Falcons Go With Ryan

For the Atlanta Falcons, a team struggling to creep out of the Michael Vick shadow, naming a rookie as the starting quarterback may be a risky move, but it is also the right move.

Atlanta, coming off a 4-12 season and well over a year of the Vick saga, desperately needs a new face to the franchise and they have it in Matt Ryan, who was named the starting quarterback on Monday.

Traditionally when a team drafts a quarterback (first round, third overall) they let him sit out a year or at least the first part of the season to let them adjust to the NFL game. The Falcons instead are throwing Ryan right into the fire. On a team that likely isn't going to make any noise in terms of a playoff chase this season this move makes some sense. Why not let him learn on the job first hand? The Falcons, as a whole, are a relatively young team. By allowing Ryan to start out with them right away it will allow the offense to form a chemistry that they can build off of in future years.

The Falcons may not be a team that makes noise this year, but with a big strong franchise quarterback to build around I like their chances in the years to come. Mark my words, the falcons will be a team to contend with in 2010!

Everyday Eddie is Back!

The Minnesota Twins made a minor trade today reacquiring left handed relief pitcher Eddie Guardado from the Texas Rangers in exchange for a minor leaguer.

Guardado, who spent ten seasons in Minnesota from 1993-2003, has a 3-3 record with four saves and a 3.65 ERA in 49 1/3 innings pitched this season. He is expected to serve as the set up man for closer Joe Nathan.

This is a useful move for the Twins who are without previous set up man Pat Neshek who is on the disabled list with an elbow injury. The Twins are just one back behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild card in the AL and very much still in the hunt.

100 And Counting!

Dear WAY Back Sports Readers:

WAY Back Sports is now 100 posts and counting! A big thanks goes out to all our readers so far. We hope you have enjoyed what you have read and we look forward to hearing from you in the future. We encourage you to tell your friends to give us a try!

Over the next few weeks Way Back Sports will be changing a bit. We will be changing the layout to enhance the look of our site. We will also be adding a predictions page as well as a few other fun weekly posts and games pages.

Perhaps the biggest news will be our move to .com which we are hoping to have done sometime in September.

Through all this, WAY Back Sports will continue to bring you the latest news in the sports world as well as opinions from our staff.

Once again we thank all of you for the success we have had so far! Here's to another 100 and many more!


Sincerely,

WAY Back Sports Staff

BIG Blow To Giants

When seven time pro bowl defensive end Michael Strahan retired the Giants knew that they would have a void at defense end that would be tough to fill. But when you have a team with the likes of fellow pro bowler Osi Umenyiora also on that line, you can get by just fine. As long as you have one there there should be no problems, right?

New York, we have a problem!

The giants found out on Sunday that Umenyiora tore his left lateral meniscus in a preseason game the previous night against arch rival, the New York Jets. The injury, not expected to be serious according to early reports, will end up costing the all pro defensive end the entire season.

A loss of Strahan is bearable, but not good if you are looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The loss of both all but assures that there will be no repeat. The Giants had penciled in Justin Tuck to replace Strahan at left end. Finding a replacement for Umenyiora might be a little more difficult. One of a group of three players is expected to be given an opportunity to win the right end starting job; defensive end turned linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, journeymen Renaldo Wynn, or second year pro Dave Tollefson, none of which have a whole lot of starting experience at defensive end in the National Football League. That group certainly does not strike fear in the opposition quite like an Umenyiora or Strahan does.

With the Giants out of the picture, I can't imagine a team will give the Cowboys much of a run now in the NFC, let alone the NFC East.

Be sure to check back with WAY Back Sports for our 2008 NFL Predictions which will be released later this week.

The Olympics Best Athlete?

Meet Bryan Clay. You've probably never heard of him. But he just might be the best athlete at the Olympics. Clay, 28, participates in the decathlon for the men's US track and field team, and recently got the gold in Beijing, raising the question: is Bryan Clay the best athlete at the Olympics?

Before you write Clay off, take a look at what he had to compete in; a 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, and a 1500m over two days. Alone, these are difficult events to train for, but imagine instead of training just for one event, training for 10 events.

There is no way Clay doesn't deserve a shot at the title of best athlete. He might not be able to dunk, he might not be able to swim well, but can any other Olympic athlete do what Clay did over two days? I say not.

He won't get the same publicity as the redeem team. He won't get the endorsement deals that Michale Phelps will get. But what he does have? A very real chance of being called the worlds greatest athlete.

Merriman Out?

The North County Times, a San Diego area newspaper, is reporting that Chargers' all pro linebacker Shawne Merriman has what Merriman calls a "loose ligament" in his left knee. The injury has caused Merriman to miss the past week of Chargers' training camp and could potentially cost him part of the season.

Merriman flew to Alabama earlier this week to meet with renowned surgeon James Andrews, who has performed a knee operation on star linebacker in the past.

This could potentially be a huge blow to the chargers defense as Merriman is one of the toughest and most feared players in the league. Losing his presence on defense would certainly not help San Diego's Super Bowl aspirations.

Cy Young Night

A pair of very good Cy Young candidates had career firsts last night.

Diamondback's ace Brandon Webb pitched seven scoreless innings for his 19th victory of the season. Those 19 wins are the most he has had in a single season in his career. Last night's victory puts his numbers for the season at 19-4 with a 2.74 ERA including 153 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. Very impressive numbers indeed. At this point he has to be the clear favorite in the National League.

In the American League, Cleveland Indians' Ace Cliff Lee went seven strong innings to record his 18th victory of the season, also a career high. Lee again looked dominant for the disappointing Indians as his record now stands at 18-2 with a 2.43 ERA to go along with 141 strikeouts and 1.08 WHIP. The win made Lee just the 5th pitcher since 1970 to win 17 of his first 19 decisions. It is amazing that Lee has been able to be so dominant this season for a team that has been anything but. He is the runaway favorite for the Cy Young in the AL, baring a major collapse.

Jamaica, Jamaica!

Jamaican track star Usain Bolt has set the world record and taken home 2 gold medals in both the 200 meter (19.30 seconds) and 100 meter (9.69 seconds) events. Usain 'Lightning' Bolt broke the world records in the 100 and 200 meter events previously held by Asafa Powell (2007) and Michael Johnson (1996) respectively. Usain Bolt has left his mark in Olympic history this year with two stunning performances that could withstand the test of time. Rooting for the American's, I would have loved to see an American track star take home the gold. However, after witnessing a performance like this any fan, American or otherwise, can't help but stand up and shout Jamaica, Jamaica!

RIP Gene Upshaw

Former NFL star and hall of fame guard Gene Upshaw passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 63 due to pancreatic cancer. Upshaw is perhaps best known for his work as head of the NFLPA, a title which he held for 25 years.

The news comes as a bit of a shock to those in the football community as Upshaw was said to have relatively good health until this past weekend when he was taken to the emergency room due to difficulty breathing. It was then that he was diagnosed with cancer.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued the following statement following the news of Upshaw's passing:

"Gene Upshaw did everything with great dignity, pride, and conviction. He was the rare individual who earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame both for his accomplishments on the field and for his leadership of the players off the field. He fought hard for the players and always kept his focus on what was best for the game. His leadership played a crucial role in taking the NFL and its players to new heights."

It is a sad day in sports when any former professional athlete dies, let alone one who was only 63. Our thoughts and go out to the Upshaw family following this tragic loss.

Umps Step To The Plate

Just one day was all it took for the genuses over at the World Umpires Association to come around and allow for the implementation of instant replay in Major League Baseball. The heavy dose of criticism from the sports world certainly didn't hurt the cause.

Late Wednesday the two sides came to an agreement that will allow instant reply to be used as early as later this month pending installation of the proper equipment in all MLB ballparks.

The agreement gives authority to the crew chief of each umpiring crew to make the decision as to whether a particular call will be reviewed. Then as many as three umpires may view the replay before coming to a group decision. It is expected that the number will be changed to five come playoff time.

To start, only boundary related calls can be reviewed (fair-foul, homerun yes-no).

This is great news for Major League Baseball fans, players, and coaches who have all been on the ban wagon for instant reply for the majority of the season, if not longer. Earlier this season MLB was under the microscope following a series of three blown homerun calls, each on consecutive nights.