Monday, January 24, 2011

NFL 2010 AFC Championship Game Wrap Up

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh - Well, this game was a little different than I expected, but still close enough.  I said that Mendenhall will get a lot of carries, the Jets corners will have to cover all of the Steelers receivers, hat Heath Miller and Spaeth will have big games, that Brett Keisel and Harrison will be in Sanchez's back pocket, and finally that the Steelers would close out the Jets if they got out to a big lead. 

1.  Mendenhall has come a long way from the brash youngster who called out Ray Lewis in his first game against the Ravens (he ended that game with a broken collarbone or something after Lewis hit him).  He has now become the next name in line as the Steelers' starting running back.  Mendenhall had 27 carries for 121 yards, and 1 TD.  He also had 2 receptions for 32 yards.

2.  The Jets did a decent job covering everyone, but Big Ben was able to find 7 different receivers with Heath Miller leading the field with 2 catches for 38 yards.  Not your Don Coryell Chargers, but when the running game was as good as it was, you're really only passing for those longer 3rd down conversions. 

3.  Heath Miller (from above) and Matt Spaeth had good games, but it was more in the blocking and protecting of Big Ben.  Spaeth was only targeted once in the passing game but finished the game with no catches. 

4.  Brett Keisel and  Harrison spent a lot of time pressuring Sanchez and both ended the game with 7 tackles a piece.  Timmons and Farrior led the Steelers in tackles, 10 and 8 respectively, but as a whole this Steelers defense did their job.  They did let up at the end which could have cost them the game, but they were good enough for long enough. 


All in all the Jets' didn't play a bad game, they just started late. It was 24-3 at halftime and their defense didn't allow the Steelers to score in the second half.  They have to be kicking themselves for the first half that they played.  Had they be able to keep the Steelers to 17 or maybe even 20, this would have been a lot more tenuous down the stretch. 

Congrats to the Steelers for returning to the Superbowl with a chance to get number 7 for their organization.  It's been a tough year for the Steelers, but the good teams are able to bounce back.  Inquisitive Mind 2 - 0 for the week

NFL 2010 NFC Championship Game Wrap Up

Green Bay @ Chicago - As I sat and watched this game, I thought that maybe I should become the next Ms.(Mr.) Cleo.  I said that the Bears would have to limit the bad decisions and turnovers by Cutler and play well on defense.  I also said that Johnny Knox would have a big game.  I said this about the Packers 'On defense, I'm looking for a big game from BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins.  If the two of them cause problems up front, not only will they be able to get hits on Cutler, but they may force him into some bad throws and that's all Woodson and Williams are waiting on'.  Let's get to the tale of the tape.

1.  Cutler missed on a few passes early, but his worst decision was quitting on his team.  Ask any athlete that's been hurt and had a significant injury, they can tell you when it happened.  I can't by Cutler's excuse that he hurt his knee sometime in the 2nd quarter.  This is the NFC Championship game, and by all accounts the Bears played terrible, but they were still in this game until the last INT by Hanie.  This is Cutler's first foire into the playoffs with a chance to go to the Superbowl, and this is what you do?  Number 2, you go in early at halftime and you come back out without a knee brace on?  I mean if your knee is hurt that bad, they have knee braces (and probably a shot or two) that will help you get through the next 30 minutes and try and win this game.  We can assume that Cutler chose neither.  Number 3, Unless this MRI comes back with 3 torn ligaments, I expect that Cutler will be vilified in a city where toughness is an expectation.  Number 4, if the training staff/doctor told you that you shouldn't play, a competitor would have been seen on the sideline in Lovie's ear trying to get him to reconsider or something.  There should have been a screaming match with a helmet thrown or something.  This just doesn't look good for Cutler, even with Urlacher doing what he was supposed to do by standing up for his teammate.   

2.  Johnny Knox (targeted 6 times) must not trust Cutler because he doesn't seem to go all out when Cutler is throwing him the ball.  Enter Hanie and Knox becomes a different man.  Knox ended the game with 2 receptions for 56 yards (1 pass interference call that turned into an additional play for 20+ yards for the Bears) which isn't alot but when your QBs throw for a total of 218 yard, it's pretty good.

3.  BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins must have heard me talking about them because they started the game of disrupting things and continued for the majority of the game.  Jenkins ended the game with 1/2 a sack, 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits (maybe one on Cutler's knee), and several more disruptions.  BJ Raji ended the game with 2 QB hits, and an 18 yard interception return for a TD.

4. Woodson and Williams played well covering the Bears receivers, but it was Sam Shields who had 2 INTs (1 sealed the game) and a sack to go along with 4 tackles, that paced the Packers in the defensive secondary. 

All in all, it was a sad day for the Bears.  Their defense played well, but their offense wasn't on the right track.  I've said all year long that Hanie is a better QB for the Bears (Martz) system and someone should think about that going forward.  Cutler has more tools than Hanie, but sometimes have a utility knife that can do 20 things really isn't worth having when you trying to open a can and you have a handy dandy can opener ready and available.  The Bears as an organization will have to stand by Cutler or his career here is done, so I expect that his MRI results will be substantially worse than they really are.

Actually this was quite prophetic too -   
'In the end, the Bears are playing at home (even though the field is TERRIBLE) and I think that their special teams will need to be special for them to win this game.  I expect the Packers to get to Cutler, and I even expect the Bears to get to Rodgers.  I don't trust Cutler in this big of a game.  So, to both Mike's (at the barbershop and at Union Station), Kevin (my Ray Lewis hater, he thinks Urlacher is better than Ray Lewis), and anyone else that I run across before the game here's what I got.  Winner - Packers'.

The Packers are on their way to the Superbowl and they really proved that they were the better team yesterday. Congrats and good luck in Dallas.  Inquisitive Mind 1 - 0 for the week

Friday, January 21, 2011

NFL 2010 AFC Championship Game Pick

Now that we have that NFC Championship Game Pick out of the way, let's get to the next game.

New York Jets @ Pittsburgh - People are talking about how these two teams are somewhat identical, but I have to kindly disagree.  The Steelers come into this game a little banged up (Polamalu and some of the offensive lineman) but basically in pretty good shape.  Big Ben is on his game and that gives the Steelers the option of running or passing against you.  I am a little concerned with the injuries to the O-line during the Ravens game, but they should be ok.  Mendenhall will get lots of carries and we'll see how good the corners from the Jets really are as they battle (literally) Hines Ward.  The more quick passes to give their receivers some space to run will loosen up that Jets defense and keep them guessing.  Look for big games from Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth (in those double tight-end sets).  On defense the Steelers will have their hands full with the resurgence of Shonn Greene and 'The Closer' in LT.  Polamalu has to play in this game to take away anything in the middle of the field.  I'm looking for Brett Keisel and James Harrison to be in Sanchez's back pocket.  Nothing that much different from the regular season.  If the Steelers get up on the Jets, they will definitely close them out, Mike Tomlin will accept nothing less.  I wonder what he said to them at half time of the Ravens game.

The Jets come in as quiet as church mice this week, an extreme turnaround from the bravado prior to the Patriots game last week.  Not sure if this really fits them.  The Jets played a knock out drag'em game concentrating on the run last week, which is probably the best thing for them.  Shonn Greene has become that power runner that the Jets need (and even had a little bit of speed), who also doesn't fumble the ball.  LT comes in as a change of pace, but is dangerous as ever when given more carries.  Mark Sanchez has struggled a bit with his play, but he has played well enough to actually help his team win.  If he can turn back the page a few weeks, when he was scorching hot and playing extremely well, the Steelers will be in trouble.  On defense the Jets will need to mix it up in an effort to confuse Big Ben.  At times Big Ben holds on to the ball in order to escape a sack or make a big play and if the coverage can confuse him enough to allow the pass rush to get to him, they can create turnovers.  The defensive line will sub often so look for strong play from the vets Jason Taylor and Trevor Price.  Revis and Cromartie (and Eric Smith when the Steelers go 3 or 4 wide) will need to be big for the Jets to win this game.  They are going to have to cover Mike Wallace, Ward, Randle El, and Sanders. 

In the end, the Jets are a little more finesse than power on the offensive side of the ball and the Steelers are power on both sides of the ball.  The Jets have played well to get to this point, but I think the dream ends this weekend.  Winner - Steelers.

NFL 2010 NFC Championship Game Pick

From 4 to 2.......

Green Bay @ Chicago - This is it.  Time to show up and play ball.  The Bears get the Packers at home for the right to go to the Superbowl.  The Bears come in with an offensive line that started off as terrible early in the year but has ended up being respectable as of late.  That has led to improved performance by both Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.  Cutler has looked his best in the past few weeks, a great improvement from the erratic guy we saw earlier in the season.  The key for the Bears comes down to two things:  1) Cutler and 2) Defense.  Now you might say, duh, isn't that what games normally depend on the QB and the defenses?  Cutler can't 'miss' against this Packers defensive backfield.  He had some INTs dropped against the Seahawks and he's good for throwing at least 1 pick in this game.  If Cutler limits the turnovers and bad decisions, I think the Bears win this game.  Look for a big game from the diminutive Johnny Knox, who seems to play well against the Packers.  On the defensive side of the ball, (Lovie please read this before gametime) the Bears CAN NOT sit back and let Rodgers complete passes in that Cover 2 with the whole 'bend but don't break' mantra.  The Bears are going to have to send corners, LBs, and parachute people in in order to get hits on Rodgers.  Bring out all of the plays that you haven't used all year.  When they get to Rodgers, they can't be like the Falcons and miss hitting him, they have to bring the pain.  If Rodgers is dinged or injured, it's game over for the Packers.

The Packers have got to run the ball.  Yes, that'll be hard against the Bears defense, but they have to have a commitment to running the ball, which equates to 20-25 carries.  They might actually pop a big one on the Bears.  Rodgers has all of his receivers playing at a high level, so the offensive line has got to protect Rodgers from the likes of Tommie Harris and Israel Idonije.  No I didn't say Julius Peppers because they are going to have to double team him, period.  That leaves the Idonije's and Harris' one on one and those guys are pretty good.  On defense, I'm looking for a big game from BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins.  If the two of them cause problems up front, not only will they be able to get hits on Cutler, but they may force him into some bad throws and that's all Woodson and Williams are waiting on.  Clay Matthews is a little dinged but he'll be ready to go.  The Packers will test this offensive line to really see how well they have gotten.

In the end, the Bears are playing at home (even though the field is TERRIBLE) and I think that their special teams will need to be special for them to win this game.  I expect the Packers to get to Cutler, and I even expect the Bears to get to Rodgers.  I don't trust Cutler in this big of a game.  So, to both Mike's (at the barbershop and at Union Station), Kevin (my Ray Lewis hater, he thinks Urlacher is better than Ray Lewis), and anyone else that I run across before the game here's what I got.  Winner - Packers.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

NBA 2010 Last Second, Who You Got?

Clock ticking down, game on the line, who should be taking that last second shot? 


Who I want taking the last-second shot:
Amare Stoudemire, NYK   376-for-749   0.502
Who I want taking the last-second free throw:
Kevin Martin, HOU   290-for-326   0.890
Who I want taking the last-second 3-pointer:
Jason Richardson, ORL   96-for-228   0.421

Not sure if I'm on board with you on this one NYSTOM.  Richardson can't continue to stay on this list. 

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

NBA 2010 NYSTOM MVP Race (as of 1-15-11)

Seems like there are a lot of people that are making their way on to this list.  Take and look and hit my man NYSTOM in the comments section.



Player of the Day count
Position-team
Total MVP points
1
LeBron James (6)
SF-Heat
367
2
Pau Gasol (7)
PF/C-Lakers
315
3
Deron Williams (6)
PG-Jazz
272
4
Dirk Nowitzki (5)
PF-Mavericks
206
5
Tony Parker (4)
PG-Spurs
160
6
Dwyane Wade (3)
SG-Heat
148
7
Dwight Howard (4)
C-Magic
148
8
Chris Paul (4)
PG-Hornets
145
9
Tim Duncan (3)
PF/C-Spurs
137
10
Kevin Durant (3)
SF-Thunder
124
11
Manu Ginobili (3)
SG-Spurs
124
12
DeJuan Blair (3)
C/PF-Spurs
101
13
Carmelo Anthony (2)
SF-Nuggets
98
14
Paul Pierce (2)
SF-Celtics
97
15
Russell Westbrook (2)
PG-Thunder
95
16
Kobe Bryant (2)
SG-Lakers
94
17
Josh Smith (2)
PF-Hawks
89
18
Derrick Rose (2)
PG-Bulls
88
19
Paul Millsap (1)
PF-Jazz
70
20
Jason Kidd (2)
PG-Mavericks
70



I don't know what you're smoking to have DeJuan Blair on this list and no mention of Blake Griffin?!?!?  Come on NYSTOM, what's the deal?  I think Griffin is in the top 10, at least.  He's done everything for a Clippers squad that he can do.  I know his 47 point outburst from yesterday doesn't factor in here, but how many double doubles does he have this year? 

NFL 2010 Divisional Playoff Wrap Up

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - How happy was I as this game went in to halftime?  The Ravens had driven down the field against the Steelers and scored, caused some turnovers and scored, and basically rendered the Steelers useless.  Then after halftime, a fumble by Ray Rice (12 carries, 32 yards, 7 receptions, 32 yards), an interception by Flacco, and the next thing you know the Steelers are tied, and would end up winning this game.  What a turn of events.  The biggest play was the 3rd and 19 that the Steelers had and somehow with only 8 guys rushing the Ravens allowed Antonio Brown (3 catches for 75 yards) to get behind them and catch the game clinching 58 yard reception.  I still can't believe that Webb let ANYONE get deeper than he was and throw the safety in their too.  This all came down to the Ravens offense not being able to throw (and catch) the ball.  Flacco had a pedestrian outing along with Housh (3 catches for 38 yards, and the biggest drop in recent playoff history), Boldin (1 catch for -2 yards), and Mason (0 catches).  Flacco even had time for the majority of the game, but they were just off.

Yes, the Steelers won, but the Ravens gave this game away.  Big Ben (19 of 32, with 2 TDs) had 226 yards passing and the Steelers as a team were held to 71 yards rushing (Mendenhall 20 carries for 46 yards, 2 TDs).  That tells you that there was a lot of defense when there weren't those big plays.  I saw Ray Lewis' interview after the game and you could tell he wanted to blow a fuse.  Sad way to end a nice playoff run.  Inquisitive Mind 0 - 1 for the week.      


Green Bay @ Atlanta - Whatever Aaron Rodgers had for a pre-game meal, please give me several servings of that.  Rodgers (31 of 36 for 366 yards, 3 TDs) torched the Falcons en route to a playoff high for the Packers in points (48 points).  The Falcons looked good right before halftime and then Tramon Williams' INT return for a TD sealed the deal.  Yes, it was only 28 to 14 at that time, but it was over.  The Falcons couldn't get it going.  I think there's something about getting the bye that works against the team that has it.  Matt Ryan looked lost and even the strength of the Falcons team (rushing the ball) was only able to amass 45 yards.  The Atlanta defense looked outclassed and this was a terrible showing, especially at home.  Inquisitive Mind 0 - 2 for the week. 

Seattle @ Chicago - This was the perfect game by the Bears up until that ill advised pass by, no not Cutler (15 of 28 for 274 yards, 2 TDs, 8 carries for 43 yards, 2 TDs), but Matt Forte (0 for 1 for 0 yards, 1 INT, 25 carries for 80 yards).  Why not just run the ball out of the Wildcat if there's no one to throw to?  Why even call that play?  You're handing the beatdown out to the Seahawks, but you decide to confuse them and run the Wildcat?  The best part of this was watching the Mike Martz react on the sideline.  (blank stare)  Cutler had a great game, and almost made you think that he should be in the backfield as he danced into the end zone twice.  The Bears defense kept the Seahawks at 34 yards rushing for the game and spent enough time in the Seahawks backfield to become drinking buddies with Hasselbeck (26 of 46 for 258 yards, 3 TDs). 

After the game, I happened to be listening to some sports talk radio and one caller called in saying that he was happy the Bears won, but he was upset with the play of Julius Peppers.  I almost ran off the road, because either he didn't watch the game or he just doesn't know any better.  Peppers is the one guy on that defensive line that team game plan against.  He was double teamed the majority of the game and in some cases there were 3 people that he had to deal with.  This allowed people like Tommie Harris, Urlacher, and Briggs to make all the plays.  That won't show up on the stat sheet, but I'll bet you no one in the Bears locker room will say anything differently.    Inquisitive Mind 1 - 2 for the week. 

New York Jets @ New England - The Jets talked the talk and they walked the walk by jumping on the Patriots and never letting up.  Maybe the ghost of Randy Moss finally caught up to the Pats.  After falling behind early, they weren't able to stretch the field as the Jets found ways to stop that dink and dunk offense.  Mark Sanchez (16 of 25 for 194 yards, 3 TDs) looked like an NFL QB and the Jets continued to pound the ball with both LT (10 carries for 43 yards) and Greene (17 carries for 76 yards, 1 TD).  Brady was sacked 5 times and hit numerous times.  That's the blueprint for beating the Patriots, get Brady (29 of 45 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) uncomfortable and run the ball.

There was a lot of talk going on, with even Welker (7 catches, 57 yards) sitting at the beginning of the game for his 'foot' diatribe to the media a few days earlier.  I wonder how it must feel to beat those guys, because you know it has to be something if your starting wide receiver is doing a cartwheel after the game.  The week off really effected the timing of that Patriots offense, that's all I'll say.  Inquisitive Mind 2 - 2 for the week. 

It was a fun week, always fun when the Patriots lose, but I'm crying on the inside about my Ravens.  I'm still not sure how they lost that game.  We'll see what next week brings. 

NBA 2010 Top 50 NBA Players (as of 1-15-11)

Here are the updated Top 50 Players list.  Take a look and give my man some feedback. 



Player
Team
MPG
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%

1
Duncan, Tim
SAN
29.18
13.78
9.33
2.93
0.490
199.9595
2
James, LeBron
MIA
37.88
25.38
7.03
7.20
0.482
199.2369
3
Gasol, Pau
LAL
37.51
18.54
10.85
3.98
0.515
198.7131
4
Stoudemire, Amare
NYK
37.23
26.03
8.97
2.72
0.502
198.0966
5
Wade, Dwyane
MIA
36.38
25.08
6.50
4.25
0.492
197.2402
6
Howard, Dwight
ORL
36.24
21.71
13.29
1.18
0.568
195.3821
7
Bryant, Kobe
LAL
33.12
25.27
5.02
4.54
0.452
194.7465
8
Westbrook, Russel
OKL
36.00
22.15
5.10
8.28
0.432
194.5868
9
Nowitzki, Dirk
DAL
34.70
23.57
7.37
2.37
0.541
192.0276
10
Boozer, Carlos
CHI
32.00
20.12
10.08
2.20
0.559
191.6425
11
Horford, Al
ATL
34.56
16.32
9.73
3.37
0.568
189.1750
12
Nash, Steve
PHO
32.56
17.22
3.58
10.81
0.521
187.8295
13
Parker, Tony
SAN
32.93
17.15
3.18
7.00
0.511
187.6526
14
Garnett, Kevin
BOS
31.60
14.97
9.50
2.10
0.539
186.4390
15
Rose, Derrick
CHI
37.85
24.51
4.54
8.00
0.454
186.1676
16
Love, Kevin
MIN
37.05
21.22
15.66
2.44
0.466
185.7650
17
Griffin, Blake
LAC
37.34
22.00
12.68
3.37
0.520
185.4089
18
Paul, Chris
NOR
35.44
16.49
4.12
9.61
0.490
184.3362
19
Randolph, Zach
MEM
36.44
20.06
13.08
1.61
0.497
182.1047
20
Durant, Kevin
OKL
39.22
28.50
6.19
2.97
0.476
181.7610
21
Millsap, Paul
UTA
34.41
17.64
7.97
2.26
0.547
175.0135
22
Williams, Deron
UTA
37.83
22.00
3.73
9.40
0.462
174.6180
23
Bosh, Chris
MIA
35.64
18.64
8.24
1.88
0.500
174.1889
24
Anthony, Carmelo
DEN
34.84
23.47
8.19
3.00
0.437
173.9079
25
Scola, Luis
HOU
33.15
19.32
8.29
2.32
0.504
170.2013
26
Odom, Lamar
LAL
34.27
15.54
9.68
3.02
0.568
169.8963
27
West, David
NOR
34.80
18.95
7.18
2.35
0.510
168.7595
28
Ginobili, Manu
SAN
31.58
18.88
3.98
4.65
0.445
168.6308
29
Hilario, Nene
DEN
30.91
15.17
7.49
2.11
0.640
168.2549
30
Smith, Josh
ATL
34.51
16.00
8.76
3.66
0.466
165.1731
31
Pierce, Paul
BOS
34.90
19.15
5.18
3.44
0.511
164.4453
32
Aldridge, LaMarcus
POR
38.61
20.71
8.76
1.98
0.482
162.4067
33
Jefferson, Al
UTA
35.45
16.60
8.75
1.70
0.483
161.7770
34
Rondo, Rajon
BOS
37.43
10.86
4.46
13.36
0.521
159.7479
35
Martin, Kevin
HOU
31.31
22.95
3.10
2.31
0.451
159.0724
36
Noah, Joakim
CHI
36.75
14.04
11.71
2.67
0.514
151.4993
37
Ellis, Monta
GSW
40.85
25.67
3.28
5.49
0.471
151.3460
38
Miller, Andre
POR
32.40
12.85
3.60
7.25
0.462
151.2806
39
Blair, DeJuan
SAN
19.98
7.30
6.60
1.08
0.467
151.2713
40
Brand, Elton
PHI
34.74
14.97
8.63
1.63
0.518
148.6647
41
Thomas, Tyrus
CHA
21.70
11.21
5.91
0.73
0.478
148.1288
42
Allen, Ray
BOS
36.23
17.51
3.72
3.10
0.512
147.2123
43
Gay, Rudy
MEM
40.42
21.00
5.97
2.63
0.488
145.4772
44
Curry, Stephen
GSW
33.00
18.32
3.45
5.90
0.462
144.3416
45
Felton, Raymond
NYK
38.90
17.95
3.90
8.79
0.434
143.9672
46
Chandler, Tyson
DAL
27.89
9.08
9.11
0.38
0.685
143.9075
47
O'Neal, Shaquille
BOS
21.50
10.03
4.97
0.77
0.680
143.7855
48
Humphries, Kris
NJN
25.50
8.60
9.30
1.13
0.537
143.5333
49
Hibbert, Roy
IND
27.97
12.68
8.11
2.35
0.440
142.6826
50
Bass, Brandon
ORL
24.05
11.00
5.43
0.85
0.509
142.6635



I'm surprised to see Roy Hibbert on this list.  I watched him play yesterday and he's a long way away.  He did show me a quick hook that actually went in.