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NBA: This is the Year, but Who’s Year?

The Miami Heat this year are once again poised to win it all. The Heat have the best record in the Eastern Conference and are playing up to the level everyone expected. The Miami Heat look like a team that can make a deep playoff run and win the whole NBA Championship. Lebron James could very well achieve his first NBA Championship this year.

Hold on though, the road will not be easy. I am not even sure that the Heat will make it out of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls playing well and the emergence of the “new look” New York Knicks. I might even say that the Miami Heat may have had their best chance to obtain a Championship ring last season. While the Heat are not a pushover by any means, many teams are adjusting to their style of play. In addition, other teams are constructing their own Championship caliber rosters to challenge the Miami Heat.

Who wins the Eastern Conference this year?

The Dallas Mavericks can of course cause some trouble for the Miami Heat if they see them again in the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs could pose some interesting matchups for the Miami Heat and may be able to pull off a miracle similar to the Dallas Mavericks improbable playoff run last year. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder could very well not only be a challenge for the Heat but be one of the only teams that can prevent the Heat from reaching their goal for a second consecutive year.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the most dominant scorers in the game. Serge Ibaka is a defensive force in the middle and James Harden may very well be the new Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson. The Miami Heat will have their work cut out for them if they see the Thunder in the NBA Finals. I am confident that the Thunder will have no problem finishing games this year.

We know which one has proven to be more clutch….

Kevin Durant is as clutch as they come when the game is on the line. Give Durant any sort of room and he will shoot “the dagger” that will put the game out of reach any time. On the other side we have Lebron James who has still yet to prove that he can finish important games. If James has a meltdown in the 4^th quarter during playoff games like last year, the Miami Heat will have a hard time even making the NBA Finals. In addition, once the Miami Heat make the Finals, if Lebron James is still having the same issue, the curtain could fall on the Miami Heat show again.

It is a distinct possibility that the Miami Heat will lose in the playoffs again this year, and everyone will say the experiment has failed. The Miami Heat will have tried to bringing players with phenomenal talent together without the teamwork needed to be successful. If Lebron James does not win this year can he truly keep the name “King” James? All the kings I have ever read about have crowns and Lebron James will be lacking one. Maybe Lebron James will need to take on a new moniker. I am voting for “Knight” James until Lebron James can prove that he can deliver at least one of the many promised rings to South Beach.

NBA: The Mighty, Mighty, New York Knicks??

The question that everyone wants to know that watches NBA basketball is, how good can the New York Knicks be? The answer is that the Knicks can be very good. The New York Knicks, once they figure out how all the pieces fit together, could challenge the Miami Heat for Eastern Conference dominance. With the addition of J.R. Smith and the discovery of Jeremy Lin, the sky is now the limit for the New York Knicks.

In addition to Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith could be the missing piece the New York Knicks needed?

The problem that the New York Knicks face is that no one knows how all the pieces will coexist. Amare Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin, Carmello Anthony and J.R. Smith all have to form some semblance of team chemistry. The main problem that was apparent in last night’s game versus the New Jersey Nets was that Carmello Anthony was not sure where to fit in within the Jeremy Lin run offense.  It was easy to see that Anthony was trying to find his place on the team. I cannot remember the last time that Carmello Anthony played 37 minutes and only had 11 points.

Can Jeremy Lin and Carmello Anthony coexist in New York?

Until Carmello Anthony finds his place on the team and fills his scoring role, the New York Knicks will be just another good team. However, once everything clicks for Anthony, the Knicks will become one of the great teams in the Eastern Conference. No one doubts that Carmello Anthony can score and put up some spectacular performances. The real dilemma is how long will is it going take for Anthony to figure out how to do the same without being the main focus of the offense? Carmello Anthony has to become a role player, who is willing to sacrifice his own personal numbers for the good of the team. I am not sure if Anthony can accomplish the feat, no matter how much Anthony claims he can. Carmello Anthony for most of his career has been a shoot first and ask questions later kind of player. This is definitely one of the most anticipated “wait and see” stories of 2012.

Are we actually going to see a Carmello Anthony that passes the ball this year?

The sooner Carmello Anthony becomes another working part of the Knicks machine rather than driver, the better off the New York Knicks will be. The problem is that time is running short. The shortened NBA season gives the New York Knicks a limited amount of time to make everything fit together before the playoffs. The New York Knicks are going to have work overtime to develop the kind of team work that wins a championship in less time than many of the other top playoff contenders, including the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Can the Knicks actually challenge the Miami Heat this year?

The Miami Heat took almost all of last NBA season to finally come together and start playing like a NBA championship contending team. Even after the Miami Heat were deep into the NBA Playoffs, we still saw some lapses in team chemistry. The New York Knicks can only hope that their learning curve is much shorter and the team comes together before the NBA playoffs begin. If the New York Knicks are able to accomplish the task, the Knicks could ride the Lin-Mello-Stoudemire-Smith wave far into the playoffs.

Jim Irsay vs. Peyton Manning and the World

The Peyton Manning Saga has been a subject of much controversy since last year. However, the curiosity of everyone has increased leading up to the Super Bowl, since the game was in Indianapolis. Now that a Super Bowl champion has been crowned, all the attention has shifted to all eyes on Peyton Manning and his decision whether to stay or leave the Colts.

Peyton Manning has said from day one that he would love to stay an Indianapolis Colt and play out the rest of his career with the team. Manning has never said that he wanted to leave the Indianapolis Colts organization. The writing has just been on the wall for a while. With the firing of most of the coaching staff and even Vice President Bill Polian, the Colts have made it very clear they are moving in a new direction. Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts has even stated the team is drafting Andrew Luck with the first pick of this year’s NFL Draft. Luck is for all intensive purposes Peyton Manning’s replacement and the Indianapolis Colts quarterback of the future.

Should the Colts stick with the past or go with the future?

Jim Irsay is true to his name as everything he says is kind of like a person saying “Err umm you may have heard that but that is not exactly the truth, err um but this is kind of the truth.” Jim Irsay clearly wants Peyton Manning to retire but Manning has no plans to cooperate with Irsay’s plans. Peyton Manning plans to return and play in the NFL this upcoming season.

Peyton Manning did have some neck surgery this past year, the third in two years. Manning has been recovering all of last season to get ready to return for this upcoming year. Peyton Manning has even been cleared by two different doctors to play. Jim Irsay has refuted that statement that Peyton Manning is cleared to play, saying he has not been cleared by the Indianapolis Colts. This is a clear example of how Jim Irsay is not supporting Peyton Manning’s return. Usually an owner would support his starting quarterback doing everything he can to get back on the field. Irsay is not that kind of owner.

Is the support of Peyton Manning’s return by Jim Irsay all one big sham?

The public and fans do not want to see Manning on another team. Jim Irsay does not want to see Peyton Manning go to another NFL franchise and witness Manning helping another team rise to the top. In spite of all this, everyone realizes that the Indianapolis Colts will most likely release Peyton Manning at some point before March 8^th. March 8^th is when Peyton Manning is due his roster bonus over 25 million. The Indianapolis Colts cannot afford to keep Manning and also pay Andrew Luck his contract as well. The inevitable is coming soon with Peyton Manning being able to choose from a number of suitors.

Who will win the services of Peyton Manning this year if he leaves the Colts?

Jim Irsay did make a PR move by endorsing that Peyton Manning was welcome to stay. After a whole year of no support for Manning, now when Irsay thinks his image is bad he wants to endorse keeping Manning. Irsay should have been saying this long ago. Now the statement just looks like Jim Irsay is trying to save face. Jim Irsay did much too little and way too late in my opinion of the way he treated Peyton Manning. If I was Manning I would already have my bags packed and have one foot out of the door.

A great deal of teams would welcome Peyton Manning’s services and pay him well. Jim Irsay may say that he knows what he has in Peyton Manning but I do not believe that he does. If Jim Irsay really had a clue of how special Peyton Manning is, the treatment of the star quarterback would have been much different. Unfortunately, Jim Irsay decided to take the wrong road when dealing with this delicate situation. The Indianapolis Colts need a quarterback of the future but they may need a new owner right now.

NBA: The 5 Game Epic Story of Jeremy Lin

By now the World is enraptured by the next great thing and that next great thing  people are clamoring about is Jeremy Lin. Lin has generated all sorts of buzz leading the New York Knicks on an impressive win streak. The more impressive part is the Jeremy Lin has done it without any help from the injured stars Carmello Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Jeremy Lin has had five games of scoring more than 20 points.  Lin has become the go to guy on a very limited New York Knicks roster.

Jeremy Lin has become a New York sensation in just five games

In addition, Lin is dishing out an impressive amount of assists, averaging eight assists a game . Jeremy Lin is drawing comparisons to a lesser impressive Steve Nash clone. While Jeremy Lin does not nearly have the resume of Steve Nash, Lin is catching the attention of all the critics with his improved play. Everyone is wondering is this some fluke run that will end abruptly as teams begin to figure Jeremy Lin out?

Is Jeremy Lin a less impressive version of a young Steve Nash?

The answer to that question is inevitably yes and no. To explain, what Jeremy Lin will do will change as Amare Stoudemire and Carmello Anthony return. His role will change from being the go to guy for every play to being much more of a facilitator. Instead of Jeremy Lin having to try to knock down as many shots as possible as he did in previous games, Lin will share the wealth so to speak with Stoudemire and Anthony.

Can Carmello Anthony and Amare Stoudemore coexist with Jeremy Lin?

This does not mean Jeremy Lin will not score. I can easily see Jeremy Lin continuing to average 20 points and 8 assists a game even with Amare Stoudemire and Carmello Anthony back in the lineup. Lin may even average greater or less numbers depending on what the team needs him to do to win. With the defensive attention Amare Stoudemire and Carmello Anthony will receive when on the court, opposing teams will have to allow Jeremy Lin to roam free. Having to lessen the pressure on Jeremy Lin will definitely cause some defensive mismatches to fall Lin’s way.

Total Linsanity!!!

None of the signs are there to say that Jeremy Lin will be a one week wonder. Lin did not suddenly acquire some, “Space Jam Michael Jordan”, basketball skills. Jeremy Lin is just a diamond in the rough that needed the right coach to make him shine. The New York Knicks may have found the missing piece and created their own “Big Three.” Only time will tell if the pieces will fit together. My best guess is that Linsanity will continue as Jeremy Lin continues to help the New York Knicks Win! Win! Win! or should I say Lin! Lin! Lin!

NFL Off-Season Beginnings: Mistakes

The NFL is officially upon us and we have already seen a big move be made by the New York Jets deciding to keep Santonio Holmes. The Jets decided to keep Holmes, even though he was due $15.25 million dollars in guaranteed money. Holmes signed a 45 million dollar contract last year and I was not sure the New York Jets would keep Santonio Holmes this season after putting up sub-par numbers last season. Santonio Holmes only caught 51 balls for 654 yards and 8 touchdowns. Santonio Holmes is nowhere near an elite NFL wide receiver but he is getting paid like one.

Are the New York Jets over paying for Santonio Holmes services??

Let us put things in perspective and look at elite reciever Larry Fitzgerald, who makes 15 million a year. Larry Fitzgerald had 1411 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns last season. Santonio Holmes is not even in the same league as Fitzgerald talent wise yet the Jets seem to want to over pay for his services.  In addition, Santonio Holmes has caused quite a bit of conflict in the New York Jets locker room. Not only is Holmes being over paid but he is also a disruption on the team. I do not get the logic of the New York Jets leadership by keeping Santonio Holmes. If I was in a similar situation I would trade Holmes for some draft picks and find some receivers in the NFL draft. Moreover, I would spend over 50% less what the New York Jets are paying Santonio Holmes for putting up some very average wide reciever numbers.

While the New York Jets were busy making mistakes in keep players, the Indianapolis Colts are about to make an even bigger mistake in releasing one. The Indianapolis Colts are setting themselves up to release Peyton Manning. We may not know what the status of Peyton Manning’s health is at this point but if Manning is any form healthy I would not release him. Peyton Manning is an elite quarterback and even if he is only 75% healthy, Manning is better than probably 50% of the quarterbacks in the NFL. I can name quite a few teams who would dump their current quarterback for Peyton Manning in a heartbeat. These teams would not even blink an eye as they sent their current quarterback packing to make room for their new NFL franchise savior, Peyton Manning.

Peyton Manning is saying he is healthy and ready to go! Release Him??

In addition, Peyton Manning would get a huge payday to go to his new team. Manning would not have to worry about proving himself to receive what he is worth. Manning has done enough to prove that he is worth the risk. I am already envisioning a Drew Brees situation all over again where the Colts let Peyton Manning go and Manning brings another franchise back to relevance. Peyton Manning might even win another Super Bowl with the right team and the Colts will still be rebuilding. This will be similar to the San Diego Chargers situation a few years ago when they decided to release Drew Brees after the team drafted Philip Rivers. Drew Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints and the rest is history. Since that decision, how many Super Bowls have the Chargers won? Recently, the San Diego Chargers cannot even make the playoffs. However, each year the New Orleans Saints, with the former San Diego Chargers quarterback, are competing for a Super Bowl every year.

Remember when the Chargers thought Philip Rivers was a better option than Drew Brees….

Peyton Manning, if healthy, could legitimately be the franchise quarterback for another team for three to four years. Give a good NFL team a player that can boost their franchise to the next level for three to four years and they will be happy on two levels. First, the NFL franchise can compete in the playoffs for that time every year and have a chance at making the Super Bowl. Second, the move would buy the NFL franchise time to draft and build for the future. This would be especially true at the quarterback position for that NFL team because the quarterback the team decides to draft can sit and learn behind Peyton Manning. A good NFL prospect that can learn behind an Elite NFL quarterback like Peyton Manning will automatically increase their potential development ceiling. Aaron Rodgers learned behind Brett Favre for a time and now Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. If a team can do something similar with Manning being a mentor to a younger quarterback, the sky is the limit.

Will we see Peyton Manning doing this pose with another NFL team before his career ends?

In a perfect world, Peyton Manning would stay inIndianapolisand Santonio Holmes would have been released as well. However, we know that we do not live in a perfect world and the both situations will end up in the opposite of those outcomes. The jet that is Santonio Holmes has already landed to complete one half of this equation. Peyton Manning airlines is still circling deciding where to land. Where will the final destination of Peyton Manning be? No one knows but it is definitely a story worth watching to see how it all plays out. As the drama ensues the immortal words of Terrell Owens comes to mind “ Get your popcorn ready!”

NFL Special Report: The Super Bowl

Well the Super Bowl has come and gone. As expected by most of the experts and myself the Giants won but it was definitely not in the dominant manner most predicted. The New York Giants won 21-17 over the New England Patriots. Tom Brady and the company put up quite a fight that went down to the last play. We will never know if the outcome would have been different if the Patriots had Rob Gronkowski at full strength and not the very limited role he played.

Tom Brady and the Patriots leave defeated…

If “The Gronk” was fully healthy would the outcome have been different?

What we do know however is that Tom Brady needed some major help on the receiving end, and the answer was not Chad Ochocinco. Deion Branch, Wes Welker, and Aaron Hernandez all dropped balls at crucial times that would of helped the Patriots maybe win the game. I am not sure if it was nerves or not but catches these players would normally make were all of a sudden being dropped all over the field.

It could have been the aftermath of the Tebow effect, as Tim Tebow was on the news more than the actual Super Bowl was during the weeks before the game. Especially the last week before the game I saw more airtime devoted to Tim Tebow than to what was going on with the Super Bowl. On the other hand, maybe it was the Peyton Manning Curse because they desecrated the stadium he built (figuratively speaking) by replacing his picture with that of the hated Tom Brady.

I am being facetious but I have heard all the stories and excuses as to why the Patriots loss. Tom Brady’s significant other put it plainly, “My husband cannot throw and catch the ball at the same time.” And so the finger pointing has begun from the fans, public and even some sports analysts, even though Tom Brady, Coach Belicheck, and owner Robert Kraft are all optimistic about next year and the direction the Patriots are moving.

And what is not to be excited about? The New England Patriots have two first round picks and two second round picks in this years upcoming NFL Draft. They have a largely young team with some up and coming stars. The Patriots also have one of the best quarterbacks in the league that took a team with the worst defense all the way to the Super Bowl in Tom Brady. The future is looking bright in Patriots Land.

On the other side of the field, we have the Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants. No one at the beginning of the year picked the Giants to do anything significant at all. Matter of fact, most experts had claimed the Atlanta Falcons or the Philadelphia Eagles to be the team that had a chance to win the whole thing. Little did anyone know that Eli Manning would turn the corner from good quarterback to elite NFL quarterback during this NFL season. The running joke has become more true than ever that we cannot truly have Elite without Eli being included.

Eli has done the impossible once again, taking down the Patriots in the process

Eli Manning has had a dream season that was something like out of a movie. If we were in the theater watching this story with some popcorn, every person would have come out saying, “Wow that movie was great!” Even if a person is not a New York Giants fan, they have to recognize that the New York Giants did something very inspiring over this last NFL season.

I did not see one inspiring story from the New England Patriots side of the field other than that the players were playing for the owner’s wife who passed. That is a great cause for the players but it is hard for the public to really connect to. In addition, that story was a very small part of what was heard from the Patriots camp. Most of what I heard all week was jokes about Rob Gronkowski’s ankle.

That is wonderful to have a sense of humor but on the New York Giants side of the ball, I heard a story about Justin Tuck who wears a special wrist band from a child he befriended that dealt with cancer and eventually died from the disease. I, like every other fan, that saw the story looked to see if Justin Tuck had it on during the Super Bowl and true to his word it was on his wrist. That is the kind of story that touches the soul of people. Or I also saw a story about Jason Pierre-Paul’s dad who was blind and has never seen his son play, but listens and cheers for his son every game. The first game that Jason Pierre-Paul’s dad came to was the Super Bowl. They showed him at the game, enjoying the game and listening to the game.

Justin Tuck after making a sack and the wristband is there…inspiring!

Jason Pierre-Paul played his best football with his dad in attendance for the first time ever

If a person was not a Patriots fan, how could they not love what the New York Giants represented coming up to the game. The New York Giants had player stories that would connect with the hearts of many people who saw them and heard them. Even if someone did not really care if the Giants won or lost, people would connect with a certain player and want them to do well because of their story. I am sure some people as the game continued wanted the Giants to win not because they were fans but because of the connection that person had developed with a certain player, due to these different heart-touching stories.

I can safely say that this has been one of the most enjoyable NFL seasons in a long time. The ups and downs were frequent and it was a great to see some new teams rise up and challenge the veteran teams. The Detroit Lions, The San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and the Cincinnati Bengals all look to have bright futures ahead of them. Off season is officially here, let the excitement for next season begin today as we dream of another great season next year. Do not look at this as the end but only the beginning of another great year.

NFL: Super Bowl Preview

This weekend to most sports fan is the biggest weekend of the year. It is Super Bowl Weekend and all of the NFL fans have been waiting all year to see which teams would be the ones to overcome all the odds to land in the big game. This year we have the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. It must be the Northern air that has given both of these teams the will to persevere.

No one could have guessed that these would be the two teams left out of all the 32 NFL teams at the beginning of the year. That being said, no NFL football fan can be disappointed by the matchup. This is a game that some might even call the Heroes versus the Villains. I only say this because New England has developed a reputation of having such a swagger that it truly rubs many fans the wrong way. I have heard so many people say to me lately, “I want anyone to win other than the New England Patriots.” This makes New England the villain that people want to see taken down. What better team to accomplish the goal of stopping New England than the last team that beat them in the Super Bowl?

Is this really how most people see the upcoming Super Bowl Game??

In 2007, New England had gone 18-0 and needed one more game for a perfect season. Everybody saw the writing on the wall, and it was a foregone conclusion New England would not lose the Super Bowl. However, New England happened to play the New York Giants who had got one similar hot streak to this year’s playoff run. The Giants ended up doing the impossible and taking down their own giant in the unbeatable Patriots. The not so distant past.

Fast forward five years and we have a rematch, except this time no one is saying the Patriots is unbeatable. The majority of people are favoring the New York Giants in the game as no one has any faith in the New England Patriots very suspect defense. Fans and some experts are claiming that the Patriots will notch another loss this time around, and it will solidify Eli Manning’s legacy as an elite quarterback.

The game itself has everything a football fan could want; two potent offenses, an NFL elite defense, some rising stars and two of the best quarterbacks in the game– Tom Brady and Eli Manning. With two quarterbacks that surpassed the 5000 yard passing mark, we should see some amazing passes and catches. In addition, we can count on some great defensive plays, and of course as always some Belichick trickery. Bill Belichick definitely gets the Les Miles title of the Mad Hatter in the NFL.

The New England Patriots definitely have a high scoring offense that can put up points on any NFL team. However, the job of scoring will not be such an easy task against a New York Giants defense that is ranked #2 in the post season in total defense. Tom Brady will be under pressure all day from the New York Giants dominant front four which include Osi Umeniyora, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Chris Canty or Dave Tollefson. Tom Brady will not have time to sit in the pocket all day and pick apart the defense has he has been able to in previous games. Brady will have to get the ball out of his hands quick or suffer the consequences.

Another significant point to take notice of is that Rob Gronkowski, aka “The Gronk” aka Tom Brady’s favorite target is dealing with a high ankle sprain. No matter how much rehab Rob Gronkowski does, he will not be 100 percent when he enters the game on Sunday. I am not saying that Tom Brady cannot adjust to Rob Gronkowski being injured. However, when you are used to having a very reliable option every week and then that option is suddenly very limited or not there at all, Tom Brady’s day will be much harder. It will be interesting to see how the New England Patriots deal with the New York Giants front four rush.

Can “The Gronk” recover in time for the big game on Sunday??

On the other side of the field, we have Eli Manning and the New York Giants. The Patriots do not have the same luxury as the New York Giants with having a dominant front four. The Patriots will have to employ a more conventional blitzing scheme which employs linebackers. Eli Manning was able to pick apart the San Francisco 49ers defense which has superior linebackers and a superior defensive line. I have no doubt that Eli Manning can do quite a bit of damage through the air to the Patriots defense. The only issue that the Giants face is trying to keep up with the Patriots scoring attack. If the game starts to get into a high scoring affair, the New York Giants may be in trouble. I am not sure if the Giants can keep up with the Patriots where defense is an afterthought.

As my readers know I would not leave without giving some sort of prediction. I am going to predict that the New York Giants defense will indeed be able to pressure Tom Brady enough to get him off his normal rhythm. The Giants will win to the score of 31-24 over the Patriots.

Will we see a repeat of the New England Patriots defeat and be taking this same picture ?

Well that is it boys and girls. The final game of the football season is on the horizon and soon we will have a Super Bowl Champion. We have had a great NFL season and even when it is all over we will be immediately thinking about the NFL Draft and next season. Enjoy the Big Game, have a great Super Bowl party or attend one, and I will see everyone on the other side.

NFL Pro Bowl: View Of An NFL Prototype

Hello all, the sports world was definitely very active this weekend. Shaun White proved that even with a sprained ankle that he is the dominant force in snowboarding. In addition, we also see that Tiger Woods does not look like he has fully recovered from a broken heart as he fails to clinch another victory. Bill Belicheck even managed to make a joke on Monday and show his humorous side. I had forgotten the master of the stoic impression could actually have a funny bone in his body.

The Pro Bowl also took place over the weekend and because of some players choosing not to attend, alternates were allowed to take their place. One of the alternates the public was able to see in this year’s Pro Bowl was Cam Newton.

While other players were at the Pro Bowl,Cam was actually one of the most interviewed and talked about. The media asked about what other quarterbacks such as Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers thought of someone with Cam Newton’s abilities. Both Roethlisberger and Rodgers were impressed but seemed worried that this new prototype of quarterback could make the pure pocket passer obsolete.

When Cam Newton was interviewed and asked if he was satisfied with making the Pro Bowl this year,Cam indicated this is only the beginning and he plans to accomplish greater things. Mr. Newton even said that he wants to go past reaching for the stars and become a planet! That may be a bit much but Cam Newton definitely has a way with words. We may soon see if Cam Newton can be as smooth with his words as Muhammad Ali was during his prime of his career. It would be refreshing to see a bit of a different kind of attitude than what we are used to seeing at the quarterback position. I would not mind seeing a quarterback with some swagger in a good way.

Cam Newton did not play particularly well during the Pro Bowl.Newton only threw for 186 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Cam Newton was also sacked a few times, which is something we are not used to seeing sinceCamis known for his running versatility. It was easy to tell that Cam Newton was not very comfortable running the offense at the Pro Bowl. However, whenCamlooked to a familiar face in Steve Smith, lead wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, we were able to see what he is truly able to do. Steve Smith caught 5 balls for 118 yards and a touchdown. All of Smith’s yards were delivered courtesy of Cam Newton.

This year we have seen the ups and downs of Cam Newton. We have seen him have great performances and then some performances that made us realizeNewtonis still a rookie. With all that being said no one can deny his talent. Players, coaches, and owners are all realizing that a new prototype of quarterback may very well be the future of football. Defensive coordinators are soon going to have a much harder job as quarterbacks such as Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Denard Robinson are soon going to be the norm.

As much as some love Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, teams are going to soon be clamoring to get their hands on the next Cam Newton, Randall Cunningham, or Michael Vick clone. The changing of the guard will come over the next few years and Cam Newton may indeed be the frontrunner. I have no doubt we have not seen anywhere near the ceiling where Cam Newton will actually level off. We can all just sit back and enjoy the ride that Mr. Newton has so graciously given us all a ticket on.

Will the Giants vs. Patriots Superbowl Be the Most Anticipated Superbowl of All-Time?

 

By Michelle Zehr

Zehr is a contributing writer for Gold Star Games, a tailgating games company.

The year 2007 was a story of David and Goliath when it came to the Superbowl.  The New England Patriots dominated the NFL with an 18-0 record. The Patriots appeared to be unstoppable and were looking to make history.  On the other hand, the New York Giants were given very little credit. Vegas and the general public had written the Giants off. The Giants took the long, hard road to the Superbowl, which included a stop at Lambeau Field to take on Brett Favre and the Packers.

Then there was the Superbowl, the Giants put an end to the Patriots’ perfect season. With an amazing defense, an explosive offense and a receiving miracle that occurred when David Tyree caught the ball with the help of his helmet to set up a Plaxico touchdown pass.

Now, back to the present. The Patriots finished the season on top of the AFC. On the other hand,  the New York Giants finished fourth in the NFC and had to win a tough road game versus San Francisco to make it to the Superbowl.

This has long been the opportunity Bill Bellcheck and the New England Patriots have been waiting for over the past five years. Bellcheck now has the chance to redeem himself from what was quite possibly the most devastating loss in Superbowl history and earn a fourth Superbowl ring for the New England Patriots’ franchise.

On the other hand, you have Eli Manning, who is looking to legitimize his career by receiving his second Superbowl ring, which would be one more than his big brother, Peyton, has. Manning has the chance to prove himself as an elite quarterback.

We have one team looking for redemption and other team looking to write their place in NFL history as one of the best teams in the past decade. This is bound to be a Superbowl for the ages, one that everyone (whether you like the Giants and/or Patriots or not) will be looking forward to.

Football: Icons and Championships, Rematch is Set

Well the weekend was quite eventful. First and foremost the most important event that took place over the weekend was the death of an icon. Joe Paterno passed away this past weekend at the age of 85. Paterno was the head coach and the face ofPennStateUniversityfor many years. When people thought of PennState, they immediately thought of Joe Paterno.

The Penn State scandal that took place late last year and cost Joe Paterno his job was the beginning of the end. Before the scandal hit the news Joe Paterno had said he would still coach through the end of the season and beyond. Due to the Penn State scandal though, Joe Paterno lost the only job he had known for 45 years. I believe that even though Joe Paterno said he was dealing with it fine, that in truth, the whole situation crushed him.

After losing his head coaching position at Penn State, the reports started rolling in that Paterno was sick, dealing with lung cancer and other ailments. Before the Penn State scandal was public knowledge, we had no idea Joe Paterno was even sick at all. While no one can take away anything from what Joe Paterno accomplished in his time at PennState, I believe the loss of one of the things he loved most was too much for Paterno to handle. Ultimately, once the decision was final and Joe Paterno no longer had any Saturday games to prepare for, no kids to share his wisdom with, and no more college football victories to celebrate, Paterno lost the will to carry on any further. Truly this weekend was a sad end to the legacy of a great man.

College football was not the only football world shaken up this weekend though. We still had NFL Football Conference Championship games this weekend.  The two games featured the Baltimore Ravens versus the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers versus the New York Giants. Both games lived up to the hype. Neither game was a blowout and both came down to the last few plays.

The first game of the weekend was AFC Championship game featuring Baltimore Ravens versus the New England Patriots. The Baltimore Ravens played a great game. Joe Flacco actually out played Tom Brady and showed why he is the Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback. Joe Flacco threw for 306 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Tom Brady only threw for 239 yards and zero touchdowns.  Joe Flacco made all the right throws other than a couple of throws here and there. One crucial throw that Joe Flacco missed was to Torrey Smith, where Smith was wide open downfield and Flacco just overthrew him. If Joe Flacco had hit Torrey Smith on that throw, Smith would have out run the New England Patriots defender for a touchdown.

Ray Rice did not have a particularly impressive game only rushing for 67 yards. The Patriots did a good job of keeping Ray Rice in check all day. Benjarvus Green-Ellis of the New England Patriots actually ran for more yards than Ray Rice by one yard and was able to score a touchdown as well. Even though Tom Brady did not throw for a touchdown, Brady did run for a touchdown by diving over a pile of defenders. Tom Brady showed that he had the heart and will to win with that dive.

The game ultimately came down to the last 30 seconds with the Patriots up 23-20. Joe Flacco threw what should have been the game winning pass to Lee Evans. As Lee Evans caught the pass and tried to secure the ball, the ball was knocked out by Sterling Moore. If we looked at the catch that Lee Evans had, we could debate whether he had the ball long enough to be declared a touchdown. However, since there was no call for it being a touchdown, the play was never reviewed. Then the Baltimore Ravens had one more chance to tie the game up and go to over time with a Billy Cundiff 32 yard field goal. Cundiff ran out on the field, lined up for the kick, and missed the field goal wide left. Any NFL kicker should be able to convert a 32 yard field goal and Cundiff missed it completely. If I was the Ravens I would be looking for a new kicker for next season.

The final game on Sunday was the NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants. The fans got exactly what they expected out of this game. This game was a down to the wire game where both defenses of the 49ers and Giants played their hearts out. Everyone was able to see how dominating the Giants defensive front can truly be. In addition, the 49ers linebacker corps showed why they are one of the best in the league. Patrick Willis and company caused Eli Manning havoc all day.

Alex Smith after having a great game last week had a pretty terrible game this past weekend. Smith threw for 196 yard and 2 touchdowns but watching smith play was not poetry in motion like it was against the New Orleans Saints. Vernon Davis made Alex Smith’s bad day be a passable quarterback performance as Davis made up for the majority of Alex Smith’s passing yards on just 3 catches for 112 yards. We were able to witness the difference between an elite quarterback and a good quarterback as Eli Manning played a great game. Eli Manning threw for 316 passing yards and 2 touchdowns in less than favorable weather conditions as the rain came down upon the field. Despite the play of Alex Smith, the 49ers were still able to keep up with the New York Giants. The two plays that gave the New York Giants the victory were two plays made by the same player.

Kyle Williams, the replacement for Ted Ginn Jr. because of an injury, was given the job of returning kicks. Two times during the game Williams made huge errors on kick returns. The first time happened during the second half where the ball was kicked to Williams on a punt and Williams was going to field the punt but then decided not to. However, when Williams decided not to field the punt the ball bounced off the leg of Kyle Williams and The New York Giants recovered the ball in great field position. The second incident was in overtime. Kyle Williams was returning a punt again and this time he had the ball stripped from his grasp on the return. These are two very crucial errors that probably do not happen if Tedd Ginn Jr. was on the field. The second fumble allowed the New York Giants to setup and kick the game winning field goal. My heart goes out to Kyle Williams because he was trying to do the right thing both times and just happened to make the two most costly mistakes of the game. Hopefully, Kyle Williams will be able to put this behind him and move on to do some wonderful things for the 49ers down the road. The final score ended up being 20-17 in favor of the New York Giants.

The Super Bowl is no set and looks like we will have a rematch of the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. We should see a great game as we see one of the top offenses in the league try to out smart one of the best defenses in the league and vice versa. I am ready to see if Eli can get that second ring or will Brady get his fourth ring. The battle should be one to remember. The final game of the season is looming closer. I am ready to see who will be the Super Bowl Champion but I am also sad the season will be over.

NFL Division Championship Preview: Veterans and a Throwback

Well the weekend is almost here again and that means some great NFL conference Championship action is on the way. This weekend will determine who plays in the NFL Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots will meet for the AFC Championship game. TheSan Francisco49ers and New York Giants will meet for the NFC Championship game. The clash of four best teams in the NFL will begin on Saturday.

The first game this Sunday is between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. The Baltimore Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL and the New England Patriots have one of the best offenses in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens ended the season ranked the number three defense in the NFL only allowing 288 yards per game to their opponents. In addition, the Ravens have limited opponents to score an average of 16.6 points in a game. The Ravens do not make it an easy task for opponents to put the ball in the end zone.

However, on the other side of the field, the New England Patriots are one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL. The Patriots seem to have the ability to score at will and literally run up the score on whoever they play. The New England Patriots ended the regular season ranked the number two ranked offense in the NFL averaging 32.1 points a game. While I do not think that the Patriots can put up 32 points on the Baltimore Ravens, the Patriots will definitely score a few times.

Tom Brady is a master at dissecting defenses and once he finds a team weakness, the game is over. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are nightmare matchups for anyone who tries to cover the prolific tight end duo. Gronkowski will find the end zone at least one time during the game and if “The Gronk” can find the end zone multiple times, we are sure to see the Patriots running out of the Super Bowl tunnel in February. The Baltimore Ravens cannot afford to let the New England tight ends dominate the game. Hopefully, the Baltimore Ravens can disguise their defensive coverage enough to prevent Tom Brady from taking advantage.

Ray Lewis and company have their work cut out for them. The one factor that the Baltimore Ravens have working in their favor, besides their defense, is they have a great running game. Ray Rice is arguably the best running back in the league running the ball and receiving out of the backfield. Rice is capable of taking over a game on his own and allowing the Ravens to run a ball control type of game. Ray Rice ran for 1,346 during the regular season, second most in the NFL. In addition, Ray Rice had an impressive 704 receiving yards. If the Baltimore Ravens can get Ray Rice going, they have a chance of limiting how much Tom Brady sees the field. The Ravens will have to control the clock and have a significantly greater time of possession than the Patriots to come out with the win. Unfortunately, I do not believe the Baltimore Ravens can accomplish this goal. The final score to the game between the Patriots-Ravens game will be 24-17 in favor of the Patriots.

The second game on Sunday is between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants. Joe Montana and Phil Simms will take the field… oh wait…we are 2012, not some throwback game. I had to reminisce for a second because it has been so long since we have seen these two teams play in a NFC Championship game. The San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants are almost mirror images of each other in the type of game that they would like to run each week. Both teams can run the ball and control the time of possession of the game. Both teams have great defenses that can strike fear into opponents and cause turnovers. Before last week, I would have said that the New York Giants have an advantage in the passing game.

However, after seeing Alex Smith play last week I am not sure who is the better quarterback. Eli Manning has proven it more times this season but Smith has played mistake-free football all season long. Alex Smith may not have put up the gaudy passing numbers but Smith gets the job done most weeks. Last week though Alex Smith threw for 299 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Alex Smith even showed that he had an additional dimension to his game by running for a touchdown as well. No one can knock Alex Smith anymore for just being a game manager, Smith can make the throws.

This game will come down to two very important factors. The team the runs the ball better and has less turnovers will win the game. On the running side of the ball, the New York Giants feature Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. The San Francisco 49ers feature Frank Gore, who every year proves, that he is over his injury plagued seasons. Gore is a fierce downhill runner that has the speed to break for a long score at any time. Gore was the number six running back in the league this year with 1,211 rushing yards. I like the New York Giants running game in the post season but hard to bet against Frank Gore in any game that he plays. The San Francisco 49ers have the edge in the running game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the front four of the New York Giants is one of the best in the league with Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre Paul, Justin Tuck, and Chris Canty. With these four players rushing the offensive line in different formations, most teams will have a tough time having a productive day. The Giants can definitely bring the pressure on opposing quarterbacks and stop the run. The San Francisco 49ers on the other side of the field have Justin Smith along with linebackers Aldon Smith and Patrick Willis. I love what the 49ers are doing on their defensive front but San Francisco still has a good way to go before their defense is on the same level as the New York Giants. That being said, the New York Giants have the edge on defense. In the end, the San Francisco 49ers will win the game due to the play of Frank Gore running the ball well and Alex Smith continuing to prove he deserved his number one draft status in 2005. The San Francisco 49ers  will claim victory with a score of 34-31.

This is the final weekend before we reach the big game. It has been quite a long season but a great one. I cannot believe that we almost missed it because of a financial dispute between players and owners. Have to thank the players and owners one more time for getting it all worked out. Playoff action is in full effect and soon we will have our Super Bowl teams. All teams not only need to bring their “A” game but their “A+” game. Let the division champion be crowned.

The NFL Playoffs: Old School versus New School

This past weekend I made the mistake in my judgment of some NFL teams playing. I know that to make it to the NFL Super Bowl game and win the game, a team has to have heart. The team has to be able to overcome adversity and push through to make the clutch plays needed to win games. A team has to be able to overcome the odds and come out on top.

Due to my error in trying to find the teams with heart, I went 0-4 in all of my predictions this past weekend. I know that I cannot be perfect in my predictions but to get all of them wrong was very unusual. Then I realized I was putting too much confidence in teams that I thought would dig down deep inside to claim the victory in this past weekend’s playoff games.

The first game I will talk about is the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. I thought that the Denver Broncos would be able to run the ball on the Patriots last ranked NFL defense. I believed that the Denver Broncos could limit the amount of time Tom Brady was on the field. I even considered that the Denver Broncos might be able to slow down the New England Patriots passing game. Everything was in place for some Tebow Time revenge. Then it all fell apart as Tom Brady dismantled the Denver Broncos defense like a bad Lego imitation. The Denver Broncos who played inspired football most of the season, led by Tim Tebow, delivered a truly lackluster performance this weekend. Tom Brady passed for 363 yards and 6 touchdown passes, tying an NFL playoff record. Rob Gronkowski looked unstoppable as he caught 10 passes for 145 yard and three touchdowns. The game resembled what would take place if a top ten ranked college team took on a high school team. The Denver Broncos tried to put up a fight but were clearly outmatched. At one point the game was so out of hand Tom Brady even took over punting duties. The game ended with the New England Patriots winning 45-10 over the Denver Broncos.

The other game between two AFC teams was a closer a game as expected. The Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans took the field to battle it out. I considered that the Texans might be able to out play the Ravens. I figured Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and a great Texans Defense would be enough to take down Ray Lewis and company. However, I did not anticipate that the rookie T.J. Yates would not be able to muster even one touchdown against a Ravens defensive unit comprised of older veterans past their prime. I should have known that Ray Lewis would inspire the Ravens defensive unit to play some of their best ball of their careers.The Ravens gave up 132 yards on the ground to Arian Foster but the passing game of the Houston Texans was limited to 184 yards. Ed Reed and Ladarius Webb both grabbed interceptions in the 4th Quarter to dash all hope of a Texans comeback. On the other side of the field, Joe Flacco managed to throw two touchdowns and those two touchdowns plus two field goals sealed the fate of the Houston Texans with a score of 20-13 in favor of the Baltimore Ravens.

Switching to the NFC action, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants met on Lambeau Field. The Green Bay Packers came into the game with a record of 15-1 during the regular season. Aaron Rodgers had one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. The Green Bay Packers had everything in place to make it to another Super Bowl. The only problem was that the New York Giants were in the way, looking to deny the Green Bay Packers a chance at a repeat. The Giants accomplished their goal through making all the plays on offense and playing great defense. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers looked completely out of sync. Aaron Rodgers who had been averaging over 350 yards a game was reduced to less than 300 yards. The Giants defense sacked Aaron Rodgers 4 times and intercepted him once. On the other hand, Eli Manning had one of the best games of his season throwing for 330 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The New York Giants outplayed the Green Bay Packers in every facet of the game. The final score ended up being 37-20 in favor of the New York Giants.

The last game and the most exciting game of the weekend was the New Orleans Saints versus the San Francisco 49ers. I figured that the San Francisco 49ers defense would come to play and be able to hold the Saints to a lower scoring affair than normal. I believed that the 49ers would be able to hold the Saints for a few quarters but New Orleans would eventually pull away from the San Francisco scoring wise. I had no idea that the San Francisco 49ers would unleash their secret weapon, Alex Smith. All season long we never saw the 49ers allow Alex Smith the open up the passing game like this past weekend. Smith proved that he can make all the throws this weekend throwing for 299 passing yards and three touchdowns. Alex Smith also ran for one touchdown on the day. We knew that Drew Brees would come out throwing the ball and he did not disappoint either throwing for 462 yards and 4 touchdowns for the New Orleans Saints. The difference in the game was the amount of turnovers. The Saints had a total of 5 turnovers, including 2 interceptions by Drew Brees. The San Francisco 49ers played virtually mistake free football with only one turnover and Alex Smith threw no interceptions. The New Orleans Saints were still almost able to win the game but a last second touchdown from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis sealed the victory with a final score of 36-32 in favor of the 49ers.

We now have two NFL Division Championship games this weekend and the predictions and analysis will come later in the week. However, I am truly excited to see both games. The Baltimore Ravens versus the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers versus the New York Giants should both provide us great football action. I only have one thing to say to all my readers, “Are you ready for some Division Championship football?”

2012 NFL Playoffs Continue: Champions and Underdogs

The second week of the NFL playoffs are upon us and football mania continues. This means, yep you have guessed it, more projections for this weekend. I went three of four last week on projections for the playoffs. Let’s see how I do this weekend.

The first game of the weekend is the New Orleans Saints versus theSan Francisco49ers. I love this matchup actually because the 49ers defense has been one of the best all year long. On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints have one of the best, if not the best, offense in football. I am not expecting a blowout in this game, like I have, in the last few New Orleans Saints game. However, I do believe that the New Orleans Saints will win. Drew Brees is just playing on a completely different level than any other quarterback in the league right now. Brees is picking teams apart week in and week out and this week will be no different. Drew Brees will expose the holes in the 49ers defense and show why he holds the record for most passing yards in a season. The final score will be 38-24 in favor of the New Orleans Saints.

The second game on Saturday will feature none other than the Tebow Train. The Denver Broncos land in Foxboro Stadium to take on the New England Patriots. Common sense tells anyone to pick the Patriots over the Denver Broncos. What to expect from Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos each week just defies common sense altogether. Some weeks Tim Tebow does the impossible, other weeks the Broncos look like they are not even an NFL team. I am going to defy logic this week and pick the Broncos to win. I believe that the Tebow Time will happen and Tom Brady will not be able to explain it in the press conference after. Bill Belichick will be even at a greater loss for words. The final score will be 31-24 with the Denver Broncos advancing for another week.

The first game on Sunday will be the Baltimore Ravens versus the Houston Texans. This should be the closest game of the weekend. We have two great defenses that will clash on the football field, in Houston and Baltimore. The Ravens defense is made up of older veterans, while the Texans defense is much younger but still very tough. The battle of experience versus youth has always been one of the most exciting to watch.

In addition, we have two of the best running backs in football on both teams. The Baltimore Ravens feature Ray Rice who is a phenomenal talent running and catching the ball. The Houston Texans have Arian Foster who after being injured at the beginning of the season has returned to his former dominance in the running game. I do not expect a significant amount of passing yards in this game as the two ground games battle it out for supremacy. I believe the “X” factor will be the play of Joe Flacco though and if Flacco can play mistake free football. Flacco has had some good weeks but on other weeks he has some dismal performances at the quarterback position. Joe Flacco will not have a good game on Sunday due to the pass rush of the Texans defense. Demeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, and company will bring the pressure on Flacco and cause some turnovers. The Ravens will lose to the Texans in a defensive battle to the score of 27-14

The last game of the weekend will be New York Giants versus Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. I love that the New York Giants are playing some inspired football right now. The Giants are one of the hottest teams in the league and are overcoming all of the odds. However, the Green Bay Packers are the NFL elite this season. Aaron Rodgers may have not passed for as many yards as Drew Brees but Rodgers played mistake free football all season throwing 45 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. I am still not sure how the Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs after watching them all season long. That being said, I believe the Green Bay Packers will play their best football this weekend and outscore the New York Giants. Victor Cruz will have a great game and make all the catches to make the Sportscenter highlights. Unfortunately, highlights do not always mean you win the game. The Green Bay Packers will end up with more points in the end as Aaron Rodgers throws to multiple receivers and runs one touchdown in himself. Rodgers will be doing his famous Championship Belt end zone celebration as the Packers beat the Giants 45-35.

This NFL season is drawing closer to the time when we will determine who is the best team in the World. The battles are becoming more intense in each week. It is time for teams to dig down deep and play their best football. This is the time that NFL teams have to leave everything on the field or be sent home packing. Let the elimination continue and the champions rise to the top.

2012 College Football NCAA Championship and Other News

Well I was going to write on the College National Championship Football game today, that was played between LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide last night. Unfortunately, the game was extremely boring as LSU decided they were still on a holiday and never got out of bed. Alabama made LSU look like a NCAA Division II team had actually taken the field as the Tigers never scored. With a final score of 21-0, not much more to say about the game other than if Les Miles is the “Mad Hatter”, Nick Saban is the “Mad Genius.” Saban is the only coach since the inception of the BCS to win three National Championship titles. All indications point to Nick Saban being far from done with his winning ways. We know Saban will win again, we just do not know how long until he is hoisting the Championship trophy up again.

In NFL Football Playoff news, an update to my predictions from last week, I did pretty well. I correctly predictied the winners of three out of four games on the NFL Playoff Wild Card Weekend. In addition, two of my predicted scores were almost the exact scores of the game. The game between the Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints ended up being a final score of 45-28 in favor of the Saints. I had predicted that the score would be 42-28 in favor of the Saints. The score between the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals was 31-10 in favor of the Texans. I had predicted that score to be 31-14 in favor of the Texans. In addition, I predicted that the New York Giants would win over the Atlanta Falcons but thought the score would be much closer than the 24-2 final score in favor of the Giants. I truly had no idea the Falcons would not show up to play at all. The Falcons could not even convert a 4th and inches at all the whole game and they had multiple chances.

The only game that I completely missed on was the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was not the only one that was completely wrong about this game. The majority of experts and analysts also picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win. After three bad weeks to end the season, my faith in “Tebow Time” had definitely diminished. I did not believe that Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos could pull of a victory to continue their dream season.

However, I was very wrong and the Denver Broncos accomplished what seemed to be the impossible. The Denver Broncos played their best game of the season, led by spectacular play of Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow threw for 316 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Tim Tebow rushed for another touchdown on the ground. The pass of the night was in overtime when after running on first down all game, the Denver Broncos trusted in Tim Tebow’s arm and threw on first down. Tim Tebow completed an 80 yard pass to Demaryius Thomas for the game-winning score. Thomas was Tim Tebow’s favorite target during the game, totaling 204 receiving yards for the game. The final score of the game ended up being 29-23 in favor of the Denver Broncos. The Tim Tebow Train survives but arrives in Foxboro Stadium this week. The playoff rematch should be interesting as we see if Tebow Time can finally overcome the Brady Factor.

Like every other NFL fan I have enjoyed this NFL season and the NFL playoffs have not disappointed me either. I would have not wanted to miss all the drama, big plays, and great games of this NFL. I am glad that we still have some football action coming up this weekend. I have to say my thank you again to the NFL owners and NFL players for reaching an agreement. Thank you for allowing us to have a football season this year because it has been one of the best.

NFL Playoffs Are Here!

The Playoffs are upon us and the games are all set. We will be missing some of the normal playoff contenders this year, such as the Indianapolis Colts, who failed dismally without Peyton Manning (See the Jim Mora Video above to understand how the Colts really feel.) This weekend NFL playoff football starts on Saturday and we are looking at some exciting football action both days. We might even see some dark horses rise up and claim a victory. The records are reset for the playoffs. It is either Win or go Home.

The first game that we will see this weekend will be between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans. I am impressed by Andy Dalton, AJ Green, and the Bengals defense. However, I am more impressed by the Houston Texans number one ranked defense, Arian Foster, Ben Tate, and Andre Johnson. I do not believe the Bengals have enough firepower to overcome the Texans defense and keep up scoring wise with the Texans. I will predict that the Houston Texans win this game 31-14.

The second game that will be played on Saturday will be between Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints. If the Detroit Lions were playing some other NFC team, excluding the Green Bay Packers, I would say they have a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the Lions have drawn the short straw and have to play the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and company will comfortably and easily outscore the Detroit Lions. The Lions are a good team with a nice high-flying act featuring none other than Calvin Johnson. The problem is the Lions high-flying act pales in comparison to the Drew Brees air show. The Saints silence the Lions roar with a final score of 42-28

On to Sunday’s games and the first game that we will see on Sunday will be the Atlanta Falcons versus the New York Giants. This will be the closest game of the whole weekend. We have two teams that play like an elite NFL team on some days and look dismal on others. This means that which ever team between the Falcons and the Giants brings their “A” game on Sunday, will win the game. The New York Giants have been playing better as of late and so the edge in the game goes to them. That does not mean that we immediately count Atlanta out of the running. The Falcons have an “X” factor in a running back named Michael Turner. If Michael Turner gets going and the Atlanta Falcons can control the tempo of the game, we could see the Falcons advancing to the next week instead of the Giants. In the end, I believe that intangibles of Eli Manning and his ability to play at times like his big brother Peyton Manning, will be the difference. The Giants will win the battle in the 4^th quarter with a final score of 28-24

The last game will be one of the most interesting. Interesting because we have no idea what will really happen. The Denver Broncos take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last game of the weekend. I am not sure which Broncos we will see though. I want to see the 4th quarter come-back, winning Broncos come out and play their hearts out, giving them chance to win the game. I fear we may see the not so productive Broncos and the team will get blown out. No matter which Denver Broncos team shows up, the result should be the same. The Pittsburgh Steelers will come out with the win. The Steelers defense is too good to allow Tim Tebow and company to work any “Tebow Time” magic in the 4^th quarter. Even with Big Ben not playing at full strength and Rashard MendenHall out for the playoffs, The Pittsburgh Steelers will score enough points to win. The final score of this game will be 21-7 in the favor of Pittsburgh.

There you have it, a complete preview of the first weekend of NFL playoff football. The regular season may be over but now the real battle starts as NFL teams try to win each week. No mistakes are allowed, any team that loses is done. To the victor goes the spoils and a chance to play another day. Time for each NFL playoff team to prove they belong in the playoffs and the pretenders to be eliminated. Now is the time for teams to go after it all or be sent home to watch television. The stakes are high and the winner will be greatly rewarded.

Regular Season Ending…Drama Beginning

The NFL regular season has finally ended and the games are set. The best of the best are going to come together next weekend to start down the playoff road to declare a champion. However, before we get ahead of ourselves let us remember this last week of the NFL for the ups and downs, the good and the bad.

We can start with some of the bad. Stevie Johnson of the Buffalo Bills has done it again and not in a good way. Stevie Johnson after being penalized the first time for writing, “Why so serious?” under his jersey and displaying it after a touchdown earlier in the year, decided Sunday was a good day to revisit the land of NFL penalties. Johnson decided to pull a similar stunt and write “Happy New Year!” for all to see under his jersey and again display it after catching a touchdown. The shocking result of the stunt (not really) was a penalty and a benching by his coach. Johnson should have learned from the last time and started the New Year off right.

The axe came down hard on the under performing teams this year. Raheem Morris and Steve Spagnuolo were let go from their perspective teams, leaving the St Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers without a coach. The Chicago Bears fired GM Jerry Angelo, sending some shockwaves throughout their organization. After a full season of hearing how Bill Polian was going to be the one to draft Andrew Luck, Polian was fired from the Indianapolis Colts. The Bill Polian came as the biggest shock because no one could have seen the firing of the Indianapolis Colts Vice President. I have a feeling more heads might roll from the Indianapolis Colts organization as Jim Irsay, stated “Jim Caldwell’s job is still under evaluation.” Whatever Irsay decides to do I am sure that it will not be long until we find out if any more changes will be made by the Colts and othr NFL teams as well.

On to some good news, the team that could very well smash the Green Bay Packers dream from making it to the Super Bowl is none other than the New Orleans Saints. This weekend when I watched the New Orleans Saints play, the realization came that the Saints could very well beat the Green Bay Packers. Drew Brees played an amazing game and is a master at distributing the ball. Darren Sproles gives the New Orleans Saints a mismatch no matter where he lines up. In addition, Jimmy Graham is also a mismatch at the tight end position and one of the best in the league.

On offense, the New Orleans Saints are just as unstoppable as the Green Bay Packers, and proved it by breaking multiple records this year. Drew Brees passed for the most yards in NFL history with 5,476 total passing yards, surpassing the previous total of 5,084 passing yards held by Dan Marino. In addition, the New Orleans Saints broke the NFL team completion percentage record. The New Orleans Saints ended with a team completion percentage of 71.3 and exceeded the previous record of 70.7 NFL team completion percentage held by the 1982 Cincinnati Bengals. Moreover, the New Orleans Saints broke the net passing yards record with a total of 5,347 yards. The previous record of 5,232 passing yards was held by the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Jimmy Graham broke the previous record for the most receiving yards for a tight end in NFL history formerly held by Kellen Winslow but ultimately ended up second to Rob Gronkowski with 1,310 total receiving yards. Darren Sproles broke the record for the most all purpose yards in NFL history with 2,969 yards in one season. Derrick Mason was the previous record holder with a total of 2,690 total all-purpose yards. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers may have the better regular season record but no team has looked more impressive than the New Orleans Saints the last few weeks.

The reason that we love the NFL, besides the great games is because each week there is always something happening that is good, bad, and downright ugly. At this point, we will enjoy the NFL playoffs that will undoubtedly give us some of the most exciting football action all year. On the other hand though, for those teams who are sitting home, we are sure to see some more major changes. The shake-ups have officially begun.

The NBA Season Begins and the Predictions are Here!

In a season where “World Peace” is actually a name of a player, we are seeing some fast starts from some expected and unexpected teams. We are also seeing some very slow starts from teams we expected to be much better. The new NBA season and the New Year will definitely be full of twists and turns. It is already easy to tell that the playoffs will feature some teams that traditionally are not playoff power houses. Since the season is shortened and passing us by rather quickly I am going to give out some predictions for the current NBA season.

Some love to state what their New Year resolutions are going to be but I am stating some New Year predictions. Below are some predictions about the NBA. When the season does end in 2012, we can look back and see how I did.

Prediction # 1 The Miami Heat will win the East. I know this is the easy pick and that most experts are picking the Heat to repeat. I think some teams will challenge Miami, like Chicago, and even Boston when they turn things around. However, I cannot see any team that can go win a seven game playoff series against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. Each team that can challenges the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference is missing a key player here or there to overcome Miami’s Big Three. A great deal of people will root against the Miami Heat all year long, including Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers owner, but this story is almost written in stone.

Prediction # 2:  The Los Angeles Lakers will be a low seed playoff team. The Lakers have been a team to be reckoned with for many years but this year is not their year. The Los Angeles Lakers have a new coach with a new system, lost one of their best players in Lamar Odom; just do not look like they have it together this season. In addition, if the Los Angeles Lakers manage to pull off a trade for Dwight Howard, they will give up many of pieces of their current team. Moreover, it will take Dwight Howard time to become acclimated to the team. If the Lakers decide to stay with their current roster, without out the “Real Deal” Phil in town I do not see them winning the majority of their games. The Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs but their chances of going all the way to the finals are very slim.

Prediction # 3 The San Antonio Spurs will win the Western Conference. Most people are already crowning the Oklahoma City Thunder the favorites but I believe the Spurs have one more good run left in them. In addition, Gregg Popovich is a master at getting his players to perform at their highest level each game. Tim Duncan is looking like his old self and not in the decrepit, needing a cane, sort-of-way. Manu Ginobli is still knocking down shots and Tony Parker is proving he retains the skills of a top league point guard. With all the other San Antonio Spurs role players contributing, the team is looking like a team that could give any team trouble in the playoffs.The Oklahoma City Thunder may have one of the best players in Kevin Durant. The Thunder also have good supporting players is Russell Westbrook and James Harden but I still do not believe their chemistry is there yet to make it to the NBA finals.

Prediction #4 The Miami Heat will win their first NBA championship this year with the Big Three.  Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade by themselves will be too much for most teams. Add in the other players on the Miami Heat roster and the Heat should win the majority of their games this season. In the playoffs, we will see if the Miami Heat can finish games. I believe the Miami Heat are learning that Dwayne Wade is the finisher on the team and at the end of game Wade will knock down the game winner. As long as the Miami Heat allows Lebron James, Chris Bosh to contribute, and Dwayne Wade to finish, they should be fine throughout the playoffs. However, if the Miami Heat depends on King James to finish games we may see a repeat of last year. Lebron James just does not finish games well when it truly counts. Despite Lebron James having issues handling the clutch situations, the Miami Heat will overcome this and many other obstacles to hoist the trophy at the end of the season.

The above predictions may or may not come true, but that makes them very similar to normal New Year’s resolutions. Most people make New Year’s resolutions and about two or three months after they are made, the majority of them are not completed. On the other hand, some resolutions are actually seen through to completion. Whether I am right or wrong, a great season of NBA basketball is ahead. Only time will tell who will become the true champion in the end.

NFL Week 16: Let the Good Times Roll

Week 16 is now over and done with. Christmas has bought along some great accomplishments as the NFL season winds down. Some players were jumping for joy like Jerome Simpson of the Bengals who did his best Dominique Dawes impression by doing a complete forward flip over a defender that had plans to keep him out of the end zone. Other players like Chad Ochocinco and Donovan McNabb are wishing for yester year when they were relevant.

The greatest accomplishment of the weekend was clearly Drew Brees breaking the passing yards record previously held by Dan Marino. What a historic moment to break record that stood for 27 years. Dan Marino previously had thrown for 5,084 passing yards in a season and as of today Drew Brees has thrown for 5,087 passing yards. A number of experts have already said that the game has changed and the rules now favor quarterbacks.  The same experts complain that receivers do not have to worry about getting hit when catching a pass in the middle of the field because of the defensive rule changes. With more catches being made in each game, the passing yards have increased this year.

I do believe the game has changed a significant amount but still have to give credit where credit is due. Drew Brees is one of the most prolific passers in the NFL today and will go down being one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. I do not believe that this record could have been broken by a more deserving person that Drew Brees. Brees is an inspiring story from start to finish. Drew Brees has overcome people telling him he could never make it in the NFL. In addition, Brees had to go through surgery that could have been career ending and instead has never stopped showing all the critics he is better than ever. Moreover, Drew Brees was traded by San Diego Chargers to New Orleans Saints as San Diego drafted and put their hopes in Philip Rivers. Drew Brees made a home in New Orleans and led the Saints to a Super Bowl win. Brees gave New Orleans hope after Hurricane Katrina bought great devastaion througout the whole city. Now Drew Brees has broken one of the longest NFL records of all time and Brees still has years left to keep adding to his legacy. Any true football fan can be proud of not only that Drew Brees broke the record but also of the person that Drew Brees is.

Drew Brees was not the only person breaking record for passing yards though Cam Newton accomplished the goal for the rookie passing record as well. Newton has currently passed for 3893 passing yards this season and looks to extend the record with one more game to play. Peyton Manning previously held the record with 3,379 passing yards.In addition, Cam Newton currently holds the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback at 14 touchdowns. To say that Cam Newton has exceeded all expectations for his rookie season would be an understatement.Cam Newton reminds me of Randall Cunningham with all of his passing ability and dazzling runs. We have definitely seen the future of mobile quarterbacks with Cam Newton. Everything definitely happens for a reason because if Andrew Luck had come out last year, Luck would undoubtedly be the one wearing the Carolina Panthers uniform. If Luck had been drafted by the Panthers, Cam Newton may have been drafted by a team that could not utilize his talents to the fullest of his abilities. We would have then missed out on what turned out to be one fo the best rookie seasons for a NFL quarterback in years. Fortunately for us, Andrew Luck stayed in school and the Carolina Panthers have found their quarterback of the future.

This year has definitely given new meaning to the phrase “Records were meant to be broken!” as we have seen players from different positions have some truly great years. In addition to Drew Brees and Cam Newton; Aldon Smith, Rob Gronkowski, and Demarco Murray have all had seasons that we will all remember. I am thankful we did not have to miss such incredible NFL action because of the lockout. Thank you for the owners and player for getting the deal worked out.

The playoffs are right around the corner and for the first time in a few years I am expecting some surprise performances and want to see some dark horse teams rise to the top. I would not mind seeing Green Bay, New Orleans, Pittsburgh or New England win the Super Bowl again. However, I would rather see a team like the Detroit Lions or San Francisco 49ers go on a playoff run and win the whole thing. The time for the big games and big performances is now

Christmas Weekend: NFL Football and NBA Basketball The Perfect Present

Well it is the season to be jolly, Christmas Day is almost here, and we get a double treat. We will not only have NFL football on Saturday but also finally we will have the start of the official NBA season on Sunday. I have to admit it will be nice to have two days filled with sports. It will also be good that we will not have to choose which sport to watch. We can see all the NFL action on Saturday and then watch all the NBA games on Sunday.

For the NFL, this is usually the week that NFL playoff-bound teams start to rest players. However, this year no teams have the luxury of actually having everything wrapped up like a good present. Some teams have clinched their playoff spot but each of these teams is now fighting for home field advantage. This is good news for football fans as every team will be still playing their starters, which means great football action for fans.

One of the games NFL fans will want to keep an eye on is between the Denver Broncos  and the Buffalo Bills.Denver should win this game as Buffalo is playing awful lately. When Denver does win the Broncos will clinch a playoff spot. I am looking for some more Tebow heroics that were missing from last week’s game. Another game that any football fan will love is the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are on a hot streak and the game Saturday should be a shootout with huge playoff implications. Vick versus Romo should be a very interesting matchup. Both quarterbacks have had their ups and downs this year. However, We should get their best effort on Saturday because so much is riding on this one game.

The last NFL football game that I will say is must see television this Christmas weekend is the Detroit Lions versus the San Diego Chargers. Both teams have won big games this past weekend and each team is looking to claim a playoff spot. This game should be one of the best air shows around with two explosive offenses. Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson on one side of the field, Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson on the other side of the field, I am anticipating at least a few spectacular catches and touchdown celebrations. We may slow down a bit from all of good food over the holidays but Football is still going strong and in full swing.

On the NBA side of things, Christmas Day should be full of the first NBA action of the season. The majority of the first NBA games include teams from last seasons NBA playoffs. The Celtics and the Knicks will play and we can see if the Boston Celtics ”Big Three” still has another playoff run in them. The Knicks on the other hand should have some better chemistry this year after being together for a year.

The Bulls and Lakers were the teams that most people thought would be in last year’s NBA finals. The on the court battle between Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose is always entertaining to watch. Even though Kobe has an injured wrist, I doubt that will keep him off the court. Injury has never stoppd Kobe Bryant before and Sunday will be no different. We should see one of the best guard battles all year long.

The “new look” Clippers take on the Golden State Warriors. I am not too excited to see the Warriors but with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin now on the Clippers I will be glued to the television set to see the show. Chris Paul throwing the ball to Blake Griffin an alley-oop should become a normal occurrence all year long. Showtime this season may have shifted from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The next game features the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Orlando Magic still are hoping disgruntled star Dwight Howard will decide to stay, but I believe the Magic are pulling at straws. Dwight Howard has already checked out and is just going through the motions. This game has everything in place to become a blowout. Kevin Durant will of course bring his best game and start the year off impressing us all again.

The most anticipated game of Christmas Day will be the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks and the Heat played one of best finals series in NBA history last year and this year both teams have improved their rosters. The game should bring back all the memories of the Finals last year and will hopefully have the kind of ending that will make our Christmas Day even more memorable. Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Chris Bosh, taking the floor against Dirk Nowitzki and company is always a crowd-pleaser. I am excited for all the games Christmas Day but a NBA finals rematch is definitely worth watching.

Christmas weekend should be one to remember for the holiday celebration but also because it will be one of the best sports weekend of the year. I am ready to celebrate the reason for the season for Christmas and the reason why we love sports. Merry Christmas to one and all!

NFL Week 15: Strange Occurences and Happenings

This week in the NFL felt like there was a full moon out and about. Strange happenings were the norm all around the league. No one could have predicted all of what took place over the weekend, but that is why we love NFL football. We never know what will happen when we sit down to watch a game. Any given Sunday, any team can rise up and claim victory.

The most significant event of the weekend was the Green Bay Packers have finally lost a game. Most believed that Aaron Rodgers could will the Green Bay Packers to the win in any situation. However, the only way that Rodgers could be prevented from making this a true statement is if a team could keep Rodgers on the sideline. The Kansas City Chiefs worked that game plan to perfection. The Chiefs held the ball for 36 minutes as opposed to the Packers who only had the ball for 23 minutes. As a result Aaron Rodgers did not see the field a great deal and the Packers were limited in the amount of points they could score. The mighty Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs to the score 19-14.

Speaking of the mighty falling, The Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots took the field this past Sunday. If anyone had told me these two teams were playing at the beginning of the year, it would not have been one of the must-see games on television. However, since the emergence of Tim Tebow, the 4^th quarter super-hero, I have been anticipating this game all week. The first two quarters, the Tebow-Mcgahee train was in full effect. Denver was playing like a team that could take down the New England Patriots. Then in the second half, Tom Brady took over and showed why he is a Super Bowl Champion quarterback. Brady was able to carve up the Denver Broncos secondary to the tune of 320 yards, and two touchdowns. In addition, the Denver Broncos turned the ball over three times in the second half, which led to New England amassing a 41-23 lead. New England did not allow any 4^th quarter “Tim Tebow Time” heroics and when the game clock ran out, the Denver Broncos were finally on the losing end.

The strangeness does not end there though. The Indianapolis Colts were able to obtain their first win of the season versus the Tennessee Titans. The Titans did not look like the same team we have seen over the last few weeks. The Tennessee Titans had no balance on offense throughout the whole game. Chris Johnson reverted back to his earlier ways by only contributing 55 yards on 15 carries. Matt Hasselbeck was not even able to throw a touchdown. The Titans defense allowed Donald Brown to run for 161 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries. The Tennessee Titans played awful and the Indianapolis Colts took advantage. The Colts are no longer the winless wonders of the league but they are still the front runners for the Luck Lottery.

The Baltimore Ravens ran into the Norv Turner Express. We knew at some point the San Diego Chargers would have a streak of good games and it looks like the Chargers have finally found their identity. Earlier in the year I am not sure who that other team was that took the field in San Diego Chargers uniforms but some days the team looked like they were in complete disarray. Now it seems that the Chargers have turned their fortune around as the Baltimore Ravens came to town. The Baltimore Ravens got a good ole’ fashioned beat down by the San Diego Chargers. Ray Rice barely exceeded 100 yards combined in rushing and receiving yards for the game with no touchdowns. Joe Flacco was able to throw a couple of touchdowns but to no avail. Ray Lewis and the famed Ravens defense were not able to contain the San Diego Chargers offense. Ryan Matthews was able to run for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Philip Rivers threw for 270 yards and a touchdown. The San Diego Chargers won the game with a score of 34-14.

The weekend did not put an end to strange things going on in the NFL. The Monday night game was riddled with power outages. The first power outage was before the game even started leading to a delay to the beginning of Monday Night Football. The second power outage came in the middle of the second quarter. The power outages were due to a blown transformer that was local to the area of the stadium. All the power outages gave new meaning to the name of the stadium being called Candlestick Park. Football by candlelight might  have been a very interesting proposition had the stadium lights gone out a third time. Fortuanately for all involved the lights stayed on after the second power outage the game was able to be finished

The San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers played a game that was an all out defensive battle. Big Ben Roethlisberger decided to play with high ankle sprain injury and was ineffective in the game because of limited mobility. The 49ers did not fair much better on the offensive end but did manage to put up more points winning the game by a score of 20-3 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The highlight of the game was the San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive player Aldon Smith Recording 2 sacks during the game giving him a total of 13 sacks for the year. Aldon smith broke the record for sacks for a rookie for the 49ers franchise. Congratulations to Mr. smith for his stellar performance all year long. The 49ers defensive future is looking very bright.

James Harrison definitely tweeted the right thing to sum up the Pittsburgh Steelers game saying,” If I can’t play, then nobody can’t play, lights out!” Harrison was saying the quote in reference to the power outages but in reality the Steelers played like the lights never came on in the stadium. Monday was a fitting end to a week of strange occurrences all around the league. Christmas week is now upon us, it is a season of giving and receiving. By the end of this upcoming week we will see which teams will be generous and which teams will be the recipient of gifts. Let the Christmas exchange begin!