The Celtics succeeding without Rondo

Rajon Rondo - Mark Runyon / Flickr

On January 27, 2013, the Boston Celtics announced that their star player Rajon Rondo would be out for the rest of the season because of an injury he sustained during their game aaingst the Atlanta Hawks two days earlier. After Rondo’s absence the team was able to go on a seven game winning streak. The players came together and were able to develop both their defense and offense in order to produce a team that is a contender in the race to playoffs.

Without Rondo, members of the Boston Celtics had to step up and work harder in order to fill his spot. Paul Pierce, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green are a few of the players who have improved to compensate for Rondo’s absence. “It’s giving guys an opportunity to step up, being able to elevate their play, and it’s showing,” said Paul Pierce to the Boston Globe.   

The Celtics focused on coming together and developing a game plan that did not include Rondo. “You have all those injuries, you usually go the other way. I just think our guys kind of came together and realized we don’t have a margin of error anymore,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers to the Boston Globe.

The team worked on their skills and together they were able to developed good plays. The Celtics had a few days in between games, which allowed them to have more time to practice. As a result, the Boston Celtics won games against many strong teams.

Even though many people called the season over for the Celtics, they are still going strong, holding a 13-6 record without Rondo. The team has continuously worked on their skills and they have even allowed players who aren’t starters to play during most games. They will need to continue to progress without Rondo to ensure the team a spot in the playoffs. 

Contributed by Anya Batista

The Jets burn while taking to the air

Rex Ryan, the head coach of the New York Jets, has made some major changes to their offense since last season. With LaDainian Tomlinson nearing the end of his career, the pressure has been moved to the Jets’ passing game, with quarterback Mark Sanchez having to throw the ball more than ever.

The Jets’ rushing game has taken a pounding since the beginning of the season. Tomlinson was the star of the beloved “Ground and Pound” routine. Now the spotlight shines bright on running back Shonn Greene, who has failed to live up to expectations. From strictly a statistical point of view, Tomlinson had 435 yards in the first five games of being a starter in the 2010 regular season; whereas, Greene barely made half of that in the first five games of the 2011 season. Although stats don’t usually prove a player’s worth to a team, in this case they can’t be ignored.

Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez warming up before a game.
Credit to Marianne O'Leary on Flickr.

While the rushing game was left in the dust, the pressure of scoring fell onto the shoulders of the Jets’ supposed-to-be-star quarterback. Sanchez has been the only one to throw the ball for the Jets in the regular season thus far, and he hasn’t taken them far. Although he has two full seasons of experience under his belt, he still doesn’t seem to be adapted to playing in the National Football League. He makes mistakes that are typical for rookie quarterback such as overthrowing the ball and taking sacks instead of throwing it away.

The lack of scoring from both the passing and rushing game could also be the mistake of the Jets’ offensive line, which has been having trouble blocking the opposing team’s defense. The line is still anchored by their star center, Nick Mangold, who is arguably one of the best centers in the NFL, but somehow Sanchez keeps on getting sacked and Greene keeps on getting tackled behind the line. The lack of chemistry could be a factor for the weak line. From last year, there have been many changes in personel. The players on the line are not used to working with each other, which has provided the quarterback with little protection.

The offense of the Jets has taken a turn for the worse this season. From passing to rushing to blocking, not much has gone right for them this season. For the Jets to have any chance at making the playoffs, Greene needs to be able to find and exploit holes in the defense, Sanchez needs to connect with his receivers, and the linemen need
to work together and protect the guys behind the line.