pedroia want their extensions now, I don’t spend another dollar on a free agent this offseason. That’s blowing it up. But I’m blowing it up insofar as the belief that spending 80-90 million on slightly above average replacements is far better in the long run than giving whatever you’ve got in the farm system a shot at unprecedented early exposure to big league pitchers / hitters. Look, I’m not going full Jeffrey Loria here. I’m not going to actually destroy the entire team to make more money. I’m simply conceding the truth that teams, for the most part, have natural cycles of success and failure not unlike the ebb and flow of capitalist markets. With that in mind, I’m giving my current prospects a unique chance and hey, who knows, maybe one of them pans out well above expectations. In addition, I’m doing things like not spending $49 million on players like Johnny Gomes and Mike Napoli who despite being better than the other guy I can put in their place aren’t going to help me in 5 years.

I’ve at least got a core of players who are not only talented, but enough to keeps fans in the seats and allow them to have at least a partial belief that the organization wants to win championships. Again, I’m not Jeffrey Loria. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that my team probably isn’t that good but it’s OK. I’m taking the 5ish years of improved draft position as a consolation. I understand that this means much less in baseball than it does in other sports (Colts anybody?), but 5 years of drafting in the top 10 (as opposed to the last 10) has to have a compounding effect, right? At the very least, your overall chances of landing a star or two are increased dramatically. When done right, these 5 years can take you from laughingstock to veritable contender – just ask the Washington Nationals.

And since I know finding my Stephen Strasburg is far less likely to happen than finding my Bryce Harper, I quietly assess the pitching talent across the league and patiently wait to make my move on the ace pitcher who will make my subsequent years of contention possible. And since I’ve saved so much money not paying for Gomes’ and Napoli’s, I can shell out whatever it takes to land this pitcher. And since I know I was able to afford $224.5 million on John Lackey and Carl Crawford whilst spending other precious millions on former Gomes’ and Napoli’s, I know I can go out and find some big bats to shore up the nucleus, too. Then, and only then, will I go find my patient hitters and solid defenders. I can see it now: the 2019 Red Sox making a pennant run led by Big Free Agent Pitcher A, Free Agent Bats B and C, and wily “we’ve been there before” veteran stars in Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lester, and Buchholz.

I don’t mean to make a mockery of the general management of a baseball team. Jeffrey Loria already did that in an unmatched fashion. I mean, I blew up my hypothetical team in the hopes providing my fans with another 5-6 years of contention a few years down the road. Jeffrey Loria blew up his team because he was like “hey, I only like money. But making money as an MLB owner is pretty boring because it’s guaranteed. I wonder if I can get my own fans to pay for a new stadium, which will net me more money, and then trade off nearly all of what people would call my team and slash my payroll, which will net me even more money. Yeah, that sounds fun.”

In all seriousness, I would love to see teams that can afford to spend a lot of money adopt the position that they don’t have to spend a lot of money. In fact, there’s enough evidence in even just the last 12 years to suggest this is what teams should be doing. A deep talent pool in the farm system will pay dividends across multiple years and via multiple outlets. It will not only increase the chances of bringing more Pedroia’s and Buchholz’s to the team, it will also increase flexibility in the free agent market and produce priceless trade chips, when the time is right. The most ironic effect of Boston’s overspending in the last 3 years has been the depletion of what was an excellent talent pool in the minors (granted, the LA trade rejuvenated it somewhat). It’s not a complete disaster, but it needs a couple drafts to be truly replenished. Given this and the current climate of the AL East, I think the Red Sox will be much better off if the go into full on rebuild mode.

2012 PGA Tour Awards

The Francis Ouimet Rookie of the Year – John Huh

21 made cuts in 27 events

11 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s, 3 Top-5s including 1 win (Mayakoba Golf Classic)

29^th in the FedEx Cup

9^th overall with 68.58% Driving Accuracy

5^th in Total Birdies with 343

20^th in Par 5 Performance at -100

27^th in Total Putting

John Huh easily takes the honors as the PGA Tour’s top rookie in 2012. I’m not actually sure if his nickname really is “Johnny Question Mark” but either way, this kid can play golf. Missing just 6 cuts all year, Huh becomes just the second rookie in FedEx Cup history to make it all the way to the TOUR Championship, ultimately finishing a very respectable 29^th overall. Though it was in an alternate event, he picked up a win in a playoff at the Mayakoba, while also bagging a T-2 at TPC San Antonio and a T-5 at Colonial. The two things he does best are driving the ball in the fairway and putting. If he can continue to excel at those two things, this 22 year old should enjoy a long and decorated career.

Runner-up: Seung-yul Noh

The Steve Stricker Comeback Player of the Year – Tiger Woods

8 Events and 23 full competitive rounds in 2011

19 Events and 69 full competitive rounds in 2012

13 Top-25s, 9 Top-10s, 6 Top-5s including 3 wins (Arnold Palmer, Memorial, AT&T)

3^rd in the FedEx Cup

4^th in Birdie Average at 3.97 per round

2^nd in Scoring Average at 68.904 strokes per round

2^nd in Par 4 Performance at -4

19^th in Total Putting

You had to know I was going to find an excuse to talk about Tiger in some way. But when you consider the kind of 2012 he had with respect to 2011, it’s astounding and scary at the same time. Most golfers are happy to make more cuts than miss after a major surgery. Woods not only did that (by a 17 to 2 margin) but also won 3 tournaments and finished 3^rd in the FedEx. The win at Congressional moved him past Jack Nicklaus on the all time wins list. While he isn’t the same dominant golfer he once was, his best stats are of the all-around variety and with the exception of Rory McIlroy, there’s no one who has a better chance of winning any given week.

Runner-up: J.B. Holmes

The Tom Watson Old Man Award – Vijay Singh

49 Years Old, turned pro in 1982

21 Made Cuts in 24 Events

8 Top-25s, 4 Top-10s

33^rd in the FedEx Cup

41^st in Average Driving Distance at 295.3 yards

33^rd in Scoring Average at 70.285 strokes per round

26^th in Par 5 Performance at -97

21^st in Going for the Green success at 63.11%

5^th in Approaches from 100-125 Yards at 16’ 7” average distance to hole

I have always loved Vijay Singh. His year in 2004 is arguably one of the greatest of all time and the fact that he did so in the middle of Tiger’s prime makes it all the more impressive. At 49 years young, this old Fijian is still showing he has gas left in the tank. Singh says he’s ready to absolutely tear up the Champions Tour (which I am sure he will), but his year in 2012 with the whippersnappers should not be ignored. Vijay has always been a long hitter and his stats prove that he can still make a living on the TOUR feasting on the Par 5s.

And he is still just flat out money with a wedge in his hand leaving himself an average of 16.5 feet to the cup on approaches from 100-125 yards. His hottest 4 weeks was from late July to late August where he finished T-9 at the Open Championship and T-7 at the Canadian Open, following by taking the 36-hole lead at the PGA. Unfortunately the rain shortened Saturday forced him to play over 30 holes on Sunday starting at 7 AM, so let’s give the old man a break. Vijay ended his season strong with a solo 8^th place finish at the BMW.

Runner-up: Steve Stricker

The Todd Hamilton “What the hell happened to you?” Award 

– Charl Schwartzel

2011 Season: 15 Events, 10 Top-25s, 3 Top-10s, 1 win at The Masters

2012 Season: 16 Events, 7 Top-25s, 2 Top-10s, Best major finish T-38 U.S. Open

This might be a harsh awarding of the first annual Todd Hamilton, but the golf world had high hopes for this young South African in 2012 and he failed miserably to make good on them. And let’s not forget why: at 26 years old, he won the Masters by shooting a closing 66 that including 4 consecutive birdies on his last 4 holes. Moreover, he followed that up by finishing T-9, T-16, and T-12 in the year’s remaining majors. I expected big things coming into 2012 and it looked like that was going to happen: T-17 at WGC-Accenture, T-5 at the Honda, and T-4 at WGC-CA Championship.

Then disaster (for someone with his talent): in his final 13 events he missed 3 cuts and failed to finish in the top-25 six times. The lone bright spot, if you can call it that, was a T-14 at the Wyndham. Schwartzel and Keegan Bradley (the other two 20-something major winners of 2011) have the benefit of operating in the shadows of the limelight shining on McIlroy, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are young, immensely talented, and already part of the major’s club. He’s not yet a full time player on the PGA Tour yet, but after seeing Rory’s success in just his first year playing full time in the States, perhaps Charl makes that jump sooner rather than later.

Runner-up: I don’t think there’s a true runner-up for this award in 2012. I will say that I expected more out of Nick Watney, but then again he did win a playoff event (The Barclays) at an extremely difficult course (Bethpage Black).

The Poor Jim Furyk Disastrous Collapse Award aka The Greg Norman Award – Jim Furyk

Wins in 2012: 0

“Almosts” in 2012: 3 including a major

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the Transitions Championship, lost in a playoff.

- Shared the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open, was leading through 69 holes.

- Held the 18, 36, and 54-hole leads at the Bridgestone Invitational, was leading through 71 holes.

My heart truly goes out to Jim Furyk and I ask anyone who disagrees to put themselves in his shoes. Oh, what’s that? You can’t? Because you’re not a professional golfer and have no concept of that pressure in those moments? That’s what I thought. And I didn’t hear a single pro say that Jim “should have” done this or that. Because Poor Jim Furyk had a 2012 that he probably doesn’t want to remember.

This pretty much sums up Jim's year.

In the middle of March at the Transitions, Jim shared the 54-hole lead with Retief Goosen. It’s an event he’d won before at a course that fits his game. But he couldn’t seal the deal, ending up in a four-way playoff that was won by Luke Donald. For most people, that would be plenty of heartbreak for one year. But Jim kept his head up and fired off a T-11, solo 11^th, and T-8 in his next 3 events. After a couple of shakier starts, if you call T-26 and T-25 shaky, Jim finished solo 4^th and T-13 before descending on the Olympic Club for the U.S. Open.

As he had been for 2 months running, Jim’s steady accuracy looked to be unbeatable and he shared the 54-hole lead with Graeme McDowell heading into Sunday. But McDowell struggled from the start, going out at +4 and giving back birdies at 11 and 12 with bogeys at 13 and 14. The door was open for Jim. Lacking the length of many on Tour, the 670-yard par-5 16^th hole (which he had played at +2) was shockingly moved up some 90+ yards, completely changing the look from the tee. He proceeded to hit the worst snap hook I have ever seen. Remarkably, he managed to escape with bogey. He bogey 18 too, but really the damage was well done with. I still can’t get the image of that hook out of my mind.

That is, when it’s not being nudged out by the following two images. Naturally after such a disaster, Jim struggled to return to form, sandwiching two missed cuts with a T-34 at the British. But something must have clicked in his practice rounds for the Bridgestone, as he roared out of the gates with a 63 and backed it up with a 66. An even round of 70 still had him in the lead and it looked like he would be the first wire-to-wire winner on Tour since Rory at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Furyk looked more than ready to go on Sunday, birding the first three holes to build a nice lead and put the pressure on his playing partners Louis Oosthuizen and Keegan Bradley. Despite making birdie after birdie, Bradley still found himself behind Furyk’s comfortable position. On the 72^nd tee, Furyk stood with a one-stroke lead over Bradley and needed just a par to win. His tee ball was just off the fairway and trees impeded his approach. But really he just needed to play a solid draw to the left side of the green, or short on the collar for an up-and-down.

Bradley had played a poor tee shot and ended up in a buried lie in the right greenside bunker. Not having drawn the ball enough, Furyk ended up in the same bunker Keegan was buried in. The advantage was still clearly his, and again, Bradley needed to hole a basically impossible bunker shot just to have a chance. Or so you would think. Jim undercut his bunker shot and barely got out of it into the rough in back of the fringe. I am really good at executing that shot; so if you ever need a demonstration, let me know.

Bradley, not surprisingly, had splashed out well beyond the hole. Now sitting at 3 and a bit rattled, Furyk faced an up-and-down for bogey that looked like it could still win. Bradley’s putt was just hard enough. Furyk undercut again, this time catching too much grass and stopping his follow though. We’ve all done it before. It was not a good shot, but he was left with 5 or so feet for par. Not ideal but should be automatic for a pro and the onus is still on Bradley. To his credit, Keegan stepped up like the major champion he is and drained his par putt to get in with -13. OK, so yes, this has not gone well, but you have an easy 5 footer to take this to a playoff. I can’t express how hard Jim slammed his bogey putt past the hole. I think the only person who was in more shock than I was Keegan Bradley.

I dedicated this much ink to poor Jim because my heart and the dedication of this award go out to him.

The Golden Bear Award – Rory McIlroy

13 Made Cuts in 16 Events

11 Top-25s, 10 Top-10s, 7 Top-5s including 4 wins (Honda, PGA, Deutsche Bank, BMW)

2^nd in the FedEx Cup

5^th in Driving Distance at 310.1 yards per drive

1^st in Birdie Average at 4.20 per round

1^st in Scoring Average at 68.873 strokes per round

1^st in Par Breakers at 24.28% of holes played under par

4^th in Par 3 Performance at -2

4th in GIR Percentage from 175-200 yards at 62.61%

3^rd in Approaches from 175-200 yards at 30’ 2” average distance to hole

4^th in Approaches from 125-150 yards at 19’ 9” average distance to hole

McIlroy is the obvious choice for the award I dedicate to the greatest of all time, though it wasn’t until August and September for that to be clear. He roared out of the gates starting with a 2^nd place finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play, followed by a win at the Honda Classic the next week. The week after, he finished solo 3^rd at Doral. He took the next few weeks off and it wasn’t clear if it was just enough time for the rust to settle in, or if the ghosts of 2011 got him, but he finished a disappointing T-40 at Augusta, shooting 77-76 over the weekend.

Shockingly to many, he took another several weeks off but he put any doubt to rest with 2^nd place finish at Quail Hollow, losing to Rickie Fowler in a playoff. The following week he brought nothing to Sawgrass and surprisingly missed the cut. Shaking off further questions regarding his schedule, he took another two weeks off before playing in the Memorial where he again missed the cut. Now the questions flowed about his distractions; young, rich, famous, and dating a star tennis player, was he really dedicated to taking over the golf world?

Perhaps out of sheer pride, McIlroy quickly entered in the St. Jude Classic for the next week and finished with a strong T-7. Because it’s played right after the Memorial, it’s not typically a super deep field, but TPC Southwind is actually one of the tougher courses on Tour. Despite this showing, McIlroy missed the cut in his title defense at the U.S. Open then took another month off before carding a T-60 at the Open Championship. Mostly media chatter before, now people were genuinely worried.

And the worry was totally justified. Roundly considered the most talented player in the world, Rory had mixed one Top-10 in with 3 missed cuts and a T-60 over the last 3 months of competition. You often hear with those at the elite level that it takes one swing, one realization, to turn things around. At the Bridgestone, this happened for McIlroy as he closed with 67-66 to finish T-5. The next week at the PGA Championship, he again closed with 67-66 to obliterate the field by 8 strokes at what is rated the most difficult course in the United States.

I could end there and he would still deserve this award. Except all McIlrory did was win two of his final four events in the FedEx Cup playoffs. He followed a respectable T-24 at Bethpage with consecutive victories at the Deutsche Bank and BMW, shooting 8 consecutive rounds in the 60s. The prospect of three in a row seemed a bit too much on the final Sunday at East Lake, where he shot a 74 to finish T-10. Still, McIlroy turned what could have been a disappointing year for someone of his talent into a closing onslaught that saw him finish 2^nd in the FedEx Cup, win his 2^nd major, and put any doubts to rest as to whether he’d taken over the golf world.

McIlroy boasts a complete game, though statistically speaking his shortcoming this season was putting. This is more indicative of his streakiness this season than his talent, though. Looking at the numbers, where McIlroy really excels in the distance game, averaging 310 yards off the tee while having the 3^rd best average proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards out. He’s also one of the best par-3 players in the world. Tiger-proofing of the Tour’s golf courses has dramatically increased the difficulty and length of par-3s. Rory’s dominance stems from all facets, but his performance in the long game is hard to ignore.

I wasn’t ready to say it in 2011, but I am ready now. The Rory McIlroy era has officially begun.

Runners-up: Tiger Woods, Jason Dufner

Shot of the Year – Bubba Watson, The Masters, 74^th hole (2^nd playoff hole)

End Notes on Award Dedications

1. Francis Ouimet is a legend. He won the 1913 U.S. Open as an amateur at the age of 20 years and put American golf on the map. He won that tournament in a playoff against two of the best golfers at the time, both British. It did help that it was played at The Country Club in Brookline and it also probably helped that he grew up in a house just off the 17^th hole. OK, it probably also helped that he’d been a caddy at the club since he was 9 years old. Regardless, he’s the man. Before Hagen, Sarazen, and Jones, there was Francis.

2. By some fashion that is completely beyond me, Steve Stricker won the PGA Comeback Player of the Year award consecutively in 2006 and 2007. The first year, it made sense: he had fallen into such a slump that he lost his Tour card but was able to record 7 Top-10s in events he entered on exemptions. But don’t ask me to explain 2007. I mean, he won for the first time in 6 years, but why that earned him comeback honors I don’t know. Either way, I will bet money that no one ever pulls that off again, and so therefore the award should be dedicated in his honor.

3. In 2009 at the age of 59, Tom Watson held the 54-hole lead at the Open Championship. On the 72^nd hole, he needed just a short par putt to win. It would have been probably the most amazing thing to happen in modern golf, but he just missed his putt. While this left him in a playoff, he wasn’t able to hang with Stewart Cink (some 23 years younger) who eventually won. Now, arguably this could be dedicated in Sam Snead’s honor. Snead not only is the oldest winner of a PGA Tour event (52 years 10 months, 1965 Greater Greensboro Open), but also the oldest player to make a cut at a major (67 years 2 months, 1979 PGA Championship). However, Watson transcended two enormously different eras of golf and the fact that he was even able to contend, much less be a short putt away from winning a major in 2009 is flat out insane.

4. In March of 2004, a 38 year old American named Todd Hamilton won the Honda Classic. Four months later, he improbably won the Open Champonship at Royal Troon, beating Ernie Els in a playoff. That is the story of Todd Hamilton.

5. Tales of heartbreak, my friends. The Shark will forever be known as the all-time choke artist and sufferer of terrible luck. But I am not sure we will ever see a succession of chokes in one season that Jim had in 2012.

6. Does this really need explanation?

My Thoughts On Sunday Night's Patriots-Ravens Game

1. Pause the following video at 8 seconds.

That is all.



OK, fine. If anyone is having trouble getting it right, here's a still....

Enough said.

On Wes Welker

This post was first an e-mail I wrote to my father in response to this New York Times article about the impact of losing Aaron Hernandez in last week's 20-18 home opener upset by the Arizona Cardinals over the New England Patriots.

I agree about the blocked punt certainly, but that's one of those things that just happens. Tough to predict - I mean obviously you want the line to protect the punter, but when you're as backed up as we were, it becomes a lot harder.

I also agree with Rodney Harrison that the line needs to be better. Tom Brady's already been sacked/knocked down in the first two games more than I like to see. The compounding effect, of course, is that he's rushing some of his throws leading to more incomplete passes. I am not sure why, but I don't feel as though the Arizona Cardinals defense got enough credit this week. They are clearly a stingy unit, especially with their secondary, and despite how good the San Francisco 49ers are, Arizona is going to make some noise in the NFC West.

As for the Wes Welker thing, I think people are blowing things way out of proportion. As you know, Brady and Bill Belichick were never wild about their reliance on Welker last year and despite the prevalence of Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, they felt it was still a deficiency. A good portion of that had to do with the lack of a receiver capable of running the longer routes (Insert: Brandon Lloyd). I think Welker's usage in Week 1 was a match-ups thing, as was his increased activity in Week 2. Though, I do agree that Hernandez being hurt was a change in game plan, or in other words, the plan in Week 2 was the plan in Week 1. Regardless of that, once the match-ups favored Welker he hauled 5 catches for 95 yards.

The part that isn't getting talked about at all - which is astounding to me - is the emergence of Stevan Ridley as a bona fide featured running back. I mean, by definition this is going to reduce every pass catcher's targets across the board. Yes, the tight end offense is still the mainstay, so the targets to Hernandez/Gronkowski are still the first and second options on most plays with Lloyd/Welker/Julian Edelman on the others. Presumably Kellen Winslow takes the place of Hernandez for the next 6 weeks, though I have my doubts given that Chad Ochocinco, a very capable wide receiver, was not able to learn the New England offense over the better part of 5 months. Winslow's had 5 days.

Welker is still an important weapon.

Ridley's presence is going to change this offense in a good way and I think all Patriots fans should be excited. Yes, the tight ends are still immensely important and yes, they will continue to receive the lion's share of the targets. So a diminished role for Welker? Perhaps, but only time will tell. Is he getting Randy Moss-ed? I have lots of doubts. Moss was ousted as of a result a fundamental and philosophical change in the offense with Hernandez and Gronkowski - this fact the article points out correctly. What they are missing is that this hasn't changed. The rise of Ridley is a redistribution of play calling and with that a slight change in strategy from game to game, series to series. But it is not the same type of fundamental and philosophical shift.

A few minor points to tack on the end here. Let's not forget that targets is not an accurate representation of who the quarterback intended to throw the ball to when they called the play. Mistakes happen, the line can break where it wasn't supposed to, and well, the quarterback can just misread the defense. I know this a bit of a "cop out" argument, which is why I'm throwing it in as a minor point at the end. But it is still relevant.

Lastly, let's not put it past a tactician like Bill Belichick to convince everyone of thinking one way just to turn it right back around at the opportune moment to make everyone throw what they thought they knew out of the window. The less anyone knows, or rather can predict, the better. You can make the argument that the Patriots struggled in the Super Bowl because of what became somewhat too predictable of an offense. In other words, the more the other team has to prepare to defend, the higher the probability that the Patriots can routinely exploit the many offensive weapons they have.

Ryder Cup Rant

 This was made in response to a conversation on my fantasy golf league's message board. In the middle of what is clearly a long rant, I thought I should post it. To provide context for the start of this rant, I'm pasting comments made by my brother in the conversation:

"I think you'd be foolish not to take Stanley because when he's on he's lights-out, whereas Phil, Fowler, and Z. Johnson aren't as superior in their own victories. Plus, although I think Phil is a competitor, Rickie and Zach really aren't."

Wait...what?

How is Kyle Stanley "more superior in his victories" than Phil Mickelson? Well first of all, let's change that to "more superior in his victory" as Stanley has a whopping win total of 1 compared to Phil's 40. I agree that the 2nd half of Phil's season has been nowhere close to the pace he was on in the 1st half, but that's why the points are cumulative for the year. Phil gets in the top 8 because of literally just the insane run he went on in February, March, and April. Also, he loves Bethpage and could easily get a top 10 or better this week, changing the outlook of his recent struggles. Plus, I'm pretty sure when Phil's on he dominates the field better than a Kyle Stanley.

The bottom line is the US team is really deep this year, which is why we're seeing so many capable players on the bubble. Like the CBS crew said last week, that's a good problem for Davis to have. I mean, just look at the top 8 qualifiers:

Multiple wins on TOUR this year: Woods, Dufner, Z. Johnson

2012 Major champions: Simpson, Watson

All around solid seasons with a victory in a "premier" event: Kuchar (The PLAYERS) and Bradley (WGC-Bridgestone)

That leaves Phil. The fact that Phil was able to get into the top 8 with a T-36 at the PGA ought to demonstrate just how poorly Hunter Mahan has played in the 2nd half. I mean, he's won 2 tournaments this year, including a WGC, and ISN'T in the top 8. He also duffed a chip that could have won the 2010 Ryder Cup for the US...though, he wasn't totally at fault for being put in that position. That being said, he's an excellent match player. His control off the tee and on approach is so good that he should be on the team no question, even if his short game tends to unravel rounds for him.

Not that it's a question because he played his way into the top 8, but Zach Johnson is also a great fit for the Ryder. He balances out the Watson/Mickelson/Bradley contingent on our team by playing with control and a superior short game. He's the perfect counter to people like Donald and McDowell, who also don't win by hitting the ball far. There's a reason why control guys like Mahan and Donald have won the WGC match play in recent years and it's because their ability to minimize mistakes just wears down other golfers.

Those two reasons are why my second pick along with Mahan, if I'm Davis, is Poor Jim Furyk. I know, I can hardly sit still without having to shit my pants when I think about Poor Jim in a pressure situation, given his two epic meltdowns this year. Despite that, he's been rock solid and is basically half the reason why the US won the Presidents Cup last fall. Poor Jim Furyk was in Brookline in 1999 for the greatest Ryder Cup in history and has always been pumped up for international competition as a result. He gets one of my picks.

That leaves two and this is where the difficulty begins for me. If you're going with the "ride the hot hand" strategy, the picks would be Van Pelt and Stricker. Aside from missing the cut at the Open, Bo's worst finish in his last 6 starts is a T-24 (collected 3 top-10s in there). Similar for Strick in his last 6 starts: 3 top-10s, 2 top-5s, worst finish was a T-23.

Dustin Johnson is creeping into the hot hand category lately. That could be official with a strong finish this week. He's had a strong year overall, including a win, and should be an intimidating match player from tee to green. Emphasis is on the "to green" portion of the last sentence. DJ becomes very not intimidating around and on the green, but that still doesn't change the fact that his length on 5s and shorter 4s should be a huge match format advantage.

Rickie Fowler is an slightly different position. Like Johnson, he's had an overall good year. Upon closer examination, that is mostly due to flat out insane month he had from 4/29 thru 5/27, finishing in order T-10, 1st, T-2, T-5. Since then, he's cooled off in a major way. His best finish has been a T-31, he's finished over par in each event, and missed the cut at the PGA. He started off this week well too, though, so we'll see if that changes things.

Snedeker just doesn't quite make the cut for me and I have hard time making a case for him, though again I think this is mostly due to how deep the US is this season. He picked up a win way back in January at Torrey Pines, but otherwise he's claim is mostly staked on the strong T-3 he put up at the Open. In another year, he might be in, but he's just overall not been good enough to get a spot.

Given all of this, I make my other captain's picks Bo Van Pelt and Steve Stricker. In addition to the things I've mentioned above, Van Pelt brings another big stick to the table, while Stricker brings his superior battle tested putter. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see a US victory sealed by a stroke from Strick's flat blade.

I don't care who Jose Maria Olazalabalaba picks because I hope Europe loses.

Yes, this is going on the blog.

I’m baaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkk / The Prodigal Rambler Returns

Greetings friends of the Facebook, Twitter, and all other varieties. Greetings family. Greetings person who found my blog by Googling “Eisenhower hat”. It’s been a long 6 months since I last contributed to this here blog and even longer since I’ve maintained a posting schedule that resembles anything close to regular. There was a big change in my life last December, one that did not exist during my first 7 months writing. I got a job…like one that pays me…money. Like real money. It isn’t one that consisted of binge reading sports news, pouring over statistics for an hour or two, and then writing for a few more.

So, that was my excuse but I continued to use it well past its expiration date. And so much has happened I don’t even know where to begin. For the Boston in me: I’m not ready to talk about the Patriots or the Celtics. The Bruins convinced me just enough that they could repeat and yet still did the honorary bow out in the first round act that is seemingly required of the defending champions. Once the Red Sox finish 81-81 on the dot, I’ll be ready to bust out a manifesto on that.

For the everything else in me: the stupid Miami Heat and how many times I’ve said “God damn Lebron James” between the NBA playoffs and the Olympics. The LA Kings winning the Stanley Cup and the ascendancy of my Avon Old Farms classmate Jonathan Quick as the best goaltender in the world. BUBBA winning the Masters. Tiger winning 3 tournaments, despite going major-less again (more on that).  Roger winning another Wimbledon. The odd feeling that teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles might be in the post-season. The gut wrenching feeling that the Yankees are really good again and the surprising feeling that the Phillies aren’t favored to sweep their way to a World Series.

And of course, the Olympics and all of its freakishly athletic glory: my unabashed affinity for gymnastics. Michael Phelps solidifying himself as the greatest Olympian and arguably athlete of all-time. Usain Bolt doing his thing and maintaining his status with Jon Quick as “athletes with last name’s that best represent their skill set.” Seeing Kirani James win Grenada’s first ever medal, a Gold no less. Getting to cheer for a team that has Lebron James on it (the worst of guilty sins). Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor. Andy Murray getting his redemption and winning an (almost) major tournament in front of the home crowd. And every other random awesome thing that I saw. How do the Olympics get any better? Golf in 2016!!!!!!

And that represents my awesome segue into this post’s topic of conversation.

When Rory McIlroy drained his birdie putt on the 72^nd hole of the 2012 PGA Championship to seal a record 8 stroke victory, Jim Nantz of CBS proudly declared him as the king of golf. McIlory simply obliterated the field at the Pete Dye designed Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, finishing the weekend with an eleven under 67-66 virtuoso performance. He was bogey free on Sunday and needed just 24 putts for the round.

Glory's last shot goes to Rory in 2012.

Those of you who visited the site last summer may have come across this article. You’ll remember at the time that I took particular exception to the notion that Rory had de-throned Tiger Woods as the king of golf. And the rest of 2011 played out more or less how I expected. Rory didn’t have much at the Open a month later and wasn’t seen at all around the US for the rest of the year, save the Bridgestone and the PGA, where he hurt his wrist on Thursday, effectively knocking him out of the tournament. Tiger struggled to regain his form after battling through injury before finding a way into the winner’s circle (unofficially, a point to which I took offense and still do) late in the fall.

Both golfers started 2012 with some fire. Tiger fired off a closing 62 and finished second to Rory at PGA National. Shortly after that though, Tiger took an official victory at Bay Hill. But both were noticeably poor at Augusta and McIlroy fell into a slump and publicly admitted he hadn’t been practicing enough. He had another poor showing for his US Open title defense, not even making the cut. Meanwhile, Tiger bagged his second win of the season at Muirfield Village and then headed into the weekend at Olympic with a share of the lead. But it was all for not, as he shot 75-73 to finish out of the top 10 at +7.

Yet still, McIlroy continued to struggle while Tiger continued to show signs of improvement. In his preparations for the Open, he passed Jack Nicklaus with the 74^th win of his career coming at Congressional. He started the Open very strong and headed into Sunday just 5 back of the (to that point) flawless Adam Scott. A pot bunker induced triple bogey highlighted what was another poor finish, but still Woods finished in a tie for 3^rd place. The real meltdown belonged to Scott who ceded the Claret Jug to Ernie Els in the most epic of fashions.

Rory meanwhile finished in a tie for 60^th place despite starting the tournament with a strong 67. Heading into the Bridgestone two weeks ago, it was pretty obvious that Tiger was better bet between the two. Woods struggled with something each round until Sunday when he put it all together to vault himself into the top 10. McIlroy, on the other hand, found something in his game on Thursday and translated that into a 67-67-68 stretch that placed him in a tie for 5^th place.

And I guess that’s really the story for me because McIlroy is at the age where the memory is shorter, the swagger is higher, and the ability to turn everything around in a few holes is seemingly much easier. If you paid close attention the leaderboard last week, you got the impression that Kiawah was going to hold the field at bay. Upon closer examination, the wet and windy conditions on Friday were the only thing holding McIlroy back from pure domination. There was an interesting debate on Sunday regarding his past comments about not playing in the wind that seemed just, well, unbelievable.

I mean, no one likes playing in the wind. If they say they do, they’re lying. I played golf in Colorado for 6 years where it is almost always windy. I got used to it, sure, but did I ever grow to like it? Debatable. And let’s put “wind” into context. We’re not talking about the steady 10 mph left to right cross-breeze. As the CBS crew pointed out, when he meant wind, he probably meant the 22 mph whipping type of wind that likes to throw rain in your face and gust up to 30 mph right as you start your backswing.

So sure, McIlroy doesn’t like playing in the wind and until he grows to accept that and move on (read: not play the ball 767 miles up in the air), he’ll probably play himself out of a few majors. But we can safely bet that he will also do what he did at Kiawah, which was play the 54 holes he had good weather for at a staggering 16 under par, at only the hardest golf course in the United States. It’s now the 3^rd time in last 11 majors that an Ulsterman has won, which is kind of crazy for a country of less than 2 million. Also crazy when you consider that one other person from the island of Ireland has won a major.

Despite all of this, I’m still not ready to fully anoint Rory as the king of golf. I know I’m probably splitting hairs, but hear me out. We’ve known he has the skill set since 2008. He’s also proven that when his game is on, he will dominate the field in a way that is reminiscent only of the man whom he’s in the process of taking the crown from. What we haven’t seen is the consistency week in and week out, to me a defining characteristic of Tiger’s reign of dominance from 1999 through 2008. I know the majors are over, but if Rory can push this momentum forward into a FedEx Cup victory he will have also won the most accurate marker of the “year’s best golfer” that’s out there.

If he can do this, then I would say there’s absolutely no question, especially when you consider how few events he’s played in on TOUR this year. When you think about it, even though he left Chubby Chandler and stated he would enter more TOUR events that really hasn’t happened yet. If anything, he just played less overall in 2012 and yet his record is quite impressive for a golfer who went through a 2-month slump during which he missed 3 cuts in 5 events. All I’m saying is that an argument can be made that the scary consistency isn’t there yet for Rory and when Tiger was king, there was no argument.

There’s no better test for Rory right now than the FedEx Cup, too. He will have to play four consecutive weeks (assuming he sits out Wyndham this week), which he hasn’t done all year. He’s gone 3 weeks in a row on two separate occasions. In the fist stretch, his finishes were 2^nd, 1^st, and 3^rd. In the second, they were Cut, Cut, T-7. He’ll also be vying against the best talent in the world this season. The top 15 in the FedEx standings is just riddled with talent, both young and old. And of course, the one person sitting in front of him at the moment is Tiger Woods.

So what do we make of 2012 for Woods? At the end of the day, the most important factor is to put the entire time frame starting from 2010 into context. It was well documented so I don’t need to go into much detail beyond that we know 2010 was mostly Tiger struggling with his mental game as life kind of whirl winded for a while. Fast forward to Augusta in 2011 and the 31 on the front nine on Sunday. It looks like he’s made the turnaround until putts fail to drop on the back, which leads to the questions. We find out in his answers to those questions that he strained his left Achilles playing out of the pine straw earlier in the week. A short while later, he withdraws after 9 holes at The Players and we don’t see him for nearly 3 months.

Given the context, he was ready to win mentally speaking, but he was employing a golf swing that was not sustainable, given that one swing with unsure footing led to a major injury. Cue Sean Foley, the new swing, and a fresh start. In my opinion, the progression was really fast, stupidly fast. I think it would probably the average pro 2-3 years to complete the progression Tiger did. He went from barely being able to break par or make cuts to winning an unsanctioned (but perfectly legit) event in 4 months and a TOUR event in 7 months. He contended in the final three majors of the year, won two more TOUR stops, and will more than likely be in the pole position for the start of the FedEx Cup, which he has an excellent chance to win.

Jack doesn't think Tiger is "just another guy"

Tiger always defined his career in terms of majors, so he can’t blame everyone for obliging. In this sense, 2012 fell short of expectations especially from a fan’s perspective. I reject the notion that Tiger “is just another guy” now solely because of his weekend performances at the last three majors, though. The “just another guy” guy does not win 3 tournaments in the first 13 months after a major injury and surgery. The “just another guy” guy probably hasn’t even won 3 tournaments in his career. I think Tiger is simply learning to trust himself with his new swing and new approach. That manifested into 3 wins because he is so comfortable at certain golf courses. It’s no surprise that he won at his favorite venues when seen in this light.

So it’s short of our expectations and even of his own because that’s where he’s set the bar. But Tiger and Sean Foley can’t pretend like major strides weren’t gained this season; they know it, even if they can’t publicly admit it. Unless Jason Dufner wins a playoff event and the FedEx, Woods will likely be the Player of the Year. He’s also a dead lock for Comeback Player of the Year. No one has ever won both awards, though the Comeback has only been around since 1990. Not quite major #15, but yet another record nonetheless.