Dein erstes Forum » Manziel never shied away from the spotlight

There is no doubting Ales Hemsky has been a nice addition to the Senators lineup. Over the past two games, Hemsky has assisted on six goals and found instant chemistry with Jason Spezza. For most of the season, Sens fans bemoaned the fact that Spezza was not playing with quality wingers. These last two games with Hemsky have only served to tease everyone, wondering what could have been if Hemsky was riding shotgun with Spezza all season long. But would the Senators be sitting in a playoff spot if they had acquired Hemsky a few months ago? Since Im officially banned from using the phrase "probably not" in this town, I will instead answer by saying I think its highly doubtful the Senators would be sitting in a playoff spot if Hemsky had been here since October. Ottawas big issue this season has been in their own end. And to be brutally honest, that has been their biggest problem since Paul MacLean took over as head coach a couple of years ago. To MacLeans credit, he has drastically improved the offense on this team. When they missed the playoffs in Cory Cloustons last season at the helm, Ottawa scored just 193 goals and was one of only three NHL teams who failed to crack the 200-goal barrier in 2010-11. So heading into MacLeans first season, the big question was: Who is going to score goals for the Senators? But MacLean worked his offensive magic and had terrific seasons from the likes of Spezza, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson and the team ended up scoring 249 goals and ranking in the top five in the NHL in that category. Thats a remarkable transformation; bottom five in the league in goals one year to top five the next. But Ottawas defensive game showed no real improvement in that first season under MacLean. They ranked 24th in goals against under Clouston (giving up 250 goals) and they also ranked 24th in goals against under MacLean (giving up 240 goals). In fact, no team that made the playoffs in 2012 allowed more regular season goals than the Senators. And when you give up as many goals as the Senators do, you either make the playoffs by the skin of your teeth - or miss them altogether. This trend appears to be rearing its ugly head again this season, as the Senators have no real problems scoring goals. They currently rank in the top half of the Eastern Conference in goals scored with 185 - more than playoff-bound teams like Montreal, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers. But the Senators have surrendered an astounding 213 goals this season - the second-worst total in the entire NHL. And no matter how many goals Hemsky would have added to the offensive side of the ledger, its hard to imagine how he would have helped with the defensive breakdowns that have been problematic with this team for months. A lot of people will point to the lockout-shortened season a year ago, where the Senators were the stingiest team in the Eastern Conference, sporting a 2.08 GAA. But last year needs to be taken with a grain of salt because it was only a 48-game schedule and the Senators were still giving up a ton of quality chances. Take a look at Ottawas NHL ranking in shots allowed/game since MacLean took over and you will see they didnt actually have a great defensive improvement in that department last season: Shots Allowed/Game (NHL Rank) 2011-12: 32.0/game (29th in NHL)2012-13: 31.3/game (23rd in NHL)2013-14: 34.4/game (28th in NHL) Even though the Senators were near the top of the league in GAA in 2012-13, they were still giving up too many shots and chances each night. They werent necessarily playing a tough, defensive style. Instead, they were bailed out by unbelievable goaltending that was producing numbers that were never going to be sustainable for the long-term. Craig Anderson, for example, had a .933 save percentage while short-handed last season - a number that has tumbled by more than 100 points this year. In short, the Senators brilliant goaltending masked the issues for this team last season. Now that the goaltending has been average this season, it highlights the defensive issues that have been around for the better part of three seasons. The best teams in the NHL over the past three years - like Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles - have all ranked in the top 10 in fewest shots allowed. Even a team like the Blackhawks, who have the reputation of being offensive-oriented, have allowed the fourth-fewest shots against this season. Again, MacLean deserves a ton of credit for turning this team into an offensive juggernaut. And if Hemsky re-signs next season, there is every reason to believe he can flourish in this system. But now is the time that MacLean and his staff need to fix the defensive flaws with this team. He is trying to implement a similar system he used in Detroit when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08. That season, the Red Wings had no trouble scoring goals, ranking third in the NHL in that department. But they also allowed the fewest shots per game at 23.5 - the best number in the entire league. The offensive comparisons to Detroit are accurate, but its the defensive game for Ottawa that still has miles to go. Bryan Murray didnt make any trades involving defensemen at the deadline because the organization believes they have the right personnel on the back end. If thats the case, its the system that needs to be adjusted moving forward. So when it comes to the re-build that started a couple of years ago, its fair to say the Senators are only halfway there. Joe Sakic Jersey . He was 26. Edwards, the Supercup Championship leader, was in the passenger seat as an instructor for a private training session at Queensland Raceway at Willowbank, outside Brisbane, Porsche Motorsport said. 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Johnny Manziel declaring for the NFL draft means Texas A & M will have to find a new pivot. It also means college football will have to find a new folk-hero. The numbers Johnny Manziel put up in his all-too brief career read like a stat line from a video game. In a pair of seasons, Johnny Football threw for 7,820 yards, ran for 2,169, and accounted for 93 total touchdowns (63 passing, 30 running). Manziel fell just 11 yards short of becoming the first sophomore in NCAA history to accumulate 10,000 career yards. His 2012 season - in which he became the first redshirt freshman ever to win the Heisman – broke Cam Newtons single season SEC yardage record. His 2013 follow-up ranks second all-time. In all, Manziel set 35 school, conference, and NCAA records in two seasons in College Station. But more than the statistics, its the highlights themselves that blew everyone away. Time and again, Manziel did things on the field that made all of us look around and ask, "did that really just happen?" Who could forget his 2012 fumble-turned-touchdown in A & Ms 29-24 upset of eventual national champion Alabama? Or this past season against the Tide, when Manziel retreated 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage, escaped a defenders grasp and heaved a jump ball to Edward Pope for a first down. In the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Manziel delivered one final trademark moment, a scramble that became a hurdle that became a 19-yard touchdown pass. On the field, Manziel never shied away from the spotlight, delivering over and over in big games. In his two bowl games, Manziel accounted for 9 touchdowns, almost 1000 total yards, and a 72 percent completion rate. As a first-year SEC entrant, all but the most ardent Aggie supporters thought A & M would struggle in 2012. Instead, the 61" redshirt freshman from Tivy High led the Aggies to an 11-2 record that included the shocking upset of Alabama at Bryant-Denny, and a 41-13 blowout of Oklahoma in which Manziel set the Cotton Bowl record with 516 total yards. This past season against Bama, Manziel outdid himself, accounting for 562 total yards and five touchdowns. In his final game against Duke, he led his team back from a 21-point halftime deficit to a 52-48 win. He was named offensive MVP after completing 30 of 38 passes, throwing for 382 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 73 yards and a score. Manziels 455 total yards marked thhe ninth time in 26 games in which he amassed more than 450 total yards.dddddddddddd In the 111 years in which Texas A & M has played major college football, only two other players have ever had a 450 yard game. Off the field, there were issues to be sure. Manziels 2012 Heisman campaign almost didnt happen. The 21-year-old was initially suspended by Texas A & M after a June 2012 arrest in connection with a fight in College Station. He has since pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, but Manziel was only reinstated as a redshirt freshman after Sumlin wrote the administration on his behalf. This past season, Manziel was suspended for the first half of Texas A & Ms opener against Rice for inadvertently breaking NCAA rules by signing autographs, after he was alleged to have accepted money from memorabilia brokers to sign. Even after he returned to the field, he grabbed headlines by taunting players, making autograph gestures. But as much as he was a thorn in the side of college footballs governing body, Manziel was also a money maker for it. Just as likely to appear on TMZ as ESPN, Manziels games became appointment viewing more than any other player in the sport. Texas A & Ms September loss to Alabama drew an average of 13.6 million viewers, making it the second highest rated regular season game on the college football schedule. En route to their 9-4 record, the Aggies drew three of the top 15 television audiences of the season. Four separate times they had the highest rated game of the week. And with 8.69 million viewers, Manziels last game was the most viewed non-BCS bowl in ESPN history. Back in September, A & M announced that over the past 12 months, they raised $740 million in fundraising. Thats almost double the highest total raised in any other 12 month period in school history. With the NFL Draft less than four months away, JF is skyrocketing up draft boards. In his first mock draft of the year, draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has the 21-year-old headed to the Texans as the first overall pick. No matter where he is drafted though, Manziel will continue to excite. No player in college football could turn nothing, into something spectacular, quite like the sophomore. When Manziel declared last week, Sumlin said of his quarterback, "in all of my years of coaching, [he] is the most exciting football player I have ever seen. We appreciate everything [Manziel] has done for Texas A & M and Aggie football and wish him nothing but the best." Not just Aggieland, but the whole of college football should appreciate what he has done as well. Johnny Football will be missed. 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