Friday, January 22, 2010

NFL NFC Championship Game

Ok, we have the two best teams from the NFC in the Championship game. The Vikings come in with a little luster taken off their star with some so-so performances as of late and the Saints come in as probably the hottest team in the NFL. The Vikings got here by dismantling the Dallas Cowboys and (maybe) running up the score at the end of the game. The Saints got her by out shooting the Cardinals with one of Reggie Bush's best performances of his career. Let's take a look at how this NFC Championship game will turn out.

Offense:

Saints - They got one, and boy do they have one. In most cases the Saints start the game with a TD already on the board as fast as they seem to score points. Drew Brees is having a marvelous year and he's hooking up with everyone on the team by spreading the ball around. The funny part is that the Saints are also at the top of league when it comes to running the ball. With their balance and unexpected play calling from Sean Payton, you never know what to expect.

Vikings - I have been on record all year about this Vikings team needing to run the ball more. for goodness sakes, they have Adrian Peterson. They also have a pretty old QB in Favre who is having arguably his best year ever. With the addition of Percy Harvin and the emergence of Sidney Rice and Shiancoe, the Vikings also have a very dynamic offense. They can keep pace with the Saints if they run the ball a little more and keep Brees in a baseball cap. My worry is that Harvin is having migraines again and may not be able to play. That's a big part of the Vikings passing game on the sidelines if that happens.

Defense:

Saints - Opportunistic is the word that many use to describe the Saints defense. I will say that they are in that bend but do not break category with the Colts defense. If the Saints can get you in the down and distance that they want (2nd and 3rd and long), they have great safeties (Sharper and Harper) that can read QBs and make plays and decent corners who can run with the Vikings receivers. They have decent run stoppers up front, so they should be able to slow down Peterson, at least a little.

Vikings - They have been the best defense at sacking the QB all year long. They really showed us how formidable they could be against the Cowboys. The issue with that is that the Vikings defense hadn't had a game like the Dallas game since maybe week 14 or 15. You can't just turn it on and off. You gotta have some consistency. Ray Edwards tweaked a knee in that Cowboys game and he was giving the Cowboys as hard of a time as Jared Allen was (some would say Edwards had the better game). The Vikings corners have been beaten up all year long, so it will be of utmost importance for the Vikings to get to Brees.

Coaching:

Saints - Payton is one of the best game callers in the NFL and right now he can't seem to pick a bad play. He's going to have to balance the run with the pass and keep that Vikings defense honest. He can't afford to have his team in 3rd and long or Brees may not make it through the game. I'm assuming that he'll have a lot of delayed runs and screens in place for Bush and Thomas.

Vikings - It's funny that Brad Childress gets no respect. I mean, many of us could coach this Vikings team, right? Childress has got to remember that Adrian Peterson is young, so another 26 carries won't hurt him. Look for Childress to concentrate on the run and then let Favre loose later in the game. Childress also has the pressure on him that it's Super Bowl or bust. Can Leslie Frazier, the defensive coordinator dial up something to stop this Saints offense?

And the winner will be:

My heart says Vikings, my head says Saints. So I gotta go with the Vikings. This is it for them. This validates chasing and bringing back Brett Favre if they win this game and get to the Super Bowl. Yes, they want to win that one too, but this Saints team provides a challenge that the Vikings have to step up and answer. Look for AP to have a monster day (hopefully, finally) and for the Vikings to finally get back to the Super Bowl. Final score, Vikings 34, Saints 28.


I know that there are going to be a lot of people that are siding for the Saints and I won't be surprised, but I gotta go with the old vet on this one. What's your take? Who you got?

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

NBA: Who's Your MVP?

NYSTOM has his updated MVP race for you all. Who ya got? Everyone should say LeBron at this moment, right? Or are there enough Kobe lovers out there that think he should be leading for the MVP trophy?

As always, voice your opinions.

NFL AFC Championship Game

Yeah, I know it's been a while, but let's get back into the swing of things with the NFL before it disappears. The AFC Championship game is set to go with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the New York Jets. I doubt many people had the Jets getting this far, but with their beat down (physically) of the Chargers, you really can't say much. The Colts got here by beating a one show pony Baltimore Ravens team. The Ravens probably could have won this game had it not been for the penalties and the turnovers. Let's see how this AFC Championship game will turn out.


Offense:


NYJ - The Jets are limited from a passing standpoint with rookie senior Matt Sanchez at the helm, but he has shown flashes. The Jets will continue to run the ball with both Thomas Jones and Shonn Green and minimize the rookie's opportunity to make mistakes (think Ravens 2000-2001).


Colts - Manning. That's pretty much all you have to say. He may go down as the best ever and he shows that by continuing to play football. He lost his favorite target in Marvin Harrison this year but hasn't missed a beat with Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The more surprising piece is that he's done it with Garcon, Collie, and other guys off the street. Eli Manning had no such luck. I expect Manning to run a lot of hurry up sets to give the Jets defense fits. Amazingly, look for Addai or Brown to get between 20 carries combined.


Defense:


NYJ - The Jets were one of the top defenses at the beginning of the year and then fell off. Well, now they are back. I will say this, Ryan can scheme against any QB and I'd bet on his team's success most of the time. They will try and confuse Manning and hide their blitzes. The Jets are going to start blitzing Manning sometime today. Look for the match up of Revis on Wayne to help determine this game.


Colts - Bend but don't break, that's the Colts' defense motto. Well, they are going to have to stop the run primarily. Robert Mathis and Gay Brackett are going to need to have big games. I'm not so concerned with the Jets passing the ball because they should be able to get pressure on Sanchez.


Coaching:


NYJ - I will be 'surprised' if we lose to the Colts. Well, you can say what you want, but Ryan is deflecting all of the attention to him and not his team. That's something a good coach can do. Will it work? Not so sure, because his team has to go out and back up the bravado. I like Ryan from an X's and O's in a one game playoff, but can he scheme his team to the Super Bowl?

Colts - Jim Caldwell has pretty much picked up were Tony Dungy left off. Steady wins the race. Caldwell seems to have made great decisions for his team to keep them healthy and ready for a Super Bowl berth. Many thought that the perfect season was more important than winning it all, but the Colts are now in a position to make people forget about a perfect season if they can get a ring.

And the winner will be:

Colts. Yes this should be a close game with the defenses setting the tone, but I only bet against the other (Eli) Manning. I think in the end that Colts offense will out play that Jets defense and advance to the Super Bowl. Final score, Colts 24 - Jets 13.


That's my pick, what's your take? Do you think the Jets pull the win out? Maybe they are able to surprise yet again? Can the rookie, Mark Sanchez lead his team to the Super Bowl?

Leave Tiger Alone

I thought for sure that with the NFL playoffs, Gilbert Arenas' gun charges, and Mark McGuire's revelation to the world that he used steroids would have silenced a lot of this Tiger talk. But nooooo!!! Someone has to write a blog about Tiger being at a center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi getting treated for sex addiction. Number 1, who knew that there was anything in Hattiesburg except Brett Favre? Number 2, aren't all men sex addicts (if you can get it)?

Supposedly, Tiger (and Elin) will be involved in several therapy sessions and will have an opportunity to air their feelings towards each other, while working out this issue. Tiger supposedly would have to sign an agreement that he is not to have sex with anyone (while he's there) or relieve himself. WTF?!?!?!?

Who makes up this kind of treatment? I mean Tiger is a man, who is worth a BILLION dollars and you want him to get treated for sex addiction? Tiger has more opportunities to have sex more than some porn stars. Again, a man only has so many 'no's' in his vocabulary. Hey, at least Tiger is going through all of this BS to try and save his marriage so I give him points for that. But, I'm not sure it's really worth it. I mean if Elin is going to leave, let her go. She'll never trust him again anyway. If she stays, she's only doing it for more loot (changing the pre-nupt in mid marriage?). Good luck Tiger. Can't wait to see you back on the course whipping all of these guys on Tour who are trying to get their dibs in now.

NBA Player Rankings

My guy NYSTOM is at it again and his latest player rankings are here. Not too many surprises, except for Zach Randolph (14), David Lee (16), and Kevin Love (27) over Al Jefferson (37). I vote that Greg Oden be taken off the list entirely. I hate that his career has started like this, but you gotta take him off. Here's the rest of the list:


Is NYSTOM on point, or is he crazy? Where's your favorite NBA player? Is he even ranked? If you see something foul, call out NYSTOM.

RIP - Gaines Adams

Another sad death. Adams was 26 years old and died of an apparent heart attack. Adams had just recently been traded to the Chicago Bears from Tampa Bay for a 2nd round pick. Adams had had some success in his first years at Tampa, but wasn't really able to get on the field while in Chicago. In my estimation, he was brought in as leverage to keep from paying Agunleye big money, but I guess the Bears will have to come up with something else. Most people that knew Adams said he was a great kid and with that said, may he rest in piece.

Catching Up

Wow, it's really been a long time. The holidays, two kids, and a busy social life will do it to you. I'm back, so I'll start getting some posts out soon.