Oakland Raiders: Don’t Sleep on Frantz Joseph

Who is Frantz Joseph?

On the surface you can consider Frantz Joseph as a priority un-drafted free agent linebacker capable of playing all three linebacker positions that the Oakland Raiders signed to a 2-year deal. You would be correct in that assumption but it doesn’t answer the question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNstliEo4Hs


You would also be correct if you saw this tackling machine as a hidden gem. YOu would imagine that with his body of work the guy would be invited to the NFL Combine but he was denied that priviledge and it just made him work harder.

A guy projected as a high as a 3rd or 4th round pick by some and a 6th round pick by others as well as being the first drafted player from Florida Atlantic University but again he was denied and went un-drafted. It simply made him work harder.

Joseph is a strong inside presence, a tremendous competitor with great range and instincts. He is an excellent fit for the Raiders; a team seeking to improve their run defense by adding a tackling machine.

If he were drafted by an NFL club it would’ve been great for Florida Atlantic University and their fans but also for the Sun Belt Conference.

Several times when it comes to the Raiders draft the focus is on measureables as oppose to production on the field. Some people seem to view un-drafted players as merely guys that are being brought in as simply training camp bodies. I would beg to differ.

There is a long list of un-drafted players that have had success in the NFL.

That list would include names like Adewale Ogunleye, Brian Waters, Wes Welker, Priest Holmes, Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, and Jeff Saturday, Gary Brackett, Willie Parker, Stephen Neal, Rob Bironas, Tony Romo, Antonio Gates, Kris Dielman, Jason Peters, Joshua Cribbs and 2008 Defensive player of the year James Harrison.

Upon further review when you look deeper into answering the question posed above you find a solid football player who in 2008 was the second ranked tackler in the nation recording 154 with all the tools to make an impact at the NFL level.

His journey to the NFL started as a kid in south Florida. Frantz Joseph played for David Martin at Fort Lauderdale high school football where he earned 4A All-County honors as a senior linebacker. He led the Flying L’s in tackles in 2002 & 2003.

He amassed 73 tackles in five games during the 2002 season. He followed that up with 96 tackles in seven games; he also found the time to force seven fumbles and acquire two interceptions as Ft. Lauderdale’s captain in 2003. He earned the team MVP honors, also won the All-American student-athlete award.

He attended Boston College in 2004 but did not play at all during his freshman year. He transferred in 2005 to be closer to his mother who was having health issues but he practiced with the team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNstliEo4Hs

Two years removed from the game Joseph came back with a vengeance. He was moved into the starting lineup and made an immediate impact. After 11 games he finished the year with 61 tackles which was third on the team. Joseph most productive game that year came against Lafayette when he recorded a team-high 14 tackles.

He became known for his hard hits and sure tackling he earned the team’s “Bone” award, an honor earned following each victory for the hardest hit. The season-ending honor is named The Ramon Rickards Memorial Bone Award for the squad’s inaugural defensive end that was killed in a motorcycle accident in June 2006.

In 2007 he was one of just two Sun Belt Conference players listed on the Butkus Watch List. He has played hurt on more than one occasion as he did against OSU. He put up double digit tackles in victories over Minnesota, a team-high 14 tackles, 12 against North Texas.

He posted double-digit tackle totals in seven games; his lowest tackle total was seven. He accomplished playing division one football, completed a double major in business and management as well as working odd jobs to help support his mother.

Frantz Joseph had a solid game in Florida Atlantic University’s win in the Motor City Bowl posting 13 tackles. He followed that effort with a great game in the Texas vs. The Nation game; he was named the MVP of the game making plays all over the field.


He is a high character guy that understands the importance of preparation and is a guy that will do whatever it takes to win. More importantly he is a hard working guy with great leadership skills that has a nasty attitude and plays the game it is suppose to be played.

He has a desire to bring back the missing ingredients of physicality and intimidation back to the silver and black defense. They’ve been missing from this team for too long. From everything I’ve seen and read about Frantz Joseph tells me that this is a guy deserving of a shot and a guy that you can’t sleep on.

Kobe Bryant Drop's 41 in Los Angeles Lakers Win Over Denver Nuggets,103-97

Kobe Bryant knocked down a huge fourth quarter 24-foot three point shot over J.R. Smith to give the Lakers a 96-95 lead and five clutch free throws to seal the win.

Game three was another nail biter that went down to the wire. The Lakers started off to a sluggish start but stayed close. The Nuggets took the lead early in the first quarter and held onto said lead, the score at the end of the quarter was 28-26 Denver.

Carmelo Anthony got off to a fast start for the third straight game he scored 21 points prior to fouling out 18 of which were scored in the first half. The Nuggets received a huge lift from Chris Anderson & J.R.Smith who combined for 25 points off the bench.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with an 8-3 scoring run to increase their lead; the Lakers continued to hang around. The score was 39-all when both teams closed the quarter with scoring runs; this run was 12-8 in favor of the Nuggets. The score at halftime was 52-48 Denver.

The Lakers 13 missed free throws, bad defensive rotations and not boxing out the Nuggets front line were some of the main reasons the team was facing a deficit at the end of the first half. The Lakers and Nuggets continued to battle in the third quarter and took an eight point lead at the end of the quarter on a J.R. Smith three pointer.

The game statistics won't show this but Luke Walton played a solid game and had an excellent third quarter defensively on Carmelo Anthony. The Lakers made defensive adjustments in defending Anthony that turned out to be effective. Anthony & Billups both saw constant double-teams and four hands in their faces at all times.

Emotions got the best of him as he got in the face of Sasha Vujacic; who defended him on the shot, and started barking at him. He was called for a technical foul for taunting the score at the end of third quarter was 79-71 Denver.

The fourth quarter started with Kobe Bryant knocking down the technical free throw. The teams slugged it out toe-to-toe throughout the quarter, the lead changed hands multiple times but the Lakers defense improved and the team executed in the fourth quarter.

Once again Trevor Ariza made an important steal late in the game.

The Lakers fueled by a 21-12 run the Lakers outscored the Nuggets 32-18 in the quarter to earn a 2-1 series lead. Carmelo Anthony & Kenyon Martin both fouled out of the game.

Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter which topped his own Lakers’ record for points scored in the first three games of a conference final with 113; the previous record was 109.

This was a heart breaking loss for the Denver Nuggets; it also snapped their 16-game home win streak. The win was also the Lakers seventh straight road playoff win against the Nuggets which ties an NBA record for consecutive road wins against a single opponent.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Nuggets: Nuggets behind Carmelo’s 34 points win 106-103 and tie series

Nuggets Forward Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds and led his team to a 106-103 road win to knot the series at a game a piece. The win also snapped the two decade plus long playoff dominance the Lakers have had over Denver.

The playoff win was the first for Denver over Los Angeles since 1985, the second-longest post season winning streak against one team in NBA History a span that lasted 11 games.

Chauncey Billups made his mark on the game by scoring 27 points, 17 of those points came in the second half and knocking down three of four free throws to seal the win.

This game was eerily similar to the first game. Give the Nuggets credit the team did what it had to do to avoid going home looking up at a two game deficit to overcome. This game it was the Lakers jumping out to an early 14 point lead, playing highly efficient basketball and solid defense.

All of the momentum that the Lakers built to start the game was erased by a 14-2 Denver scoring run along with excellent defense that allowed them to get back into the game. The score was 55-54 Lakers at halftime.

Linas Kleiza came off the bench for Denver and had an immediate impact scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Unlike game one, the Lakers were the ones who missed free throws and the clutch shots made in game one didn’t fall the Lakers in game two.

The second half started with the Lakers increasing their lead but the Nuggets stayed close, the score at the end of the third quarter was 81-80 Lakers. The lead changed hands multiple times in the fourth quarter.

Identical to game one, this game came down to executing in the fourth quarter and in the first game the Lakers were the ones that executed down the stretch but in game two it was the Nuggets.

The game came down to a critical jump ball situation, Trevor Ariza got control of the tip and then lost it when he was bumped. Denver outscored the Lakers 26-22 in the fourth quarter.

A foul could’ve been called but it wasn’t, in addition to that a jump ball violation was made by J.R. Smith for entering the jump ball circle which wasn’t called as well.

It was water under the bridge so to speak and the bounce of the ball didn’t go the Lakers way and the reality is that the series is tied and the Lakers need to make adjustments and rebound in Denver where the series shifts to for games three and four.

The Lakers front line played much better in the game as oppose to game one. Kobe Bryant led the in scoring with 32 points.

Lakers-Nuggets: Lakers led by Kobe comeback to beat Nuggets 105-103

The Lakers got off to another sluggish start, clearly functioning on tired legs against the well rested Nuggets. Denver came out on fire and almost knocked down every shot that the team put up.

Carmelo Anthony was held to 14 points per game against the Lakers all season. He sought to break out of his scoring slump against L.A. and the Nuggets followed the hot hand. Anthony had 39 points in the game; 16 points came in the first quarter.

This helped Denver take a double digit lead; the Lakers were able to cut the lead down to eight by the end of the quarter. The score at the end of the first quarter was 31-23 Denver.

The second quarter appeared to mirror the first quarter in terms of scoring, but the difference was that the momentum had shifted into the Lakers favor.

Los Angeles outscored Denver 32-23 in the quarter, capped off by a play where Kobe drove to the basket and drew two defenders and passed to Derek Fisher for a 25-foot three-point basket to give the Lakers a slim 55-54 lead at halftime.

You could sense in the second quarter that this would be an epic playoff battle that would go down to the wire. The third quarter didn’t disappoint as Denver continued to play well and knockdown shots led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

This was a match up where we saw both teams continue to fight. The Lakers used an 11-2 scoring run to take a four point lead only to see that lead vanish; the score at the end of the third quarter was 76-74 Denver.

The Nuggets maintained their lead in the fourth quarter increased said lead to as many as six points. Kobe Bryant kept the Lakers close; he finished the game with 40 points which included him dropping 18 points on Denver in the fourth quarter. Whenever Los Angeles needed a basket Kobe Bryant was the one that provided it.

The Lakers continued to chip away at the Nuggets lead and eventually took the lead on a timely Derek Fisher three point play after Kobe attacked the painted area and drew a double-team making the score 97-96.

Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin then made the first of his two ridiculous fouls late in the quarter sending Pau Gasol to the free throw line. Denver escaped that blunder as Gasol missed both free throws.

Chauncey Billups knocked down a 27-foot three pointer to give Denver a 99-97 lead. Gasol was fouled again and given the opportunity to redeem himself at the line and this time he made both free throws to knot the score at 99-all.

There were 30 seconds on the clock and the game was on the line; Kobe made the correct decision when he decided to attack the basket. He was fouled by Kenyon Martin and calmly knocked down both free throws 101-99 Lakers.

An interesting coaching move was made by both coaches that would seal the fate of both teams. Nuggets coach George Karl made the decision to insert Anthony Carter into the game for J.R. Smith. Lakers coach Phil Jackson replaced Luke Walton with Trevor Ariza.

On the in bounds play; the 6’2” Anthony Carter attempted to lob a pass over the 6’10” Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza who was out of the vision of Chauncey Billups, read the play shot the gap and made arguably his biggest play as a Laker stealing the ball.

He got the ball to Kobe Bryant who was fouled and sent to the free throw line where he knocked down both shots again 103-99 Lakers. On the very next play Chauncey Billups knocked down a controversial 23-foot three pointer to cut the lead to one.

It was controversial due to the fact that the replay showed that his right foot was on the line as he jab-stepped to shake free of Ariza’s defense. Kobe Bryant was fouled on the next possession and calmly knocked down another pair of free throws to secure the win for Los Angeles 105-103.

The Lakers used energy, guts and experience to come from 13 points down and literally stole this game from the Nuggets who played well enough to win. The Nuggets lead the majority of the game and their frontline destroyed the Lakers scoring 68 points.

The problem was that Denver missed 12 free throws, didn’t get the defensive stops they needed and made some bad decisions at the end of the game. Carmelo Anthony & Chauncey Billups were nothing short of spectacular and the Nuggets wasted an excellent performance by the duo.

This was an epic battle of basketball played at its highest level. Kobe refused to lose this game as evidenced by his 40 points but a point made clearer by the six clutch free throws down the stretch.

Kobe Bryant was able to will his team to victory in game one but he will need help from his teammates who were wildly inconsistent to win the series. I could say the same thing for Carmelo Anthony.

It will be difficult for the Nuggets to recover from the loss mentally but they’ve no choice but to forget about it Game Two will be on Thursday 5/21/09 at 6:00 pm PST.

Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier & Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: It’s a wrap Lakers; Blowout Rockets 89-70 to win series

The series win took the Lakers 13 days and 7 games and came down to an anti-climatic series ending blowout by the Los Angeles Lakers. Some might say that the Lakers woke up, broke out of their doldrums or finally decided to show up.

Facing elimination Kobe Bryant set the tone early; he played the role of facilitator and scored 14 points.

All of the pressure in this game was on the Lakers, but the team knew what they had to do to end this series, the team played hard; they were active and aggressive from the start.

The fast start afforded Los Angeles an 8-0 run to start the game.

The Lakers defense was the story in this series clinching game. The defense Los Angeles played in Game 7 forced the Rockets to miss their first 12 shots and forced them into 15 turnovers; of which the Lakers turned into 20 points.

The Rockets went scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and notched their first field goal of the game seven minutes and fifteen seconds into the contest. The purple and gold clad team from Los Angeles raced out to a lead and never looked back.

Los Angeles increased their lead to take a double-digit lead into the end of the quarter. The score at the end of the first quarter was 22-12. The team that has won the first quarter has won the game several times.

The Lakers were playing through the post; Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum were dominating the paint. The two big men combined for 35 points, 24 rebounds and five blocked shots. Los Angeles owned the glass and out-rebounded Houston 55-33.

The team continued to play well and build on the lead acquired in the first quarter. The Los Angeles lead reached as many as 25 points; the team held a 51-31 lead at halftime.

The game was essentially over and a bit of a sigh of relieve came over the Lakers and some of their fans. The ones in the know realized that the team had to play just as well if not better in the second half to secure victory.

The Rockets working off of the directive of head coach Rick Adelman; looked to cut into the Los Angeles lead and get back into the game. The directive was heard but the Rockets were out of gas and could not muster a charge.

The Rockets traded a few baskets with the Lakers but never got the much needed stops defensively. Los Angeles was able to maintain their lead and close out Houston and take the series four games to three and advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij & Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Game 7 Preview

The pressure is on the Los Angeles Lakers, no one expected the series to go seven games but it has. The good news is that the Lakers are back at home. The bad news is that the Lakers didn't take care of business lost Game 6 and have to play in an all important Game 7.

This isn’t the type of situation that the Lakers wanted to be in, they haven’t been in this position in a while. This is the playoffs folks, this is the epitome of the phrase “win or go home” this speaks to the finality of the situation.

The Lakers know what they have to do, the team fought to earn the home court advantage in the event they were put into this situation. This is a different Rockets team then the one the Lakers faced this season and Los Angeles has to adjust to this team on the fly.

The Lakers need to adjust to the Rockets being physical with them on the block and be physical themselves. Too many times when teams are physical with the Lakers the team settles for jump shots. That can not happen today, the Lakers need to use ball movement and player movement to find the open man who needs to take a high percentage shot.

The Lakers need to attack the basket early and often, this is the attack the rim time of the year. It is what it is; the Lakers know what is at stake and will deal with it. The real question is what type of energy, effort and resolve the team will bring into this game.

The Lakers have been wildly inconsistent from game to game. The Lakers need to have a high energy level, increased effort and play with a sense of urgency. The Lakers need to play hard & commit to playing solid defense, the type of defense that the team played in the 40-point beat down administered in game 5.

It is imperative that the Lakers increase the intensity of their defense and get off to a fast start so they aren’t playing uphill. The team that has won the 1st quarter has won the game several times in this series. Kobe Bryant will provide a stellar performance, as usual, but the rest of team has to knock down shots.

The Lakers will win by doing something that they haven’t done with any consistency. The Lakers need to control the tempo, the glass, get back in transition, stop the dribble penetration and most importantly rotate out to three point shooters.

Nothing can be left to chance, the Lakers need to stop the pick-and-roll play and Aaron Brooks and make the screener Chuck Hayes beat you. When the Lakers got back into the game the Rockets used the pick-and-roll play to distance themselves.
This game and the rest of the playoffs for the Lakers is about their defensive intensity, focus and controlling the painted area.

The Lakers know what they’re dealing with a scrappy trio of energy and effort guys in Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes. The Lakers need to match the intensity, effort and energy of these guys and the entire Rockets team.

The Lakers need to limit the Rockets to one shot per possession and contest every shot. Despite the fact that Houston was able to dominate the paint in Game 6; that will not happen again. This has been an action packed playoff series the will end today, the Lakers will be ready to play.

To be a champion you have to rise to the occasion and overcome obstacles like this. You’ll see a game ready focus from the Lakers. Kobe Bryant will start fast, aggressive start and set the tone his teammates will follow his lead. The world watched the Spike Lee Joint "Kobe Doin' Work" on ESPN over the weekend, we will have the opportunity to see him doin' work again today live on ABC.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Rockets win 95-80 and Force a Game Seven Showdown

The Lakers came into Game 6 with the opportunity to closeout the Rockets and this series. The key term in that sentence was ‘opportunity’ and it was apparently a concept lost on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers put on an excellent performance in game 5 and all of the momentum built from the success of that game was left in Los Angeles with their defense because I know for a fact that neither made the trip to Houston.

The lessons learned from prior success in this series did nothing for them in this game partly because it wasn’t put into to action.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points, he is in this authors opinion the best player in the game, but he can’t do it by himself his teammates have to knock down shots. Houston has something that several other teams don’t; two players that can defend Bryant.

Kobe will get his but Shane Battier & Ron Artest will make him work for it. The Lakers are a talented team but entirely too inconsistent from game to game. This was a lackadaisical defensive performance of epic proportions.

I am of the belief that if the Lakers weren’t going to show up they should’ve simply forfeited this game informed the league office stating they were going to wait to play in game seven.

The Rockets are a formidable team that plays with tremendous amount of effort and energy at home, as the Lakers can attest to. The Houston Rockets refused to be closed out at home. This Houston team played with a high energy level and out-worked the Lakers.

Houston looking to make amends for the beating that the team took in game five, really put it on the Lakers right from the tip off. The Rockets got off to a fast start and the Lakers appeared to be either sleepwalking or walking quicksand, the start I’m speaking of 21-3.

The Rockets forced the Lakers into a horrible shooting night they were 1-of-11 with 3 turnovers and the already mentioned three points. The first quarter ended with the Rockets on top 27-15.

The Lakers were immediately playing uphill on the road, again. The Rockets bombarded the Lakers scoring at will playing screen-and-roll basketball and the Lakers never adjusted. The Rockets were on a roll and proceeded to increase their lead, the first half ended with the Rockets on top 52-36.

The Lakers came out of the locker room with a little more resolve, a higher energy level and fought their way back into the game with a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The Lakers dramatically cut the lead and got to within a basket when the score was 52-54.

The Lakers put on a furious 16-2 rally to tighten the score, the Rockets re-grouped with a 8-2 run of their on and were able to hold off the Lakers and proceeded to increase their lead, the lead was 74-65 at the end of the third quarter.

The Rockets held on and maintained their lead by continuing to play pick-and-roll basketball. Chuck Hayes was the screener on numerous occasions and the Lakers decided to play him as oppose to the more dangerous Aaron Brooks.

The Rockets got a tremendous contribution and effort from the entire team and staved off elimination. Houston forced a series deciding game seven which will be played in Los Angeles on Sunday May 17, 2009 on ABC.

Photo Credit:Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times