I am finally back. There have been many interesting developments since my last posting. There are so many things that need to be looked at and I will be updating a little more often. Tomorrow offers us our most overrated day in all of college football…it is the 1st BCS ranking. Many people want to use this as a way to explain why the BCS is a joke, and to those people, I say just be patient. The BCS is a tried and trued system that has had a better success rate than ANY OTHER SYSTEM IN ANY SPORTS AT DETERMINING A CHAMPION! Do not panic if Boise State is at the top, the system will work itself out. To add to the chaos, today’s slate of games are going to shake the BCS up as there will be several top teams to lose, including 2 in the top 10. So let me give you picks for the games today…
Arkansas @ Auburn
These two teams were 2 teams who I was really high on coming into the season, and they have not failed to live up to expectations. This game matches 2 of the biggest quarterbacks in all of college football in Cam Newton and Ryan Mallett. Arkansas has been one of the most impressive teams in the country during the 1st half of games this season, but the offense has really struggled in the second half of games this year, being outscored 37 – 20 in the last 3 games and they only managed 3 second half points each against Alabama and Texas A&M. Auburn on the other hand has been one of the most impressive second half teams in the country, they trailed both Clemson and South Carolina by 2 touchdowns before coming back and eventually winning. This looks like it sets up perfectly for Auburn, the only problem is Arkansas defense plays good in the second half and I don’t think Auburn gets the turnovers that they got against South Carolina. Look for Arkansas to win a very entertaining and very close ball game.
Iowa @ Michigan
This is one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend. Michigan is coming off an emotional game where they were outplayed in every area of the game against Michigan State. Denard Robinson for the first time this season looked like he was out of place. The Michigan State defense had him confused resulting in bad decisions that led to turnovers. Things do not get any easier today against the big Iowa defense. Look for Iowa to try to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They should be fairly successful on the offensive line and this should allow Ricky Stanzai to make some plays. On defense, the Hawkeyes will pressure Robinson and have him running around for his life at times. The problem with this is he will wear down that big defensive line of Iowa and will resume his magical ride this season. Look for Michigan to win a back and forth ball game.
South Carolina @ Kentucky
South Carolina pulled off the biggest win in school history last week at home against Alabama. Stephen Garcia played as close to perfect as you can, going 17 – 20 for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. The thing that made this so impressive is the fact that he was benched the week before. Many people have spent the last week talking about this being a let down game against Kentucky. I believe this will not be so much of a game that is a let down, but it will be more of what South Carolina and Stephen Garcia have become…INCONSISTENT. Stephen Garcia will make some mistakes and Kentucky will capitalize. Kentucky is coming off of its own big game last week where they gained confidence after playing a highly favored Auburn team very close. I think Kentucky behind the big play ability of Randall Cobb upsets South Carolina and continues the shake up in the SEC East and this could possibly be the game that everyone looks back to at the end of the year as to why the SEC streak of 4 consecutive BCS Title Game appearances ends.
Texas @ Nebraska
In a rematch of last years Big 12 Championship game, the Longhorns head north to do battle for the last time in Big 12 regular season play with the Cornhuskers. I think revenge factor has been blown out of proportion. I do not think this game has anything to do with last season and the famous :01 second that was put back on the clock. Regardless of the final score, understand this game has nothing to do with last season. This is about Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers going out with a bang. They do not like Texas and this will give them a chance to hammer them and not to have to think about the consequences. Do not mistake me, if Bo Pelini and co. can drop 50 on Texas they will because the perception is look at what they did to Texas and the Huskers are showing they are for real this season. I don’t think that happens. I think Texas looks respectable for most of the game, but in the end Nebraska will be too much for the Horns and they pull out a fairly easy 2 touchdown win.
Ohio State @ Wisconsin
The big one in Madison. Ohio State is the new surprise #1 team in the country after the shocker in Columbia last week. Ohio State is really hard to put my finger on this year. You will remember in my preseason picks I predicted them to win the National Championship, but as I type away, I can’t help but think we are headed for a season like we had in 2007 where everyone falls. There has been nobody who has overly impressed me this year. Ohio State is one of many teams who have had flashes of brilliance but then they have been mediocre at other times. The crowd in Madison will be fired up for the 7:00 kick off. The Badgers will look to control the game with its dynamic duo John Clay and James White. For the Badgers to have a chance, they must slow down the front 7 of Ohio State. The Badgers defense must force Pryor to move around and make decisions while on the run. I think they will do this and Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien will play mistake free football and lead the Badgers to the upset win at home.
There are other winners where there is no explanation necessary…
FSU over Boston College
UGA over Vandy
Baylor over Colorado
VA Tech over Wake Forest
Alabama over Mississippi
Until Next Time...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
WEEKEND PICKS...
WEEKEND PICKS...
Last weekend failed to meet expectations. I had looked forward to it for so long and then it came and went. I spent Saturday watching my Noles get hammered by Oklahoma and it really soured the day for me. Luckily, my picks were much better for week 2 than week 1. I was right on the Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC picks (although a couple of those games were closer than I expected). I lost on UGA, Georgia Tech (who knew Turner Gill's team was actually getting ready to play THIS team all off season and forgot about week 1), and of course the heartbreak in Norman. Oh Well, after a very good 6 - 3 weekend, in which 2 of my 3 losses were with underdogs, I am at a very mediocre 7 - 6 on the season. This week will be a little harder because I will include some NFL games.
SATURDAY'S PICKS:
Arkansas @ Georgia. Talk about a must win game. Georgia can't afford to lose another SEC game, and Arkansas does not want to limp into the Alabama game coning off of a loss. Ryan Mallett will have a big time stage to show his stuff. He will look to get Arkansas a big road win and end UGA's season. This game will have points and that would lead me to lean Arkansas. They have the best qb in the conference against a freshman qb. Call me crazy, but I think Arkansas comes in looking to Alabama and Georgia finds a way to win a high scoring game that gets in the 30's for both teams. They could be headed towards a season like they had a few years back where they ended up in the Sugar Bowl.
Georgia Tech @ North Carolina. I was talking to a Tech fan today and I promised I would root for Tech, which is easy to do, because I think they will rebound nicely after a disappointing road loss last week. A team like Tech wears you down and that will hurt UNC who is short on quality depth with all of the suspensions. Expect a close ball game that Tech pulls away in the 4th quarter.
Iowa @ Arizona. This is a game that many are not paying attention to, especially since it has a 10:30 kickoff, but it will tell us a lot about both of these teams. Arizona has a really good offense and will look to come out and get a good start early. Good thing for Iowa they have a good defense and a senior qb who will not be rattled on the road. Look for Iowa to win a very good ball game.
Nebraska @ Washington. This game is going to end the Jake Locker for Heisman talk. I think Nebraska goes on the road and completely shuts down the Washington offense. Nebraska is the real deal and defensively they will show that this weekend. Taylor Martinez will struggle some on the road, but will play well enough to get an im pressive road win.
Texas @ Texas Tech. Everyone seems to believe his game will be close. Rivalry games are always close and Texas has been underwhelming up to this point. That ends this weekend. They will come out and be very solid on the road. This is the coming out party for Garrett Gilbert. He will look very god and they will march on to the upcoming Red River Shoot Out with Oklahoma.
BYU @ FSU. FSU will win big. Christian Ponder will look like what he was expected in the preseason. He'll have huge numbers and FSU wins by 2 touchdowns.
Florida @ Tennessee. Florida looked like they finally figured it out last week. They finish putting the pieces of the puzzle together this weekend and they start moving towards the SEC Championship game this weekend against Tennessee.
POSSIBLE UPSET:
Baylor @ TCU. Robbert Griffin is a great athlete who could give the Horned Frogs fits. TCU finds a way to win a very entertaining ball game.
SUNDAY'S GAMES:
Miami @ Minnesota. I love the Dolphins this year. Chad Henne made great progress last year and the addition of Brandon Marshall will continue to help him to grow. I am not sold on the fact that Brett Favre wants to be playing football. This game will be close, but I think Miami will pull of the 1st big upset of the season.
Baltimore @ Cincinatti. Cincy is in a must win situation after the beat down suffered last week at New England. Unfortunately, Baltimore saw that and looks like they may be back to form of 5 years ago. The loss of Ed Reed was not a factor against the Jets. Palmer looked gun shy to me and had several balls that should have been picked against New England. Look for the Ravens to get a couple of picks and Flacco will have a good game against that defense. Ravens win easily.
New England @ New York Jets. The Jets looked terrible on offense on Monday night against the Ravens. The problem is the Pats are not the Ravens and there is no Rey Lewis roaming the field for the Pats. The problem is the Pats are loaded at receiver and the Ravens had a lot of success finding mis matches against Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson. Brady seems to be back to regular season form, and we all know he hates the Jets. Rex Ryan will have his team looking to hit Brady every chance they can, it won't matter, the Pats are very under rated in the secondary and the Jets have no threats at receiver and who knows if Sanchez can get them the ball. The Pats spent all off season hearing about how great the Jets were gonna be and how the Jets were the team to beat in the division, on Sunday, the Pats will do just that. Pats win a low scoring game.
New york Giants @ Indianoplis. Another must win game. The Giants have the better team. They have a running game, a pass rush, underrated receivers, and a Manning. Unfortunately, it is the wrong Manning. Peyton does not lose at home (unless ownership wants him to...joke). Manning wins and I think they will win by 2 touchdowns.
There are my picks for the weekend, what do you think?
Until Next Time...
Last weekend failed to meet expectations. I had looked forward to it for so long and then it came and went. I spent Saturday watching my Noles get hammered by Oklahoma and it really soured the day for me. Luckily, my picks were much better for week 2 than week 1. I was right on the Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC picks (although a couple of those games were closer than I expected). I lost on UGA, Georgia Tech (who knew Turner Gill's team was actually getting ready to play THIS team all off season and forgot about week 1), and of course the heartbreak in Norman. Oh Well, after a very good 6 - 3 weekend, in which 2 of my 3 losses were with underdogs, I am at a very mediocre 7 - 6 on the season. This week will be a little harder because I will include some NFL games.
SATURDAY'S PICKS:
Arkansas @ Georgia. Talk about a must win game. Georgia can't afford to lose another SEC game, and Arkansas does not want to limp into the Alabama game coning off of a loss. Ryan Mallett will have a big time stage to show his stuff. He will look to get Arkansas a big road win and end UGA's season. This game will have points and that would lead me to lean Arkansas. They have the best qb in the conference against a freshman qb. Call me crazy, but I think Arkansas comes in looking to Alabama and Georgia finds a way to win a high scoring game that gets in the 30's for both teams. They could be headed towards a season like they had a few years back where they ended up in the Sugar Bowl.
Georgia Tech @ North Carolina. I was talking to a Tech fan today and I promised I would root for Tech, which is easy to do, because I think they will rebound nicely after a disappointing road loss last week. A team like Tech wears you down and that will hurt UNC who is short on quality depth with all of the suspensions. Expect a close ball game that Tech pulls away in the 4th quarter.
Iowa @ Arizona. This is a game that many are not paying attention to, especially since it has a 10:30 kickoff, but it will tell us a lot about both of these teams. Arizona has a really good offense and will look to come out and get a good start early. Good thing for Iowa they have a good defense and a senior qb who will not be rattled on the road. Look for Iowa to win a very good ball game.
Nebraska @ Washington. This game is going to end the Jake Locker for Heisman talk. I think Nebraska goes on the road and completely shuts down the Washington offense. Nebraska is the real deal and defensively they will show that this weekend. Taylor Martinez will struggle some on the road, but will play well enough to get an im pressive road win.
Texas @ Texas Tech. Everyone seems to believe his game will be close. Rivalry games are always close and Texas has been underwhelming up to this point. That ends this weekend. They will come out and be very solid on the road. This is the coming out party for Garrett Gilbert. He will look very god and they will march on to the upcoming Red River Shoot Out with Oklahoma.
BYU @ FSU. FSU will win big. Christian Ponder will look like what he was expected in the preseason. He'll have huge numbers and FSU wins by 2 touchdowns.
Florida @ Tennessee. Florida looked like they finally figured it out last week. They finish putting the pieces of the puzzle together this weekend and they start moving towards the SEC Championship game this weekend against Tennessee.
POSSIBLE UPSET:
Baylor @ TCU. Robbert Griffin is a great athlete who could give the Horned Frogs fits. TCU finds a way to win a very entertaining ball game.
SUNDAY'S GAMES:
Miami @ Minnesota. I love the Dolphins this year. Chad Henne made great progress last year and the addition of Brandon Marshall will continue to help him to grow. I am not sold on the fact that Brett Favre wants to be playing football. This game will be close, but I think Miami will pull of the 1st big upset of the season.
Baltimore @ Cincinatti. Cincy is in a must win situation after the beat down suffered last week at New England. Unfortunately, Baltimore saw that and looks like they may be back to form of 5 years ago. The loss of Ed Reed was not a factor against the Jets. Palmer looked gun shy to me and had several balls that should have been picked against New England. Look for the Ravens to get a couple of picks and Flacco will have a good game against that defense. Ravens win easily.
New England @ New York Jets. The Jets looked terrible on offense on Monday night against the Ravens. The problem is the Pats are not the Ravens and there is no Rey Lewis roaming the field for the Pats. The problem is the Pats are loaded at receiver and the Ravens had a lot of success finding mis matches against Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson. Brady seems to be back to regular season form, and we all know he hates the Jets. Rex Ryan will have his team looking to hit Brady every chance they can, it won't matter, the Pats are very under rated in the secondary and the Jets have no threats at receiver and who knows if Sanchez can get them the ball. The Pats spent all off season hearing about how great the Jets were gonna be and how the Jets were the team to beat in the division, on Sunday, the Pats will do just that. Pats win a low scoring game.
New york Giants @ Indianoplis. Another must win game. The Giants have the better team. They have a running game, a pass rush, underrated receivers, and a Manning. Unfortunately, it is the wrong Manning. Peyton does not lose at home (unless ownership wants him to...joke). Manning wins and I think they will win by 2 touchdowns.
There are my picks for the weekend, what do you think?
Until Next Time...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
WHAT DID YOU REALLY EXPECT...
WHAT DID YOU REALLY EXPECT...
There has been a lot of talk over the New York Jets and the "catcalls" (forgive me, but I do not even know what that means) of female reporter Ines Sainz. I have a different view of this situation, but before I give you that I need you to understand a few things. I am a born again christian who enjoys football as much as anyone you will meet. I also spend any extra time that I may have watching football. There are many things that I do not agree with. The Hard Knocks premise has always fascinated me, did not watch it, I did not approve of the language. Any Given Sunday was a movie that many people say gives a real look at what the life in pro football is like behind the scenes, I did not watch it, too much language. The ESPN show a few years back was taken off the air because many people believed it was to realistic and it hurt the leauges image, I did not watch this because I did not agree with the off the field stuff, I love the game of football. That being said, this is not about my personal views as a christian, this is about right and wrong in terms of men and women. This is about the hypocrisy that is the liberal feminist movement and the double standard that exists for women.
This is not a case of do women have the right to cover male sports. Of course, they do. This is a case of SHOULD WOMEN BE ALLOWED IN THE MEN'S LOCKER ROOM? Absolutely not. They have no business going inside of a clubhouse in any sport. That is a place where the players are at their worst and no woman should ever be allowed in a locker room.
Let me ask this question, what do you expect to happen in a pro sports locker room? There are people with money and a sense of invincibility about them who are coming off of an adrenaline rush that is the sport they play in. That's why people love locker room quotes after a bad game. The most popular person after a bad game is the person who plays the worst, because he will say something crazy. Now you take the fact that these guys in locker rooms have a party mentality, especially after a win, you are going to hear and see things that most people are not going to want to hear. Ms. Sainz went into the Jets PRIVATE lockeroom with the other reporters but she did not carry herself like other reporters (I will post a link to an interview she did which shows exactly how she was dressed).
I know, all of you feminists are ready to start screaming about equality in the workplace. She should be allowed to do anything a man can do, I agree completely, the problem with your liberal view is men are not allowed inside of a woman's locker room. We could never allow such a thing, because men are pigs. If they are such pigs, why would you allow women in an area where men are running around many times without any clothes on? The problem here is not what these men said (no, i do not think I agree with "catcalling" - whatever that is), but again, I ask what did you expect? There is a double standard and we are blaming these guys for what, acting the part of a jacked up jock who was in the security of his locker room?
The real question is this, where are all of the feminists who have fought for years for equality in the workplace? Why are you not outraged that Ms. Sainz has shown exactly why this should not be going on? Why are you not out there defending the players like you would if it were a LPGA golfer who was treated like this by a male reporter? Why are you saying she is just going to work to do here job? Why is it Michelle Tafoya, Suzy Kolber, even Erin Andrews have ever felt the need to go for an interview dresses this way? I am sorry, where do I get off with my sexist views and expecting some answers?
The truth of the matter is, Ms. Sainz is not the victim here, the players are. They can not control the fact that they are required to go to work. They can not control the fact that women are allowed in the locker room. They've been there before and they carry themselves professionally. They could not control the clothing of Ms. Sainz. She got up, knew she was going into a NFL locker room, and chose to dress in tight, form fitting, low cut clothes. She is the one who tweeted about being uncomfortable, and she is the one gaining popularity for it. If she was so uncomfortable, why did she not file a formal complaint, maybe they Jets organization was able to meet the asking price of Ms. Sainz.
I am begging anybody to try to defend Ms. Sainz. Please explain to me how I am wrong and how she is the true victim. Something tells me there will not be many responses, because there is nothing that can be said here but you are right, and people don't like saying that for some reason.
Here is the link where Ms. Sainz talks about the incindent and they will show you the choice of clothing for the Jets Locker Rooom.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/new-york-jets-reporter_n_716136.html
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
There has been a lot of talk over the New York Jets and the "catcalls" (forgive me, but I do not even know what that means) of female reporter Ines Sainz. I have a different view of this situation, but before I give you that I need you to understand a few things. I am a born again christian who enjoys football as much as anyone you will meet. I also spend any extra time that I may have watching football. There are many things that I do not agree with. The Hard Knocks premise has always fascinated me, did not watch it, I did not approve of the language. Any Given Sunday was a movie that many people say gives a real look at what the life in pro football is like behind the scenes, I did not watch it, too much language. The ESPN show a few years back was taken off the air because many people believed it was to realistic and it hurt the leauges image, I did not watch this because I did not agree with the off the field stuff, I love the game of football. That being said, this is not about my personal views as a christian, this is about right and wrong in terms of men and women. This is about the hypocrisy that is the liberal feminist movement and the double standard that exists for women.
This is not a case of do women have the right to cover male sports. Of course, they do. This is a case of SHOULD WOMEN BE ALLOWED IN THE MEN'S LOCKER ROOM? Absolutely not. They have no business going inside of a clubhouse in any sport. That is a place where the players are at their worst and no woman should ever be allowed in a locker room.
Let me ask this question, what do you expect to happen in a pro sports locker room? There are people with money and a sense of invincibility about them who are coming off of an adrenaline rush that is the sport they play in. That's why people love locker room quotes after a bad game. The most popular person after a bad game is the person who plays the worst, because he will say something crazy. Now you take the fact that these guys in locker rooms have a party mentality, especially after a win, you are going to hear and see things that most people are not going to want to hear. Ms. Sainz went into the Jets PRIVATE lockeroom with the other reporters but she did not carry herself like other reporters (I will post a link to an interview she did which shows exactly how she was dressed).
I know, all of you feminists are ready to start screaming about equality in the workplace. She should be allowed to do anything a man can do, I agree completely, the problem with your liberal view is men are not allowed inside of a woman's locker room. We could never allow such a thing, because men are pigs. If they are such pigs, why would you allow women in an area where men are running around many times without any clothes on? The problem here is not what these men said (no, i do not think I agree with "catcalling" - whatever that is), but again, I ask what did you expect? There is a double standard and we are blaming these guys for what, acting the part of a jacked up jock who was in the security of his locker room?
The real question is this, where are all of the feminists who have fought for years for equality in the workplace? Why are you not outraged that Ms. Sainz has shown exactly why this should not be going on? Why are you not out there defending the players like you would if it were a LPGA golfer who was treated like this by a male reporter? Why are you saying she is just going to work to do here job? Why is it Michelle Tafoya, Suzy Kolber, even Erin Andrews have ever felt the need to go for an interview dresses this way? I am sorry, where do I get off with my sexist views and expecting some answers?
The truth of the matter is, Ms. Sainz is not the victim here, the players are. They can not control the fact that they are required to go to work. They can not control the fact that women are allowed in the locker room. They've been there before and they carry themselves professionally. They could not control the clothing of Ms. Sainz. She got up, knew she was going into a NFL locker room, and chose to dress in tight, form fitting, low cut clothes. She is the one who tweeted about being uncomfortable, and she is the one gaining popularity for it. If she was so uncomfortable, why did she not file a formal complaint, maybe they Jets organization was able to meet the asking price of Ms. Sainz.
I am begging anybody to try to defend Ms. Sainz. Please explain to me how I am wrong and how she is the true victim. Something tells me there will not be many responses, because there is nothing that can be said here but you are right, and people don't like saying that for some reason.
Here is the link where Ms. Sainz talks about the incindent and they will show you the choice of clothing for the Jets Locker Rooom.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/14/new-york-jets-reporter_n_716136.html
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
SOME THINGS I LEARNED…
SOME THINGS I LEARNED…
This was the weekend I have been looking forward to for 3 months. It was the weekend where I would find out what I thought I already knew. I did find out some things and I was right some, and I was wrong on some. Let me revisit this weekend and tell you what I learned.
Let’s start with Saturday…
South Carolina may be ready to finally contend in the East. What they were able to do to a Georgia team that many believed had a shot to challenge Florida in the East was embarrassing. I realize the score stayed close, but Georgia was sloppy, could not tackle and just offered a poor showing. Steve Spurrier looks like he may have found a star in Marcus Lattimore.
The ACC was promised to be better this year. In fact someone posted on this very blog that they were going to be the 2nd best conference in College Football this year, they aren’t even close. In fact, this may be the worst conference in College Football. Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida State (boy was I wrong on this team) all lost this past weekend. However, none of these teams had the worst weekend in the ACC, that honor goes to Virginia Tech who managed to lose at home to FBS powerhouse James Madison. This conference is TERRIBLE and I feel the need to apologize to all of you for telling you they were going to be good.
The best (or worst depending on which side you are on) of the ACC’s weekend is the Boise State for a BCS Title Game discussion was ruined by Va Tech’s loss to James Madison. How can a team that struggled to win on a “neutral” site (I know it was practically a home game) claim a quality win if that same “guality” team loses to an FBS school in an actual home field. Oh well Boise State, looks like Va Tech really did get the last laugh.
How can I not mention Michigan? Rich Rod has finally found his guy to run his system and he’s doing a great job at it. Denard Robinson has played himself into the Heisman discussion no matter what criteria he uses. He is both the most outstanding and the most valuable player on a team that has not lost yet. What he has done in the 1st 2 weeks has people talking Heisman, but there’s another conversation that people need to start having…CAN MICHIGAN WIN THE BIG 10? If this kid keeps playing like this yes they can. I know it is early but an athlete who can take over a game like this kid can will keep his team close and give them a punchers chance in every game they are in. Of course Robinson and the Wolverines still have Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the Big 10, so let’s don’t start that talk to early, but this team will only get better and should be fun to watch the rest of the year.
Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma all took care of business and easily showed they are the 3 best teams in the country. Alabama did what they should do at home, at night, against a freshman qb with a young team, they dominated. Ohio State made Miami look like a school who had no business being on the field with them. Terrelle Pryor looked great and did a good job taking what the Miami defense gave him. He ran when he needed to , but did a great job keeping his head up and looking for an open receiver, this is what he has been doing since about half way through last season and that is what makes this team so dangerous. Oklahoma destroyed my ACC pick in FSU and the surprising part was how bad the FSU offense looked. Landry Jones displayed the form that had him on my preseason Heisman Watch. This team looks like they are every bit as good as I predicted them to be when I said they would be 2rd in the polls by the time that the BCS Games arrive.
If I had a vote in the top 25, I my vote would be look like this: Alabama (they have to be beat to drop the team has it all returning players and a tough schedule), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Boise State. I look forward to this upcoming week and am looking even more forward to seeing Bama get its 1st real test in a couple of weeks against Arkansas.
Heisman Watch: Denard Robinson, Terrelle Pryor, Landry Jones, Kellen Moore.
SUNDAY:
I will start with the most impressive thing I saw on Sunday and that was how the New England defense shut down a very high powered Cincinnati Bengals offense. Before you start screaming homer, let me explain, the impressive part about that game was not the way the offense looked (although it was great to see Welker looking like his old self). The big question mark for this team was it’s defense, more specifically it’s secondary and the Bengals have more than enough weapons to challenge them and gave them a great chance to show how this season may look. The defense played great as they only gave up 3 points in the 1st half. I know people will say Palmer threw for 345 and a couple of td’s, however by the time he started scoring the game was over and everyone knew that. Look forward to seeing the offensive line get a real test against a very good Jets defense on Sunday.
Other than that there were not very many surprises from this past Sunday. The Falcons looked nothing like a team who I picked to win the South and be a # 2 seed in the playoffs, but not too concerned. I was surprised the Raiders did not perform better against the Titans (although as I have had to tell everyone since I made playoffs picks last week, the Titans are going to be a good team this year). The Cowboys looked terrible on Sunday night, but they have looked terrible the entire off season. This team had better find a way to come together quick or else they will miss the playoffs. The Giants looked really good and they are not going away. I am looking forward to what should be a good game (and a nightmare in terms of matchups) with the Colts.
As for those Colts, let me offer some thoughts on this game and the preseason prediction that they will not make the playoffs. I have taken so much heat for excluding the Colts from the playoffs in my preseason projections, and everyone I know has claimed that I am a homer and am picking against them to get a reaction. I did not lay out all of my reasons for why I think they would miss the playoffs, because I choose to write about the positive things and the teams who would be in. However, as I told everyone since Thursday, the defense is bad, especially against the run (if Arian Foster goes over 200 yards, what will MJD and Chris Johnson do?), the argument against this is Bob Sanders is coming back. My argument against that is the problem with Bob Sanders is he’s coming back every year (he did get injured again on Sunday and not sure when he’ll be back). I also, question the receiving corps. I do not trust Collie (may have been wrong on that one, but we will wait to see), Garcon (I think he had 4 drops and after a couple of them Manning seemed to be visibly upset), Wayne (if he plays he’s solid, but he always seems to have nagging injuries that slow him down – last year he only had more the 5 catches once after week 12 last year and he his high in yards was 48 during that time). I know people are talking about Anthony Gonzalez but he can only be productive if he is healthy and even then, we don’t know how productive he can be because he’s never had more than 57 catches in the Colts pass happy system. He missed all of last season with an injury (he also left Sunday’s game with a high ankle sprain and will not play this week) so I can not count on him to be a contributor. The defense looked bad, the offense looked bad until the game was out of reach, watching a large chunk of that game I never really got the feeling the Colts were going to be able to win. I know it is 1 game, but the problem is the holes that were shown in that game are real, and the team that beat you is at an all time high for the franchise (they beat the mighty Colts, they are coming off of a winning season for the 1st time in franchise history, people seem to think they are good enough to win this year, they are dangerous). I am worried for the Colts, they are in trouble (of course that means they probably will not lose again this year and win a Super Bowl, that’s just how my picks are going).
There you have it, my thoughts on the weekend, what do you think?
This was the weekend I have been looking forward to for 3 months. It was the weekend where I would find out what I thought I already knew. I did find out some things and I was right some, and I was wrong on some. Let me revisit this weekend and tell you what I learned.
Let’s start with Saturday…
South Carolina may be ready to finally contend in the East. What they were able to do to a Georgia team that many believed had a shot to challenge Florida in the East was embarrassing. I realize the score stayed close, but Georgia was sloppy, could not tackle and just offered a poor showing. Steve Spurrier looks like he may have found a star in Marcus Lattimore.
The ACC was promised to be better this year. In fact someone posted on this very blog that they were going to be the 2nd best conference in College Football this year, they aren’t even close. In fact, this may be the worst conference in College Football. Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida State (boy was I wrong on this team) all lost this past weekend. However, none of these teams had the worst weekend in the ACC, that honor goes to Virginia Tech who managed to lose at home to FBS powerhouse James Madison. This conference is TERRIBLE and I feel the need to apologize to all of you for telling you they were going to be good.
The best (or worst depending on which side you are on) of the ACC’s weekend is the Boise State for a BCS Title Game discussion was ruined by Va Tech’s loss to James Madison. How can a team that struggled to win on a “neutral” site (I know it was practically a home game) claim a quality win if that same “guality” team loses to an FBS school in an actual home field. Oh well Boise State, looks like Va Tech really did get the last laugh.
How can I not mention Michigan? Rich Rod has finally found his guy to run his system and he’s doing a great job at it. Denard Robinson has played himself into the Heisman discussion no matter what criteria he uses. He is both the most outstanding and the most valuable player on a team that has not lost yet. What he has done in the 1st 2 weeks has people talking Heisman, but there’s another conversation that people need to start having…CAN MICHIGAN WIN THE BIG 10? If this kid keeps playing like this yes they can. I know it is early but an athlete who can take over a game like this kid can will keep his team close and give them a punchers chance in every game they are in. Of course Robinson and the Wolverines still have Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the Big 10, so let’s don’t start that talk to early, but this team will only get better and should be fun to watch the rest of the year.
Alabama, Ohio State, and Oklahoma all took care of business and easily showed they are the 3 best teams in the country. Alabama did what they should do at home, at night, against a freshman qb with a young team, they dominated. Ohio State made Miami look like a school who had no business being on the field with them. Terrelle Pryor looked great and did a good job taking what the Miami defense gave him. He ran when he needed to , but did a great job keeping his head up and looking for an open receiver, this is what he has been doing since about half way through last season and that is what makes this team so dangerous. Oklahoma destroyed my ACC pick in FSU and the surprising part was how bad the FSU offense looked. Landry Jones displayed the form that had him on my preseason Heisman Watch. This team looks like they are every bit as good as I predicted them to be when I said they would be 2rd in the polls by the time that the BCS Games arrive.
If I had a vote in the top 25, I my vote would be look like this: Alabama (they have to be beat to drop the team has it all returning players and a tough schedule), Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Boise State. I look forward to this upcoming week and am looking even more forward to seeing Bama get its 1st real test in a couple of weeks against Arkansas.
Heisman Watch: Denard Robinson, Terrelle Pryor, Landry Jones, Kellen Moore.
SUNDAY:
I will start with the most impressive thing I saw on Sunday and that was how the New England defense shut down a very high powered Cincinnati Bengals offense. Before you start screaming homer, let me explain, the impressive part about that game was not the way the offense looked (although it was great to see Welker looking like his old self). The big question mark for this team was it’s defense, more specifically it’s secondary and the Bengals have more than enough weapons to challenge them and gave them a great chance to show how this season may look. The defense played great as they only gave up 3 points in the 1st half. I know people will say Palmer threw for 345 and a couple of td’s, however by the time he started scoring the game was over and everyone knew that. Look forward to seeing the offensive line get a real test against a very good Jets defense on Sunday.
Other than that there were not very many surprises from this past Sunday. The Falcons looked nothing like a team who I picked to win the South and be a # 2 seed in the playoffs, but not too concerned. I was surprised the Raiders did not perform better against the Titans (although as I have had to tell everyone since I made playoffs picks last week, the Titans are going to be a good team this year). The Cowboys looked terrible on Sunday night, but they have looked terrible the entire off season. This team had better find a way to come together quick or else they will miss the playoffs. The Giants looked really good and they are not going away. I am looking forward to what should be a good game (and a nightmare in terms of matchups) with the Colts.
As for those Colts, let me offer some thoughts on this game and the preseason prediction that they will not make the playoffs. I have taken so much heat for excluding the Colts from the playoffs in my preseason projections, and everyone I know has claimed that I am a homer and am picking against them to get a reaction. I did not lay out all of my reasons for why I think they would miss the playoffs, because I choose to write about the positive things and the teams who would be in. However, as I told everyone since Thursday, the defense is bad, especially against the run (if Arian Foster goes over 200 yards, what will MJD and Chris Johnson do?), the argument against this is Bob Sanders is coming back. My argument against that is the problem with Bob Sanders is he’s coming back every year (he did get injured again on Sunday and not sure when he’ll be back). I also, question the receiving corps. I do not trust Collie (may have been wrong on that one, but we will wait to see), Garcon (I think he had 4 drops and after a couple of them Manning seemed to be visibly upset), Wayne (if he plays he’s solid, but he always seems to have nagging injuries that slow him down – last year he only had more the 5 catches once after week 12 last year and he his high in yards was 48 during that time). I know people are talking about Anthony Gonzalez but he can only be productive if he is healthy and even then, we don’t know how productive he can be because he’s never had more than 57 catches in the Colts pass happy system. He missed all of last season with an injury (he also left Sunday’s game with a high ankle sprain and will not play this week) so I can not count on him to be a contributor. The defense looked bad, the offense looked bad until the game was out of reach, watching a large chunk of that game I never really got the feeling the Colts were going to be able to win. I know it is 1 game, but the problem is the holes that were shown in that game are real, and the team that beat you is at an all time high for the franchise (they beat the mighty Colts, they are coming off of a winning season for the 1st time in franchise history, people seem to think they are good enough to win this year, they are dangerous). I am worried for the Colts, they are in trouble (of course that means they probably will not lose again this year and win a Super Bowl, that’s just how my picks are going).
There you have it, my thoughts on the weekend, what do you think?
Friday, September 10, 2010
IT'S BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS...
IT'S BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS...
I loved Christmas as a child. There was always exctement as I saw the gifts mount under the tree as the weeks got closer. With every new gft that was placed under the tree, the anticipation grew. Then after what seemed like forever, it was Christmas Eve. Just one more day until the day that I had looked forward to since October 13th(my birthday, i'll send you my address so you can send gifts).
Now, I am an adult. I face real responsibilities and I have to balance visiting family, how much I can spend, I have to put the toys together, etc so even though I still enjoy Christmas, it is not the same. However, tomorrow Christmas comes in September. I have had the same child like anticipation looking forward to the game. This weekend has seemed like it would never come but now it is here. So many games, and I am going to give you some predictions for the major games...
Georgia @ South Carolina
This game is always a great ball game that is won in the 4th quarter. It nrmally does not carry as much national importance but with the struggles at Florida last weekend, the winner of this game may be able to contend for the SEC East. UGA will be without their best player, AJ Green. I don't think it matters. Look for a heavy dose of the ground game as UGA will not want to put too much pressure on the freshman qb. Look for Georgia to have a conservative game plan, run the ball, play good defense, and let Blair Walsh win it with a late field goal.
Michigan @ Notre Dame
Both teams looked good in week 1. A week 1 loss is normally not a big deal but it would have been major for both of these schools. I like Michigan on the road to pull the upset. Denard Robinson has more expierence in Rich Rod's offense and I do not believe Notre Dame has the athletes to limit his big play ability. Michigan wins a good ball game.
South Florida @ Florida
Last week was terrible for Florida. This weekend will not be much better. John Brantley is a very talented qb, but I do not know if he is the guy to run this offense. Florida lacks a running game and I don't care who you are, being one dimensional is a bad thing. Skip Holtz teams play good defense and usually does not turn the ball over, so that is bad for Florida. Look for this game to be close, I would not be totally surprised if South Florida wins (of course this means Florida will win by 4 touchdowns).
THE BIG 3:
Florida State @ Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a 31 game home winning streak. FSU is bad, they play in the ACC and they are no good. I know what you are all saying. I like the Noles and here is why. They have the best qb in the country in Christian Ponder and Oklahoma has a bad secondary. Bob Stoops and co will try to mix coverages all day as he tries blitzing, playing zone, and may even try to play 13 guys on defense to slow the FSU offense. The problem for the Sooners is that FSU has one of the best OL's in the country and Ponder has enough mobility and does a god enough job avoiding pressure and makes great decisions. I think it will be fairly close, but in the end, FSU has too much speed on offense and the defense will play good enough to slow DeMarco Murray and pull the upset and start what will be a very memorable season for Noles fans.
Penn State @ Alabama
This is going to be a great game in terms of 2 proud programs who have enjoyed success over the years. Then the game will start and the Tde will Roll. I know that they will not have Mark Ingram, but they will have Richardson, McElroy, and Julio Jones. A night game on the road in Tuscaloosa is something that a freshman qb should never have to do. Tide wins by 2 touchdowns.
Miami @ Ohio State
This is the game of the day. You have 2 Heisman Trophy candidates in Terrell Pryor and Jacory Harris. You have an established program with one that is on the way back. You have 2 teams with BCS Championship dreams from under rated conferences. Ohio State has a history of not matching up with teams who can spread you out and run you up and down the field and that is what Miami will try to do. Ohio State looks to me like a miror image of this Miami team. loads of fast athletes at the skill positions, a talented and athletic quarterback, but hey have 2 things the Canes d o not. The Buckeyes have a solid veteran offensive line who has been tested which Miami has not done yet, and they have the benefit of it being in Columbus. This game means more to Miami, because they need it to prove to America that they are back. I like Harris to have a good game and keep it close, but in the end, Ohio State will win the best game of the weekend.
GA Tech hammers Kansas, Oregon rolls Tennessee, and USC destroys Virginia.
What do you think...
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
I loved Christmas as a child. There was always exctement as I saw the gifts mount under the tree as the weeks got closer. With every new gft that was placed under the tree, the anticipation grew. Then after what seemed like forever, it was Christmas Eve. Just one more day until the day that I had looked forward to since October 13th(my birthday, i'll send you my address so you can send gifts).
Now, I am an adult. I face real responsibilities and I have to balance visiting family, how much I can spend, I have to put the toys together, etc so even though I still enjoy Christmas, it is not the same. However, tomorrow Christmas comes in September. I have had the same child like anticipation looking forward to the game. This weekend has seemed like it would never come but now it is here. So many games, and I am going to give you some predictions for the major games...
Georgia @ South Carolina
This game is always a great ball game that is won in the 4th quarter. It nrmally does not carry as much national importance but with the struggles at Florida last weekend, the winner of this game may be able to contend for the SEC East. UGA will be without their best player, AJ Green. I don't think it matters. Look for a heavy dose of the ground game as UGA will not want to put too much pressure on the freshman qb. Look for Georgia to have a conservative game plan, run the ball, play good defense, and let Blair Walsh win it with a late field goal.
Michigan @ Notre Dame
Both teams looked good in week 1. A week 1 loss is normally not a big deal but it would have been major for both of these schools. I like Michigan on the road to pull the upset. Denard Robinson has more expierence in Rich Rod's offense and I do not believe Notre Dame has the athletes to limit his big play ability. Michigan wins a good ball game.
South Florida @ Florida
Last week was terrible for Florida. This weekend will not be much better. John Brantley is a very talented qb, but I do not know if he is the guy to run this offense. Florida lacks a running game and I don't care who you are, being one dimensional is a bad thing. Skip Holtz teams play good defense and usually does not turn the ball over, so that is bad for Florida. Look for this game to be close, I would not be totally surprised if South Florida wins (of course this means Florida will win by 4 touchdowns).
THE BIG 3:
Florida State @ Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a 31 game home winning streak. FSU is bad, they play in the ACC and they are no good. I know what you are all saying. I like the Noles and here is why. They have the best qb in the country in Christian Ponder and Oklahoma has a bad secondary. Bob Stoops and co will try to mix coverages all day as he tries blitzing, playing zone, and may even try to play 13 guys on defense to slow the FSU offense. The problem for the Sooners is that FSU has one of the best OL's in the country and Ponder has enough mobility and does a god enough job avoiding pressure and makes great decisions. I think it will be fairly close, but in the end, FSU has too much speed on offense and the defense will play good enough to slow DeMarco Murray and pull the upset and start what will be a very memorable season for Noles fans.
Penn State @ Alabama
This is going to be a great game in terms of 2 proud programs who have enjoyed success over the years. Then the game will start and the Tde will Roll. I know that they will not have Mark Ingram, but they will have Richardson, McElroy, and Julio Jones. A night game on the road in Tuscaloosa is something that a freshman qb should never have to do. Tide wins by 2 touchdowns.
Miami @ Ohio State
This is the game of the day. You have 2 Heisman Trophy candidates in Terrell Pryor and Jacory Harris. You have an established program with one that is on the way back. You have 2 teams with BCS Championship dreams from under rated conferences. Ohio State has a history of not matching up with teams who can spread you out and run you up and down the field and that is what Miami will try to do. Ohio State looks to me like a miror image of this Miami team. loads of fast athletes at the skill positions, a talented and athletic quarterback, but hey have 2 things the Canes d o not. The Buckeyes have a solid veteran offensive line who has been tested which Miami has not done yet, and they have the benefit of it being in Columbus. This game means more to Miami, because they need it to prove to America that they are back. I like Harris to have a good game and keep it close, but in the end, Ohio State will win the best game of the weekend.
GA Tech hammers Kansas, Oregon rolls Tennessee, and USC destroys Virginia.
What do you think...
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
2010 NFL PICKS...
THE PICKS ARE IN…
Tonight begins the crazy and unpredictable NFL season. I am extremely excited to see this match up tonight as the Vikings are heading back to New Orleans. I do like the Vikings in this game, I don’t think they will get as much pressure on Favre and that defense will not create the turnovers from a year ago. That being said let me give you my predictions for the upcoming season…
NFC South: ATLANTA FALCONS
Since I do not trust the Saints defense to produce like it did last year, there is no way I can trust them to be as good as they were last year. Darren Sharper will be missed for the 1st 6 games of the season and that leaves a big void on and off the field. I like the addidtion of Sean Weatherspoon for the Falcons. If Ryan, Turner, and co stay healthy, there is no reason to think they will not win the division. Order of Finish: Falcons, Saints, Panthers, Bucs
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers became the quarterback the Packers thought he would be when they finally decided to tell Favre he had to stop stringing them along. They decided it was time to figure out what they had and they have the best young quarterback in the game. Hopefully the offensive line will do a better job keeping him standing up. Ryan Grant needs to provide some security running the ball, but this team will go as far as Aaron Rodgers can throw them. They have a good but underrated and this may be the year they find themselves back in the Super Bowl. Order of Finish: Packers, Vikings, Lions, Bears
NFC West: San Fransico 49ers
In the worst division in football, the niners have the most talent and they may be dangerous in the playoffs. They are exactly the type of team who can win in the playoffs, a good running team, a top 5 defense and a qb who seems to be comfortable in his offense and will not turn the ball over a lot. Plus, the other 3 teams are being led by Sam Bradford (a rookie), Matt Hasselbeck (won’t play all season), and Derek Anderson (should never play again). Order of Finish: 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Rams
NFC East: New York Giants
This may be the best division in the NFC. It could also be one of the worst divisions in the NFC. The Giants must run the ball and I think Ahmad Bradshaw will do that. They also must stay healthy they were injured more than any team in the NFC last season and that cost them a chance to make the playoffs. They did a nice job addressing the holes at safety with the additions of Antrelle Rolle and Deon Grant. Order of Finish: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins
NFC Wild Card Teams: Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys
The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the league and Brett Favre will play well. Adrian Peterson is a beast at running back and they get the Bears and Lions (who will be much better this year but are still a year away). The stories will be great as we look to see if Favre can lead his team to the Super Bowl in his last season. The Cowboys will try to be the 1st team in History to play in the Super Bowl when it is played at their home field. It will not happen, but it will be a fun story line.
AFC South: Houston Texans
This is the 1st real shocker of my playoff picks, the COLTS WILL NOT WIN THE DIVISION. If the Texans are able to get past the Colts (they find a way to lose to them every year it seems). The Texans look to finally have the total package with Arain Foster, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, & Matt Schaub. The defense is outstanding with Mario Williams, and Brian Cushing leading a young aggressive defense. They find a way to overcome the Colts this year and they are a legit Super Bowl team. Order of Finish: Texans, Colts, Titans, Jaguars
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
This team has a ton of talent and even more egos. If they do not kill each other, they will win the division. I feel terrible for Carson Palmer having to listen to all of the talking between Ochocinco, T.O., and Cedric Benson. They did add some very nice pieces in the draft in Jordan Shipley (think Wes Welker in New England) and Jermaine Gresham. The defense has been getting better for years and should be good again this year. This will be a great 3 way battle between the Ravens and Steelers as well. Order of Finish: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Browns
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
Again, the West is just a bad division. The Raiders had a GREAT off season, better than any team in football. I almost picked them because I do not know how much I trust Ryan Matthews running the ball and Philip Rivers has no help at receiver. Unfortunately, I am not brave enough to pick them. Order of finish: Chargers, Raider, Broncos, Chiefs
AFC East: New England Patriots
I know the Jets have become America’s team, but I am not getting it. They brought in a bunch of older guys who skills have diminished (LaDanian Tomlinson & Jason Taylor) and released all of the leadership from last year (Thomas Jones & Alan Faneca). Yes, they have some good players and yes they made the AFC Title game last year, but there are several reasons to believe the Pats will be better and the Jets will be the same. Last year the Jets only got in the playoffs because the Colts sat their players in week 16. Brady is a year healthier, he has threats at tight end. There is no team in football who utilizes the tight end better than the Pats. That is the running game. Aaron Hernandez may challenge for rookie of the year. The young defense is a year more expierenced. This is the most dangerous that the Pats have been in the last 5 or 6 years. Order of Finish: Patriots, Dolphins, Jets, Bills
AFC Wild Card Teams: Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
PLAYOFFS:
Vikings (6) @ Giants (3) = Vikings
Cowboys (5) @ 49ers (4) = Cowboys
Dolphins (6) @ Texans (3) = Texans
Ravens (5) @ Chargers (4) = Ravens
Vikings (6) @ Packers (1)= Packers
Cowboys (5) @ Falcons (2)= Falcons
Ravens (5) @ Bengals (1)= Ravens
Texans (3) @ Patriots (2)= Patriots
Championship Games:
Falcons (2) @ Packers (1)= Packers
Ravens (5) @ Patriots (2)= Patriots
Super Bowl:
Packers v. Patriots
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS:
New England Patriots
Tonight begins the crazy and unpredictable NFL season. I am extremely excited to see this match up tonight as the Vikings are heading back to New Orleans. I do like the Vikings in this game, I don’t think they will get as much pressure on Favre and that defense will not create the turnovers from a year ago. That being said let me give you my predictions for the upcoming season…
NFC South: ATLANTA FALCONS
Since I do not trust the Saints defense to produce like it did last year, there is no way I can trust them to be as good as they were last year. Darren Sharper will be missed for the 1st 6 games of the season and that leaves a big void on and off the field. I like the addidtion of Sean Weatherspoon for the Falcons. If Ryan, Turner, and co stay healthy, there is no reason to think they will not win the division. Order of Finish: Falcons, Saints, Panthers, Bucs
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers became the quarterback the Packers thought he would be when they finally decided to tell Favre he had to stop stringing them along. They decided it was time to figure out what they had and they have the best young quarterback in the game. Hopefully the offensive line will do a better job keeping him standing up. Ryan Grant needs to provide some security running the ball, but this team will go as far as Aaron Rodgers can throw them. They have a good but underrated and this may be the year they find themselves back in the Super Bowl. Order of Finish: Packers, Vikings, Lions, Bears
NFC West: San Fransico 49ers
In the worst division in football, the niners have the most talent and they may be dangerous in the playoffs. They are exactly the type of team who can win in the playoffs, a good running team, a top 5 defense and a qb who seems to be comfortable in his offense and will not turn the ball over a lot. Plus, the other 3 teams are being led by Sam Bradford (a rookie), Matt Hasselbeck (won’t play all season), and Derek Anderson (should never play again). Order of Finish: 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Rams
NFC East: New York Giants
This may be the best division in the NFC. It could also be one of the worst divisions in the NFC. The Giants must run the ball and I think Ahmad Bradshaw will do that. They also must stay healthy they were injured more than any team in the NFC last season and that cost them a chance to make the playoffs. They did a nice job addressing the holes at safety with the additions of Antrelle Rolle and Deon Grant. Order of Finish: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins
NFC Wild Card Teams: Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys
The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the league and Brett Favre will play well. Adrian Peterson is a beast at running back and they get the Bears and Lions (who will be much better this year but are still a year away). The stories will be great as we look to see if Favre can lead his team to the Super Bowl in his last season. The Cowboys will try to be the 1st team in History to play in the Super Bowl when it is played at their home field. It will not happen, but it will be a fun story line.
AFC South: Houston Texans
This is the 1st real shocker of my playoff picks, the COLTS WILL NOT WIN THE DIVISION. If the Texans are able to get past the Colts (they find a way to lose to them every year it seems). The Texans look to finally have the total package with Arain Foster, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, & Matt Schaub. The defense is outstanding with Mario Williams, and Brian Cushing leading a young aggressive defense. They find a way to overcome the Colts this year and they are a legit Super Bowl team. Order of Finish: Texans, Colts, Titans, Jaguars
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
This team has a ton of talent and even more egos. If they do not kill each other, they will win the division. I feel terrible for Carson Palmer having to listen to all of the talking between Ochocinco, T.O., and Cedric Benson. They did add some very nice pieces in the draft in Jordan Shipley (think Wes Welker in New England) and Jermaine Gresham. The defense has been getting better for years and should be good again this year. This will be a great 3 way battle between the Ravens and Steelers as well. Order of Finish: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Browns
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
Again, the West is just a bad division. The Raiders had a GREAT off season, better than any team in football. I almost picked them because I do not know how much I trust Ryan Matthews running the ball and Philip Rivers has no help at receiver. Unfortunately, I am not brave enough to pick them. Order of finish: Chargers, Raider, Broncos, Chiefs
AFC East: New England Patriots
I know the Jets have become America’s team, but I am not getting it. They brought in a bunch of older guys who skills have diminished (LaDanian Tomlinson & Jason Taylor) and released all of the leadership from last year (Thomas Jones & Alan Faneca). Yes, they have some good players and yes they made the AFC Title game last year, but there are several reasons to believe the Pats will be better and the Jets will be the same. Last year the Jets only got in the playoffs because the Colts sat their players in week 16. Brady is a year healthier, he has threats at tight end. There is no team in football who utilizes the tight end better than the Pats. That is the running game. Aaron Hernandez may challenge for rookie of the year. The young defense is a year more expierenced. This is the most dangerous that the Pats have been in the last 5 or 6 years. Order of Finish: Patriots, Dolphins, Jets, Bills
AFC Wild Card Teams: Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
PLAYOFFS:
Vikings (6) @ Giants (3) = Vikings
Cowboys (5) @ 49ers (4) = Cowboys
Dolphins (6) @ Texans (3) = Texans
Ravens (5) @ Chargers (4) = Ravens
Vikings (6) @ Packers (1)= Packers
Cowboys (5) @ Falcons (2)= Falcons
Ravens (5) @ Bengals (1)= Ravens
Texans (3) @ Patriots (2)= Patriots
Championship Games:
Falcons (2) @ Packers (1)= Packers
Ravens (5) @ Patriots (2)= Patriots
Super Bowl:
Packers v. Patriots
SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS:
New England Patriots
Saturday, September 4, 2010
BCS Matchups...
BCS Matchups…
The college football season has finally started. I love this time of year, so many things to look forward to. Before I give you my end of the year BCS math ups, let me give you my thoughts on the afternoon slate…
UConn at Michigan
They are rededicating the Big House and there is nobody in the country that has more information than Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines. He has not been able to get settled at quarterback even though he has been in Michigan for 3 years now. I believe that UConn will play solid defense and control the clock and pull out a close one. Let the hatful web sites begin now.
UCLA @ Kansas State
I think UCLA is going to be very good and they begin showing the world that tonight. They are breaking in a new offense but I expect Norm Chow will have the Bruins ready to go. Look for UCLA to win the game.
Washington @ BYU
America’s sweetheart Jake Locker will have some national attention for one of the few times this season. I expect him to play really well. Steve Sarkisian has changed the culture in Washington and those kids expect to win and tonight they should be able to accomplish that goal. Look for the Locker for Heisman hype to really begin tonight.
LSU v. North Carolina
This game had so much potential prior to all of the suspensions on the UNC side. This game looked like it would be close and now everyone is expecting a blow out. I do not see that happening, I think the Tar Heels will keep it close for a couple of quarters and play extremely well. In the end, there is just too much depth for LSU and I expect them to win a close one.
Now on to the BCS Games…
Rose Bowl:
Iowa (At – Large) v. Oregon (Pac 10)
This will be another Big 10 attempt to slow down the spread attack of Oregon. It worked well for Ohio State last year. Iowa will be coming into this game with 1 loss to Ohio State (who’s playing for the National Championship). Oregon gets here because USC can’t. The Trojans will have the best record, but the Ducks advance to Pasadena after taking care of business against Oregon State.
Orange Bowl:
FSU (ACC) v. Cincinnati (Big East)
This game will be a HUGE mismatch. FSU will return to form of the 90’s under new coach Jimbo Fisher. They offense will be as good as any in the country and the only reason they are this low is because I am not sure if they can successfully make the trip to Miami on October 9. Cincinnati is going to be good and they are going to rally together after the loss of Brian Kelly, however there is a difference between the Big East and the ACC. The ACC is back and they are going to be the 2nd best team in the country (of course, I have said this for the last couple of years).
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia (At – Large) v. Virginia Tech (At – Large)
This will be a good game between 2 teams who got here by default. Neither of these teams will win their division in their conference. Georgia is going to get beaten out by Florida and Va Tech will lose the match up in November with Miami. However, thanks to Alabama and Florida State, these two teams play in the BCS.
Fiesta Bowl:
Oklahoma (Big 12) v. TCU (At – Large)
Oklahoma is going to be very good and will probably be ranked 3rd by this point. I expect them to be on the outside looking in. Unfortunately for them, they will have a ton of pressure as they going back to Arizona to face a non BCS school that will have nothing to lose and everything to gain at the expense of the Sooners. TCU you be complaining again as they could be the only undefeated team in the country and yet they still are not playing in the title game…oh well, they should play a tougher schedule.
BCS Title Game:
Ohio State (Big 10) v. Alabama (SEC)
This game will be a great game to watch. The classic look of both uniforms, the traditional coaching styles of both coaches, this game could be fun if Pryor is as good as I expect him to be. Alabama will not get through the SEC unbeaten but the will find a way to the Title game. Pryor, I expect, will be coming off of a Heisman Trophy winning season. He will lead the Buckeyes to an undefeated Big 10 schedule and will look to shake off the reputation of Ohio State can not hang with the big boys down south. He will succeed. Ohio State will beat Alabama and win the National Championship.
There you have it; every BCS game has been predicted. What do you think? What teams am I wrong about? This is a time where I really need feedback, tell me what you think.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
The college football season has finally started. I love this time of year, so many things to look forward to. Before I give you my end of the year BCS math ups, let me give you my thoughts on the afternoon slate…
UConn at Michigan
They are rededicating the Big House and there is nobody in the country that has more information than Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines. He has not been able to get settled at quarterback even though he has been in Michigan for 3 years now. I believe that UConn will play solid defense and control the clock and pull out a close one. Let the hatful web sites begin now.
UCLA @ Kansas State
I think UCLA is going to be very good and they begin showing the world that tonight. They are breaking in a new offense but I expect Norm Chow will have the Bruins ready to go. Look for UCLA to win the game.
Washington @ BYU
America’s sweetheart Jake Locker will have some national attention for one of the few times this season. I expect him to play really well. Steve Sarkisian has changed the culture in Washington and those kids expect to win and tonight they should be able to accomplish that goal. Look for the Locker for Heisman hype to really begin tonight.
LSU v. North Carolina
This game had so much potential prior to all of the suspensions on the UNC side. This game looked like it would be close and now everyone is expecting a blow out. I do not see that happening, I think the Tar Heels will keep it close for a couple of quarters and play extremely well. In the end, there is just too much depth for LSU and I expect them to win a close one.
Now on to the BCS Games…
Rose Bowl:
Iowa (At – Large) v. Oregon (Pac 10)
This will be another Big 10 attempt to slow down the spread attack of Oregon. It worked well for Ohio State last year. Iowa will be coming into this game with 1 loss to Ohio State (who’s playing for the National Championship). Oregon gets here because USC can’t. The Trojans will have the best record, but the Ducks advance to Pasadena after taking care of business against Oregon State.
Orange Bowl:
FSU (ACC) v. Cincinnati (Big East)
This game will be a HUGE mismatch. FSU will return to form of the 90’s under new coach Jimbo Fisher. They offense will be as good as any in the country and the only reason they are this low is because I am not sure if they can successfully make the trip to Miami on October 9. Cincinnati is going to be good and they are going to rally together after the loss of Brian Kelly, however there is a difference between the Big East and the ACC. The ACC is back and they are going to be the 2nd best team in the country (of course, I have said this for the last couple of years).
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia (At – Large) v. Virginia Tech (At – Large)
This will be a good game between 2 teams who got here by default. Neither of these teams will win their division in their conference. Georgia is going to get beaten out by Florida and Va Tech will lose the match up in November with Miami. However, thanks to Alabama and Florida State, these two teams play in the BCS.
Fiesta Bowl:
Oklahoma (Big 12) v. TCU (At – Large)
Oklahoma is going to be very good and will probably be ranked 3rd by this point. I expect them to be on the outside looking in. Unfortunately for them, they will have a ton of pressure as they going back to Arizona to face a non BCS school that will have nothing to lose and everything to gain at the expense of the Sooners. TCU you be complaining again as they could be the only undefeated team in the country and yet they still are not playing in the title game…oh well, they should play a tougher schedule.
BCS Title Game:
Ohio State (Big 10) v. Alabama (SEC)
This game will be a great game to watch. The classic look of both uniforms, the traditional coaching styles of both coaches, this game could be fun if Pryor is as good as I expect him to be. Alabama will not get through the SEC unbeaten but the will find a way to the Title game. Pryor, I expect, will be coming off of a Heisman Trophy winning season. He will lead the Buckeyes to an undefeated Big 10 schedule and will look to shake off the reputation of Ohio State can not hang with the big boys down south. He will succeed. Ohio State will beat Alabama and win the National Championship.
There you have it; every BCS game has been predicted. What do you think? What teams am I wrong about? This is a time where I really need feedback, tell me what you think.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
THE 2010 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER IS…
THE 2010 HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER IS…
The college football season is officially under way. It started on Thursday night with a handful of games and a handful of solid performances. However, before we can get to the National Championship, there is a certain award that has to be given out in New York on the 2nd Saturday in December, The Heisman Trophy.
Now when looking at potential Heisman candidates, there are a couple of things that must be considered. First, the official description of the Heisman Trophy is “College Football’s most outstanding player”. Therefore, anyone who has a great year has a chance at winning the award. That would open the door for guys like Case Keenum and Taylor Potts, but there is no way either of those guys have a chance at winning the award. Since 2000, the Heisman Trophy winner has played in the National Championship game (the only exception to the rule is Tim Tebow in 2007), therefore, we know that not only do you have to put up good numbers, but you also have to be on a good team.
Now that we know what you have to do to win the award, let me give you 3 people from everyone’s list who WILL NOT win the Heisman. These are all guys who are on everyone’s list of contenders and they will play good, but they will not be holding the trophy come December. The first pretender for the trophy is Mark Ingram. I know it is hard to call the defending Heisman Winner a pretender, but when you consider the fact that he may not even be the best running back on his team, it’s hard to predict a repeat performance of last year. The next pretender is Ryan Mallet. Unlike Ingram, Mallett will put up all kinds of crazy numbers; however his team will let him down. I do not believe the Razorbacks are going to win enough ball games to make him a legitimate contender. The last of my pretenders is everyone’s darling…Jake Locker. I know that he was good last year, and I know that this is year 2 in Steve Sarksian’s system, but I don’t think his team will win enough, and I question whether or not he can be as successful as he was last year. There you have my top 3 pretenders for the Trophy, now here are my top 5 contenders for the Heisman Trophy in reverse order…
5. Julio Jones – Alabama
I know this is a sleeper and I know what kind of year he had last year. I also know that Alabama lost 8 key defenders from last year’s National Championship team. I also know they have several games where they will be forced to score some points. I also know that Julio Jones is a beast who will physically dominate almost every cornerback he will line up against all year, so I do think he could have a big season.
2009 Season: 43 Rec 596 yards 4 TD’s
4. Landry Jones – Oklahoma
Again, kind of a sleeper, but Oklahoma is going to have a very good year and I think he will have some games with national importance (FSU, Texas, Nebraska) where he will have to be good and score lots of points. He came on strong as the year progressed last year and I think he will only continue to improve this year.
2009 Season: 261 – 449 58.1% 3198 yards 26 TD’s 14 Int
3. Kellen Moore – Boise State
Kellen Moore was as close to perfect as you can get last year, throwing 39 td’s and only 3 picks. That is hard to do in practice against a scout team (some may argue that his schedule reflects a scout team but that is for another time). Any way you look at it, Moore was very impressive and considering they are starting at #3 in the polls and a pretty soft schedule, he should be in the discussion all season long. If he has a strong showing against a weak Virginia Tech defense on Monday night, he may have enough credibility to push him to the trophy.
2009 Season: 281 – 405 69.4% 3486 yards 39 TD’s 3 Ints
2. Christian Ponder – Florida State
It has been a long time since FSU has be relevant to the National picture, but that will all change this season and a big part of that will be the success of Christian Ponder. The team should be good and could be a sleeper pick to be in the National Championship picture. He has a solid offensive line which is returning 5 starters. Last season through 9 games, Ponder produced more than any of the more hyped qb’s from last season. Through 8 games, Ponder was averaging over 339 YPG, he had a 2 – 1 TD – Int ratio and the only defense he could not outscore was his own. That should change a this year as the defense looks to be much improved and that should lead to Ponder putting FSU back into a position of national prominence.
2009 Season: 177 – 330 68.8% 2717 yards 14 TD’s 7 Ints (through 8 games)
1. Terrelle Pryor – Ohio State
More times than not, the Heisman goes to the best player on the best team in the country and by December, there are going to be a lot of people who believe the Buckeyes are just that. Pryor made huge strides in the Rose Bowl last season and if he follows that up with a strong performance this season, I can’t see anyone else winning this award. Pryor may be the most athletic qb in the country and his dual threat ability will give him lots of opportunities to have a Heisman moment both running and throwing the ball. All things considered, I think all signs points to the Heisman coming back to Columbus, Ohio.
2009 Season: 167 – 295 68% 2094 yards 18 TD’s 11 Ints 162 Carries 779 Yards 7 TD’s
There you have it, my top 5 picks for the Heisman Trophy for this upcoming season. What do you think, who did I leave out. Who should be higher? Give me your feedback.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
The college football season is officially under way. It started on Thursday night with a handful of games and a handful of solid performances. However, before we can get to the National Championship, there is a certain award that has to be given out in New York on the 2nd Saturday in December, The Heisman Trophy.
Now when looking at potential Heisman candidates, there are a couple of things that must be considered. First, the official description of the Heisman Trophy is “College Football’s most outstanding player”. Therefore, anyone who has a great year has a chance at winning the award. That would open the door for guys like Case Keenum and Taylor Potts, but there is no way either of those guys have a chance at winning the award. Since 2000, the Heisman Trophy winner has played in the National Championship game (the only exception to the rule is Tim Tebow in 2007), therefore, we know that not only do you have to put up good numbers, but you also have to be on a good team.
Now that we know what you have to do to win the award, let me give you 3 people from everyone’s list who WILL NOT win the Heisman. These are all guys who are on everyone’s list of contenders and they will play good, but they will not be holding the trophy come December. The first pretender for the trophy is Mark Ingram. I know it is hard to call the defending Heisman Winner a pretender, but when you consider the fact that he may not even be the best running back on his team, it’s hard to predict a repeat performance of last year. The next pretender is Ryan Mallet. Unlike Ingram, Mallett will put up all kinds of crazy numbers; however his team will let him down. I do not believe the Razorbacks are going to win enough ball games to make him a legitimate contender. The last of my pretenders is everyone’s darling…Jake Locker. I know that he was good last year, and I know that this is year 2 in Steve Sarksian’s system, but I don’t think his team will win enough, and I question whether or not he can be as successful as he was last year. There you have my top 3 pretenders for the Trophy, now here are my top 5 contenders for the Heisman Trophy in reverse order…
5. Julio Jones – Alabama
I know this is a sleeper and I know what kind of year he had last year. I also know that Alabama lost 8 key defenders from last year’s National Championship team. I also know they have several games where they will be forced to score some points. I also know that Julio Jones is a beast who will physically dominate almost every cornerback he will line up against all year, so I do think he could have a big season.
2009 Season: 43 Rec 596 yards 4 TD’s
4. Landry Jones – Oklahoma
Again, kind of a sleeper, but Oklahoma is going to have a very good year and I think he will have some games with national importance (FSU, Texas, Nebraska) where he will have to be good and score lots of points. He came on strong as the year progressed last year and I think he will only continue to improve this year.
2009 Season: 261 – 449 58.1% 3198 yards 26 TD’s 14 Int
3. Kellen Moore – Boise State
Kellen Moore was as close to perfect as you can get last year, throwing 39 td’s and only 3 picks. That is hard to do in practice against a scout team (some may argue that his schedule reflects a scout team but that is for another time). Any way you look at it, Moore was very impressive and considering they are starting at #3 in the polls and a pretty soft schedule, he should be in the discussion all season long. If he has a strong showing against a weak Virginia Tech defense on Monday night, he may have enough credibility to push him to the trophy.
2009 Season: 281 – 405 69.4% 3486 yards 39 TD’s 3 Ints
2. Christian Ponder – Florida State
It has been a long time since FSU has be relevant to the National picture, but that will all change this season and a big part of that will be the success of Christian Ponder. The team should be good and could be a sleeper pick to be in the National Championship picture. He has a solid offensive line which is returning 5 starters. Last season through 9 games, Ponder produced more than any of the more hyped qb’s from last season. Through 8 games, Ponder was averaging over 339 YPG, he had a 2 – 1 TD – Int ratio and the only defense he could not outscore was his own. That should change a this year as the defense looks to be much improved and that should lead to Ponder putting FSU back into a position of national prominence.
2009 Season: 177 – 330 68.8% 2717 yards 14 TD’s 7 Ints (through 8 games)
1. Terrelle Pryor – Ohio State
More times than not, the Heisman goes to the best player on the best team in the country and by December, there are going to be a lot of people who believe the Buckeyes are just that. Pryor made huge strides in the Rose Bowl last season and if he follows that up with a strong performance this season, I can’t see anyone else winning this award. Pryor may be the most athletic qb in the country and his dual threat ability will give him lots of opportunities to have a Heisman moment both running and throwing the ball. All things considered, I think all signs points to the Heisman coming back to Columbus, Ohio.
2009 Season: 167 – 295 68% 2094 yards 18 TD’s 11 Ints 162 Carries 779 Yards 7 TD’s
There you have it, my top 5 picks for the Heisman Trophy for this upcoming season. What do you think, who did I leave out. Who should be higher? Give me your feedback.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thursday's Picks...
The opening night of college football is here, as games kick off in about an hour. With that bring said, you know I am going to offer my picks. So here we go, the picks for Thursday nights games...
Southern Miss v. South Carolina
Should be an interesting here, but ultimately SC has too many athletes for Southern Miss to pull the upset. For them to be successful they just pressure Stephen Garcia and hope he continues to make mistakes like he did last year, I don't think he does. This game will be close for a short time but SC will pull it out.
USC v. Hawaii
This game will be over by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Hawaii is typically a high powered offense, but they will be shut down by one of the better teams in the country. Look for the Lane Kiffin experiment to be a very good decision (even if its only for a few games). USC wins big.
Pittsburgh v. Utah
This is the game of the night. It should be a very entertaining. This is a reach of the Fiesta Bowl from a few years back. That game was won by Utah, they will not be so lucky this time. Dion Lewis will have a big game and Pitt will pull out a close one.
Saturdays picks will be up tomorrow.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Southern Miss v. South Carolina
Should be an interesting here, but ultimately SC has too many athletes for Southern Miss to pull the upset. For them to be successful they just pressure Stephen Garcia and hope he continues to make mistakes like he did last year, I don't think he does. This game will be close for a short time but SC will pull it out.
USC v. Hawaii
This game will be over by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Hawaii is typically a high powered offense, but they will be shut down by one of the better teams in the country. Look for the Lane Kiffin experiment to be a very good decision (even if its only for a few games). USC wins big.
Pittsburgh v. Utah
This is the game of the night. It should be a very entertaining. This is a reach of the Fiesta Bowl from a few years back. That game was won by Utah, they will not be so lucky this time. Dion Lewis will have a big game and Pitt will pull out a close one.
Saturdays picks will be up tomorrow.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Monday, August 30, 2010
AND THE WINNER IS...and
AND THE WINNER IS...
We are less than 48 hours away from kick off to the college football season and this is the most important week of the year because this is the week where everyone makes their picks of who will win every major conference, well I am no different. We get a solid opening week end of games before we get the best week end of the past 5 years in sports, but there is pleanty of time for that let's breakdown conferences shall we?
I will give you winners from each conference starting with the easiest conference while working towards the toughest conference. So here you go, all 6 of the conference winners...
Big East: Pittsburgh Panthers
I am really undecided on this conference winner. The best player in the conference is Noel Devine, the best qb is Zach Collaros in Cincinatti, but the best collection of talent is in Pittsburgh. Coach Dave Wanstedt has done a great job rebuilding the Pitt program and has them set for a run for the BCS. Dion Lewis could be a sleeper for the Heisman Trophy if a 4th straight Sophomore is gonna win it.
Pac 10: USC Trojans
Go ahead and admit it...all of you SEC homers loved the off season turmoil that USC faced (like your programs are squeaky clean). You are all waiting for me to give you some team who will win this conference other than USC, well keep waiting because USC will win the Pac 10. I realize they will not play in a bowl game, and I realize about the loss of scholarships, but this is not the year that it will hurt USC. Since they will not represent the Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl i have to find someone else. It will be settled in a battle that has been deemed "The Civil War" I like Oregon in a battle of 2 of the best running backs in the country, LaMichael James and Jaquizz Rodgers. Oregon just has a better team and will find a way to win in a very hostile enviroment.
Big 12: Oklahoma Sooners
I want to pick Nebraska to win this conference so badly. I do think they win the North and think it would be great if they found a way to win the Big 12 this year and the Big 10 next year. However, Zac Lee has been way too inconsistent and Oklahoma is loaded. As bad as the Sam Bradford injury was, the expierence Landry Jones gained last year will be huge. If they can survive the shoot out with FSU on September 11, this team will be in a good spot to return to the BCS Title Game.
Big 10: Ohio State
I will admit that there is not a conference in football that I like less than the Big 10. The conference gets a ton of love nationally and then goes out and gets beat in the major bowl games they play in. I like the fact that Iowa has a veteran qb in Ricky Stanzi. I have even seen some picking Wisconsin (you should have your media credientials revoked) winning this conference, I don't think so. The best player in the conference is Terrelle Pryor, the best coach is Jim Tressell, and the most talented team is the Buckeyes. Unfortunately this may get us another Ohio State v SEC school for the National Championship...the poor ol buckeyes deserve better.
ACC: FSU Seminoles
HOMER!!! I already see all of the comments flying in now. You are crazy there is no way they are winning the ACC. Well sit down boys and girls because the Seminoles are a legit sleeper for the BCS Title Game. They have a schedule that if they are able to survive will automatically put them in the BCS Championship game. The 2 big dates are September 11 with Oklahoma (this could propel one of these teams into the Title game) and an Ocotber 9th matchu at Miami. They Seminoles don't play Va Tech or Ga Tech and Boston College, UNC, and Clemson all come to Tallahassee. November 27 could be HUGE for Seminoles fans when Florida comes to town (could both of these teams be in the top 5 again?). On the Coastal side the same thing I just said about being a legit BCS Title game sleeper could be said for Miami. They have their own brutal road game on Septmeber 11 against Ohio State, however for Miami they do play at Ga Tech and the next week at home against Va Tech. If they are able to survive (which they will), They will matchup with the Noles in the ACC Title game. I know the "experts" all love Va Tech, but I don't. Tyrod Taylor is inconsistent, the defense is young, and Beamer never seems to meet the full expectations that are set for his team. Just remember this, this could be the year where a one loss ACC team is still alive for the BCS Title game, Miami, FSU, and Va Tech all could possible be looking at BCS Bowl Games.
SEC: Alabama Crimson Tide
I want to write someone else here so badly, but Alabama is so talented that it is just hard not seeing them in the Title game again. Greg McElroy was outstanding last year. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson make him look great. Julio Jones is a beast. The only question mark with this team is the defense. They lost alot after last season, but if they can survive a September 25 match up at Arkansas, then the schedule sets up nicely, Yes I know they play Florida the following week, but the Florida loss would not be nearly as bad as a divisional loss to a team that is talented enough to win the SEC West and would have all of the confidence in the world with a win against the defending champs. The Iron Bowl will be brutal to close out the regualr season. The west has 3 teams who could win that division with Auburn & Arkansas being the other 2. On the Eastern side of things, the Florida Gators are clearly the most talented team in the division, they are also one of the youngest teams in terms of experience. They lost, arguably, the best player in college football history, their leading rusher, the top 2 receivers, and several key pieces on defense. Of course they still have coach Urban Meyer and its hard to think he won't be successful, so Florida gets the nod out of the East. Georgia is going to challenge, and could make it to a BCS game because they will not be playing in the SEC Title game and therefore should not have to deal with the extra loss.
There you have it, all 6 conference winners. I know there are another 4 at large teams to fill out the BCS and I will give them to you over the next couple of days. Let me know your predictions. I look forward to hearing from you.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
We are less than 48 hours away from kick off to the college football season and this is the most important week of the year because this is the week where everyone makes their picks of who will win every major conference, well I am no different. We get a solid opening week end of games before we get the best week end of the past 5 years in sports, but there is pleanty of time for that let's breakdown conferences shall we?
I will give you winners from each conference starting with the easiest conference while working towards the toughest conference. So here you go, all 6 of the conference winners...
Big East: Pittsburgh Panthers
I am really undecided on this conference winner. The best player in the conference is Noel Devine, the best qb is Zach Collaros in Cincinatti, but the best collection of talent is in Pittsburgh. Coach Dave Wanstedt has done a great job rebuilding the Pitt program and has them set for a run for the BCS. Dion Lewis could be a sleeper for the Heisman Trophy if a 4th straight Sophomore is gonna win it.
Pac 10: USC Trojans
Go ahead and admit it...all of you SEC homers loved the off season turmoil that USC faced (like your programs are squeaky clean). You are all waiting for me to give you some team who will win this conference other than USC, well keep waiting because USC will win the Pac 10. I realize they will not play in a bowl game, and I realize about the loss of scholarships, but this is not the year that it will hurt USC. Since they will not represent the Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl i have to find someone else. It will be settled in a battle that has been deemed "The Civil War" I like Oregon in a battle of 2 of the best running backs in the country, LaMichael James and Jaquizz Rodgers. Oregon just has a better team and will find a way to win in a very hostile enviroment.
Big 12: Oklahoma Sooners
I want to pick Nebraska to win this conference so badly. I do think they win the North and think it would be great if they found a way to win the Big 12 this year and the Big 10 next year. However, Zac Lee has been way too inconsistent and Oklahoma is loaded. As bad as the Sam Bradford injury was, the expierence Landry Jones gained last year will be huge. If they can survive the shoot out with FSU on September 11, this team will be in a good spot to return to the BCS Title Game.
Big 10: Ohio State
I will admit that there is not a conference in football that I like less than the Big 10. The conference gets a ton of love nationally and then goes out and gets beat in the major bowl games they play in. I like the fact that Iowa has a veteran qb in Ricky Stanzi. I have even seen some picking Wisconsin (you should have your media credientials revoked) winning this conference, I don't think so. The best player in the conference is Terrelle Pryor, the best coach is Jim Tressell, and the most talented team is the Buckeyes. Unfortunately this may get us another Ohio State v SEC school for the National Championship...the poor ol buckeyes deserve better.
ACC: FSU Seminoles
HOMER!!! I already see all of the comments flying in now. You are crazy there is no way they are winning the ACC. Well sit down boys and girls because the Seminoles are a legit sleeper for the BCS Title Game. They have a schedule that if they are able to survive will automatically put them in the BCS Championship game. The 2 big dates are September 11 with Oklahoma (this could propel one of these teams into the Title game) and an Ocotber 9th matchu at Miami. They Seminoles don't play Va Tech or Ga Tech and Boston College, UNC, and Clemson all come to Tallahassee. November 27 could be HUGE for Seminoles fans when Florida comes to town (could both of these teams be in the top 5 again?). On the Coastal side the same thing I just said about being a legit BCS Title game sleeper could be said for Miami. They have their own brutal road game on Septmeber 11 against Ohio State, however for Miami they do play at Ga Tech and the next week at home against Va Tech. If they are able to survive (which they will), They will matchup with the Noles in the ACC Title game. I know the "experts" all love Va Tech, but I don't. Tyrod Taylor is inconsistent, the defense is young, and Beamer never seems to meet the full expectations that are set for his team. Just remember this, this could be the year where a one loss ACC team is still alive for the BCS Title game, Miami, FSU, and Va Tech all could possible be looking at BCS Bowl Games.
SEC: Alabama Crimson Tide
I want to write someone else here so badly, but Alabama is so talented that it is just hard not seeing them in the Title game again. Greg McElroy was outstanding last year. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson make him look great. Julio Jones is a beast. The only question mark with this team is the defense. They lost alot after last season, but if they can survive a September 25 match up at Arkansas, then the schedule sets up nicely, Yes I know they play Florida the following week, but the Florida loss would not be nearly as bad as a divisional loss to a team that is talented enough to win the SEC West and would have all of the confidence in the world with a win against the defending champs. The Iron Bowl will be brutal to close out the regualr season. The west has 3 teams who could win that division with Auburn & Arkansas being the other 2. On the Eastern side of things, the Florida Gators are clearly the most talented team in the division, they are also one of the youngest teams in terms of experience. They lost, arguably, the best player in college football history, their leading rusher, the top 2 receivers, and several key pieces on defense. Of course they still have coach Urban Meyer and its hard to think he won't be successful, so Florida gets the nod out of the East. Georgia is going to challenge, and could make it to a BCS game because they will not be playing in the SEC Title game and therefore should not have to deal with the extra loss.
There you have it, all 6 conference winners. I know there are another 4 at large teams to fill out the BCS and I will give them to you over the next couple of days. Let me know your predictions. I look forward to hearing from you.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
I HAVE SEEN THE ERROR OF MY WAYS…
I HAVE SEEN THE ERROR OF MY WAYS…
The College Football Season get started on Thursday night and really gets going one week from today, with the “big game” being played here in Atlanta between LSU and North Carolina. There is so much info that I need to make sure you all have prior to the start of the season, so I am going to have to make sure I am positing every day this week. However, before I start giving you conference winners, Heisman contenders, and BCS Matchups, I have to come on here and say I was wrong with some of my earlier comments. Let me explain…
A few weeks back I posted a list of the major games this season in College Football and that led to a discussion between Dr. Phillips and I about the possibility of Boise State playing for the National Championship (I believe they could potentially), and should they be allowed. I have been arguing for the last coupe of years that they have closed the gap and should be given that opportunity. I then heard some numbers this past week that I could not believe…Boise State is 6 – 7 against the BCS schools since 2002. After seeing the facts, Boise State UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PLAY FOR THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVER!!! The one knock on Boise State (and every other non-BCS conference school) has always been the schedule. People like me have argued they are playing anyone who will play them. The mindset is they are beating everyone who will play them, however, when you look at Boise State’s record against BCS schools, there are 2 impressive wins and I will explain to you why those are not that impressive.
First off let me give you the teams they have beaten: Oregon (2 times), Oregon State (2 times), Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl), Iowa State. They have lost to: Georgia, Oregon State (2 times), Boston College, Louisville, Boston College, and Arkansas. The one thing I notice about this list is (except for 1 of the games against Oregon, and the Oklahoma game) non of these teams were near the top of their conference the years the played, however Boise St has still not even been .500 against them. When you look at the schedule that Boise State plays, the worst schools in the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12 would all be favored to win 9 games against that schedule. So when you look at this, there is no way to say that OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON BOISE STATE IS ONE OF THE 2 BEST TEAMS JUST BECAUSE THEY WON ALL OF THEIR GAMES!
I know, they beat Oregon who played in the Rose Bowl (they are the only school in the last 50 years to allow Ohio State to win a Bowl Game, but they did play in it), and what about that great game against Oklahoma (yes, that is dripping with sarcasm). Let me address Oregon 1st. Game 1 of the season in an offense based strictly off of timing is not something that I am going to hang my hat on. Yes it was a good win on paper, but that game was terrible. Both teams looked terrible and the only offense in the entire game was when LaGarrett Blount sucker punched the kid from Boise. As for the Oklahoma game, yes it was a great game. Yes it was a great win for the Broncos. However let’s call it what it was, it was Rocky III. Boise State was Clubber Lang in Rocky III, and Oklahoma was the mighty champ Rocky. You remember that training sessions that Rock had going into that first fight, he was at the heavy bag getting kisses, there were kids running all over the place, it was a show. I am going to give this undeserving punk a shot because there is no way that he can match punches with the great Rocky Balboa. Guess what, nobody told Clubber he couldn’t win. He out trained Rocky, Lang was training for a fight and he had a no nonsense attitude going into the fight. Well going into that Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma spent a month listening to the experts talk about how this was a huge mismatch. They saw ESPN run the total that said 87% of America thought they were going to win. They were the champ on top of the world, but Clubber was coming for them and they pitied the fool that would show up in Arizona that night in January because they were going to pull everything they could think of that January night in Tempe. We all know what happened next with nothing to lose, Boise State went off to pull a magical upset and “cement” themselves with the big boys. Only problem is, just like Clubber Lang, this fairy tale has an expiration date. You let them schedule mediocre teams from major conferences consistently and let’s see how they fare. Let them go looking for the Boston College, Georgia, Texas Tech, USC (don’t tell me USC was afraid to play them, they played everyone). And let’s see how they would do.
Sorry to anger everyone but Boise State should never play for a BCS Title EVER.
Until Next Time…
The College Football Season get started on Thursday night and really gets going one week from today, with the “big game” being played here in Atlanta between LSU and North Carolina. There is so much info that I need to make sure you all have prior to the start of the season, so I am going to have to make sure I am positing every day this week. However, before I start giving you conference winners, Heisman contenders, and BCS Matchups, I have to come on here and say I was wrong with some of my earlier comments. Let me explain…
A few weeks back I posted a list of the major games this season in College Football and that led to a discussion between Dr. Phillips and I about the possibility of Boise State playing for the National Championship (I believe they could potentially), and should they be allowed. I have been arguing for the last coupe of years that they have closed the gap and should be given that opportunity. I then heard some numbers this past week that I could not believe…Boise State is 6 – 7 against the BCS schools since 2002. After seeing the facts, Boise State UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO PLAY FOR THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVER!!! The one knock on Boise State (and every other non-BCS conference school) has always been the schedule. People like me have argued they are playing anyone who will play them. The mindset is they are beating everyone who will play them, however, when you look at Boise State’s record against BCS schools, there are 2 impressive wins and I will explain to you why those are not that impressive.
First off let me give you the teams they have beaten: Oregon (2 times), Oregon State (2 times), Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl), Iowa State. They have lost to: Georgia, Oregon State (2 times), Boston College, Louisville, Boston College, and Arkansas. The one thing I notice about this list is (except for 1 of the games against Oregon, and the Oklahoma game) non of these teams were near the top of their conference the years the played, however Boise St has still not even been .500 against them. When you look at the schedule that Boise State plays, the worst schools in the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12 would all be favored to win 9 games against that schedule. So when you look at this, there is no way to say that OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON BOISE STATE IS ONE OF THE 2 BEST TEAMS JUST BECAUSE THEY WON ALL OF THEIR GAMES!
I know, they beat Oregon who played in the Rose Bowl (they are the only school in the last 50 years to allow Ohio State to win a Bowl Game, but they did play in it), and what about that great game against Oklahoma (yes, that is dripping with sarcasm). Let me address Oregon 1st. Game 1 of the season in an offense based strictly off of timing is not something that I am going to hang my hat on. Yes it was a good win on paper, but that game was terrible. Both teams looked terrible and the only offense in the entire game was when LaGarrett Blount sucker punched the kid from Boise. As for the Oklahoma game, yes it was a great game. Yes it was a great win for the Broncos. However let’s call it what it was, it was Rocky III. Boise State was Clubber Lang in Rocky III, and Oklahoma was the mighty champ Rocky. You remember that training sessions that Rock had going into that first fight, he was at the heavy bag getting kisses, there were kids running all over the place, it was a show. I am going to give this undeserving punk a shot because there is no way that he can match punches with the great Rocky Balboa. Guess what, nobody told Clubber he couldn’t win. He out trained Rocky, Lang was training for a fight and he had a no nonsense attitude going into the fight. Well going into that Fiesta Bowl, Oklahoma spent a month listening to the experts talk about how this was a huge mismatch. They saw ESPN run the total that said 87% of America thought they were going to win. They were the champ on top of the world, but Clubber was coming for them and they pitied the fool that would show up in Arizona that night in January because they were going to pull everything they could think of that January night in Tempe. We all know what happened next with nothing to lose, Boise State went off to pull a magical upset and “cement” themselves with the big boys. Only problem is, just like Clubber Lang, this fairy tale has an expiration date. You let them schedule mediocre teams from major conferences consistently and let’s see how they fare. Let them go looking for the Boston College, Georgia, Texas Tech, USC (don’t tell me USC was afraid to play them, they played everyone). And let’s see how they would do.
Sorry to anger everyone but Boise State should never play for a BCS Title EVER.
Until Next Time…
Friday, August 20, 2010
DO YOU WANT PEYTON MANNING ON YOUR TEAM?
DO YOU WANT PEYTON MANNING ON YOUR TEAM?
I was driving to work this morning and I jokingly made the comment that Peyton Manning was going to be traded to open the door for Curtis Painter in Indianapolis . The thought then entered my head…how many teams in the NFL would take Peyton Manning on their team today? I know that Manning will never leave the Colts, but what if he was available? Now for the purpose of this article, I need you to play along with a couple of things…
1. There is no salary cap, if a team wants him, they can have him and they do not have to worry about the financial side.
2. He is the starter from day the day the trade is done. There is no way you bring in a guy like Peyton Manning as an insurance policy in case your guy goes down.
3. You will only have to give up a 6th round draft pick to get him. You are not giving up any contributor to your team, YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR CURRENT QB IN THE MOVE, HE STAYS ON THE TEAM.
4. I am not saying these guys who are going to be on this list are better than Peyton Manning. There is only one guy better than Manning and that guy resides in New England . However, just because you add talent does not always mean you will be successful, look at the Chargers as proof.
So here it is, my list of teams that would say thanks for the offer, but no thank you…
1. New England Patriots. This is an absolute no brainer (as would be the discussion if it was a how many teams would take Brady, there is no way the Colts would take anyone over Manning). New England loves the guy they have and why shouldn’t they, he has more playoff wins, more Super Bowl rings, plays better when the talent around him is not as good, and is without a doubt a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Please do not waste your time telling me how wrong I am with this one.
2. Baltimore Ravens. They do not make this list because they want nothing to do with the Colts, like most teams on this list they have a really good young quarterback and the trade would ruin his career with the Ravens. I know that Flacco is not in Manning’s league, but he is young, been in the playoffs both year as a starter, and will be around for another 10 years while Manning only has another 3 or 4 left in him.
3. Cincinnati Bengals. This is the 1st one where I really had to think. Palmer is not as good, has not won, and has injury questions. That being said, I think they would keep him simply because of the fear of what removing him as the starter would do to the rest of the team. What would the fall out be with Ochocinco and T.O.? maybe none, but there may be as these guys have all gotten to be pretty good friends and if they OL can keep Plamer healthy, he is an elite QB.
4. Houston Texans. Again, I know what you are saying, how can this team possibly want their current Qb over Manning? It is simple, this team is still young and they have a top 5 offense. The problem for this team has always been the defense and that is coming around, I think the long term damage you would do by benching Schaub would be very damaging long term and does anyone really think the offense will be that much better with Manning over Schaub? I thought so.
5. San Diego Chargers. This is simply about age. Rivers has 10 years left in him and because of that, there is no way the Chargers would take anyone and put in his place. When you look at the trouble that teams like the 49ers (Steve Young), Cowboys (Troy Aikman), Dolphins (Dan Marino), Bills (Jim Kelly), and Broncos (John Elway) have had trying to replace Hall of Fame qb’s, it is easy to see why you don’t let a guy with 10 years left to play at a very high level slip away for a good 3 or 4year run.
6. Dallas Cowboys. See the comments about Phillip Rivers. Yes, I know about Romo’s postseason failures, but this is Manning we are talking about and therefore, you can not talk about the postseason, because when you study it out, he has been very mediocre in the postseason.
7. New York Giants. See Phillip Rivers. Not to mention during his brief career baby brother has played better than big brother in the big games.
8. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is the next best qb in the league. What he has done during his few years as a starter has been amazing. After this great group (Brady, Brees, Manning retires, Rodgers is THE next guy).
9. Detroit Lions. See Phillip Rivers. He has a great relationship with Calvin Johnson and if you remove Stafford , he would be viewed as the sacrificial lamb, when this team has problems at so many other places.
10. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan has played very well and I don’t think Arthur Blank would mess up the good vibe this team has with the city by removing Ryan.
11. New Orleans Saints. Do you even have to ask?
Again, I want to make this clear, not all of these guys are better than Manning. Please do not base your whole argument on Manning is better. I have listed reasons for why I would take every guy ON HIS TEAM over Manning. What do you think? How crazy am I? Please share, I am really looking forward to these comments.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
I was driving to work this morning and I jokingly made the comment that Peyton Manning was going to be traded to open the door for Curtis Painter in Indianapolis . The thought then entered my head…how many teams in the NFL would take Peyton Manning on their team today? I know that Manning will never leave the Colts, but what if he was available? Now for the purpose of this article, I need you to play along with a couple of things…
1. There is no salary cap, if a team wants him, they can have him and they do not have to worry about the financial side.
2. He is the starter from day the day the trade is done. There is no way you bring in a guy like Peyton Manning as an insurance policy in case your guy goes down.
3. You will only have to give up a 6th round draft pick to get him. You are not giving up any contributor to your team, YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR CURRENT QB IN THE MOVE, HE STAYS ON THE TEAM.
4. I am not saying these guys who are going to be on this list are better than Peyton Manning. There is only one guy better than Manning and that guy resides in New England . However, just because you add talent does not always mean you will be successful, look at the Chargers as proof.
So here it is, my list of teams that would say thanks for the offer, but no thank you…
1. New England Patriots. This is an absolute no brainer (as would be the discussion if it was a how many teams would take Brady, there is no way the Colts would take anyone over Manning). New England loves the guy they have and why shouldn’t they, he has more playoff wins, more Super Bowl rings, plays better when the talent around him is not as good, and is without a doubt a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Please do not waste your time telling me how wrong I am with this one.
2. Baltimore Ravens. They do not make this list because they want nothing to do with the Colts, like most teams on this list they have a really good young quarterback and the trade would ruin his career with the Ravens. I know that Flacco is not in Manning’s league, but he is young, been in the playoffs both year as a starter, and will be around for another 10 years while Manning only has another 3 or 4 left in him.
3. Cincinnati Bengals. This is the 1st one where I really had to think. Palmer is not as good, has not won, and has injury questions. That being said, I think they would keep him simply because of the fear of what removing him as the starter would do to the rest of the team. What would the fall out be with Ochocinco and T.O.? maybe none, but there may be as these guys have all gotten to be pretty good friends and if they OL can keep Plamer healthy, he is an elite QB.
4. Houston Texans. Again, I know what you are saying, how can this team possibly want their current Qb over Manning? It is simple, this team is still young and they have a top 5 offense. The problem for this team has always been the defense and that is coming around, I think the long term damage you would do by benching Schaub would be very damaging long term and does anyone really think the offense will be that much better with Manning over Schaub? I thought so.
5. San Diego Chargers. This is simply about age. Rivers has 10 years left in him and because of that, there is no way the Chargers would take anyone and put in his place. When you look at the trouble that teams like the 49ers (Steve Young), Cowboys (Troy Aikman), Dolphins (Dan Marino), Bills (Jim Kelly), and Broncos (John Elway) have had trying to replace Hall of Fame qb’s, it is easy to see why you don’t let a guy with 10 years left to play at a very high level slip away for a good 3 or 4year run.
6. Dallas Cowboys. See the comments about Phillip Rivers. Yes, I know about Romo’s postseason failures, but this is Manning we are talking about and therefore, you can not talk about the postseason, because when you study it out, he has been very mediocre in the postseason.
7. New York Giants. See Phillip Rivers. Not to mention during his brief career baby brother has played better than big brother in the big games.
8. Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers is the next best qb in the league. What he has done during his few years as a starter has been amazing. After this great group (Brady, Brees, Manning retires, Rodgers is THE next guy).
9. Detroit Lions. See Phillip Rivers. He has a great relationship with Calvin Johnson and if you remove Stafford , he would be viewed as the sacrificial lamb, when this team has problems at so many other places.
10. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan has played very well and I don’t think Arthur Blank would mess up the good vibe this team has with the city by removing Ryan.
11. New Orleans Saints. Do you even have to ask?
Again, I want to make this clear, not all of these guys are better than Manning. Please do not base your whole argument on Manning is better. I have listed reasons for why I would take every guy ON HIS TEAM over Manning. What do you think? How crazy am I? Please share, I am really looking forward to these comments.
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWN...part 2
DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWNS…part 2
I’m back!!! I am ready to tell you everything you need to know about the NFC and the upcoming season. Now as many of you know, last week I broke down the keys to the AFC season and now you get the NFC. Without a doubt, there are many more storylines going into this upcoming season for the NFC, then there are over in the AFC. So let me give you the most important info on this upcoming season for the NFC…
NFC SOUTH…
We will start with the home of the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. What a magical run they made last year. The flirtation with perfection, the losing streak, the Who Dat Nation, and oh yeah there was that little game in Miami. However, in all of my years of seriously following football, I do not remember a champion who has been discounted more without losing any major pieces then the New Orleans Saints. There was no major roster moves made, however most everyone has them behind the Colts in the “Power Rankings”. Why you ask…This team was very successful because of the number of turnovers that they were able to create from that defense last year. It is always dangerous to go into a game and believe that you have to create a turnover or two to win, but that is exactly what they did (and they did get them and that is why they won), much less go into a season hoping to duplicate the turn over’s from a year ago. With Brees and co. on offense, they will have no trouble scoring, but will they be able to score enough if the defense is not creating the turnovers…that is the million dollar question for the Saints. The Atlanta Falcons are sitting in a good spot, they are coming off of a “disappointing” 9 – 7 2009 season that saw the team record the 1st back to back winning season in franchise history. It was a disappointment, because there were many who believed that when they added Tony Gonzalez, they had added the piece that would push them from good team to elite team, and that did not happen due to injuries. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner both missed time last year with injuries. If this team can stay healthy, they will be as good on offense as anyone in the NFL with Turner, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Tony Gonzalez all looking to get this team to the “elite” level. This is the 1st of many teams who made major improvements to their team through the draft. I love the addition of Sean Weatherspoon from Missouri. This kid is going to be a beast in this league. He is big and fast and is a playmaker that is always around the ball. This team lacked an identity on defense last year and I believe this kid is going to bring a certain swagger to this side of the ball. When you add Daunta Robinson to the cornerback position, I think this will be a much improved defense and that will mean trouble for the rest of the NFC. Let me just say that I do not believe the Panthers are going to be competing for the division crown this year (I could be wrong, it did happen that one time…kinda, I’ll explain later), I do think they had the best off season of any team in this division. They got rid of Jake Delhomme, they got a franchise quarterback in Jimmy Clausen, got a solid LB in Eric Norwood, and got depth at WR with Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards (who could create nightmares in some type of wildcat formation with Steve Smith and either Jonathan Stewart or DeAngelo Williams). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing nothing more than getting Josh Freeman experience and hoping to earn the rights to draft Mark Ingram (Yes, I think he will come out early) so therefore, I am not wasting my time on them.
NFC WEST…
Much like the AFC West, I am very intrigued by this division even though I do not think this is the best division in the Conference. There are 3 legit teams who I could see winning this division. We will start with the only team who has no chance and that is the Rams. I do think Sam Bradford will be a good QB, however, do not play him to soon, he is not Peyton Manning and he does not have the supporting cast of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, if this kid takes a beating to soon, he will never get over it and you will have thrown $50 million down the drain. As for the rest of the division, the Cardinals have owned it for the last couple of years, but how things have changed. Good-bye Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner, Hello Derek Anderson. They had a good draft, but the question has to be asked, who will take up the slack left by Kurt Warner? As great of a player as Boldin is, Warner was the leader. He was the guy who was calm when it mattered and he found a way to keep everyone healthy. Neither Derek Anderson or Matt Lienart (who is scheduled to be the starter tight now) have been consistent through out their NFL careers and with the lack of a consistent ground game (No, I do not trust Beanie Wells), this team has some serious issues that they must find a way to resolve. Next, you have the Seahawks, who have been taken over by Pete Carroll in his attempt to get out of L.A. regardless of a really bad situation with the Trojans (REALLY, WHO LEAVES L.A. FOR SEATTLE?). This team has had more turnover than any team in the league. They have had something like 90 player transactions since Carroll took over. Say what you want to, but this is HIS team. The best thing he did was to trade for Charlie Whitehurst from San Diego. This kid could develop into a fine QB in the NFL with the right guidance. The Seahawks had a great draft adding Russell Okung to an offensive line that must play better for this team to have any chance of doing anything. With their second pick of the 1st round Carroll drafted the hard hitting play making safety from Texas, Earl Thomas. Both of these guys should be starting the minute games start to count and they look like they will be in the league for a long time. They also added Golden Tate, a talented WR from Notre Dame, and sent their 5th round pick to the Jets for Leon Washington (find me a player who will give you more production in the 5th round than Leon Washington---you can’t do it). Pete Carroll had a great 1st off season and has created a lot of excitement in Seattle this year. However, the team that I am most looking forward to seeing this season is the San Francisco 49ers. Alex Smith played really good late in the season last year and who knows how much better he will be this year with a healthy Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree for an entire season. The Niners went OL with the2 1st round picks they had and then took hard hitting safety Taylor Mays in the 2nd round (He could be an impact player as a rookie, I really thought this was a steal at the spot where they got him). You can tell this is Mike Singletary’s team, they will be physical. The defense will be led by Patrick Willis, and they should be good enough to win this division.
NFC NORTH…
As badly as I want to start off talking about Detroit, I just can’t do it. The biggest key to this Division is the same as it has been for the last 5 years…Is Brett Favre coming back? As of now, it is being reported by his kicker, Ryan Longwell, that he will be back. There are a couple of interesting things to consider before you just assume they will win the division and be back in the hunt for the Super Bowl, 1. Are there any hard feeling between the guys and Brett? Obviously, I have not spoken to any of the Vikings players directly, however, I have seen interviews and heard the comments. Jared Allen seems to getting tired of talking about it. Shiancoe seemed irritated by the way he was perceived after “The Text Heard Round The World.” And regardless about who is the better QB, the Viking players are people and many of them have grown close with Tarvaris Jackson. Many of the guys in the locker room made a playoff run with Jackson. I wonder how many of these guys have issues with the way Brett has handled this and made himself bigger than the team? Meanwhile, in Green Bay there are 2 people who are loving every moment of this, Ted Thompson and Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were smart enough to part ways and turn the reigns over to Rodgers and he has been nothing short of spectacular during his time as starter. This offense looks like it will pick up where it left off, but the Packers must get better play from a defense that allowed over 50 in a PLAYOFF GAME to Arizona. The corners are getting older, they are still productive, but as Arizona showed, they can be exposed and scored upon if you can go after them. Clay Matthews is a really good LB who should really establish himself as a leader on defense going into his 2nd season in the league. I really do not know what to make of the Chicago Bears. I seem to be the only person alive who is not sold on them. If you read the “experts”, they all suggest this team is going to contend for the Divisional crown…I just don’t see it. The offensive guru who has been brought in for Jay Cutler likes to throw the ball all over the place and for Cutler that means lots of picks. This guy forces too many throws and that will cost his team too many games. They failed to do anything at the WR position and this will hurt them because they still do not have a # 1 receiver. The addition of Julius Peppers to the defense was nice, but Cutler is going to keep this defense on the field too much for them to be very successful. And last but not least, The Lions. I love the off season they have had. It seems like everything they wanted they got best case scenario for it. They acquired depth on offense with Nate Burleson, and Tony Scheffler, they got the 2nd best running back in this draft in Jahvid Best, and the guy named Suh is a game changer along the DL. They did all of this while Matthew Stafford, last seasons top overall pick, is going into his second year and they still have the most physical receiver in the league in Calvin Johnson. We know this team will score, and therefore, they will be as good as the defense allows them to be.
NFC EAST…
This has been the best division in the NFC for the last several years, and this will be no different. I could easily see 3 of these 4 teams making the playoffs or I could see only 1 team getting in. There is no team in football that made greater strides towards improving this off season than the Washington Redskins. This team in one move was able to make themselves significantly better and hurt another team in the division at the same time. Of course, I am talking about the addition of Donovan McNabb. Say what you want about the Kevin Kolb, but the truth is we have no idea what he will be. HE threw for a lot of yards, but I am not talking fantasy football, I am talking the real thing and he is still very unproven. Meanwhile, Washington added a Hall of Fame QB with several good years left in him. They added a coach who knows how to run the ball in Mike Shannahan. HE will come in and try to make something work with a group of guy who most believe are finished. However, there were very few people who thought that Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns, or Tatum Bell was going to be productive backs? Shanahan knows how to be production from his RB’s and for the 1st time since John Elway retired, he has a QB he can trust. The Philadelphia Eagles will be tied to the Redskins for the next several years. Any success the Redskins have will have to be attributed in a small part to the Eagles. The Eagles begin the season without McNabb for the first time since 1999. Again, I realize that they have stud receivers in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Machlin and a solid back in LeSean McCoy, but where is the leadership in that group. Do any of you really believe that Jackson or Machlin are going to listen to Kolb if he struggles knowing that they have been more successful than he has through their brief careers? Of course not, this has all of the makings of a train wreck if the Eagles do not get off to a good start to the season. The New York Giants were hurt by the injury bug as much as any team in the league last season. This team was torn apart with injury after injury. The injury bug got the likes of 2 offensive linemen, Ahmad Bradhsaw, Brandon Jacobs, and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning had great numbers but they have to get more from the running game and they will have to get back to pressuring the QB. They are hoping the addition of Jason Pierre – Paul will do this. Another key to this will be finding a way to get Osi Umenyiora happy and back on the field. His bad attitude has moved him to 3rd on the depth chart. A happy Umenyiora will go a long way to helping this team get back to the playoffs. As bad as this defense was against the pass last year, they really tried to improve that by adding a ball hawking safety in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant. And finally, we have the Dallas Cowboys---AMERICA’S TEAM. There has never been a team to host the Super Bowl and play in the game and many experts believe this will be the first. It may very well be. A lot of that is going to depend on all of these personalities not blowing up and killing themselves. The Cowboys have as much talent as any team in the NFL and are really set to get to the next level. They finally got that whole not won a playoff game in 12 years monkey off of their back, but where do they go from there? They got one of the biggest steals in the draft when the best receiver fell to them at ---. IF Miles Austin can perform at the level he performed at last year, that will give Dallas a very good 1 – 2 punch and when you add in Jason Whitten and Patrick Crayton, the passing game will be fine. The Cowboys have the best stable of running backs in the entire league with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Jerry Jones has said that Jones will get the bulk of the carries, but all 3 of these guys will see the field and all bring different things. Jones is the fast back with break away speed, Barber is good for those tough yards, but he has a tendency to wear down over the course of the season, so Choice will get his carries as well. Yes, this offense is the major story about this team, but make sure not to forget a defense that has one of the best pass rushers in the game in DeMarcus Ware. Any time you get to the QB, you will be able to create turnovers and that always leads to good things. Keith Brooking came in last year and brought some much needed leadership to this team and that is what I think helped this unit to finally come together and become one of the better defenses in the league. This team has all of the talent and they have to be considered one of the favorites to be playing in the last game of the 2010 season.
There you have it, an introduction to all 32 teams in the NFL this season. What do you think, what are the keys for YOUR TEAM? I am not looking for predictions just yet, those are coming. What team do you think is going to have the biggest turn around from a year ago? GIVE ME FEEDBACK AND SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS.
Until Next Time…
I’m back!!! I am ready to tell you everything you need to know about the NFC and the upcoming season. Now as many of you know, last week I broke down the keys to the AFC season and now you get the NFC. Without a doubt, there are many more storylines going into this upcoming season for the NFC, then there are over in the AFC. So let me give you the most important info on this upcoming season for the NFC…
NFC SOUTH…
We will start with the home of the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. What a magical run they made last year. The flirtation with perfection, the losing streak, the Who Dat Nation, and oh yeah there was that little game in Miami. However, in all of my years of seriously following football, I do not remember a champion who has been discounted more without losing any major pieces then the New Orleans Saints. There was no major roster moves made, however most everyone has them behind the Colts in the “Power Rankings”. Why you ask…This team was very successful because of the number of turnovers that they were able to create from that defense last year. It is always dangerous to go into a game and believe that you have to create a turnover or two to win, but that is exactly what they did (and they did get them and that is why they won), much less go into a season hoping to duplicate the turn over’s from a year ago. With Brees and co. on offense, they will have no trouble scoring, but will they be able to score enough if the defense is not creating the turnovers…that is the million dollar question for the Saints. The Atlanta Falcons are sitting in a good spot, they are coming off of a “disappointing” 9 – 7 2009 season that saw the team record the 1st back to back winning season in franchise history. It was a disappointment, because there were many who believed that when they added Tony Gonzalez, they had added the piece that would push them from good team to elite team, and that did not happen due to injuries. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner both missed time last year with injuries. If this team can stay healthy, they will be as good on offense as anyone in the NFL with Turner, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Tony Gonzalez all looking to get this team to the “elite” level. This is the 1st of many teams who made major improvements to their team through the draft. I love the addition of Sean Weatherspoon from Missouri. This kid is going to be a beast in this league. He is big and fast and is a playmaker that is always around the ball. This team lacked an identity on defense last year and I believe this kid is going to bring a certain swagger to this side of the ball. When you add Daunta Robinson to the cornerback position, I think this will be a much improved defense and that will mean trouble for the rest of the NFC. Let me just say that I do not believe the Panthers are going to be competing for the division crown this year (I could be wrong, it did happen that one time…kinda, I’ll explain later), I do think they had the best off season of any team in this division. They got rid of Jake Delhomme, they got a franchise quarterback in Jimmy Clausen, got a solid LB in Eric Norwood, and got depth at WR with Brandon LaFell and Armanti Edwards (who could create nightmares in some type of wildcat formation with Steve Smith and either Jonathan Stewart or DeAngelo Williams). The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing nothing more than getting Josh Freeman experience and hoping to earn the rights to draft Mark Ingram (Yes, I think he will come out early) so therefore, I am not wasting my time on them.
NFC WEST…
Much like the AFC West, I am very intrigued by this division even though I do not think this is the best division in the Conference. There are 3 legit teams who I could see winning this division. We will start with the only team who has no chance and that is the Rams. I do think Sam Bradford will be a good QB, however, do not play him to soon, he is not Peyton Manning and he does not have the supporting cast of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, if this kid takes a beating to soon, he will never get over it and you will have thrown $50 million down the drain. As for the rest of the division, the Cardinals have owned it for the last couple of years, but how things have changed. Good-bye Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner, Hello Derek Anderson. They had a good draft, but the question has to be asked, who will take up the slack left by Kurt Warner? As great of a player as Boldin is, Warner was the leader. He was the guy who was calm when it mattered and he found a way to keep everyone healthy. Neither Derek Anderson or Matt Lienart (who is scheduled to be the starter tight now) have been consistent through out their NFL careers and with the lack of a consistent ground game (No, I do not trust Beanie Wells), this team has some serious issues that they must find a way to resolve. Next, you have the Seahawks, who have been taken over by Pete Carroll in his attempt to get out of L.A. regardless of a really bad situation with the Trojans (REALLY, WHO LEAVES L.A. FOR SEATTLE?). This team has had more turnover than any team in the league. They have had something like 90 player transactions since Carroll took over. Say what you want to, but this is HIS team. The best thing he did was to trade for Charlie Whitehurst from San Diego. This kid could develop into a fine QB in the NFL with the right guidance. The Seahawks had a great draft adding Russell Okung to an offensive line that must play better for this team to have any chance of doing anything. With their second pick of the 1st round Carroll drafted the hard hitting play making safety from Texas, Earl Thomas. Both of these guys should be starting the minute games start to count and they look like they will be in the league for a long time. They also added Golden Tate, a talented WR from Notre Dame, and sent their 5th round pick to the Jets for Leon Washington (find me a player who will give you more production in the 5th round than Leon Washington---you can’t do it). Pete Carroll had a great 1st off season and has created a lot of excitement in Seattle this year. However, the team that I am most looking forward to seeing this season is the San Francisco 49ers. Alex Smith played really good late in the season last year and who knows how much better he will be this year with a healthy Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree for an entire season. The Niners went OL with the2 1st round picks they had and then took hard hitting safety Taylor Mays in the 2nd round (He could be an impact player as a rookie, I really thought this was a steal at the spot where they got him). You can tell this is Mike Singletary’s team, they will be physical. The defense will be led by Patrick Willis, and they should be good enough to win this division.
NFC NORTH…
As badly as I want to start off talking about Detroit, I just can’t do it. The biggest key to this Division is the same as it has been for the last 5 years…Is Brett Favre coming back? As of now, it is being reported by his kicker, Ryan Longwell, that he will be back. There are a couple of interesting things to consider before you just assume they will win the division and be back in the hunt for the Super Bowl, 1. Are there any hard feeling between the guys and Brett? Obviously, I have not spoken to any of the Vikings players directly, however, I have seen interviews and heard the comments. Jared Allen seems to getting tired of talking about it. Shiancoe seemed irritated by the way he was perceived after “The Text Heard Round The World.” And regardless about who is the better QB, the Viking players are people and many of them have grown close with Tarvaris Jackson. Many of the guys in the locker room made a playoff run with Jackson. I wonder how many of these guys have issues with the way Brett has handled this and made himself bigger than the team? Meanwhile, in Green Bay there are 2 people who are loving every moment of this, Ted Thompson and Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were smart enough to part ways and turn the reigns over to Rodgers and he has been nothing short of spectacular during his time as starter. This offense looks like it will pick up where it left off, but the Packers must get better play from a defense that allowed over 50 in a PLAYOFF GAME to Arizona. The corners are getting older, they are still productive, but as Arizona showed, they can be exposed and scored upon if you can go after them. Clay Matthews is a really good LB who should really establish himself as a leader on defense going into his 2nd season in the league. I really do not know what to make of the Chicago Bears. I seem to be the only person alive who is not sold on them. If you read the “experts”, they all suggest this team is going to contend for the Divisional crown…I just don’t see it. The offensive guru who has been brought in for Jay Cutler likes to throw the ball all over the place and for Cutler that means lots of picks. This guy forces too many throws and that will cost his team too many games. They failed to do anything at the WR position and this will hurt them because they still do not have a # 1 receiver. The addition of Julius Peppers to the defense was nice, but Cutler is going to keep this defense on the field too much for them to be very successful. And last but not least, The Lions. I love the off season they have had. It seems like everything they wanted they got best case scenario for it. They acquired depth on offense with Nate Burleson, and Tony Scheffler, they got the 2nd best running back in this draft in Jahvid Best, and the guy named Suh is a game changer along the DL. They did all of this while Matthew Stafford, last seasons top overall pick, is going into his second year and they still have the most physical receiver in the league in Calvin Johnson. We know this team will score, and therefore, they will be as good as the defense allows them to be.
NFC EAST…
This has been the best division in the NFC for the last several years, and this will be no different. I could easily see 3 of these 4 teams making the playoffs or I could see only 1 team getting in. There is no team in football that made greater strides towards improving this off season than the Washington Redskins. This team in one move was able to make themselves significantly better and hurt another team in the division at the same time. Of course, I am talking about the addition of Donovan McNabb. Say what you want about the Kevin Kolb, but the truth is we have no idea what he will be. HE threw for a lot of yards, but I am not talking fantasy football, I am talking the real thing and he is still very unproven. Meanwhile, Washington added a Hall of Fame QB with several good years left in him. They added a coach who knows how to run the ball in Mike Shannahan. HE will come in and try to make something work with a group of guy who most believe are finished. However, there were very few people who thought that Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, Reuben Droughns, or Tatum Bell was going to be productive backs? Shanahan knows how to be production from his RB’s and for the 1st time since John Elway retired, he has a QB he can trust. The Philadelphia Eagles will be tied to the Redskins for the next several years. Any success the Redskins have will have to be attributed in a small part to the Eagles. The Eagles begin the season without McNabb for the first time since 1999. Again, I realize that they have stud receivers in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Machlin and a solid back in LeSean McCoy, but where is the leadership in that group. Do any of you really believe that Jackson or Machlin are going to listen to Kolb if he struggles knowing that they have been more successful than he has through their brief careers? Of course not, this has all of the makings of a train wreck if the Eagles do not get off to a good start to the season. The New York Giants were hurt by the injury bug as much as any team in the league last season. This team was torn apart with injury after injury. The injury bug got the likes of 2 offensive linemen, Ahmad Bradhsaw, Brandon Jacobs, and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning had great numbers but they have to get more from the running game and they will have to get back to pressuring the QB. They are hoping the addition of Jason Pierre – Paul will do this. Another key to this will be finding a way to get Osi Umenyiora happy and back on the field. His bad attitude has moved him to 3rd on the depth chart. A happy Umenyiora will go a long way to helping this team get back to the playoffs. As bad as this defense was against the pass last year, they really tried to improve that by adding a ball hawking safety in Antrel Rolle and Deon Grant. And finally, we have the Dallas Cowboys---AMERICA’S TEAM. There has never been a team to host the Super Bowl and play in the game and many experts believe this will be the first. It may very well be. A lot of that is going to depend on all of these personalities not blowing up and killing themselves. The Cowboys have as much talent as any team in the NFL and are really set to get to the next level. They finally got that whole not won a playoff game in 12 years monkey off of their back, but where do they go from there? They got one of the biggest steals in the draft when the best receiver fell to them at ---. IF Miles Austin can perform at the level he performed at last year, that will give Dallas a very good 1 – 2 punch and when you add in Jason Whitten and Patrick Crayton, the passing game will be fine. The Cowboys have the best stable of running backs in the entire league with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Jerry Jones has said that Jones will get the bulk of the carries, but all 3 of these guys will see the field and all bring different things. Jones is the fast back with break away speed, Barber is good for those tough yards, but he has a tendency to wear down over the course of the season, so Choice will get his carries as well. Yes, this offense is the major story about this team, but make sure not to forget a defense that has one of the best pass rushers in the game in DeMarcus Ware. Any time you get to the QB, you will be able to create turnovers and that always leads to good things. Keith Brooking came in last year and brought some much needed leadership to this team and that is what I think helped this unit to finally come together and become one of the better defenses in the league. This team has all of the talent and they have to be considered one of the favorites to be playing in the last game of the 2010 season.
There you have it, an introduction to all 32 teams in the NFL this season. What do you think, what are the keys for YOUR TEAM? I am not looking for predictions just yet, those are coming. What team do you think is going to have the biggest turn around from a year ago? GIVE ME FEEDBACK AND SOME OF YOUR THOUGHTS.
Until Next Time…
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWNS...
DIVISIONAL BREAKDOWNS...
It is the most wonderful time of the year. The kids are back in school (almost), the weather is getting cooler (hopefully), and football is upon us. I know, this is the time of the year that we all look forward to. Kickoff for the college season is just 2 short weeks away, and on Thursday Night September 9th, the NFL will get under way. Before that happens, there is so much I need to tell you, so here are some thoughts for the upcoming NFL Season from every division...
AFC SOUTH...
I do not think there is one division in football where there is a clear cut favorite going into the season. As we look at the divisions, the closest thing to a lock is the AFC South where the Colts have dominated in recent memory (yes, I remember the '08 nonsense with Tennessee). However, I am really worried for Manning and co, because there are several questions that have yet to be answered. Is there a running game? Can Garcon & Collie play like top notch receivers once again? What will they get from Anthony Gonzalez? Is that defense going to come together to play like a tight nit unit? I truly believe that for Indy to be successful this upcoming season, they are going to have to find some type of running game. This division has been getting better for the last several years, and I think with no running game that defense is going to be in trouble. Houston has been improving for several years and 2009 was the 1st time in franchise history that they had a winning record. They had a good draft getting the cornerback they needed (Kareem Jackson) and a solid backup for Steve Slaton in Auburn RB Ben Tate. They already had a super star qb in Matt Schaub and one of the better TE in the game in Owen Daniels. I am not really sure what you will get from Vince Young in Tennessee, but he is a winner and if he puts it together, this will be a solid team. You know that Chris Johnson is a beast and if Young limits the mistakes, this team could regain the South and end the Colts dominance. Tennessee had a solid draft and picked up several guys who should be able to contribute immediately (Derrick Morgan - 1st round, Damion Williams, Rennie Curan, and Myron Rolle - who will turn into the next great safety in this league if he avoids going off and curing cancer). As for the Jaguars...well there's nothing really to say, this team will not contend for a playoff spot and therefore, there is no reason to even discuss them.
AFC WEST...
This division will be extremely interesting and I think this may be the most improved division in all of football this year.The Chargers have won the division 4 straight years, and 5 of the last 6, however there have been major changes in San Diego this off season. It started with LaDanian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromarte leaving to go East. There are also problems with Shawne Merriman (who is supposed to report to camp this weekend) and top wideout Vincent Jackson. When you factor in Jackson's hold out with te 4 game suspension he has to start the season with, and the fact that for the 1st time in almost 10 years the Chargers have no LT, you have to be worried about the boys in Powder Blue. Rivers is there and he is a top 7 qb in the league and all reports say rookie Ryan Matthews looks great, but who knows how the rookie will do over the course of the long season, and what will Rivers do now that there is no fear from opposing defenses of his running game? Year 2 of the Josh McDaniels experiment in Denver got off to a shocking start with the trade of Brandon Marshall to Miami (I do not know anyone who had Miami in the discussion). Then they had a draft that can not be graded. McDaniels in true Belichik fashion, he moved all over the draft board, finally drafting Demaryus Thomas (after passing on Dez Bryant) and Tim Tebow (while Jimmy Clausen - a guy who fits his system much better than Tebow, or so I thought). This team was 8 - 8 last year, and you would have to think they get a little better before they ever play a game, this is year 2 in McDaniels complicated system for Kyle Orton (who did not play terrible last year). The Chargers have lost several key pieces from last year. I would not be any more surprised to see the Broncos to go 10 - 6 and win the division, then I would if they went 6 - 10. The Chiefs are going to be much improved. The biggest addition to this team is not a player. I do like the Thomas Jones pick up, he will be a nice addition to Jamaal Charles. However, the biggest pick up in this off season was the addition of new offensive coordinator, Charlie Weiss. You can say what you want to about his head coaching ability, but the man was GREAT during his time in New England. He has a solid qb, a good running game, and let's be honest, N.E. was at its best when they had no name receivers who teams and Brady could not rely on just one guy to carry the bulk of the load. This team may be up to 6 wins or so this year and be on their way back to being respectable. This past off season, the team in the NFL that needed more work than any other was probably the Oakland Raiders. They had no qb, a history for messing things up in the draft and a terrible history for getting free agents. However this year, they did not look like the Raiders at all. They were able to trade for Jason Campbell (who can be a really good qb in this league), and they drafted surprisingly well. They drafted Rolando McClain (who may win Rookie of the Year this season), Lamarr Houston to help on the DL, Bruce Campbell (who some had as a 1st rounder), and Jacoby Ford to help the passing attack. The biggest thing they did was release Jamarcus Russell. Just go ahead and admit it, as good as this off season was, this was the Raiders and we all expected them to ruin it by starting Russell over Campbell. Like K.C. I see this team as a 5 or 6 win team and definitely appears to be headed in the right direction.
AFC NORTH...
This division comes down to offense. Who ever would have guessed that the division with the Steelers and Ravens would be about offense, but it is. Let's go ahead and get the Browns out of the way, they are a couple of years away. I do like the addition of Colt McCoy to that team, but he's a rookie and they will be led by Jake Delhomme...Cleveland fans go ahead and get ready for your top 5 draft pick next year (you may want to go ahead and send reps to Tuscaloosa to talk to Mark Ingram). This division is a 2 team race thanks to Big Ben. Polamolu is back, but Big Ben will miss the 1st 4 games of the season, and they will not be able to overcome his loss to make the playoffs. That leaves us with dueling WR's: Anquan Boldin v. Terrell Owens. This is not even close, Boldin is clearly better, however the Ravens just have to many questions going into the season. Ray Lewis is another year older and Ed Reed is going to start on the PUP list. I thought they did ok getting Sergio Kindle, but then he injured himself. Boldin is a nice addition, and Flacco matured last year and played well and should raise his game to another level with Boldin, but I do not know if that will be enough to jump the Bengals (this could change closer to the season). The Bengals took the biggest gamble of any team this off season, not only did they add 1 troubled WR, but they added 2 in TO and Antonio Bryant. I have read many people say that Owens will be a problem for this team, I do not think so. He is playing with his buddy Ochocinco, he is getting paid, and nobody wanted him, so he has something to prove. They added some nice pieces in the draft by getting TE Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma to stretch the middle of the field and Jordan Shipley from Texas (I think this guy will be very similar to what Wes Welker is to the Patriots, a hard worker, will return punts, very good route runner out of the slot, a true professional football player). Carson Palmer will throw for a lot of yards and this team will score plenty of points this year and that is real bad for a team with secondary questions (Pittsburgh) and an aging defense (Baltimore). I really think this may be the best chance that Cincinnati has to legitimately challenge for a Super Bowl in over 10 years. The defense looked great last year and there is no reason to think that will change.
AFC EAST...
The Patriots have won this division 7 of the last 9 years (also known as the time when that Brady guy took over).However, there are more questions surrounding this team than at any other point during this run. This team has always been led by the mindset of me second, team first, The players have bought into that starting at the top with Brady and going all the way down to the 53rd man on the roster. However, things have changed over the last few years, they let Asante Samuel walk away and never found a replacement. They traded away Richard Seymour as opposed to paying him and they never found a replacement. They have lost numerous coaches over the years and have not replaced them. Now, Logan Mankins, the man who protects Brady's back side has requested a trade because they will not pay him and is involved in a nasty dispute with management with no apparent hope in sight. Tom Brady meanwhile is entering his 2nd season after tearing up his leg and is in the final year of his deal. Brady has reworked his deal to help with the salary cap many times. On top of the, Brady is weekly hearing the Colts owner say the he will make Manning the highest paid qb in NFL history, and Manning is great, but what about Brady, he has more division titles, more playoff wins, better playoff winning %, and more Super Bowl rings (that's what the game is about). I know I am being told I am crazy, but if Brady plays this season without getting his deal, I truly believe it may be his last in New England. This is the problem with this division, all of this talk and it is all about off the field stuff, let me shift gears and get back on the field, there are 2 teams in this division who are going to be VERY GOOD, the Jets and the Dolphins. I still think the Bills have no chance of winning anything but the rights to draft 1st in next years draft (start thinking Christian Ponder). The Jets were very busy this year adding Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromarte, LaDanian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, and Kyle Wilson. This is a huge collection of names who are nearing the end of their careers, the big question is will they be able to stay healthy and make a solid contribution? One of the things this team will need to figure out is who will be the leaders for this team, Mark Sanchez has really taken a vocal role as a leader, but how will that play out if he has any kind of a "Sophomore Slump"? The team lost high character leaders in Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca. There is also the whole contract situation of Darrelle Revis, how long will this go on, for the rest of the division, hopefully for a long long time. The Miami Dolphins are coming off of a disappointing 2009 season that saw them go 7 - 9, but showed them they had finally found the qb to lead the franchise, something they had desperately lacked since Dan Marino retired. Chad Henne took over for Chad Pennington and the team never looked back. They added one of the best receivers in football in Brandon Marshall, added a quality line backer in Karlos Dansby, added a pass rusher in Charles Grant, and in typical Bill Parcells fashion, had a great draft adding several key pieces. There are not only 3 legitimate threats to win this division, but there are 3 legitimate threat to make the Super Bowl from this division.
That's it, there is my AFC divisional breakdowns. Tell me what you think. I know there is a lot of information, but how else are you going to get ready for the upcoming season. I will post the NFC tomorrow.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
It is the most wonderful time of the year. The kids are back in school (almost), the weather is getting cooler (hopefully), and football is upon us. I know, this is the time of the year that we all look forward to. Kickoff for the college season is just 2 short weeks away, and on Thursday Night September 9th, the NFL will get under way. Before that happens, there is so much I need to tell you, so here are some thoughts for the upcoming NFL Season from every division...
AFC SOUTH...
I do not think there is one division in football where there is a clear cut favorite going into the season. As we look at the divisions, the closest thing to a lock is the AFC South where the Colts have dominated in recent memory (yes, I remember the '08 nonsense with Tennessee). However, I am really worried for Manning and co, because there are several questions that have yet to be answered. Is there a running game? Can Garcon & Collie play like top notch receivers once again? What will they get from Anthony Gonzalez? Is that defense going to come together to play like a tight nit unit? I truly believe that for Indy to be successful this upcoming season, they are going to have to find some type of running game. This division has been getting better for the last several years, and I think with no running game that defense is going to be in trouble. Houston has been improving for several years and 2009 was the 1st time in franchise history that they had a winning record. They had a good draft getting the cornerback they needed (Kareem Jackson) and a solid backup for Steve Slaton in Auburn RB Ben Tate. They already had a super star qb in Matt Schaub and one of the better TE in the game in Owen Daniels. I am not really sure what you will get from Vince Young in Tennessee, but he is a winner and if he puts it together, this will be a solid team. You know that Chris Johnson is a beast and if Young limits the mistakes, this team could regain the South and end the Colts dominance. Tennessee had a solid draft and picked up several guys who should be able to contribute immediately (Derrick Morgan - 1st round, Damion Williams, Rennie Curan, and Myron Rolle - who will turn into the next great safety in this league if he avoids going off and curing cancer). As for the Jaguars...well there's nothing really to say, this team will not contend for a playoff spot and therefore, there is no reason to even discuss them.
AFC WEST...
This division will be extremely interesting and I think this may be the most improved division in all of football this year.The Chargers have won the division 4 straight years, and 5 of the last 6, however there have been major changes in San Diego this off season. It started with LaDanian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromarte leaving to go East. There are also problems with Shawne Merriman (who is supposed to report to camp this weekend) and top wideout Vincent Jackson. When you factor in Jackson's hold out with te 4 game suspension he has to start the season with, and the fact that for the 1st time in almost 10 years the Chargers have no LT, you have to be worried about the boys in Powder Blue. Rivers is there and he is a top 7 qb in the league and all reports say rookie Ryan Matthews looks great, but who knows how the rookie will do over the course of the long season, and what will Rivers do now that there is no fear from opposing defenses of his running game? Year 2 of the Josh McDaniels experiment in Denver got off to a shocking start with the trade of Brandon Marshall to Miami (I do not know anyone who had Miami in the discussion). Then they had a draft that can not be graded. McDaniels in true Belichik fashion, he moved all over the draft board, finally drafting Demaryus Thomas (after passing on Dez Bryant) and Tim Tebow (while Jimmy Clausen - a guy who fits his system much better than Tebow, or so I thought). This team was 8 - 8 last year, and you would have to think they get a little better before they ever play a game, this is year 2 in McDaniels complicated system for Kyle Orton (who did not play terrible last year). The Chargers have lost several key pieces from last year. I would not be any more surprised to see the Broncos to go 10 - 6 and win the division, then I would if they went 6 - 10. The Chiefs are going to be much improved. The biggest addition to this team is not a player. I do like the Thomas Jones pick up, he will be a nice addition to Jamaal Charles. However, the biggest pick up in this off season was the addition of new offensive coordinator, Charlie Weiss. You can say what you want to about his head coaching ability, but the man was GREAT during his time in New England. He has a solid qb, a good running game, and let's be honest, N.E. was at its best when they had no name receivers who teams and Brady could not rely on just one guy to carry the bulk of the load. This team may be up to 6 wins or so this year and be on their way back to being respectable. This past off season, the team in the NFL that needed more work than any other was probably the Oakland Raiders. They had no qb, a history for messing things up in the draft and a terrible history for getting free agents. However this year, they did not look like the Raiders at all. They were able to trade for Jason Campbell (who can be a really good qb in this league), and they drafted surprisingly well. They drafted Rolando McClain (who may win Rookie of the Year this season), Lamarr Houston to help on the DL, Bruce Campbell (who some had as a 1st rounder), and Jacoby Ford to help the passing attack. The biggest thing they did was release Jamarcus Russell. Just go ahead and admit it, as good as this off season was, this was the Raiders and we all expected them to ruin it by starting Russell over Campbell. Like K.C. I see this team as a 5 or 6 win team and definitely appears to be headed in the right direction.
AFC NORTH...
This division comes down to offense. Who ever would have guessed that the division with the Steelers and Ravens would be about offense, but it is. Let's go ahead and get the Browns out of the way, they are a couple of years away. I do like the addition of Colt McCoy to that team, but he's a rookie and they will be led by Jake Delhomme...Cleveland fans go ahead and get ready for your top 5 draft pick next year (you may want to go ahead and send reps to Tuscaloosa to talk to Mark Ingram). This division is a 2 team race thanks to Big Ben. Polamolu is back, but Big Ben will miss the 1st 4 games of the season, and they will not be able to overcome his loss to make the playoffs. That leaves us with dueling WR's: Anquan Boldin v. Terrell Owens. This is not even close, Boldin is clearly better, however the Ravens just have to many questions going into the season. Ray Lewis is another year older and Ed Reed is going to start on the PUP list. I thought they did ok getting Sergio Kindle, but then he injured himself. Boldin is a nice addition, and Flacco matured last year and played well and should raise his game to another level with Boldin, but I do not know if that will be enough to jump the Bengals (this could change closer to the season). The Bengals took the biggest gamble of any team this off season, not only did they add 1 troubled WR, but they added 2 in TO and Antonio Bryant. I have read many people say that Owens will be a problem for this team, I do not think so. He is playing with his buddy Ochocinco, he is getting paid, and nobody wanted him, so he has something to prove. They added some nice pieces in the draft by getting TE Jermaine Gresham out of Oklahoma to stretch the middle of the field and Jordan Shipley from Texas (I think this guy will be very similar to what Wes Welker is to the Patriots, a hard worker, will return punts, very good route runner out of the slot, a true professional football player). Carson Palmer will throw for a lot of yards and this team will score plenty of points this year and that is real bad for a team with secondary questions (Pittsburgh) and an aging defense (Baltimore). I really think this may be the best chance that Cincinnati has to legitimately challenge for a Super Bowl in over 10 years. The defense looked great last year and there is no reason to think that will change.
AFC EAST...
The Patriots have won this division 7 of the last 9 years (also known as the time when that Brady guy took over).However, there are more questions surrounding this team than at any other point during this run. This team has always been led by the mindset of me second, team first, The players have bought into that starting at the top with Brady and going all the way down to the 53rd man on the roster. However, things have changed over the last few years, they let Asante Samuel walk away and never found a replacement. They traded away Richard Seymour as opposed to paying him and they never found a replacement. They have lost numerous coaches over the years and have not replaced them. Now, Logan Mankins, the man who protects Brady's back side has requested a trade because they will not pay him and is involved in a nasty dispute with management with no apparent hope in sight. Tom Brady meanwhile is entering his 2nd season after tearing up his leg and is in the final year of his deal. Brady has reworked his deal to help with the salary cap many times. On top of the, Brady is weekly hearing the Colts owner say the he will make Manning the highest paid qb in NFL history, and Manning is great, but what about Brady, he has more division titles, more playoff wins, better playoff winning %, and more Super Bowl rings (that's what the game is about). I know I am being told I am crazy, but if Brady plays this season without getting his deal, I truly believe it may be his last in New England. This is the problem with this division, all of this talk and it is all about off the field stuff, let me shift gears and get back on the field, there are 2 teams in this division who are going to be VERY GOOD, the Jets and the Dolphins. I still think the Bills have no chance of winning anything but the rights to draft 1st in next years draft (start thinking Christian Ponder). The Jets were very busy this year adding Santonio Holmes, Antonio Cromarte, LaDanian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, and Kyle Wilson. This is a huge collection of names who are nearing the end of their careers, the big question is will they be able to stay healthy and make a solid contribution? One of the things this team will need to figure out is who will be the leaders for this team, Mark Sanchez has really taken a vocal role as a leader, but how will that play out if he has any kind of a "Sophomore Slump"? The team lost high character leaders in Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca. There is also the whole contract situation of Darrelle Revis, how long will this go on, for the rest of the division, hopefully for a long long time. The Miami Dolphins are coming off of a disappointing 2009 season that saw them go 7 - 9, but showed them they had finally found the qb to lead the franchise, something they had desperately lacked since Dan Marino retired. Chad Henne took over for Chad Pennington and the team never looked back. They added one of the best receivers in football in Brandon Marshall, added a quality line backer in Karlos Dansby, added a pass rusher in Charles Grant, and in typical Bill Parcells fashion, had a great draft adding several key pieces. There are not only 3 legitimate threats to win this division, but there are 3 legitimate threat to make the Super Bowl from this division.
That's it, there is my AFC divisional breakdowns. Tell me what you think. I know there is a lot of information, but how else are you going to get ready for the upcoming season. I will post the NFC tomorrow.
UNTIL NEXT TIME...
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A RIVALRY IS BORN...OR IS IT?
A RIVALRY IS BORN...OR IS IT?
Rivalries are what make sports great! Some rivalries were born out of location, and do not matter to anyone other than the people in that area. Some rivalries are on a national level because of the impact that they have on their sports championship. For instance, the Lakers and Celtics are one of the all time great rivalries despite not being in the same conference or even on the same side of the country because it makes such an impact on the NBA Championship. There are many great rivalries in sports, Red Sox v. Yankees, USC v. Notre Dame, Ohio State v. Michigan, Packers v. Bears, etc.
However I am not here to discuss any of these GREAT RIVALRIES, I want to talk about what has the potential to turn into one of the best rivalries in years. I am talking about the rivalry that seems to be developing between Fantasy Geek (Mr. Anonymous) and yours truly. I started writing this blog in January of this year because I had something to say about sports and thought this might be a fun way to share my thoughts. On June 28, I posted a blog explaining why soccer will never be popular in this country, and on the 29th, this rivalry was born. Mr Anonymous surfaced and let me know about the ONE MISTAKE I made in my article, I out the wrong day that the game was played (this just proved my point, nobody else caught the mistake because nobody cares about soccer, but that is irrelevant). Then on July 3 I posted something talking about hypocrisy in sports and Mr Anonymous pops up again by saying I was wrong for picking on athletes because we all break laws and I needed to stop picking on the athletes. When I reminded him the athletes I was picking was been Rothlisburger who had been accused of sexual assault, and asked him to explain how this relates to my occasional heavy foot. Over the next month or so, I'd post something this clown would post something anonymously, and then I'd respond only to never hear from him again.
However, earlier this week, this rivalry reached a whole other lever (or so I thought). I posted the fact that Brett Favre is a bad teammate. I listed many reasons as to why this was. Mr Fantasy Geek (he got the title from this post), copied and pasted Brett Favre's career stats and thought I should be impressed...I WAS NOT! When I let him know this, he responded with a challenge to a sports debate. I agreed to his challenge. I offered to record the debate and post it right here for all of you to watch. The only problem with this is HE WILL NOT TELL ME WHO HE IS. I posted my email address and told him if he'd just tell me who he is, I would contact him immediately...NO RESPONSE.
My question is this, why would anyone be so brave and make such an offer if they are not prepared to follow up on it. My questions is this (because you do read this blog) why are you such a coward? I will allow you to have your computer so you can get all of your meaningless stats. What are you waiting for? Are you really that afraid of the discussion? I promise you, I don't bite and I like to debate, so this is will be fun, that is if you can hold your own.
This is the only way I know to reach out and try to get this guy to follow through on HIS SUGGESTION! Thank you all for reading this, and Fantasy Geek, I am begging you to put your name in the comments section so we can arrange this debate.
Until Next Time...
Rivalries are what make sports great! Some rivalries were born out of location, and do not matter to anyone other than the people in that area. Some rivalries are on a national level because of the impact that they have on their sports championship. For instance, the Lakers and Celtics are one of the all time great rivalries despite not being in the same conference or even on the same side of the country because it makes such an impact on the NBA Championship. There are many great rivalries in sports, Red Sox v. Yankees, USC v. Notre Dame, Ohio State v. Michigan, Packers v. Bears, etc.
However I am not here to discuss any of these GREAT RIVALRIES, I want to talk about what has the potential to turn into one of the best rivalries in years. I am talking about the rivalry that seems to be developing between Fantasy Geek (Mr. Anonymous) and yours truly. I started writing this blog in January of this year because I had something to say about sports and thought this might be a fun way to share my thoughts. On June 28, I posted a blog explaining why soccer will never be popular in this country, and on the 29th, this rivalry was born. Mr Anonymous surfaced and let me know about the ONE MISTAKE I made in my article, I out the wrong day that the game was played (this just proved my point, nobody else caught the mistake because nobody cares about soccer, but that is irrelevant). Then on July 3 I posted something talking about hypocrisy in sports and Mr Anonymous pops up again by saying I was wrong for picking on athletes because we all break laws and I needed to stop picking on the athletes. When I reminded him the athletes I was picking was been Rothlisburger who had been accused of sexual assault, and asked him to explain how this relates to my occasional heavy foot. Over the next month or so, I'd post something this clown would post something anonymously, and then I'd respond only to never hear from him again.
However, earlier this week, this rivalry reached a whole other lever (or so I thought). I posted the fact that Brett Favre is a bad teammate. I listed many reasons as to why this was. Mr Fantasy Geek (he got the title from this post), copied and pasted Brett Favre's career stats and thought I should be impressed...I WAS NOT! When I let him know this, he responded with a challenge to a sports debate. I agreed to his challenge. I offered to record the debate and post it right here for all of you to watch. The only problem with this is HE WILL NOT TELL ME WHO HE IS. I posted my email address and told him if he'd just tell me who he is, I would contact him immediately...NO RESPONSE.
My question is this, why would anyone be so brave and make such an offer if they are not prepared to follow up on it. My questions is this (because you do read this blog) why are you such a coward? I will allow you to have your computer so you can get all of your meaningless stats. What are you waiting for? Are you really that afraid of the discussion? I promise you, I don't bite and I like to debate, so this is will be fun, that is if you can hold your own.
This is the only way I know to reach out and try to get this guy to follow through on HIS SUGGESTION! Thank you all for reading this, and Fantasy Geek, I am begging you to put your name in the comments section so we can arrange this debate.
Until Next Time...
Friday, August 6, 2010
THE GREATEST EVER...NOT EVEN DEBATABLE!!!
THE GREATEST EVER?...NOT EVEN DEBATABLE!!!
Football is finally back. I do not know about all of you, but I can't wait for Sunday night. Sunday night in Canton the NFL Season gets underway with the Cincinnati Bengals will play the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 Hall of Fame Game. This is the game that kicks off the time of year that we all refer to as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." For my inaugural thoughts on the 2010 I have to share with you my thoughts on the greatest to ever play the game. I know what you are thinking...I do not want to read another posting about how Tom Brady is better than Peyton Manning...I really do not want to have to write another blog about this (If you have not already gotten this, then you are hopeless).
This blog is about not just about the best qb
of all time. It's not about the best team of all time. It's not even about the best game of all time, THIS POST IS PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE BEST ATHLETE TO EVER PLAY ANY POSITION IN ANY SPORT IN ALL OF SPORTS HISTORY---JERRY RICE! Let me ask you this, who is the best qb to ever play in the NFL? Is it Manning, Brady, Montana, Favre? You pick your guy and I will make a solid argument for everyone else that you left out. What about the best running back ever? Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Payton? I will say the same thing about running backs that I said about the quarter backs, I can make a solid argument for any of them. However, there is one position that not even I can make an argument for a second guy and that comes at the position of Wide Receiver. Jerry Rice is without a doubt the greatest receiver to ever play the game of football. When I tried to think of another receiver who deserves to be in this discussion, I can't think of one. The numbers are so far above those of other wide receivers that it is crazy. Rice holds over 200 NFL records and many of the major categories will never be challenged...Rice scored 208 touchdowns, the next closest receiver is Randy Moss who only needs 59 more touchdowns to catch Rice. Moss has played 12 NFL seasons so he is averaging just over 12 tds a season, that means he needs 5 more seasons at this pace, I do not think that is possible. Rice had 1,549 receptions, # 2 on that list - Marvin Harrison, good Hall of Fame Career, but he was 447 receptions short of Rice's total. Rice is more than 7,000 yards ahead of Tim Brown in receiving yards. This is a no brainer---JERRY RICE IS THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER IN HISTORY!!!
Here is the important question...IS JERRY RICE THE GREATEST SINGLE PLAYER IN ANY SPORT EVER? Nobody dominated his particular sport and distanced himself from everyone else in his sport like Jerry Rice. In every sport, you can debate the best, is Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jy, or Mickey Mantle the best baseball player ever? In basketball, is it Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, or maybe even Kobe Bryant? All of these players can have a case made that they are the best at their sport, but Rice, there is no discussions, HE IS THE BEST. None of these dominated their sport like he did, and he did it week in and week out against double coverage. He was amazing.
Saturday in Canton, Jerry Rice will take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, however, there are no words to describe just how great he was.
Congrats Jerry, YOU TRULY ARE THE BEST EVER!
UNTIL NEXT TIME.
Football is finally back. I do not know about all of you, but I can't wait for Sunday night. Sunday night in Canton the NFL Season gets underway with the Cincinnati Bengals will play the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 Hall of Fame Game. This is the game that kicks off the time of year that we all refer to as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year." For my inaugural thoughts on the 2010 I have to share with you my thoughts on the greatest to ever play the game. I know what you are thinking...I do not want to read another posting about how Tom Brady is better than Peyton Manning...I really do not want to have to write another blog about this (If you have not already gotten this, then you are hopeless).
This blog is about not just about the best qb
of all time. It's not about the best team of all time. It's not even about the best game of all time, THIS POST IS PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE BEST ATHLETE TO EVER PLAY ANY POSITION IN ANY SPORT IN ALL OF SPORTS HISTORY---JERRY RICE! Let me ask you this, who is the best qb to ever play in the NFL? Is it Manning, Brady, Montana, Favre? You pick your guy and I will make a solid argument for everyone else that you left out. What about the best running back ever? Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Walter Payton? I will say the same thing about running backs that I said about the quarter backs, I can make a solid argument for any of them. However, there is one position that not even I can make an argument for a second guy and that comes at the position of Wide Receiver. Jerry Rice is without a doubt the greatest receiver to ever play the game of football. When I tried to think of another receiver who deserves to be in this discussion, I can't think of one. The numbers are so far above those of other wide receivers that it is crazy. Rice holds over 200 NFL records and many of the major categories will never be challenged...Rice scored 208 touchdowns, the next closest receiver is Randy Moss who only needs 59 more touchdowns to catch Rice. Moss has played 12 NFL seasons so he is averaging just over 12 tds a season, that means he needs 5 more seasons at this pace, I do not think that is possible. Rice had 1,549 receptions, # 2 on that list - Marvin Harrison, good Hall of Fame Career, but he was 447 receptions short of Rice's total. Rice is more than 7,000 yards ahead of Tim Brown in receiving yards. This is a no brainer---JERRY RICE IS THE BEST FOOTBALL PLAYER IN HISTORY!!!
Here is the important question...IS JERRY RICE THE GREATEST SINGLE PLAYER IN ANY SPORT EVER? Nobody dominated his particular sport and distanced himself from everyone else in his sport like Jerry Rice. In every sport, you can debate the best, is Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jy, or Mickey Mantle the best baseball player ever? In basketball, is it Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, or maybe even Kobe Bryant? All of these players can have a case made that they are the best at their sport, but Rice, there is no discussions, HE IS THE BEST. None of these dominated their sport like he did, and he did it week in and week out against double coverage. He was amazing.
Saturday in Canton, Jerry Rice will take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame, however, there are no words to describe just how great he was.
Congrats Jerry, YOU TRULY ARE THE BEST EVER!
UNTIL NEXT TIME.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
IT HAS TO BE SAID!!!
IT HAS TO BE SAID!!!
In life there are some things that should never be said. Just because something is true does not give us an excuse to say it. I am a big believer in the fact that sometimes IT IS BETTER TO JUST KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!! This is not one of them, so I will just say it...
BRETT FAVRE IS A BAD TEAM MATE!
Before I explain to you why he is a bad team mate, let me say I LOVE WATCHING BRETT FAVRE PLAY! I sat on mt bed watching Sports Center on Wednesday and they played a highlight of memorable Favre plays and soundbites and I was reminded how much I enjoy this guy. I have to admit, there is nobody that I like more, that I like less. I respect what he has accomplished as a quarterback. I love the way he plays the game.
However, make no mistake about it, Brett Favre is a bad team mate. One minute he is coming back, the next minute he is retiring. This has been going on for FIVE YEARS! He held the Packers organization hostage, with the will he or won't he retire. Then he retires, and they make Aaron Rodgers the starter...Just Kidding guys, I want to come back. Green Bay refuses and sends him to the Jets. EXACT SAME THING IN NEW YORK, However this time he got himself a release so he could go to the Vikings (the team he wanted to play for all along). Minnesota says take all of the time you need and he does. I had then and still do not have any problems with the way Minnesota has handled this. Let him come in when you want.
The problem with this is BRETT FAVRE GOT US AGAIN!!! It was announced on Tuesday that he had texted in that he would be retiring.On Wednesday, Favre says he did not text anyone. The problem with this is Visanthe Shiancoe is saying that Favre told him he was retiring and this was a major setback for the Vikings. When asked about Shiancoe's comments, Favre says that why I love him. What does that even mean?
Brett Favre is the most selfish man in all of sports. He is one of the all time great qb's, but he has held up 2 franchises, forced 1 trade, 1 release, had 2 retirement press conferences only to be the starting qb on the 1st game of the following season. Jared Allen sounded like a very frustrated man when he made the comments "Regardless of what he does, the sun is gonna come up, we are gonna have football to play, and we all have to be here practicing." Shiancoe now says he does not know what to believe, and why should he, Favre threw him under the bus by saying he had not texted anyone even though Shiancoe was already on record as saying he texted me.
There is another factor here...THE MONEY!!! Go ahead and tell me how he does not need the money. If money can't impact this decision, the why did the Vikings add money to his salary this year. This was not a case of reworking a deal, there are no extra years to be reported. There are no salary cap ramifications. Why would the Vikings feel the need to call and say "By the way if you play this year, I want to give you an extra $3 million, just because I am trying to get to an even number with our payroll. NO, On Tuesday, they were under the belief that Favre was done and so they did the only thing they could do...OFFER MORE MONEY! If money has nothing to do with this, then DON'T TAKE IT! Please do not pull a LeBron on me and take the money but "give it to charity". SAY NO TO THE MONEY!
At least this would mean that it was not about money, and that would make you a man of your word...AT LEAST FOR ONCE!
Sorry, Brett.
Until Next Time...
In life there are some things that should never be said. Just because something is true does not give us an excuse to say it. I am a big believer in the fact that sometimes IT IS BETTER TO JUST KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!! This is not one of them, so I will just say it...
BRETT FAVRE IS A BAD TEAM MATE!
Before I explain to you why he is a bad team mate, let me say I LOVE WATCHING BRETT FAVRE PLAY! I sat on mt bed watching Sports Center on Wednesday and they played a highlight of memorable Favre plays and soundbites and I was reminded how much I enjoy this guy. I have to admit, there is nobody that I like more, that I like less. I respect what he has accomplished as a quarterback. I love the way he plays the game.
However, make no mistake about it, Brett Favre is a bad team mate. One minute he is coming back, the next minute he is retiring. This has been going on for FIVE YEARS! He held the Packers organization hostage, with the will he or won't he retire. Then he retires, and they make Aaron Rodgers the starter...Just Kidding guys, I want to come back. Green Bay refuses and sends him to the Jets. EXACT SAME THING IN NEW YORK, However this time he got himself a release so he could go to the Vikings (the team he wanted to play for all along). Minnesota says take all of the time you need and he does. I had then and still do not have any problems with the way Minnesota has handled this. Let him come in when you want.
The problem with this is BRETT FAVRE GOT US AGAIN!!! It was announced on Tuesday that he had texted in that he would be retiring.On Wednesday, Favre says he did not text anyone. The problem with this is Visanthe Shiancoe is saying that Favre told him he was retiring and this was a major setback for the Vikings. When asked about Shiancoe's comments, Favre says that why I love him. What does that even mean?
Brett Favre is the most selfish man in all of sports. He is one of the all time great qb's, but he has held up 2 franchises, forced 1 trade, 1 release, had 2 retirement press conferences only to be the starting qb on the 1st game of the following season. Jared Allen sounded like a very frustrated man when he made the comments "Regardless of what he does, the sun is gonna come up, we are gonna have football to play, and we all have to be here practicing." Shiancoe now says he does not know what to believe, and why should he, Favre threw him under the bus by saying he had not texted anyone even though Shiancoe was already on record as saying he texted me.
There is another factor here...THE MONEY!!! Go ahead and tell me how he does not need the money. If money can't impact this decision, the why did the Vikings add money to his salary this year. This was not a case of reworking a deal, there are no extra years to be reported. There are no salary cap ramifications. Why would the Vikings feel the need to call and say "By the way if you play this year, I want to give you an extra $3 million, just because I am trying to get to an even number with our payroll. NO, On Tuesday, they were under the belief that Favre was done and so they did the only thing they could do...OFFER MORE MONEY! If money has nothing to do with this, then DON'T TAKE IT! Please do not pull a LeBron on me and take the money but "give it to charity". SAY NO TO THE MONEY!
At least this would mean that it was not about money, and that would make you a man of your word...AT LEAST FOR ONCE!
Sorry, Brett.
Until Next Time...
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