1. Game five of the ALCS could be the turning point in the series between the Yankees and Angels. It was an instant classic, and could be the kinda game that gives the Angels some momentum...of course they will have to win the last two in the Bronx.
2. A Yankees vs. Phillies World Series is good for fans that are fans of those teams. No one else. I hate in order these three cities sports: 1. Boston 2. New York 3. Philadelphia, so for me a Yankees Phils World Series will be almost as bad as the Yankees vs Marlins World Series from 2003.
3. ESPN's College Gameday could be the best pre-game show of all sports. The set up is brilliant. The way they go to a college campus every week with the fans and clever signs behind them is great. Lee Corso is a little bit too much but overall I love watching that show on Saturday mornings.
4. Who is the best running back in college football? Alambama's Mark Ingram. No question.
5.Who is the worst team in the NFL? Does it matter? The bottom five teams are some of the worst teams the NFL has ever put together.
6. It still boggles my mind that Tampa Bay didn't spend more in free agency. The team is so bad I can't help but wonder that fans are thinking the same thing. They had so much room under the cap, they could've bought probably 3 of the top 5 guys in free agency...including Albert Haynesworth (although it's probable a good thing now, the guy plays half of the time).
7. I heart Jim Zorn
8. I'm tired of hearing that this weeks Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh game is a "possible Super Bowl Match-up." No it is not. One, Pittsburgh does not have the same swagger they did last year. Their defense doesn't have the same presence. They really too much on Big Ben to carry them, which I'm not convinced is a good idea yet. Two, Minnesota has a 40 year old at QB. I know Brett Favre is playing great right now, but does he really have what it takes to play an entire regular season and then three to four extra games in the playoffs? He couldn't even do it last year. So even though I think it will be a good game this week, I'm not buying the Super Bowl hype.
9. For what it's worth, my pre-season prediction of Super Bowl participants was either Giants vs. Colts or Giants vs. Patriots...I don't remember, but regardless if it's Giants vs. Pats that means that once again we will have two of the top three cities of sporting teams I hate.
10. November 1 will be a day when all professional sports will be played. How cool is that? NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, and a few others. I read an article about it. I think it's a good thing.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Various NFL Storylines
Alright, so here is an in depth look at some intriguing storylines for this week's NFL games. If I miss any feel free to comment on them.
San Diego vs. Kansas City- Any division game is worth a mention. This AFC West matchup puts the highly overrated and underachieving San Diego Chargers against the Kansas City Chiefs, who are coming off their first win of the season. Hard to believe, but I think Kansas City has a chance to put two wins in a row together. San Diego is falling apart before our very eyes, and it's a pretty much gurantee that next season' team will look very, very different from this years team. Those changes probable include a new coaching staff, a defense without Shawn Merriman (who seems to have worn out his welcome), and maybe a Ladanian Tomlinson-less backfield. This could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" game for the Chargers.
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh- Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, got his job from the tremendous job he did while coaching the defense in Minnesota a few years ago. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers offense operates against the stingy Vikings D, seeing as how some if not most of the personell on the defense are the same as when Tomlin was there.
New York Jets vs. Oakland- The Raiders' Richard Seymour promised this week that the Raiders would make the playoffs...this year! After beating Philadelphia last week following New York Giants LB Antonio Pierce's comments that playing the Raiders was like a "scrimmage" is it possible we are now seeing inspired play by Oakland? The Jets are struggling. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez, even though he started 3-0, has not put up impressive numbers (especially last week...he gave credit to Buffalo for catching HIS passes!!!), so maybe this is the perfect opportunity for New York to get back on track...then agains maybe it's the perfect time for Oakland to put a winning streak together and make some noise in the AFC.
Chicago vs. Cinncinnatti- Cedric Benson. Fourth overall pick by the Bears in 2006, then ran out of town three years later, he is running with avengence this year. You can bet he circled this game on his calendar when the schedule came out. He says he does not have any ill will towards the team, but c'mon...they never gave him a fair shot and his tenure there was rocky to say the least. I'm looking forward to seeing how he looks with the ball in his hands.
Philadelphia vs. Washington- This MNF match-up is good on paper because it is an NFC East game. Those games are almost always good. The Redskins are literally on their last breath. The Eagles are coming off an unfathomable loss to the Raiders. Both teams are fighting for something different, but with the same goal: Beating a hated divisional rival. This game could be closer then most expect.
San Diego vs. Kansas City- Any division game is worth a mention. This AFC West matchup puts the highly overrated and underachieving San Diego Chargers against the Kansas City Chiefs, who are coming off their first win of the season. Hard to believe, but I think Kansas City has a chance to put two wins in a row together. San Diego is falling apart before our very eyes, and it's a pretty much gurantee that next season' team will look very, very different from this years team. Those changes probable include a new coaching staff, a defense without Shawn Merriman (who seems to have worn out his welcome), and maybe a Ladanian Tomlinson-less backfield. This could be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" game for the Chargers.
Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh- Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, got his job from the tremendous job he did while coaching the defense in Minnesota a few years ago. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers offense operates against the stingy Vikings D, seeing as how some if not most of the personell on the defense are the same as when Tomlin was there.
New York Jets vs. Oakland- The Raiders' Richard Seymour promised this week that the Raiders would make the playoffs...this year! After beating Philadelphia last week following New York Giants LB Antonio Pierce's comments that playing the Raiders was like a "scrimmage" is it possible we are now seeing inspired play by Oakland? The Jets are struggling. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez, even though he started 3-0, has not put up impressive numbers (especially last week...he gave credit to Buffalo for catching HIS passes!!!), so maybe this is the perfect opportunity for New York to get back on track...then agains maybe it's the perfect time for Oakland to put a winning streak together and make some noise in the AFC.
Chicago vs. Cinncinnatti- Cedric Benson. Fourth overall pick by the Bears in 2006, then ran out of town three years later, he is running with avengence this year. You can bet he circled this game on his calendar when the schedule came out. He says he does not have any ill will towards the team, but c'mon...they never gave him a fair shot and his tenure there was rocky to say the least. I'm looking forward to seeing how he looks with the ball in his hands.
Philadelphia vs. Washington- This MNF match-up is good on paper because it is an NFC East game. Those games are almost always good. The Redskins are literally on their last breath. The Eagles are coming off an unfathomable loss to the Raiders. Both teams are fighting for something different, but with the same goal: Beating a hated divisional rival. This game could be closer then most expect.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Intriguing Story Line
I really want to go more in depth on this and try to make it weekly thing, but I have class in a few minutes so I thought I would just give you a quick teaser. Since reading into story lines is fun (but pretty un-useful) I thought I would go through this week's NFL games and present things to watch...
1. Cinncinnatti Bengals RB Cedric Benson, who has been playing lights out all season, is going against the team that drafted fourth overall in 2006 then drove him out of town 3 years later, the Chicago Bears. Added motivation? I think so...
I'll do a longer article tommmorow on different story lines to look at.
Also, another thing I would like to start doing is every Monday or Tuesday have a good look back at the games played the precvious Sunday. Stay tuned.
1. Cinncinnatti Bengals RB Cedric Benson, who has been playing lights out all season, is going against the team that drafted fourth overall in 2006 then drove him out of town 3 years later, the Chicago Bears. Added motivation? I think so...
I'll do a longer article tommmorow on different story lines to look at.
Also, another thing I would like to start doing is every Monday or Tuesday have a good look back at the games played the precvious Sunday. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
My Top 25 College Football Poll
I have decided to do my own ranking. I don't look at huge legendary upsets or records. I'm looking at what teams I think are the very best in the country. Just because USC loses to a horrible team every year, doesn't mean they aren't one of the best in the country. Unfortunately, I can't put Oklahoma too high up anymore because of Sam Bradford's injury, but I wish I would. So without further ado...
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. USC
5. LSU
6. Boise State
7. Penn State
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Ohio State
11. Miami (FL)
12. Cinncinnatti
13. TCU
14. Oregon
15. Virginia Tech
16. Oklahoma State
17. Oklahoma
18. BYU
19. Notre Dame
20. West Virginia
21. Pittsburgh
22. Texas Tech
23. South Carolina
24. Kansas
25.Utah
I really don't understand why there is a top 25. There should really only be a top 10. Do teams 11-25 really matter? And, can we PLEASE get a playoff system?
Feel free to comment on your thoughts about my top-25.
1. Alabama
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. USC
5. LSU
6. Boise State
7. Penn State
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Ohio State
11. Miami (FL)
12. Cinncinnatti
13. TCU
14. Oregon
15. Virginia Tech
16. Oklahoma State
17. Oklahoma
18. BYU
19. Notre Dame
20. West Virginia
21. Pittsburgh
22. Texas Tech
23. South Carolina
24. Kansas
25.Utah
I really don't understand why there is a top 25. There should really only be a top 10. Do teams 11-25 really matter? And, can we PLEASE get a playoff system?
Feel free to comment on your thoughts about my top-25.
Monday, October 19, 2009
One Sentence Reactions...NFL
Minnesota 33 Baltimore 31- Wow, that was fun!
New Orleans 48 New York Giants 27- Drew Brees for MVP.
Pittsburgh 21 Cleveland 14- I am not impressed with the Super Bowl Champions and how flat they look.
Houston 28 Cinncinnatti 17- To be a truly great team you can not play down to your competition, Cincy.
Green Bay 26 Detroit 0- Pretty much what I expected
Carolina 28 Tampa Bay 21- Close only counts in hand grenades and horse shoes.
Kansas City 14 Washington 6- How many times can a team hit rock bottom?
Jacksonville 23 St. Louis 20- Did anyone watch or care about this game?
Oakland 13 Philadelphia 9- The upset special, there is no way anyone in America picked this game.
Arizona 27 Seattle 3- In the NFC West it's hard to tell which team will show up on any given Sunday.
New England 59 Tennessee 0- Uh-oh, they're back.
Buffalo 16 New York Jets 13- Mark Sanchez might have hurt his shoulder from falling back down to earth.
Atlanta 21 Chicago 14- Huge game in the NFC playoff situation delivers with good ol' fashion football.
New Orleans 48 New York Giants 27- Drew Brees for MVP.
Pittsburgh 21 Cleveland 14- I am not impressed with the Super Bowl Champions and how flat they look.
Houston 28 Cinncinnatti 17- To be a truly great team you can not play down to your competition, Cincy.
Green Bay 26 Detroit 0- Pretty much what I expected
Carolina 28 Tampa Bay 21- Close only counts in hand grenades and horse shoes.
Kansas City 14 Washington 6- How many times can a team hit rock bottom?
Jacksonville 23 St. Louis 20- Did anyone watch or care about this game?
Oakland 13 Philadelphia 9- The upset special, there is no way anyone in America picked this game.
Arizona 27 Seattle 3- In the NFC West it's hard to tell which team will show up on any given Sunday.
New England 59 Tennessee 0- Uh-oh, they're back.
Buffalo 16 New York Jets 13- Mark Sanchez might have hurt his shoulder from falling back down to earth.
Atlanta 21 Chicago 14- Huge game in the NFC playoff situation delivers with good ol' fashion football.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Week 6 Preview
What I want to do with this here bloggy blog is do a weekly preview of the big games in the NFL. I'm only going to do the big important games because quite frankly, I don't care about St. Louis vs. Jacksonville. So...on with the show!
New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints- Easily the game of the week. Both teams are 5-0. Both teams have things to prove, and obviously it's the Shockey Bowl I. The Saints offense is obviously one of the best, if not THE best. Drew Brees is playing like the MVP of the league. But during the off-season, something happened. The Saints got a defense. Uh-oh. These guys are good. Good enough to stop the Eli Manning and the Giants? Yes! The Saints look like one of the more complete teams in the league. What about the Giants though? These guys aren't too shabby either. They may be the most complete team in the league. Manning is playing fantastic, leading a very good offense without Shooter McGavin (Plax). Remember a few years ago when people thought Eli just wasn't going to get it done? The two headed monster of a running game is turning heads as well with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Plus, the Giants defense is again, really good. That pass rush, you may remember has been known to stop pretty potent offenses (Remember the Super Bowl?) and since the team is hurting in the secondary, that pass rush is going to need to come up big to stop the weapons the Saints have. My guess? Only since it is in New Orleans I go with the Saints 30-24.
Denver vs. San Diego- When the schedule first came out I wondered why this was a Monday Night game. I thought the Chargers were going to run away with the AFC West while the Broncos sat in the bottom for the next ten years. But my, my, how wrong I was. The 5-0 Broncos (WHAT?!?!?!?) are playing the best football in the NFL while the Chargers are struggling and seem on the verge of a major breakdown. So this MNF matchup is very intriguing. Broncos QB Kyle Orton, is playing good football leading his offense to five victories. But to be honest that is not the story of the Broncos. Orton played well for Chicago, so no one should be surprised. The surprise of the whole season is that the Broncos have the number one DEFENSE! After years of sitting in the bottom of the rankings, this defense is FOR. REAL. Mike Nolan transofrmed the team to a 3-4 scheme and added Brian Dawkins from Philadelphia. These two things, in my opinion is why this defense is so good. The 3-4 has helped Elvis Dumerville lead the league in sacks with 8 (tied with Cincy's Antwan Odom) and Dawkins is the emotional leader of the team. The defense is legit. The Chargers on the other hand are struggling. Their defense is under-performing, the once imposing running game is looking bleak, and the coaching is again questionable. I sometimes forget that LaDanian Tomlinson is even on the team! Also, there have been rumors flying that LB Shawn Merriman might get traded. Just wait though, there is only one thing that cures all these problems: Winning. With a division rival coming to town, what better way to get things back on track? That is why I am going with the Cha-Cha. San Diego wins this game and it might not be as competitive as you may think...Chargers 27, Broncos 17.
Chicago vs. Atlanta- This game has playoff preview written all over it. One of these teams could win their division or both could end up with the two wildcard spots available. I like both of these teams too. Good young QB's, good running games, and good coaching. I can't help it, I have a man crush on the Bears Jay Cutler, and Atlanta's Matt Ryan. Cutler has been on my fantasy team for 3 years straight. When it comes to this game though, I'm going to go with the home team Falcons, and only because they are at home. The Falcons for some reason are under the radar but sitting pretty at 3-1 and the Bears are the same. Both teams are behind in the division but a win on Sunday would be huge in gaining ground since it's possible both division leaders could lose. My pick...Atlanta 26, Chicago 23.
New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints- Easily the game of the week. Both teams are 5-0. Both teams have things to prove, and obviously it's the Shockey Bowl I. The Saints offense is obviously one of the best, if not THE best. Drew Brees is playing like the MVP of the league. But during the off-season, something happened. The Saints got a defense. Uh-oh. These guys are good. Good enough to stop the Eli Manning and the Giants? Yes! The Saints look like one of the more complete teams in the league. What about the Giants though? These guys aren't too shabby either. They may be the most complete team in the league. Manning is playing fantastic, leading a very good offense without Shooter McGavin (Plax). Remember a few years ago when people thought Eli just wasn't going to get it done? The two headed monster of a running game is turning heads as well with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Plus, the Giants defense is again, really good. That pass rush, you may remember has been known to stop pretty potent offenses (Remember the Super Bowl?) and since the team is hurting in the secondary, that pass rush is going to need to come up big to stop the weapons the Saints have. My guess? Only since it is in New Orleans I go with the Saints 30-24.
Denver vs. San Diego- When the schedule first came out I wondered why this was a Monday Night game. I thought the Chargers were going to run away with the AFC West while the Broncos sat in the bottom for the next ten years. But my, my, how wrong I was. The 5-0 Broncos (WHAT?!?!?!?) are playing the best football in the NFL while the Chargers are struggling and seem on the verge of a major breakdown. So this MNF matchup is very intriguing. Broncos QB Kyle Orton, is playing good football leading his offense to five victories. But to be honest that is not the story of the Broncos. Orton played well for Chicago, so no one should be surprised. The surprise of the whole season is that the Broncos have the number one DEFENSE! After years of sitting in the bottom of the rankings, this defense is FOR. REAL. Mike Nolan transofrmed the team to a 3-4 scheme and added Brian Dawkins from Philadelphia. These two things, in my opinion is why this defense is so good. The 3-4 has helped Elvis Dumerville lead the league in sacks with 8 (tied with Cincy's Antwan Odom) and Dawkins is the emotional leader of the team. The defense is legit. The Chargers on the other hand are struggling. Their defense is under-performing, the once imposing running game is looking bleak, and the coaching is again questionable. I sometimes forget that LaDanian Tomlinson is even on the team! Also, there have been rumors flying that LB Shawn Merriman might get traded. Just wait though, there is only one thing that cures all these problems: Winning. With a division rival coming to town, what better way to get things back on track? That is why I am going with the Cha-Cha. San Diego wins this game and it might not be as competitive as you may think...Chargers 27, Broncos 17.
Chicago vs. Atlanta- This game has playoff preview written all over it. One of these teams could win their division or both could end up with the two wildcard spots available. I like both of these teams too. Good young QB's, good running games, and good coaching. I can't help it, I have a man crush on the Bears Jay Cutler, and Atlanta's Matt Ryan. Cutler has been on my fantasy team for 3 years straight. When it comes to this game though, I'm going to go with the home team Falcons, and only because they are at home. The Falcons for some reason are under the radar but sitting pretty at 3-1 and the Bears are the same. Both teams are behind in the division but a win on Sunday would be huge in gaining ground since it's possible both division leaders could lose. My pick...Atlanta 26, Chicago 23.
Sorry
Ok, well after a few months of being a HUUGGGGEEEE slacker, I'm getting back into the blogging game. So, what does this mean? Well, it means that whoever reads this will be able to read new stuff. I'm mostly going to focus on Football, BUT I am well aware that the Baseball playoffs are on so I'll be talking about my hatred for the Philly's (and all Philadelphia sports) and how I kinda want the Dodgers to win because it's my dad's team but I have a soft spot for the Angels. I digress, so read, enjoy, and follow, and comment, and do whatever else you want to do. Looking forward to the feedback.
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