Is Hawks' Kane early leader for MVP?
Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.
And that may be the case in Chicago with Patrick Kane, who is playing as well as anyone in the NHL right now for a team that leads the league in points.
Truth be told, I hadn't thought about it in those lofty terms until recent conversations with a couple of longtime NHL execs — one in each conference — and each independently made a reference to Kane being the best player in the NHL.
Best player in the league? It's a big statement to make.
The Blackhawks will be through a quarter of the season by Saturday night, and Kane is currently third in plus-minus (+11), eighth in assists (13), 10th in points (19, 5 behind the leader), while playing center for the first time in his pro career and averaging 19:31 per game, the highest of his career.
He has been responsible defensively, and he's winning 46 percent of his faceoffs, not a great number but surprisingly decent for someone who hasn't played the position at this level and is facing off against the best in the world.
Of course, what makes Kane special is how dangerous he is offensively and how he's playing with the extra space and puck possession he's allowed at center.
It's awfully early to be talking about awards or projections, but folks around the league have taken notice of how Kane has grown up on the ice, how much more consistent his effort is throughout a game, and how difficult he's making life for the opposition.
Is Kane the NHL MVP so far? He's in the conversation, and I don't know many people who would have made that prediction in September.
Any way you slice it, Patrick Kane has been a force and is one of the stories of the NHL season so far.
Earl Bennett
The first two games of the Bears' four-game winning streak were against Minnesota and Tampa, two teams among the worst in the NFL at pass defense, so max protect worked quite nicely.
But against Philly and Detroit, two of the better teams against the pass, you have to wonder where the Bears would have been offensively without Earl Bennett, who returned just in time for the game against the Eagles.
Bennett caught 5 passes for 95 yards against Philly, and consider when Jay Cutler looked for him.
On a third-and-7 early in the second quarter, Cutler went to Bennett for 14 yards, leading to the Bears' first TD.
On a third-and-16 a few minutes later, Cutler found Bennett for 26 yards, leading to a field goal and a 10-0 lead.
On a third-and-8 late in the third quarter, Cutler went deep down the middle to Bennett for 28 yards, leading to a field goal that pulled the Bears to within 24-20.
On a second-and-12 early in the fourth, Cutler hit Bennett with a short pass that went for 22 yards on a drive that ended with a 5-yard TD pass to Bennett, giving the Bears a 27-24 lead.
Among his 6 catches for 81 yards against Detroit (all in the first half), Cutler hit Bennett on a second-and-13 for 15 yards, a third-and-13 for 17 yards and a second-and-3 in the two-minute drill for 30 yards.
Cutler obviously has more confidence in Bennett than any other receiver, and much of that has to do with Bennett being able to do simple receiver things like run the correct route and catch the ball.
Max protect is great for Cutler, but without Bennett it probably doesn't work.
Sveum thing
Brewers GM Doug Melvin had Dale Sveum as an interim manager but didn't rehire him, and now Sveum is a hot managerial candidate in both Chicago and Boston.
“We just wanted to go with a new name and a new face,” said Melvin of passing on Sveum a couple of times. “I'm not a big believer in the interim-type of guy. I could be wrong, but perception is that it doesn't really work out all the time.
“Interim guys are nice guys in September and the next year sometimes not the same guys.”
And that completely describes Mike Quade.
Protecting kids
As the N.Y. Times reports that as many as 10 more alleged victims have stepped forward to accuse Jerry Sandusky, it was inevitable that Congress would get involved in the Penn State scandal.
Now that lawmakers are asking questions and calling for an investigation, you can be fairly confident we'll eventually see a “Sandusky Law” that punishes those who don't immediately report such crimes and protects those who do the right thing.
The walkout
Memo to Ron Zook: When you walk into a news conference and declare the story is not about you, and then walk out because the story is about you, guess what you've guaranteed? Yes, the story will absolutely be about you, your future employment and your odd decision-making.
Ozzieball
Mark Kotsay, the player Ozzie Guillen couldn't live without, is signing with San Diego. How did the Marlins get outbid for a talent like that, or are they simply saving their money for Juan Pierre?
And finally …
Omaha World-Herald's Brad Dickson: “Nickelback is going to perform at halftime of the Packers-Lions game on Thanksgiving. That's appropriate because Nickelback is the musical equivalent of tryptophan.”
brozner@dailyherald.com
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