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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!

NBA News: Chris Paul and Dwight Howard Update

The Chris Paul and Dwight Howard Saga is over for now. The Orlando Magic are going to do their best attempt at keeping Howard in a Magic uniform. The Orlando Magic will take this year to try and get Dwight Howard to sign an extension. The Orlando Magic have a good chance of Dwight Howard staying. Howard seems like the type that could be happy staying in Orlando for the rest of his NBA career. The only issue that might prevent Howard and the Orlando Magic from reaching an agreement is Orlando is a small market team compared to other NBA teams. NBA teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks represent a chance for Dwight Howard to become part of the team with a much larger market. Dwight Howard has dreams of playing under the big lights and no team has bigger lights than those that reside in Hollywood, namely the Los Angeles Lakers.

If Dwight Howard does complete this season and never signs on the dotted line with the Orlando Magic, Howard will be most sought after free agent next year. The difference is next year Dwight Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent and could sign with any NBA team. I believe Dwight Howard will have better sense than Lebron James though. We will not see a repeat of “The Decision” on television when it comes to Dwight Howard. Howard may be known for being jokester and antics off the court, but Dwight Howard carries himself with sense of class. Howard would never take part in a bad publicity stunt similar to that event. The media will make more of a big deal about which team Dwight Howard will sign with, more than Howard will.

Ultimately, Dwight Howard chances of winning an NBA Championship inOrlandoare very slim. The Orlando Magic do not have the pieces needed to win the NBA Championship. The Magic have barely done anything to improve their team over the last few years. Dwight Howard would have a better chance of not only making the playoffs but having a deep playoff run with another team. As mentioned previously, teams like the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Knicks have a much better chance of adding another banner to their rafters. Another intriguing place that Dwight Howard could land is the Los Angeles Clippers. Anyone can imagine Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard in the front court. In addition, the Los Angeles Clippers just acquired another player that would make for another power house team inLos Angeles.

Chris Paul or CP3 was traded from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday. The Clippers will send guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, and Minnesota’s 2012 first-round pick to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul. Chris Paul instantly improves the Los Angeles Clippers chances of succeeding in the NBA playoffs. Chris Paul gives the Los Angeles Clippers a true legitimate starting point guard. Eric Gordon did a passable job last year at distributing the ball but Gordon has nowhere near the court vision of Chris Paul. Chris Paul will give the Los Angeles Clippers another player NBA defenses will have to account for. Opposing NBA teams will no longer be able to just focus their efforts on Blake Griffin.

In addition, when defenses have to game plan for Chris Paul and Blake Griffin together, other players will receive less attention. This means more open looks for the remaining Los Angeles Clippers roster. With the acquisition of Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers are moving in the right direction towards winning an NBA championship. If the Clippers can also acquire another player with all-star ability, such as Dwight Howard, then the team may have a chance to bring an NBA Championship back to Los Angeles that is not a Los Angeles Lakers championship trophy.

Dwight Howard and Chris Paul might take different paths or may very well end up on the same path. Chris Paul will help the Los Angeles Clippers stay a playoff contender for many years to come. No matter if Howard stays with Orlando or chooses to leave for greener pastures, Dwight Howard is sure to change the fortune of a team. The significance of the change Dwight Howard will bring, remains to be seen.

Riding High at Mile High with the Super Broncos?

Two things that we know every week that will always happen is Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will win and Tim Tebow will lead the Denver Broncos in accomplishing the same. While Rodgers and the Packers usually dominate their opponent, Tebow and the Broncos always win in a dramatic come from behind fashion in the fourth quarter or come through in overtime. We know that the Green Bay Packers most likely destination is the Super Bowl game. The more interesting question to ask is how deep in the playoffs can the Denver Broncos actually go?

Improbable as it does sound, the Broncos could actually win out. It will not be an easy road for the Denver Broncos to achieve this goal but it could actually happen. The most significant test of the Denver Broncos comes this week when the red hot New England Patriots come to Mile High stadium. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Rob Gronkowski aka “The Gronk”, and company always come to play and put up a good amount of the points on the scoreboard. The Patriots are averaging 30.5 points a game and the majority of  the Denver Broncos victories consist of low scoring games. The Denver Broncos truly have their work cut out for them if they plan to claim victory against the New England Patriots.

While anyone can look at the New England Patriots this year and say they have proven that they are one of the elite NFL teams. The last few weeks, since Tim Tebow has taken over, the Denver Broncos have played like an elite NFL team. Ask anyone at the beginning of the year who would win the matchup between the Broncos and Patriots, a great deal of people would have said the New England Patriots. However, ask the same question now and the answer is not so clear and definitive. People will actually have to think and consider that the Denver Broncos could actually pull off another miracle win.

In addition, if the Denver Broncos do actually win the game versus the New England Patriots and their last two games, against the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, can that momentum carry them to the Super Bowl? It would definitely make for the most interesting Super Bowl in years if the game ends up containing the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos. Aaron Rodgers is definitely a likeable guy but Tebow Mania would definitely be in full effect all the way up to the day of the big game. The possibility could actually become a reality if the Denver Broncos can somehow keep stringing wins together.

While the majority of people  may see it as unlikely that the Denver Broncos make it to the Super Bowl , the same was said about the Arizona Cardinals when Kurt Warner lead the Cardinals to the “Big Game”. The Denver Broncos will hope to accomplish the same goal. If the Denver Broncos not only make it to the Super Bowl but also win the whole thing it will be an even more inspiring story than the Green Bay Packers actually repeating as NFL champions and accomplishing an undefeated season.

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos may not be the favorite to accomplish much this season. However, Tebow and the Broncos are proving that they do not need to be the favorite team to win. At the beginning of the season no one thought the Denver Broncos would be leading their division. However, that was before Tim Tebow and Tebow Time in every 4^th quarter, since he took over at quarterback. The Denver Broncos players and all the Denver Broncos fans believe that Tebow Time can help their team reach new heights. Tebow Time may not be all the time but it is always on time and the right time.

NBA Free Agency: Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, Power Team -Up?

We are one day away from the beginning ofNBA free agency and the talks have already started. While there are bound to be quite a few deals worked between different teams, two players are destined to monopolize all the free agency talks. The two players that I speak of are Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Howard and Paul are both looking to leave their current teams for greener pastures. No one knows where the two all-stars will land but the speculation is they are looking to play for the same team.

Rumors were flying not too long ago that Chris Paul or CP3 had requested a trade to the New York Knicks. While it would be great to see Chris Paul, Carmello Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire create another, “Dream Team”, in New York, the more intriguing rumor is the Lakers are reportedly interested in both players. The Lakers have said that no player on their roster is off limits besides Kobe Bryant. This means Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace, Pao Gasol, and Derek Fisher are all trade bait.

The Los Angeles Lakers are sacrificing a great deal to acquire Dwight Howard and Chris Paul but in the end it will be all worth it. The trio of Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Dwight Howard reminds me of the days of the “Showtime” Lakers. In the 80’s and 90’s the Los Angeles Lakers had arguably the best point guard in the league in Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the best center in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and a great forward in James Worthy. If the Los Angeles Lakers acquire Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, they will again have, if not the best point guard, at least one of the top five point guards in the league. In addition, the Los Angeles Lakers will have the best center in the league in Dwight Howard. Moreover, the Los Angeles Lakers will have maybe the most lethal scorer in the league in Kobe Bryant as well. The Lakers would be a favorite to win the Western Conference and make it all the way to the NBA Finals this year.

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard both want to be on a team where they can compete for a NBA championship. Both Paul and Howard have tried winning it all with their current teams and both players have failed to be the one that hoists the championship trophy up in the air at the end of the season. If either or both players are to have a chance at accomplishing the goal of being an NBA champion, this year is the time that Chris Paul and Dwight Howard need to find the team that can help them reach the Promised Land.

If the Los Angeles Lakers cannot get the right deal worked out, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard could both go to separate teams. Besides the previously mentioned possibility of a Chris Paul trade to the New York Knicks, the options for landing on a true championship contending team are very slim. The remaining teams either do not have the cap space to be able to offer the kind of contract Chris Paul or Dwight Howard would require or the teams do not have the talent needed to win an NBA championship. This leaves Chris Paula and Dwight Howard going to teams that may or may not be better than their current teams.

When the free agency smoke clears, we will see where both all stars have landed. We will then be able to assess whether Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have made the right move to take their career to the next level. However, we may see that like many of the free agents this year, both players might end up in unexpected places with their future championship hopes looking dimmer and not brighter.

Tebow Time, Good or Outdated?

To start off the week, I will be discussing on what some people already know and what other people want to deny. Tim Tebow is a winner and his intangibles are truly amazing. While people continue to complain that Tim Tebow is not a conventional quarterback, I say that conventional is not always the answer. While every team hopes to obtain the rights to that great pocket passer quarterback, some teams will actually receive a quarterback that defies all convention and that is Tim Tebow.

As of this weekend Tim Tebow is now 6-1 and He has been able to win most of his games in the 4^th quarter. I hear all the analysts and experts bashing Tebow because of the way he usually plays in the first three quarters of every game. The same people say the game is 60 minutes and wonder why Tim Tebow does not play well in the first 45 minutes of the game. However, why not flip the theory around, the game is 60 minutes and at the end of the game, Tim Tebow makes the plays that are need to win the game. The question is would a coach or an owner rather have a conventional losing quarterback aka Blaine Gabbert or an unconventional winning quarterback aka Tim Tebow? I know if the decision was up to me which one I would choose.

It really does not matter yards a quarterback throws for, or how many passes the quarterback completes, if the quarterback cannot lead his team to a win. While yards, completions and touchdowns are great for fantasy football numbers, in the real world, what matters is if there is a “W” in the win column at the end of the week. Wins are what matter throughout the season. Wins are what decide if a team makes the playoffs or if a team is sitting home drinking cocoa at the end of the regular season. Herm Edwards said it best in his famous quote, “We play to win the game!” People can knock Tim Tebow for not having the greatest quarterback numbers. However, no one can knock Tim Tebow for not knowing how to win a game. Tebow is a winner and he keeps defying the odds to prove people wrong.

I have heard people attribute the Tim Tebow 4^th quarter heroics to a number of things. A majority of people are saying that divine intervention helps Tim Tebow, because of his religious beliefs. Similarly, other people are saying that Tim Tebow has a lucky rabbit’s foot that allows him to win games. In addition, we have some people that have no explanation as to how Tim Tebow keeps being successful. Whether Tim Tebow has divine intervention, a rabbit’s foot, or maybe some new super-hero formula, Tim Tebow has found the secret to success.

People can continue to knock down and bash Tim Tebow for the rest of the year but as the wins pile up, those same people will have to eat their words. I believe criticism will continue to come at Tebow and I am certain that is what fuels him to not give up. Tim Tebow believes in himself to make a difference when everything is put on his shoulders. Tebow will dig down deep and lift up whatever is thrown at him to prove that he can.

We might be witnessing the emergence of the next great quarterback or we could be seeing a one year wonder. We will not truly know what the correct evaluation is until we see what more Tim Tebow has to offer to the football world. The ball is truly in Tim Tebow’s court so to speak. Tim Tebow can work extra hard each week to improve or Tim Tebow can just keep faith that in the 4^th quarter he will make something happen to help his team achieve the win. From all I have seen and know of Tebow, I believe he will do what it takes to become better each week.

If given the time to truly improve his quarterbacking skills, the sky could be the limit for Tim Tebow. We can only wonder if the Denver Broncos will give Tebow the time that is needed to develop into the quarterback they need him to be. Next season could be more of “Tebow Time” or could be the end of Tim Tebow’s time in Denver

Football and More Football

The punishment for Ndamukong Suh has been finally delivered and Suh will receive a ban of two games. Ndamukong Suh may be only one player but he is the leader of not only the Detroit Lions defense but also the overall team. Suh has changed the identity of the Detroit Lions from a laugh stock to a team that was respected. However, now Detroit is truly labeled the “Bad Boys” of the NFL and they have been give the identity of a team who plays dirty. No excuse can be given that justifies Ndamukong Suh stomping on another player because he is frustrated. I have no problem with a player playing hard but when a player starts to take cheap shots at other players, the player’s team should take some measures to keep that player under control. Ray Lewis is similar to Suh in the passion he has for the game. Ray Lewis plays with the same type of dominance Suh does in each game. Yet I cannot remember the last time I saw Ray Lewis do anything like Suh did on Thanksgiving Day. Ray Lewis plays hard, fast but keep his play clean. Ndamukong Suh may want to take some lessons from Ray Lewis on how to channel his anger and frustration in the right direction.

On a more positive note the Green Bay Packers are looking more and more like the greatest team in NFL History. The Packers look like they will go undefeated as I cannot see that there is any team that can beat them. When teams play the Green Bay Packers it truly reminds me of college football. The reason it reminds me of college football is because the Green Bay Packers play on a level that is so much higher than any other NFL team. On any given Sunday, a team comes to play the Green Bay Packers and before long the Green Bay Packers are up with a lead and never look back. If anyone wants to see an amazing, no mistake team in action, just watch a game with the Green Bay Packers. Barring an injury to Aaron Rodgers I do not see how the Green Bay Packers can lose a game this season. The Packers are truly poetry in motion to watch.

We return back to college football to finish off this week’s post. I am convinced that we will have a rematch for the national championship game. Looks like LSU and Alabama will be the two teams playing for the national championship, barring a defeat of LSU in the SEC championship game. If LSU loses to Georgia in the SEC championship game, they will be bumped from BCS National title game. In the BCS polls, when you lose is just as important as to who you lose to. A loss for LSU would be catastrophic to their national title hopes. I doubt that this scenario will actually take place though, because LSU has been looking like the most dominant team all year long. The only other way we do not see the LSU and Alabama rematch is if Oklahoma State defeats Oklahoma this week and then Oklahoma State jumps Alabama in the polls. Even if Oklahoma State wins I do not see them surpassing Alabama to get an opportunity at the national title game. A defeat of a number ten nationally ranked team is just not enough for Oklahoma State to make the jump over Alabama. I am all for a rematch of the LSU and Alabama game. The last game was exciting with all the plays one would expect in a BCS national championship game. The rematch should even be more entertaining with each team having over a month to plan for the other team. We should be in for one of the most exciting games of the year.

Football is gearing up for some great finishes this year. The NFL playoffs should be exciting as some unexpected teams are going to make the playoffs for the first time in a few years. In addition, all the college bowl games should provide us with some great matchups over the holiday season. We have a great deal of good football to look forward to over the next few months as the start of the post season nears. Our football excitement meter should once again be on high

Sports and Holidays: Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone with some great games. We have had seen truly exceptional performances and then some exceptional things in a bad way as well. With all that being said, no one says we have to stop saying thanks when Thanksgiving Day is over. We are going to give thanks to some teams and players, not only in the NFL but in a number of sports. Let the celebration begin:

We first have to give thanks to the NBA players and owner for tentatively getting a deal done. Barring some catastrophic set back it looks like we will finally have some NBA basketball. The agreement states there will be a 66 game season that will start December 25, 2011, with training camps opening December 9^th. The deal also included a 50/50 split for revenue between the players and owners. The most important part is that the negotiation is done and it will be a few years before we have to deal with this type of situation again.

Next we have to thank college football coach Urban Meyer for proving that money talks. Meyer was adamant that he was done with college football when he retired in 2010. Urban Meyer said he needed to spend time with his family and concentrate on his health. Meyer even denied reports that a college had contacted him for a coaching position. All that changed when Ohio State did actually come calling and offered Urban Meyer a six year deal which is worth an average of 4 million per year. Urban Meyer says he loves college football, but he could have sat on the couch, loved college football, and enjoyed time with his family. Instead we see how enough money can motivate anyone to change their tune.

In the NFL, we have a couple of players to thank for tasteless displays this week. First we have Ndamukong Suh, who decided it would be a good idea to step on an opposing team’s offensive lineman. The play was over; there was really no good reason for Suh to do anything. However, Ndamukong Suh decided to step on Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Deitrich-Smith during Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game. The League has not officially issued any punishment for Suh, but we can rest assured some form of punishment is coming. Even a first time offender would feel the hammer of justice from Commissioner Roger Goodell come down upon them. Suh is far from a first time offender. Expect to not see the Detroit Lion’s defensive leader for a few games.

Speaking of repeat offenders, we have another individual who decided to do something that should have never been done. Stevie Johnson, the receiver from the Buffalo Bills, decided to make fun of Plaxico Buress and the Jets in a touchdown celebration. Johnson scored a touchdown catch, then preceeded to dance, and act like he shot himself in the foot, mocking Plaxico Buress. Plaxico Buress went to jail for two years for doing such an incident in real life. This should not be an event that anyone would want to make fun of. Moreover, after making fun of Plaxico Buress’s situation, Stevie Johnson then decided to act like a jet plane was crashing, making fun of the New York Jets further. Johnson should get a heavy fine for something so offensive and directed at another player. To top it all off, the Buffalo Bills lost the game and Stevie Johnson dropped quite a few passes that would of helped the team win. Johnson does not seem much like team player to me, but more like one who only cares about himself.

The season of giving thanks never truly comes to an end when we are dealing with sports. Something is always happening, whether good or bad, that we can say thank you about. Whether it is something as bad as Jerome Simpson’s flop, or something amazing like watching Drew Brees put 350 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, one rushing touch down, and no interceptions in a Monday night game. The ups and downs each week is what makes watching sports a good time. We love our sports and are thankful for every team, every play, and every game.

NFL Football: The Thanksgiving Day Preview

Turkey Day is upon us and football is going to be a major part of many family celebrations. Thanksgiving has three matchups that should be interesting to watch. All three games will be must watch television on Thanksgiving Day

The most intriguing game of Thanksgiving Day will be the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Watching Frank Gore rush against the defensive line of the Ravens will be a battle I will be excited to see. In addition, we get a chance to see if Alex Smith can truly handle the secondary of Ed Reed and company. On the other side of the field, Ray Rice will do his best to dominate the 49ers defense. Rice is a force to be reckoned with running or catching passes out of the backfield. The X factor in this game will be the play of Joe Flacco. Through the first part of the season, Flacco has had games where he looked brilliant and then other weeks we are begging for him to take a seat on the bench. From week to week we never know which Joe Flacco we are going to see.

The thing that makes this game extra interesting is that the coaches of both the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens are in fact family. Jim Harbaugh and John Harbaugh are brothers and grew up together. Jim Harbaugh coaches the San Francisco 49ers. John Harbaugh coaches the Baltimore Ravens. The Harbaugh brothers actually shared a room for 18 years of their lives. To say that the two opposing coaches know each other well would be a huge understatement.  We have a rare opportunity in the NFL to see two brothers compete head to head against one another. Moreover, the scenario is even rarer since both brothers are not only head coaches but head coaches of potentially good playoff contending teams. This family feud game should be at the top of the list of any football fan’s schedule.

The second game which will be better than watching an Air Force Thunderbirds air show is the Green Bay Packers versus the Detroit Lions. Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson is one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in football. The Detroit Lions should put up some points early and often as they come out of the gate throwing. Kevin Smith will once again be starting at running back but the Packers present a much stronger run defense than the Panthers did the previous week. Do not expect a repeat of the rushing and recieving numbers Kevin Smith was able to put up last week. I used to think the, “Bad Boys of Detroit”, only existed on the NBA Basketball court. I was sadly mistaken as the Detroit Lions have gone from a laughing stock of an NFL Football team to a team that plays, “Hit the opponent in the mouth” style of football. Ndamukong Suh leads the Detroit defense into battle and the Lions have a fierce pass rush. The Detroit Lions Defense is truly scary at times on the field as they can dominate an offensive line at will.

However, for all that Detroit can do on the defensive side of the ball; the Green Bay Packers can do the same on the offensive side of the ball. The Green Bay Packers are packed with talent at just about every positon. However, the most impressive player on the Green Bay Packers roster is Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers is a like a painter creating a masterpiece when he is orchestrating the offense. Rodgers spreads the ball around to whichever of the many Green Bay Packers weapons are open. Rodgers can throw from the pocket or on the run, can scramble, and make every deep throw possible. No quarterback is playing better than Aaron Rodgers is right now. As long as Aaron Rodgers continues his streak of playing at the high level he has been playing each week, the Packers win.

The game that I am least excited about is the Dallas Cowboys playing against the hapless Miami Dolphins. I believe this will be similar to a high school or college home coming game. In college or high school, a team schedules an opposing team on their schedule they know they can beat. Dallas should have no problem putting a smack down on the Miami Dolphins who barely have any semblance of a real NFL offense. Reggie Bush running the ball and Matt Moore throwing the ball is far from a consistent winning formula.

Tony Romo has been playing stellar football the last three weeks. The only criticism anyone can make of Romo at this point is, “Where was this Tony Romo in the beginning of the season?” The Dallas Cowboys now have a real running back in Demarco Murray. Murray is a much improved option as an every down back over Felix Jones. Felix Jones is clearly better suited to a change of pace kind of role in the Dallas cowboys offense. With Felix Jones and Demarco Murray complimenting each other Dallas will finally have the ground game, fans have come to know and love. I am expecting a blowout by Dallas in this game. The game should be over by Halftime and will allow football fans to get a nap before the evening game.

Thanksgiving is definitely a dream day for any football fan. We have good food and great football games all day. Christmas is definitely coming a little bit early this year as today should have some memorable games that we can talk about for the next few weeks. Everyone enjoy the day. Eat well, drink your favorite drink and be merry all day long. Have a great Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

NFL News: The Holiday Fun has Begun Early

Another week of NFL is in the record books, and beginning of the holiday week has bought some things to light. This is the time of the year where we discover which NFL teams truly want to be in the playoffs and which teams cannot finish. In addition, we discover which teams deal with adversity well. A champion is not made in one game but a champion is made over a 16 game season.

The Green Bay Packers are strolling through their schedule on their way to an NFL undefeated season. I believe that the Packers can accomplish the goal, make it all the way to the Super Bowl, and win the whole thing again. Aaron Rodgers is simply an unbelievable talent at quarterback. Rodgers makes all the right throws and rarely makes a mistake. I am actually hoping the Packers will achieve what seems to be the impossible. Unlike the Patriots in 2007 which decided to run the score up on multiple opponents and left a bad taste in a great deal of people’s mouth, the Green Bay Packers are likeable. The Packers do not brag or run the score up just for the sake of it. Green Bay has no diva-like personalities speaking out on camera to cause controversy. The Packers just win and win gracefully. We know Green Bay is going to win when they step on the field, but even Minnesota Viking fans have to admit the Packers are a class act.

I have finally figured out that Tim Tebow is a superhero. Tebow has a good public image, is willing to help other people, and always has something positive to say. Tim Tebow clearly has a secret identity for the first three quarters of any game. Tebow looks like a mere mortal aka, “Clark Kent”, anytime before the fourth quarter. However, in the fourth quarter, Tim Tebow, puts on his superhero apparel, dons a cape, and has a big “S” on his chest. Tebow is a completely different player in the fourth quarter and keeps swooping in to save the Denver Broncos day. When the game is on the line in the last quarter of the game, Tim Tebow should just proclaim, “Have no fear Denver Broncos teammate, Tim Tebow is here. I will save the day!” This past week the Broncos won again on a Tim Tebow fourth quarter drive, making Tim Tebow 4-1 as a starter. People can complain about what Tim Tebow cannot do and how his quarterback mechanics are suspect. However, Tebow does well at the most important attribute of any good quarterback and that is that Tim Tebow is a winner.

The Chicago Bears were finally starting to look like they had the talent to be a serious playoff contender. Every thing was moving in the right direction. The Chicago Bears defense was playing well. Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears quarterback, for the first time in years, was not taking multiple sacks every game. The Chicago Bears had proven they were a team ready for playoff football. Then it happened, similar to last year, Jay Cutler suffered an injury. This year the injury is a  broken thumb that will require surgery. Cutler is done for the year and no timetable for a return. Without Cutler, who has been playing his best football of his career recently, the Chicago Bears chances of going far in the playoffs are looking slim. Caleb Hanie is a fine backup but I have no faith in Hanie being able to put together enough wins for the Chicago Bears to make a difference in the playoffs.

Quick hits, Vince Young looked good in his Philadelphia Eagles debut. Young had some initial rust but managed to go 23-36 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Eagles to victory over the New York Giants. Cam Newton to Steve Smith is definitely one of the best quarterback-receiver duos to watch. However, the rest of the Carolina Panthers team is severely lacking. The Panthers defense needs some major help as they never seem to slow any opposing team down at all. The Detroit Lions put up 49 points on the Panthers defense. The quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, Andy Dalton is only a rookie but is playing not only like a veteran but also one who is playoff ready. Over the weekend, Dalton threw for 373 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort. However, the Bengals lost to the Ravens and almost took the game to overtime. The Bengals are back and they are the real deal.

The games start early on Turkey Day this week so we do not have to wait long to see some good football action. The game of the week should be the San Francisco 49ers against the Baltimore Ravens. When was the last time anyone saw two NFL playoff contending teams, in which both coaches are actually brother, actually go head to head? I am ready to see the Harbaugh brothers clash and duke it out with their perspective teams on the football field. Let the holiday fun begin!

Sports News: Celebration and Disbelief

Well since Tuesday of this week as the sports world turns so do new stories always seem to pop up. One of the most significant stories in sports right is that the Duke Blue Devils Coach Mike Krzyzewski, reached the accomplishment of 903 wins. 903 wins gives Coach K, as some call him, the most wins in NCAA basketball history. Coach K passed Bobby Knight who had 902 wins and held the record for many years. Everyone thought it would be nearly impossible to exceed 902 wins. Coach K has in fact done the impossible and not only passed 902 wins but also will keep adding to his total. For 37 years Coach K developed the Duke Blue Devils basketball team into a winning program. Coach K has become an icon on the Duke Campus. The Duke Basketball program just will not be the same, once Mike Kryzewski does finally decide to retire. Thankfully, it looks like that day is far away and we will get to see Coach K orchestrate some more victories and maybe win some more NCAA Basketball championships. Even if some of my readers are not Duke Blue Devils fans, anyone has to appreciate what Coach K has done and brings to each NCAA college basketball game he coaches.

Back on the NFL front we have more Tim Tebow news. This week the coach of the Denver Broncos, John Fox, slammed Tebow.  John Fox stated, “Do whatever the hell it takes,” he laughed. “I mean what the hell? You don’t get points for style in this league. Let me tell you something: My man is really good in this offense. You know what I mean? If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.” Wow John, way to support your starting quarterback there buddy! Coach Fox should have just said “Tim Tebow is not a real NFL quarterback. He should have quit after college, but since I am forced to play him, I will run a college offense because this guy cannot even begin to be good enough to run a real NFL offense.” However, Coach Fox was not the only one that wanted to take shots at Tebow this week. Darelle Revis of the New York Jets, whom the Denver Broncos play this week, had something to say too. Darelle Revis said, “We can’t fall asleep back there in the secondary,” Revis said. “It can get boring, especially when a team just keeps running the ball, series after series, play after play.” I guess I can see where Revis is coming from. Revis is a cover guy and what’s the point of being a great cover corner if the majority of plays called are run plays. On the other hand, Darelle Revis is supposed to be a professional. No matter what offense the other team is running, Revis should be prepared to defend against any offensive scheme. Darelle Revis needs to let his play do the talking.

In other quick hits, I cannot understand why teams keep kicking to Devin Hester, the kick returner for the Chicgo Bears. On Sunday, Hester returned another kick back to the opposing teams endzone. This time the victim was the Detroit Lions who decided that this would be a good move. The young Detroit Lions learned why every ball should be kicked to the opposite side of the field Devin Hester is on. Devin Hester returned the kick for 82 yards, proving he is the best return man in NFL history.  I am excited about quite a few games this weekend but one team I have lost  all excitement to watch is the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are playing at such a high level that the majority of the teams do not stand any chance of winning. This week will be no different as the game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers will be over by halftime. Just an everyday occurrence in Packer nation, they win, the other team loses, enough said. The NBA lockout is still in effect, games have been cancelled all the way up to December 15 so far. It is still looking like there is no end in sight to the lockout. In addition, there is a good chance the games on Christmas day are going to be cancelled too.  I guess the only way people might see some NBA action this year is if they go out and buy NBA 2k12 and play the games on the favorite video game system. At least on the video game, a lockout is not an option and the games always are played on time.

That is all the news I have for this week. I am geared up for another great weekend in sports and some great NFL games on Thanksgiving Day. The second half of the NFL football season is in full swing. We can finally see which teams are real contenders and which ones are pretenders. The holiday season is here; let the surprises begin

Top Sports News: Decisions, Decisions

This week has been one of the most interesting weeks in sports in a long time. This week in sports is a week of decisions. This post is about some questionable decisions that are happening around sports in general. I believe some decisions from this week require a deeper look. We can look at what happened and see if that was the right decision to make. Let’s get started with the first situation:

The Penn State sex scandal investigation continues as we enter this week. Joe Paterno was fired last week after allegations of child sexual abuse against Jerry Sandusky were revealed . After hearing the different accounts, it sounds like Joe Paterno tried to do the right thing. Paterno tried to bring Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse activities to the attention of the athletic director. The athletic director did nothing after being told by Joe Paterno of Sandusky’s illicit activities. The athletic director never called the cops or took any form of action to change the situation. We have no idea why no one did anything more than tell the person above them. However, I am not sure if Paterno should have been fired, but he had to be fired. The reason is that no one related to a high profile scandal like the Penn State child abuse sex scandal is going to be allowed to remain working for Penn State. If Penn State keeps people that had any knowledge of what was going on, PennState will never be able to recover from the shadow of the scandal. Fans, high school prospects , and people in the surrounding community will associate Penn State with any person related to the child abuse sex scandal, as long as the person is still employed at the university. This would already make a bad public relations situation even harder to overcome. The Penn State administration knows they had to take the action in order for the school to have any chance of people seeing Penn State as a prestigious university once more.

On to the NBA and since there is no news of games being played, we have to turn to the news of the NBA lockout. The NBA lockout is still in effect with no clear end in sight. The NBA players have rejected the NBA owner’s last offer which could have potentially given the players 51 percent of the league revenue. The NBA players have basically drawn the line in the sand and want 52 percent or higher. Kobe Bryant even came forward and said he would be happy with 50/50 percent split. I can understand the NBA players wanting the best deal but to potentially lose a whole NBA season over one percent seems a bit much to me. Essentially, the players are saying we are willing to lose a complete NBA season because they want more money. Greed will make people do strange things sometimes. In this case, NBA players association negotiators are waiting for the perfect deal. The perfect deal is never going to come. America may miss out on a whole season of NBA basketball if an agreement is not reached soon. On the other hand, the United States will helps the economy of other countries as NBA players flock overseas to play.

A few events happened in the NFL. One event of minor significance was David Nelson, receiver for the Buffalo Bills, caught a touchdown pass this weekend and gave the ball to his girlfriend. David Nelson’s girlfriend happens to be a cheerleader for the opposing team, the Dallas Cowboys. I understand being in love but giving game balls to cheerleader girlfriends is something people outgrow in high school. Being an NFL player, Mr. Nelson should have come with a ring or something a little better to impress the girl. In other news, Mike Smith head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, decided to go for it on 4^th down in overtime on his team’s own 29 yard line. I can understand Mike Smith having confidence in his running back Michael Turner to make the conversion. However, on his own 29 yard line, Smith should have made the call to punt the ball. Long story made short, the Falcons did not get the conversion and lost the game as the New Orleans Saints kicked a field goal. Lastly, I can say that Tebow has changed the way we see football. Tebow completed 2-8 passes over the weekend. The Denver Broncos ran the ball 55 times in their game, including 43 yards and a touchdown by Tim Tebow. One of the two passes Tim Tebow completed ended up being a perfectly thrown touchdown pass. The Denver Broncos are running the triple option offense to allowTebow to do what he does best which is run. While I do not think the Denver Broncos will win any Super Bowls running the option system, the Broncos might sneak into the playoffs. It looks like the Denver Bronocos have made the right move in deciding to start Tim Tebow. Since Tebow has taken over as the Broncos quarteback, the Denver Bronocs are 3-1. Tim Tebow has made the Broncos a winning organization once again.

The Sports World has been a complete mess every week this year. A great deal of events going on and no one seems to know how the majority of the situations will end. We just have to wait and see if everything will work itself out. Until then each week in sports will only continue to get more interesting.

NCAA Football: The Penn State Scandal

Football has been interesting to say the least on the professional and college level. I usually talk about the big play, who is playing up to their potential, and who needs to step up their game. However, today I am focusing on none of those things because there is a more serious issue to talk about today. Today I will talk about the Penn State situation that is on every sports radio show, blog, and television program.

Penn State assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, is accused of sexual abuse with as many as eight victims. Sandusky used his position of authority to take advantage of children. To make it even worse, Jerry Sandusky started a program, called Second Mile, to help troubled youths. This troubled youth program was the same place that Sandusky met his victims. This just takes the nature of Jerry Sandusky’s crimes all that much worse. Sandusky put up a front offering help to troubled youths and instead he was destroying lives.

The plot thickens even further because Sandusky was considered by many to be Joe Paterno’s right hand man. A great deal of people are wondering how Joe Paterno could have such a relationship with Sandusky and not know what was going on? The other question is did Joe Pa take any part in the illicit activities as well? The investigation is ongoing and no verdict has been given. I still would not blame incoming students and parents for feeling uncomfortable about the allegations. I know that as the case continues to become larger, there will be some de-commits and parents will be taking Penn State off their list of eligible schools for their children.

I am not sure what the result of the case will be in the courts but this is one time that I wish Roger Goodell of the NFL was in charge of the NCAA punishment.  I could see Goodell dishing out some heavy fines and penalties for Penn State in addition to any jail time Sandusky might receive if convicted. I have no idea how the NCAA will handle a scandal of this magnitude, if a guilty verdict is issued. Penn State delivered its own form of justice yesterday and fired Joe Paterno.

Joe Pa knew it was coming though. Paterno announced earlier in the day that he was going to retire at the end of the season. This coming from the same man that said he would coach for a few more years. Then all of sudden Joe Paterno says that he is retiring at the end of the season. Paterno could see the writing on the wall. Joe Pa knew the end was near, he probably just did not know how close.

It’s a truly sad story that someone with so much power, such as Jerry Sandusky, decided to use it to do the wrong thing. Sandusky could have truly have been the one to help some troubled youths. Jerry Sandsuky could have been someone remembered for all of the good thing he accomplished in his life. Instead he will be forever remembered for being a man who preyed on children and caused them pain. In addition, Sandusky may very well spend his last days of his life in jail.

If Sandusky does indeed stay in jail until his last breath that may not be enough punishment for all the lives he has left a scar on. I am not sure what kind of punishment would truly be enough. I do know that Penn State has a long road to recovery. The victims have an even longer road to recovery. Each victim’s life will never be the same. My heart goes out to each victim for justice to be done and the healing process to begin. To some watching or attending a football game is the most important event on the weekend. This weekend in State College, PA., football will be a second thought as we focus on helping those in need.