Monday, December 31, 2007

As Promised, my BCS defense

The BCS is very popular to bash. The hosts of ESPN’s shows, like College Game Day and even Sportscenter take shots at it, along with the ‘analysts.’ When they roll highlights of the I-AA playoffs, they often say things like “they are doing it the right way with a playoff.” Computers shouldn’t decide the National Championship they say.

Here’s what I say, the BCS is almost fine. In fact, there are only two things I recommend the BCS do. First, bring back the old formula with strength of schedule and quality wins as components. If the AP still doesn’t want to be apart then fine, but without these components a team like Kansas or Missouri can “make their case” for going to a BCS game despite playing no one.

Second, add the plus one game. Let the four BCS games pick whoever they want to pick. At the end of the day Jan 1, we should get a consensus #1 and #2, and let them play next week. For instance, this year Ohio State would play USC and LSU would possibly play Virginia Tech again or even Georgia. That would pretty much be all we needed to fix the “mess” this year.

How could I defend the BCS you say? Easy, it’s the sole reason that college football is so exciting. Every week we’re at the edge of our seats. After each upset, another team’s hopes and dreams go down the drain, making the experience that much more emotional.

Imagine if there was a playoff, West Virginia’s loss Pitt at the end of the season would be meaningless. This year, it was the sole reason they didn’t make it to the BCS championship game.

Second, a playoff would be hard to pull off. A lot of people suggest using the bowl games as sites or having an 8 or 12 team playoff and keeping the rest of the bowl games. Not only will that not fly politically, it’s just not practical.

Keep in mind that these players are technically student athletes. December for college students is basically finals month, then vacation. For a playoff to happen, something would have to give, practice or exam preparation. Even though many of them probably don’t care about their education, we have to at least give them a chance.

Third, football isn’t basketball. I think the main reason people want a playoff in football is because the playoffs in basketball is so exciting. Basketball doesn’t have the first two issues I addressed when it comes to their playoffs. In addition, it’s easy to play 32 games in about three weeks. Basketball isn’t as physically taxing as football, where you need about a week off just to recover.

Another thing to consider is that basketball teams are often closer in talent than football teams. The nature of the sports is different, so it’s harder to get a team full of blue chippers in basketball, because everyone wants their shine.

In football you can have a Top 5 QB, RB, OT, C, DE, LB, CB, and Safety on the same team and it’s all good. Also, the “Any Given Sunday” principle applies more to college basketball than football. In football, at the most there may be four or five teams with a semi-legit claim to the title. In basketball, you could have up to ten teams with a legit shot.

That’s my case. In fact, this year’s mess wasn’t really that messy. That’s the beauty of college football, just win all your games and play a quasi-tough schedule.

Ohio State lost once to a BCS team. LSU lost twice in triple overtime!

As for the rest, Hawaii didn’t play anybody. Kansas played a cream puff schedule and lost to Missouri. Missouri turned around and lost to Oklahoma. Oklahoma lost to Colorado and Texas Tech. Georgia lost to South Carolina and got dismantled by Tennessee. Virginia Tech got waxed by LSU, nuff said. USC lost at home … to STANFORD.

All of these teams with “gripes” defeated themselves. If USC would have just beat Stanford, they’d be in right now, etc.

Ohio State didn’t have a tough schedule, but they did what they had to do. After they get waxed by LSU, everything will be right with the world, as LSU has been the team that most people felt was the best anyway.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

US Placers

I'm enjoying the break so far ladies and gentleman, hopefully I'll be able to finally watch a decent college basketball game.

I'm also looking forward to that Boston/Detroit game tonight, it's about time the Celts made a TV appearance.

In music, Lupe Fiasco dropped the Album of the Year hands down. Lupe Fiasco's The Cool is a unique combination of concept songs that revolve around "The Cool" "The Streets" and "The Game," personifications of the ills of the world introduced to us through earlier Lupe works.

Additionally, he had a few tracks that were outside of the "cool" concept, but were still hot.

Definitely cop that if you haven't already. Besides that and Getback (another Little Brother classic), 2007 was another dull year for hip-hop as Graduation and Finding Forever were average and American Gangster was borderline awful.

Just for fun, here's a video for Us Placers. Hopefully this CRS project will take off.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Dolphins Win!!!!

Figured I'd like you guys to the playoff scenario's, which would also give me an excuse to celebrate the Dolphins first win of the season. Cleo Lemon is the man!



Miami Wins!!!!!


Friday, December 14, 2007

Mitchell Report Edition of Quick Hits

How could I let such a monumental few days pass without another round of quick hits? I couldn't, of course so enjoy!

MLB

The infamous Mitchell Report finally dropped yesterday. But here’s what we all have really been waiting for, the list of names.

The report itself is a casserole of interviews with Kirk Radomski, Brian McNamee, and stuff we already knew. It’s kind of a waste of 400 pages, but it did reveal some things I speculated.

1. Everyone was on the juice. A bum was just as likely to use the juice as an All-Star. A pitcher was just as likely to use drugs as a slugger. A middle reliever was just as likely to use them as a leadoff man. Therefore, if most of the people were juicing then guys like Bonds and Clemens weren’t getting a competitive advantage but staying ahead.

2. Speaking of Clemens, it was sooooo obvious that he was on steroids. His career was just as improbable as Barry Bonds. His name even came up before in steroid speculation, but he was able to deny the allegations and move on. If he had people out to get him, like Bonds, I’m sure that this information would’ve been dug up along time ago.

3. Reactions prove that racism or hatred for Barry Bonds were part of the reason people were so mad in the first place. The writers are getting on TV and posturing like they will hold Clemens up to the same standard as people do Bonds, but I could hear the half-heartedness in their voices. It would be fitting if they both retired or left the game this year, because 5 years from now I can almost guarantee that Clemens will have an easier time getting into the Hall of Fame than Bonds. Regardless of the reasons why, there’s an obvious bias against the guy, down the fact that he was mentioned more times than anyone else in the Mitchell Report, when all the stuff that was said in it was pretty much old news.

All that said, I hope these guys were actually using, because they will now be taunted as cheaters for the rest of their careers. I still say don’t hate the player, hate the game, literally

NFL

Mario Williams is making people like me eat their words. I ripped him the shreds as an overrated prospect, a historically stupid #1 overall pick, and an underachiever.

Now, he’s balling harder than Vince Young (Madden Cursed) and Reggie Bush (always overrated).

In fact, he’s already the most prolific pass rusher in Houston Texans history, which is still kind of pathetic.

Still, props are due to Mario, and I’m now on the Mario Williams 4 Pro Bowl bandwagon.

As for the rest of the league, it looks like my NFC picks were dead wrong (again) and the Giants and Vikings have the playoff inside track.

Its all for naught, however, as Dallas is light years ahead of everyone else in the conference and should make it to the Super Bowl rather easily.

NBA

Not much to say here, besides STOP SHOWING THE SAME DAMN TEAMS EVERY WEEK!!!!!!

I've still yet to see an entire Celtics game, but I've seen at least 4 Miami Heat games, in which they lost all four, Shaq looked horrible, and their team as a whole looked atrocious.

College Bball

Haven't seen enough games to make a comment. Sorry folks.

College Fball

I promise my BCS rant is coming soon.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

T.O. Ether's Keyshawn

The proof is in the pudding.

Ethered. Keyshawn was always one of the most overrated receivers in the league. Now he's trashing every wideout he can from the booth, as he was never able to really be a big time receiver like T.O. or Chad Johnson.

I wonder what he has to say now. He's another ex-athlete that sucks in the booth, it's time for real analysts to get these jobs and dummies like Keyshawn to find something else to do.

Just for fun, lets go to the tale of the tape.

Keyshawn Johnson - 814 rec, 10,571 yards, 64 TD's. Career bests - 106 rec and 1,266 yards - 2001 Tampa Bay and 10 TD's 1998 - New York Jets
Terrell Owens (through 2006)- 801 rec, 11,804 yards, 114 TD's. Career bests - 100 rec - 2002 49ers, 1,451 yards - 2000 49ers, 16 TD's - 2001 49ers.

Pretty much no competition. Including this year Owens has 8 1,000 yard seasons and 7 seasons with 10+ touchdowns. He already has more yards and touchdowns this season than Johnson's best efforts in those categories. Keyshawn only had 4 1,000 yard seasons and only one season with 10 touchdowns.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Check out Agent Zero's Blog

In the middle of not doing my 15 page paper on 'German explanations to American Economic Problems,' I visited the Sports Guy's World and checked out his new post. His post directed me here, Gilbert Arenas' blog.

His blog is becoming a must read. His musings about NBA player contracts is definately real talk.

Okafor, you're not Dwight Howard baby, you have to ball like him to get D-Howard change. He's having an All-NBA season and his team is the 2nd best team in the East. You're playing like an average center for a moderately crappy Eastern Conference team.

All of the other players he mentioned were smoking something when they turned down those deals too. GM's aren't as dumb as they were now, and bad contracts aren't being signed as often as they used to.

In fact, part of that reason might be because the players are too dumb to sign the contracts, and end up getting their true value on the free agent market opposed to signing a high priced contract extension.

Dummies!!!!!!

Monday, December 10, 2007

More Guns Aren't the Answer ...

I came across an interesting article in USA Today about athlete's reaction to Sean Taylor's death.

Not surprisingly, many of them said they plan on protecting themselves by buying more guns and getting meaner dogs.

Personally, I think some athletes are among some of the dumbest people around. They get skated through school at all levels, due to the financial benefits their athletic prowess could benefit a school.

So at the expense of their own education, they're treated like kings and pushed on to the next level of school, regardless of their true academic ability.

Getting off my soapbox, the way to protect yourself in this situation is not to increase the potential of violence.

Don't put yourself in these situations!!!!!!!!! Traditionally, "flossing" has been a method of showing off for people who don't really have a lot of money, or are just coming into their own financially.

Athletes have no need for that. Why make it rain for these hoes? Why show off when you really do have tons of money. Its pointless.

Why not have a real bodyguard? I think part of the reason why athletes don't go with legit security is because many people in their entourage, sometimes including themselves, still do illegal things.

Unfortunately, there really isn't much of a solution. These guys are probably going to continue to run with the wrong crowds. The possibility of murder is just another new wrinkle to the consequences involved in running with people who have their priorities messed up.

Add that to the list that features gun and drug charges, loss of endorsements, being blacklisted from the league, and now dogfighting charges.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

The high cost of small football

I go to Drexel University. There's a lot complaints about our lack of a football team on campus. I've argued against having a team before, but I understand why people would want football.

After doing further investigation, I was able to track down some people who helped give me insight to some of the financial factors of college football. Enjoy!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Random BCS/Hawaii Note

This isn’t my annual defense of the BCS rant, which is scheduled to appear on Sportsology for the first time as soon as I’m done with all my college-related obligations.

In the meantime, allow me to rant and rail against Hawaii and its supporters. The University of Hawaii Warriors are the most suspect undefeated college football team in a long, long, long, long, time.

I know nobody wanted to play them and they had scheduling problems, but it is what it is, they didn’t play anybody.

They’ve played two one-loss teams, two two-loss teams, and only 3 teams (Fresno St., Nevada, Boise State) with a .500 record or better.

More importantly, they’re not that good.

Have any of these people who are crying foul about Hawaii being left out of the national championship in favor of LSU or Ohio State actually watched Hawaii play?

They are an exciting, but average football team at best. A good team with a good defense, like Georgia, will rattle Colt Brennan and keep Hawaii’s offense in check.

Additionally, Colt Brennan isn’t that good at quarterback, despite the gaudy numbers. Watching him throw and the U of Hawaii legend Timmy Chang throw, its not even close. Chang takes that one in a landslide.

Look for Georgia to dominate Hawaii in this season's Sugar Bowl, Colt Brennan to throw ducks, and for good measure, LSU to dominate Ohio State and show that they were the best team in the nation this season, although I’ve always thought they were a tad overrated.

Without getting too far into it, one of the biggest reasons why the BCS is getting torched again this year is the fact that there wasn’t a great team this year. All the good teams were solid at best.

More on this to come later.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Bored at Work = Posting like Crazy / AFC Playoff Clarity

The AFC is a lot less confusing than the NFC. Most of the teams are either really good or really bad, opposed to the NFC where everyone is mediocre.

That said, their side of the playoffs should be really competitive (even the New England games), while the NFC is a two horse race.

Without out further ado...

AFC Playoff Definites

New England (11-0) – I still think they’re going undefeated.
Indianapolis (9-2) – The Marvin Harrison injury has proven to be a lot more harmful to them than expected, as Reggie Wayne and his dubious dropped passes are showing that he’s not quite a No.1 receiver.
Pittsburgh (8-3) – Although they have looked shaky as of late, they could win four of their next five and finish with the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Jacksonville (8-3) – David Garrard has been much better than expected and has saved Jack Del Rio’s job, at least for another season. With games versus Indy and Pittsburgh, they control their own destiny for the No. 2 seed in the conference.

Likely to make the playoffs

Cleveland (7-4) – In a case of things I thought in my head that I should’ve just written on the blog, I thought Derek Anderson was a good enough quarterback all along. No, really. I saw bonus coverage of a Browns/Chiefs games where Anderson was running around, making plays with his arm and his feet. I figured that not only was he better than Charlie Frye, but he was also good enough that Cleveland didn’t have to waste a draft pick on Brady Quinn, who I still think will be a bust.

As for the 2007 Browns led by Anderson, their last five games are very winnable, and they should finish no less than 10-6

Who Knows?

Tennessee – (6-5) – The Madden curse is catching up with Vince and the Titans.
Houston – (5-6) – Houston is one more good draft/free agent period away from being a solid team.
San Diego – (6-5) – Fire Norv Turner!!!!!!! Seriously, to continue to get these jobs, he must be the greatest interviewer of all time.
Denver – (5-6) – That loss to the Bears last week is probably the final nail in the coffin. Speaking of which, check out this Todd Sauerbrun quote about Devin Hester before the game.
Buffalo – (5-6) – They could join the Vikings as one of the worst passing teams to ever make the playoffs.

Final Prediction

1. New England
2. Pittsburgh
3. Indianapolis
4. San Diego
5. Jacksonville
6. Cleveland

At Home
– Tennessee, Houston, Denver, Buffalo, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders.

Clarity in the NFC

With five games left to play, there's enough football under everyone's belt to create an accurate profile of each team. That said, it should be easier for idiots like me to make predictions about who will or won't make the playoffs.

This season, there are alot of teams in the NFC around 5-6, 6-5, and I think most of them will finish at 8-8. Get ready for complicated tie breakers!!!!

Here's how I think the NFC playoff race will unfold.

NFC Playoff Definites

Dallas – (10-1) and Green Bay – (10-1) – These two teams are locked in for the playoffs and will be the NFC’s No. 1 & 2 seeds. Tomorrow’s game will determine who will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Likely to make the playoffs

Seattle – (7-4) – Looking at their schedule, they’ll probably finish no worse than 10-6. Playing the mediocre NFC West always makes them look better than they actually are.
Tampa Bay – (7-4) – As long as Jeff Garcia can return within the next game or two, they’ll make it to 10-6.

Who Knows?

NY Giants – (7-4) – Normally a team with a 7-4 record with five to play would be likely to make the playoffs. However, the Giants have made it a tradition to start strong and fade towards the end of the season. To make matters worse, their running game is decimated due to injuries, they have three road games left, and one of their home games is against the Patriots.
Philadelphia – (5-6) – This has been one of the most inconsistent teams in Andy Reid’s tenure. Perhaps his family problems are a disturbance to his coaching, or maybe he’s been a bad coach this whole time. The Patriots game was an aberration, New England clearly thought it was going to be another blowout.
Washington – (5-6) – I have no clue how they’re going to react to the Sean Taylor tragedy.
Detroit – (6-5) – Their playoff hopes are fading fast and I don’t like their chances.
Chicago – (5-6) – They just seem like an 8-8 team.
Minnesota – (5-6) – They could be the worst passing team to ever make the playoffs.
New Orleans – (5-6) – When Drew Brees is on his game, they’re one of the best offenses in the league. The Saints are also playing a lot better now that they’re not force feeding Reggie Bush the ball.
Arizona – (5-6) – Another unpredictable team, but that loss to San Francisco might be the one that keeps them home this year.

Final Prediction

1. Dallas
2. Green Bay
3. Seattle
4. Tampa Bay
5. New Orleans
6. Chicago


At Home – NY Giants, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, Minnesota, Arizona, Carolina, Atlanta, San Francisco, St. Louis

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

Here are some highlights from him at the U. The gun violence madness must stop.

P.S. - The facists known as the NFL has removed most NFL highlights from Youtube. Enjoy these college hits from a young man who was just coming into his own as a football player and an adult.


Monday, November 26, 2007

Quick Hits 11/16/07

First, I want to say that my prayers are with Sean Taylor and his family right now.

There’s no need to speculate about the situation right now, we should just hope he pulls through.

NFL

As for the rest of the NFL, things are starting to get interesting. The Eagles say they won’t start McNabb until he’s 100%, which is code for “let’s see if A.J. Feely’s game against the Patriots wasn’t a fluke.”

Speaking of the Patriots, their road to 16-0 continues. I will say that their game against the Eagles was more of them taking the foot off the gas, than Philly coming up with a blue print.

Speaking of 16-0 (or 0-16), tonight Ricky Williams makes his triumphant return for the Dolphins. (Insert marijuana joke here).

I’m also looking forward to Dallas making short work of the Packers. However, if Green Bay does knock of the Cowboys, I’ll finally start to take them seriously as a Super Bowl Contender.

Right now, the Super Bowl berths are Dallas and New England’s to lose. Green Bay, Indy, Pittsburgh, may make it interesting, and the Jaguars and Browns are seemingly legit as playoff contenders at least.

Besides the Cowboys and Packers, the rest of the NFC looks like garbage.

Speaking of garbage, I looked at my preseason and fantasy picks over the weekend … horrendous.

NBA

There are a few themes developing early this season in the NBA.

1. LeBron James is here. While many people would’ve wrote this a year or even two years ago, I was always somewhat critical of LeBron, at least in the sense that I didn’t feel like he was the best player in the league or a Jordan reincarnate.

Now, he’s finally living up to those expectations and seems poised to average a triple double for a season some day. I’m now going to watch as many Cavs games as possible.

2. The Suns, Spurs, and Mavs are up to their old tricks again in the West, but the Magic and Celtics are also emerging as power teams. Look for them to be the new Pistons and Heat, as two more of my predictions are made foolish.

3a. The NBA is filled with young and exciting teams. New Orleans, Toronto, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Golden State (kind of), Atlanta, Washington (Caron Butler is the new Carmelo, you heard it here first), the Lakers, Portland are all fun teams to watch.

3b. The NBA hasn’t realized this, and continues to give us the same damn teams on TV. Note to the league, no more Rockets, Heat, Knicks, Nets, Pistons, or Bulls games until further notice. Thanks!

NCAA Football

I’ll save my defending the BCS/making it better rant for later, but I can say that the “overrated teams will lose eventually” theme of college football is constantly proving itself.

If Missouri knocks of Oklahoma this weekend, then I’ll consider them legit. If they lose to Oklahoma, look for West Virginia to destroy Ohio State for the national championship.

Also, expect Hawaii to lose to Washington this weekend, and look the Virginia Tech/BC winner to become overrated.

Georgia is also very overrated and should get shellacked in its bowl game, depending on the match-up.

I’m still mad that Dennis Dixon got hurt and ruined my West Virginia-Oregon dream title game.

NCAA Basketball

Still too early to tell in college basketball, but I can say the CAA is looking strong this season. Even my Drexel Dragons are playing well and my possibly exceed expectations this year.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Winter is my favorite time for sports. Double doses of football with a dash of wacky baseball trades, free agent signings, etc. While I don't have anything to say about baseball, there's definately a lot to discuss elsewhere ... like my bad predictions.

NCAA Bball

I didn’t do a NCAA preview because it’s pointless. 1. The real season starts in March. 2. With the new(ish) NBA rules, each college season is essentially unpredictable.

There’s an influx of freshman stars who may come and go, struggle early then flourish later on in their careers, or just flame out all together. Regardless, from about 96 until the rule was implemented, most of the Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon types would’ve been on some NBA team’s bench right now.

That said, I think the media has it right with the early favorites of UCLA, UNC, and Memphis.

NBA

LOL at my NBA predictions. I definitely underestimated the surges Dwight Howard and Chris Paul would have this season. They are now in the top 10, as far as players in the league go.

I also underestimated the smarts of Bulls GM John Paxson, and the effects a non-Kobe trade would have on the Bulls.

I overestimated the Hawks young nucleus coming together.

Enough about me. This season has been very exciting so far, the NBA is in great shape. There really isn’t a team in the league without a star, except maybe Charlotte, but they have a good nucleus of young players.

If you’re sleeping on the NBA, wake up. This year has the potential to be one of the best years in recent memory.

NCAA Fball

It’s been hard for me to write about NCAA football since Dennis Dixon is done for the season. I talked him up for the Heisman early in the game, and he was poised to be the best prediction in the almost 1 year history of Sportsology. DAMMIT!

Now it should go to Tim Tebow. I was watching ESPN today and they were hyping up the QB’s from Kansas and Missouri, who are admittedly decent. However, if you were to give it to one of them over Tebow then you might as well give it to Dennis. The biggest benefactor of Kansas and Missouri’s “surprising” runs has been weak scheduling.

Speaking of which, one of those two teams making the national championship game would be a disaster. In the original BCS formula, I’d be surprised if West VA wouldn’t be ahead of them anyway, or maybe even Ohio State. The Big 12 is so suspect, as always, and it would be a shame if LSU didn’t square off with West Virginia or Ohio State at this point.

(Although I still say Michigan would’ve knocked them off with a healthy Hart and Henne. Another one of my predictions bites the dust)

NFL

All of the talk has been about the historic runs of New England and Miami. That’s understandable. However, I think three things are getting lost in the mix.

1. There isn’t really a dominant running back in the league besides Adrian Peterson. By that I mean a traditional power running back. LaDainian is perhaps a victim of poor coaching, a little bit of age, or maybe a combination of the two. Willie Parker is good, but they can’t trust him around the endzone. Brian Westbrook is having a crazy season, but that’s because he’s a combo back. The leader in rushing yards this season may not even crack 1,400 yards.

2. Tom Brady is having one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. This isn’t talked about enough, I don’t think. However, number 2 is only possible because of number 3.

3. Randy Moss is the MVP of the league, and is having one of the greatest seasons any athlete has ever had in any sport. He’s literally unstoppable. He’s making Brady look like a God and making his opponents look second class. When you look at many of his touchdown catches, a lot of them were either bad passes or very questionable decisions that he cashed in on anyway. You can say Brady wouldn’t have thrown those passes to anybody but Moss, but you can also say Brady wouldn’t be this good, this year, if it wasn’t Randy and company at wide out.

Monday, November 5, 2007

I Heart the Spread Offense

Glad to see that Dennis Dixon for Heisman campaign is starting to work. Way back on October 22nd, yours truly said that Dixon should win the Heisman (if he kept up the good work).

At that time he was still behind Tim Tebow and Matt Ryan in most projections and even behind Darren McFadden, Andre Woodson, Pat White, and Colt Brennan in some of those projections.

Now, after beating Arizona State in primetime on ESPN, many of the East Coast folks who are usually sleeping when Oregon is doing their thing got a chance to see what Dixon is all about. Unfortunately, his best pass of the night was dropped, but the perfect over-the-shoulder pass he threw to WR Jaison Williams helped show that Dixon has arm strength and accuracy to go with his athleticism.

Let’s hope the NFL doesn’t try to make him into a wide receiver.

As for the college football world, things are starting to get interesting. BC predictably took an L, and is probably eliminated from title contention.

(The way the polling system works in college football is fairly stupid, btw. You lose a game and go behind most of the teams with one loss, regardless of if you’re better than them or not, and so forth and so on. It’s as if the voters don’t watch football, they just read the box score Sunday morning, look at the records, and try to put the teams together that way. For teams like Kansas, they must look at it like “An 8-0 Kansas team can’t be better than Oklahoma,” without watching either team play. I digress.)

Anyway, my dream match-up is looking more and more feasible. Oregon vs. West Virginia in the title game. Spread-option vs. Spread option. Pat White vs. Dennis Dixon. Steve Slayton vs. Jonathan Stewart. No defense played at all. Well, maybe some defense. It would be a very fun game with the best spread-option passing team squaring off against the best spread-option running team. (Florida is best overall, I think, and is probably second in both categories as long as they keep letting P. Harvin run the rock.)

Ohio State is going to lose to Michigan, and I can’t imagine LSU continuing to remain so lucky. Kansas has at least three games left, including a home match up against Missouri. If they beat Missouri, they’ll likely face Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game. I can’t see them winning out.

Speaking of Oklahoma and Missouri, they are due for at least one more loss a piece, if not two. The Big 12 is very weak this year, but overrated teams shall fall sooner or later. All three of these teams (Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri) are very overrated. Well, I guess Kansas deserves to be #4 since they’re undefeated, so let’s say their record is inflated by their poor strength of schedule.

As for Oregon and West Virginia, all they have to do is keep winning and watch everyone else lose. Oregon is clearly the best team in the Pac-10 right now. If they win out, they should end up at #1.

West Virginia has a much tougher road, considering their poor strength of schedule. For the record, I’m not sure if they can beat LSU, Ohio State, Boston College, or even a team like Kansas or Oklahoma. I just really love to watch them play.

Anyway, beating UConn will be a plus for once, considering the Huskies record. Before UConn, they play Louisville (a rivalry game that will be unpredictable) and a very tough Cincinnati team. If they win out, they’ll get a boost in the computers from Cincy and UConn and will be battle tested to hang tough against BCS team.

Let’s see what happens this Saturday.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A Kobe Trade That Works

I saw that LA, Chicago, and Sacramento had a Kobe Bryant deal that fell apart. While it seemed odd at first, these teams could work out a deal to benefit all parties involved.

Thanks to the ESPN's NBA trade machine, I was able to come up with this deal.


The Lakers get Mike Bibby and Ron Artest from Sacramento and Ben Wallace from Chicago.

Sacramento gets Lamar Odom from LA and Ben Gordon from Chicago.

The Bulls get their man, Kobe Bryant.

In this deal, Chicago gets Kobe to essentially be Michael Jordon 2.0. They also get rid of Ben Wallace's bad contract.

Sacramento gets to officially start over, building the team around Kevin Martin (who can run a big point guard) Ben Gordon (who can be a short shooting guard, although they would check the player on the other team closest to their height), and Lamar Odom.

The Lakers get to still be competitive with Bibby, Artest, and Ben Wallace. These players would probably fit in better with the other Lakers than Kobe anyway, and perhaps Phil Jackson can contain Ron Artest like he did Dennis Rodman.

Here are the potential Lineups for each team.

Chicago Bulls

C Joe Smith
PF Tyrus Thomas
SF Luol Deng
SG Kobe Bryant
PG Kirk Hinrich

LA Lakers

C Ben Wallace
PF Kwame Brown/Brian Cook
SF Ron Artest
SG Luke Walton
PG Mike Bibby

Sacramento

C Brad Miller
PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim
SF Lamar Odom
SG Ben Gordon
PG Kevin Martin

All three of these teams are now quality teams, with problem players getting fresh starts.

The Bulls, however, transform from a good team to the best team in the league beside the Suns and Spurs, if that.

Extra Quick A-Rod Hit

I had to address this while it was on my mind. These Joe Torre bringing A-Rod with him rumors are stupid. Not only do Torre and A-Rod not have a great relationship, A-Rod probably hates Joe Torre.

Remember the last game of the playoffs last year (ALDS vs. Detroit) when Torre batted A-Rod 8th? How disrespectful was that? Do you think A-Rod forgot about that?

All the talk about Alex opting out of his contract because of the uncertain future of the Yankees is more Scott Boras BS. He opted out because he's going to make billions of dollars. While I'm usually A-Rod's side, and I can see why he wants to leave New York, the contract numbers projected for him are absurd. There's no way teams can continue to afford this. Greedy agents (because they have way more say in all these things than the players) are going to ruin MLB's luxury of being the only major American sports league without a salary cap.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

More Quick Hits

MLB

I guess I was wrong about the Red Sox. Part of this is because of my disdain for Boston sports now. I’ve always hated the Patriots, as a Dolphins fan, but I respect them. The Celts have never really bothered me, as they’ve been irrelevant for most of my life, although I’ve grown to love Paul Pierce as a Jayhawk, but now I hate him.

The Sox have gone from lovable losers to loathsome winners. As a freshman, I rooted for them in the dorm room as me and the guys watched the Aaron Boone game. Now, I’ve virtually become a Yankees fan, thanks to the insufferable Sox fan.

Yet, the primary reason I didn’t pick them to win the series is because I’m an idiot. Ironically, they are the first predictable (by this I mean a team that most would pick as a contender at the beginning of the season) team to win the World Series since the 2000 Yankees in the Subway Series vs. the Mets.

NCAA

As stated earlier, the NCAA rule of thumb is overrated teams will get exposed soon enough. This would’ve happened to Boston College if VA Tech didn’t choke that game away. Overrated Cal continues to lose, and overrated South Florida took an L this week too, along with overrated (but exciting) Kentucky and Florida.

Look for overrated Arizona State to lose to Oregon this weekend, and also be on the lookout for overrated teams like LSU and Oklahoma to lose in coming weeks. In fact, we could be headed for an Oregon/West Virginia championship. How fun would that be.

I’m glad that Dennis Dixon is finally getting Heisman props. Can I say “You heard it here first?” This week, he becomes the clear cut favorite.

NFL

The match-up of the season is upon us. (8-0) New England versus (7-0) Indianapolis. Sorry folks, this one won’t be a game. Look for the Patriots to win by double-digits. The fact is they have one of the greatest lineups of my lifetime. Speaking in Madden terms, their entire starting lineups should have ratings of 88 and above. Many of their key backups would/should be 85 or better.

While this game won’t be close, the pending AFC championship game between the two, barring injury, should be a little closer.

NBA

Due to the immense amount of work on my shoulders, I can’t do the NBA Preview I want to. But here goes what I can do.

Expected Team Finishes

Eastern Conference

1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. New Jersey
4. Washington
5. Boston
6. Toronto
7. Atlanta
8. Cleveland
9. Miami
10. Philadelphia
11. Charlotte
12. Orlando
13. New York
14. Indiana
15. Milwaukee

Western Conference
1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Dallas
4. Denver
5. Utah
6. Golden State
7. Houston
8. New Orleans
9. Seattle
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. LA Lakers
13. LA Clippers
14. Sacramento
15. Minnesota

MVP
Kobe Bryant – Chicago Bulls - Yup, I’m a believer in this trade. If not, Gilbert Arenas. Once again, Steve Nash will be the most important and valuable player in the league, but his race will prevent him from winning the award. A reverse bias/overcompensation for racism situation.

Coach of the Year
Mike Woodson – Atlanta Hawks – They will “come out of nowhere,” and he’ll win the award, although he’s not a good coach, because the voting for this award is stupid.

Rookie of the Year
Kevin Durant – Seattle SuperSonics – It’s his to lose.

6th Man of the Year
Kenyon Martin – Denver – Welcome back K-Mart. I think people forgot about him.

Finals
Suns over Bulls. I know what Simmons wrote, but I can’t help myself. Spurs will probably win again next year though.


Random thoughts

It’s a wrap for Shaq.
Watch out for the Bobcats….. next year.
LeBron is in for a bad year, due to exhaustion.
Boston won’t be as good as people think.
The east will still suck this year, which is why I have Detroit at #2.
Detroit should’ve been broken up this off-season, they’ll have an up and down year for a successful team.
Joe Johnson for the All-Star game in New Orleans!
I’m inherently biased towards the Suns, and my favorite athlete Steve Nash, but I think Boris Diaw bounces back this year and they finally put it together…… then Nash retires, Marion is finally traded and things get interesting from there.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Quick Hits

In what may be my 2nd and last post in the month of October, unfortunately, I decided to give you a few quick hits before I kept it moving for the day.

MLB

The Rockies will win the World Series in five this year and here’s why. First, this decade has been full of wacky champions, as detailed here by yours truly. Second, Dice-K is too important to the Red Sox to not cost them a few games. By that I mean, he’s their third starter, so he’ll have at least one opportunity to blow a game for them, if not two. I think he drop Game 5. He was a bust bound to happen. Third, it’s no way the Red Sox lose a World Series in Fenway, at least not the Red Sox of my lifetime (est. 1985). Therefore, the Rocks will put ‘em away in 5 at Coors Field (is it still called that?).

NCAA

College football’s rule of thumb is overrated teams will get exposed soon enough. That should be sufficient enough to explain recent loses by LSU, Cal, and USF, along with LSU’s near fall the other night against Auburn. Additionally, BC will fall to Virginia Tech on Thursday and Ohio State will lose to Michigan. In fact, don’t be surprised if Michigan and Oregon square off in a Rose Bowl rematch of their game earlier this year. That is of course if Oregon doesn’t make it to the title game.

Speaking of Oregon, there should only be three realistic Heisman candidates. Two of them, Tim Tebow and Andre Woodson, get plenty of publicity. But the guy I’d vote for if I had a vote is getting no love and I don’t know why. That man is Oregon’s own Dennis Dixon.

He’s the reason why Oregon is in the Top 5 and a title contender. His stats (137-198, 69.2%, 1721 yards, 16 TD, 3 INT, 165.8 QB Rat, 423 rush yards, 7 TD) are definitely comparable to Tebow’s (115-174, 66.1%, 1711 yards, 17 TD, 3 INT, 177.5 QB Rat, 578 rush yards, 10 TD), even though Tebow has more talent around him.

Couple that with the criticism Dixon received for playing baseball this summer, and you have a surefire Heisman-esque triumph story.

NFL

The Patriots will go undefeated and Tom Brady will have one of the greatest seasons in NFL history. I knew this going in to the season, but didn’t have the balls to write it in this space. Lesson learned.

NBA

Lesson applied. The Celtics won’t be as good as everyone thinks.

Monday, October 8, 2007

About Those Pics........

To start things off, I'd like to apologize to my one and a half readers for my absence. Being the president of a fraternity is a full time job that takes up a lot of my time. So is being a senior trying to graduate. Tack on two part time jobs (and chasing women) and my time is pretty much consumed.

That said, my "sports journalism" has suffered. I've been a somewhat passive observer of sports in recent weeks. While I would've called Pavlik over Taylor, I've been wrong about a lot.

In baseball, I probably would've taken Arizona and Colorado, but I also would've taken Boston and the Yankees. I don't see the Yanks getting past Cleveland at this point, as they still have to face C.C. Sabathia either tonight or in a Game 5 on the road.

For the record, I like Arizona and Cleveland to make it to the World Series.

In college football, my preseason ranking of most likely champions was awful. I had LSU at #5 and Cal at #12, one spot behind UCLA. Yikes. Double Yikes for my top four of USC, Texas, Michigan, and West Virginia. That said, I'm not too sold on LSU or Cal.

Maybe its because I've always considered LSU, and maybe the SEC in general, to be a tad overrated. Same for Cal, although I'm a big fan of Pac-10 football. If I had to pick two teams to go the 'chip today, I guess it would have to be LSU and Oklahoma.

LSU might take an L this weekend at Kentucky, if not I see them running the table. Meanwhile, I think Cal is going to end up sharing the Pac-10 title with Oregon. I can see them slipping up in one of these games, while Oregon will probably rebound and take the rest of the games on their schedule. Then again, this season has been so wacky, nobody has any business making any predictions.

(Speaking of which, for a bonus prediction I have Michigan rebounding to win the Big Ten)

My NFL pics were just as horrible as everything else. I had Philly over Dallas, Chicago at 10-6 with the rest of the division under .500, the Saints at 11-5, The Rams, yes the Rams at 12-4, Cincy at 12-4 and the Steelers at 8-8, and San Diego at 11-5.

To make things worst, I picked the Rams and Saints to meet in the NFC Championship game. Those two teams are 0-9 this year. I guess 60% of the time, I'm always wrong.

Barring injuries, this year's Super Bowl will feature the Pats vs. the Cowboys. They are far and away the best teams in their respective conferences, and the 2007 Pats will go down as one of the greatest teams of all time. They WILL go 16-0. Dallas might end up at 14-2 or 15-1.

Other things to watch for is the Bengals making a run, the Chargers firing Norv and A.J. Smith and bringing Marty back, Donovan playing for the Bears next year, and the two Super Bowl teams having top 5 pics in next year's draft. (New England has the 49er's first round pick next year while Dallas has Cleveland's.)

To paraphrase Diddy, I can't stop, won't stop making bold predictions at the risk of looking like a complete idiot.

As I sign off for now, and hopefully not another 2 weeks, peep this column from Jason Whitlock about the Jena Six. (I'm glad to see Jason on a more prominent site like FoxSports, although ESPN should've gotten rid of Scoop Jackson instead of him.) Although this issue is kinda off the map now, he hit it right on the head. I tried to explain the issues he pointed out to friends of mine, who immediately called me crazy.

To throw in my two cents, you can't take anything at face value and this story is no exception. Lost in drama is the fact that until we change the way sentences are handed out, racist and crooked DA's will be able to trump up charges on some and let others get off too easy. This was perhaps the biggest issue in the Jena Six and none of the protest did anything to address it.

For all that was said and done, the only thing we accomplished was getting a kid out of jail that probably deserved to be in jail. Its good to see people willing to stand up for something, but why this case? Genarlow Wilson could've used this type of support during his court ordeal, and even now as he continues to rot in jail over a consensual sex act between himself and a peer.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Week 3 Picks

For years I used to pick the winners of each NFL game every week. As a junior analyst, I always was able to hold my own with the professionals on TV. Then, I came to college and got introduced to something called the point spread. Out the window went my traditional picks, at least until today. Per the request of my father, here are my week 3 picks.

(winners in bold)

Arizona at Baltimore – Baltimore is not as good as people think they are. McNair is pretty much on empty. Kyle Boller should be the Ravens starting quarterback, but that would prove they gave up on him too early and make them look stupid. Willis McGahee isn’t that good, so their running game also stinks. However, I don’t have enough faith in the young Cardinals offense to come cross country and get a win, as the Raven’s D can still play with the big boys.

San Diego at Green Bay – Brett Favre had a renaissance game last week, but that won’t last forever. Neither will LaDainian Tomlinson’s mediocre play. This is the week the Chargers offense begins to come alive.

Indianapolis at Houston – This might be the biggest game in Texans history. Too bad they won’t have their big game player (Andre Johnson) healthy for this one.

Minnesota at Kansas City – Mama always says never pick against Kansas City at home. This is looking like a 15-10 contests featuring two of the worst teams in the league.

Buffalo at New England – Who knows when the Patriots will lose this season, if they even lose a game. This game will likely be another easy win for the Pats.

Miami at NYJ – The Jets are banged up and Miami has to win a few games this year. If they lose and Trent Green plays poorly, let’s hope the Cleo Lemon bandwagon heats up.

Detroit at Philly – The Eagles can’t play defense and their offense is average at best. Detroit is finally ready to make a playoff push.

SF at Pittsburgh – I’m not as sold on Pittsburgh as everyone else is, but their defense definitely hasn’t lost a step without Cowher.

STL at Tampa Bay – Hopefully my sleeper pick will finally prove that I’m not an idiot.

Jacksonville at Denver – Jacksonville is a very bad team. Denver is hard to beat at home. Simple mathematics. (Now watch the Jags win this game somehow).

Cleveland at Oakland – Yuck

Atlanta at Carolina – Yuck

NYG at Washington – Yuck

Cincinnati at Seattle – I’m the only person in America that still likes the Bengals, that’s not from the state of Ohio. They’ll bounce back this week (I think). I’m also not a fan of the Seahawks or their hideous uniforms.

Dallas at Chicago – Brian Griese will be the Bears starting QB before Halloween, if not Columbus Day.

Tennessee at New Orleans – The Saints keep force feeding Reggie Bush the ball at the expense of Deuce McAllister. They should let Bush get the ball in the natural flow of the game, like last year, and continue to rely on Deuce for 20+ carries. Bush is more effective in the open field, and can remain a factor in the offense in the slot. Besides, he has better hands than Devery Henderson anyway.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Sportsology 201: Intro to Racism in Sports

Racism is all the rage these days. Thousands of people have made the trek today (and many others wearing black) to the small town of Jena, Louisiana for marches in support of the “Jena Six,” six black men who were originally charged with attempted murder in a schoolyard fight.

With the Washington Huskies playing good football and Notre Dame floundering, there has also been talk about whether or not Tyrone Willingham was treated fairly or if Charlie Weis is being treated more favorably by Notre Dame because he is white. For those of you who don’t remember, Willingham (the Huskies coach) was fired by Notre Dame after only three mediocre seasons. Weis, his white successor, had two good seasons, but is in the midst of a horrible third season.

And of course Donovan McNabb is in the news again in a race related issue. On Real Sports, he told James Brown that black QB’s are judged differently than white QB’s, which has been very controversial.

As a young black man, of course I have opinions on all of these issues, and hopefully facts to back them up. First things first, I’m glad to see the numbers of black people coming together for the Jena Six. I was skeptical that we would ever really come together as a collective again, but this issue seemed to spark everyone’s interest.

However, at this point, do people know what they’re rallying for? There is a lot of he say-she say involved in what happened leading up to the fight. The definites are: There was a noose hung from a tree, those responsible were given three days in school suspension, there were racial clashes instigated by both sides, culminating with the Jena Six beating up the white kid. Everything else is speculation.

The chief issue or reason to rally was the fact that all but the 14-year-old were given attempted murder charges for a school fight. The school administration did not do enough to cool racial tensions, which led to a fight. Now, if you assault someone, especially to the point where they are hospitalized, you should be punished. However, attempted murder was an extreme charge that had racism written all over it.

As the heat was put on the DA and the Jena justice system, the extraneous charges were dropped. Even now, blacks are usually charged with more and given longer sentences than whites when the same crimes are committed. That’s nothing new. Rallying for the Jena Six isn’t going to change that either. However, I believe the mission in Jena was accomplished when the boys were given appropriate charges to what happened. If you beat the crap out of somebody, you should to get battery and assault charges, regardless if you were egged on by any acts of racism, unless you were defending yourself.

Controversial opinion I know, but it’s rational. Now on to the lighter stuff, sports.

Tyrone Willingham was fired partially because he was black, partially because his teams were average. Notre Dame for some reason wants to believe it’s still a powerhouse football school. Yet, their athletes are held to a different standard than those at football factory. That standard is they are actually expected to be scholar athletes. Until that changes, Notre Dame is probably going to continue to be average.

That said, Ty didn’t have a shot. He wasn’t able to have “Top 5” recruiting classes because recruits knew he wasn’t going to last there. Now he’s rebuilding a Washington team that was in worse shape than Notre Dame was when he arrived on each campus. Ty Willingham is proving that he is a good coach and will succeed if given a chance. Will he win a championship at Washington? Probably not, but neither him nor Weis would have/will win a championship at Notre Dame.

Weis, on the other hand, is one of the most overrated coaches period. After seven games against average competition, he was given a 10-year contract extension. Now Notre Dame has to pay. They have put themselves in a big Catch-22. It’s obvious that Weis isn’t that good, but they can’t fire him because they gave their genius that big contract and they didn’t give Willingham enough time to turn things around and don’t want to make that mistake again. Yet, since they fired Willingham after three years, the racism will become more obvious if they don’t do the same to Weis, which could possibly also affect recruiting.

And while we’re on college football, there are only six black head coaches at I-A schools. A talking head on ESPN said that there’s too much pressure on schools when they hire a black coach, because if they fire them (like ND and T. Will) they will be accused of being racists. To that I say, if you don’t do racist stuff nobody will call you a racist.

Last are Donovan McNabb’s comments about black QB’s coming under more fire than white QB’s. Funny because Rush Limbaugh infamously said that black QB’s and coaches don’t get criticized enough because the (liberal) media has a vested interest in seeing them succeed. Now Donovan was way wrong when he called T.O.’s “verbal attack” on him black on black crime. This time he’s right.

Exhibit A is his game from Monday. His stats were 28-46 for 240 yards with no TD’s or INT’s. Immediately there was talk about him being washed up, how bad he played, how bad he looked, the throw’s he should’ve made, and this being his last year in Philly. And with the focus back on McNabb the Eagles three main issues that have kept them from getting back to the Super Bowl are once again ignored.

The Eagles lost that game Monday not because McNabb didn’t hit Kevin Curtis on an out during their last drive, but for three reasons. 1. Andy Reid and or their offensive coordinator’s play calling sucks. His refusal to run Brian Westbrook (who was getting over 5 yards a pop Monday) costs them several drives and potential points. 2. Their receivers suck. They can’t get open and when they do get open, they can’t catch and are not explosive. Besides T.O., Donovan has never played with good receivers. Look how much Tom Brady has played with three good receivers opposed to his usual cast of castaways. 3. Their defense is steadily slipping. Washington could’ve easily scored 30 plus points against them, but they have a young QB and a dumb offense with too many plays.

Additionally, Donovan is recovering from MAJOR knee surgery. Of course he isn’t going to look great. By the end of the year, he’ll be much better. If they Eagles cut him after this year (which they probably will), they’ll definitely hear it from their fans who’ll probably watch him lead his hometown Bears to their first Super Bowl since 1985. I’m calling it already.

The moral of the story is that racism is still alive and well. It’s just that now people hate to talk about it. Anytime the race card is thrown out there, many white writers and talking heads are critical and condescending about it. They are force feeding us this false reality of a world without racism.

From the black side, we’re so quick to jump on a “racist” bandwagon without doing our research, which leads to the backlash against using the race card when it’s actually valid. (See Jena Six, Michael Vick, etc.) For people of all races, the first step is to acknowledge the fact that racism still exists and will always exists as long as there are races. Two, make sure all the facts are out there before making a judgment. Three, if we really want to stop racism, we need to start coming together and moving forward to a country without races.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Best Recap of this weekend's NFL matchups

DJ Gallo from Page2 is usually hit or miss. During the football season, however, he hits more often than he misfires. I love how he pokes fun at Peter King. These captions are hilarious as well. More from me at some point this week, likely tommorow.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Graduation Day

There’s a lot going on in sports that I could address: Rick Ankiel/Troy Gloss/Jay Gibbons, the Patriots Cheating, College Football, NFL, etc. However, I have to take a small commercial break from the ordinary to offer my thoughts on the new Kanye album.

On Facebook, it seems like every day more of my friends are changing their profile picture to the album cover, using a line from the album as their status, or both. He’s going to easily outsell 50 Cent (who, at least in America, started to fall off after The Massacre), and even had some of his new tracks played during the breaks on Monday Night Football.

That brings me to this question: Was I the only person disappointed by Graduation? I must admit, I was still caught up in the hype while listening to the Can’t Tell Me Nothin mixtape when a friend of mine pointed out a good point. “Kanye sucks now,” he said. I thought about it, said no, and kept bumping the album.

That conversation did help me realize that Kanye definitely isn’t as good as he used to. Lyrically, Graduation is a dud. When College Dropout dropped, Kanye’s lyrics were a mix of social commentary, every man rhymes (opposed to the ultra hustler persona that was still popular) witty, boastful punchlines, humorous quotables and concept songs, along with a look into his life and journey into the music business and of course the skits.

Late Registration offered more of the same. Even though it wasn’t the classic College Dropout was, it still was one of the best albums to come out that year. Now, it seems like he’s run out of stuff to talk about. On Graduation, he really doesn’t talk about anything moving. In addition, his rhymes are average for most of the album. On the positive side, the music is A+ quality, making it a good album to ride to, at least for the time being.

That said, the album is only disappointing because he dropped a hip-hop classic and followed it up with a Grade Album, while this one is in the B range.

1. Good Morning – Where’s the skits? This album has no skits, which is kind of disappointing. This intro is pretty decent, the beat is hot and he has a few lines.

2. Champion – This song is a little boring. He chronicles some of his struggles along with some other socio-political commentary. The one thing missing from this song is the soul feel we usually get from Kanye. This song could’ve used a boost of soul to make it more enjoyable to listen to.

3. Stronger – The Daft Punk sample was crazy, and this song is one of the more creative rap songs to come out in recent years. Too bad it’s getting played out.

4. I Wonder – The first time I heard this song I thought two things. First was this might be his best beat ever. Second was, “Did he even rap on this?” The beat is so hard that you can’t even say he wasted it on a song he barely rapped on.

5. Good Life – I hate T-Pain, so maybe I should just keep it moving.

6. Can’t Tell Me Nothing – The beat was crazy on this record too, which over shadows the fact that he pretty much isn’t rapping about anything. Fortunately for him, nobody else is rapping about much either.

7. Barry Bonds – Once again, the beat is crazy. Too bad the “best rapper alive” himself Lil’ Wayne spit his worst verse ever behind two wack Kanye verses.

8. Drunk and Hot Girls – This song is probably the one most criticized from the album. However, I like it. Mos Def is one of my favorite, the beat is a little weird, but ‘Ye came through on this one, at least theme wise. This could’ve been the college guy/young dude anthem.

9. Flashing Lights – Decent love track, moderately boring.

10. Everything I Am – The beat is so hard, yet Kanyeezy doesn’t deliver lyrically. I have no clue why Common didn’t use this beat, but I’m guessing he figured it would’ve been hard for him to make a love song out of it.

11. The Glory – By far the best song on the album. This is the only record that actually has the classic Kanye formula: soul + rhymes = G.O.O.D. music.

12. Homecoming – Chris Martin of Coldplay came through with an Elton John like beat, and also did a good job on the hook. However, all true Kanye fans remembers “Home,” which is 10 times better than this remake.

13. Big Brother – Probably the second best song on the album, featuring another Kanye formula that he strayed away from too much on this album: hard beat + interesting personal story = G.O.O.D. music.

14. Goodnight (bonus track) – The better of the two joints he did with Mos, definitely should’ve made the final cut. It’s a shame that so many people won’t hear this one.

15. Bittersweet Poetry (bonus track) – This one should’ve made the last album. It’s definitely a Late Registration track, with Jon Brion’s handprints all over the beat. John Mayer doesn’t have as big of a part as they made it seem, but Kanye’s brutally honest love story makes this one of his best tracks ever.

Final Grade – With bonus tracks B+, without bonus tracks B

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Football Preview Pt. 3b (NFC and Playoffs)

Moving on.......

NFC East

Philadelphia (11-5) - Despite all of the controversy that seems to follow him, Donovan McNabb has been better than ever since 2004, the year the Eagles brought in T.O. The only thing that seems to hold him back are the injuries. This year, he'll still be recovering from the knee injury that ended his season last year. Despite that and another year with pedestrian receivers, Donovan will be fine, as he's still in his prime. The Eagles will struggle on defense, as their front seven is very young and suspect.
Dallas (10-6) - The Tony Romo love fest is over, now its time for him to put up numbers. He has a good working relationship with T.O. and Jason Whitten, but not so much with Terry Glenn. Regardless, I expect Dallas to throw the ball a lot this year, and be a work in progress on defense.
Washington (8-8) - Everybody loves Jason Campbell. Luckily for Jason, the young quarterback doesn't have to learn a new system for the first time in years. The "Skins also have two good running backs, but a bad offensive line. Their overpaid receiving corps will probably look a little less overpaid as Campbell progresses, while their defense could either be very good or very bad.
NY Giants (5-11) - Trainwreck. Bad QB, bad RB's, bad WR's, overrated TE, bad O-line, good D-line, bad LB's, old DB's, suspect special teams, and an insane coach paired with an overmatched GM.

NFC North

Chicago Bears (10-6) - The Bears and Colts have a lot of things in common, despite Indy being an offensive juggernaut and the Bears being stallwarts of defense. One of the things they have in common is the fact that they are far and away the best teams in their bad divisions, although the NFC North is starting to catch up with Chicago.
Green Bay Packers (7-9) - Their poor running game will force them to throw it a lot, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you feel about Brett Favre. I'm going to call it a bad thing.
Detroit Lions (6-10) - Yes, Calvin Johnson was the best player in last year's draft. What about all the holes on defense? I guess the Lions figure Rod Marinelli would make up for that somehow with his coaching. Or they hope to lean on Mike Martz and outscore everyone like Martz's old Rams' teams.
Minnesota Vikings (6-10) - Goodbye Brad Childress.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (11-5) - Damn my Dolphins, or should I say Nick Saban, for not making Drew Brees the franchise quarterback.
Carolina Panthers (10-6) - Guess who's bizzack. Nobody's talking about them, so its time for them to return to prominence. Steve Smith finally has a good running mate in Dwyane Jarrett, although Keyshawn wasn't that bad.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) - Goodbye Jon Gruden? I wouldn't be surprised if he resigned after this season, because I don't believe they'll ever fire him.
Atlanta Falcons (4-12) - Too much controversy.

NFC West

St. Louis Rams (12-4) - Yes, I think the Rams will have the best record in the NFC this year. Will they be the best team? I can't call it yet. But I can say that with Holt, Bruce, Drew Bennett, Randy McMichael, Stephen Jackson and Marc Bulger, they'll probably have the best offense. Jim Hasslet gets the most out of their defense, and they should be unbeatable in the dome this year.
Seattle Seahawks (8-8) - This could be the beginning of the end for Hasselbeck (turning 32 next month), Shaun Alexander (Age 30), and Mike Holmgren.
San Francisco 49ers (7-9) - This year's "young team everyone thinks is poised for a playoff run to ultimately make everyone look stuipd" team. While they're getting better on offense and defense, but are about a year away.
Arizona Cardinals (5-11) - The Cardnials are who we think they are, and firing Dennis Green won't make them any better.

Playoff Prediction Section

Teams who won't make the playoffs this year that made them last year:

AFC
Baltimore
Kansas City
Jacksonville

NFC
Seattle
New York Giants

This year's playoffs:

(winners in Bold)
AFC

Wild Card Round
#1. New England -Bye
#2. San Diego - Bye
#3. Cincinnati vs. #6Denver
#4. Indianapolis vs. #5 New York Jets

Divisional Round

#1. New England vs. #4. Indianapolis
#2. San Diego vs. #3. Cincinnati

AFC Championship

#1. New England vs. #3 Cincinnati

NFC

Wild Card Round
#1. St. Louis - Bye
#2. Philadelphia - Bye
#3. New Orleans vs. #6. Carolina
#4. Chicago vs. #5. Dallas

Divisional Round

#1. St. Louis vs. #4. Chicago
#2. Philadelphia vs. #3. New Orleans

NFC Championship

#1. St. Louis vs. #3. New Orleans

Superbowl

New England vs. New Orleans

Football Preview Pt. 3a (The AFC)

I'm glad I didn't put my NCAA point spread picks up here this weekend. I went 0 for every "gentleman's" wager I made. I was so confident in my picks that I didn't even watch the first set of games, I played golf instead. The Michigan loss to a 1-AA (I refuse to use that subdivision stuff, 1-A and 1-AA was just fine) team took the cake. At least I had them at #3 on my championship list instead of 1.

As far as the NFL, the Patriots were looking like a team that could go undefeated after they picked up Randy Moss and Adalius Thomas in the off season. Then Richard Seymour got hurt and will miss at least six games, Moss didn't play in the preseason, and Rodney Harrison is suspended for steroids (where's the media to decry the use of steroids in football???????). They still have Brady and Asante Samule is signed as well. They may not win it all, but its definitely there's to lose.

AFC East

New England Patriots (13-3) - The Patriots have a very difficult schedule. Yet, they are so good, that their schedule won't even slow them down. They should have the best offense and the best defense in the NFL. Their running game might be a question mark, with Laurence Maroney's injury problems, but they signed Sammy Morris who can hold his own as a starting running back.

NY Jets (10-6) - The Jets, like always, aren't the best team but they are one of the best coached teams in football. Eric Mangini learned with the Patriots and has turned the Jets into the Patriots B. Chad Pennington is very efficient and their schedule is set up for them to make a run.

Miami (6-10) - The Dolphins are my favorite team, so it hurts my heart to see them this bad. The decision to hire Nick Saban (hiring a big-time college coach to coach a pro team in any sport is never a good idea) will set us back for years. In fact, he'll probably win at least 2 New Year's Day bowl games before we go back to the playoffs. Cam Cameron might be a good coach, but this year will be a struggle. Trent Green will not be with Miami next year, and Cleo Lemon (Yo Nupe!) will probably start before the year's over.

Buffalo (5-11) - The Bills have one of the hardest schedules in the league. They also aren't very good. They seem to consistently make weird roster decisions, and are in need of a major organizational overhaul to ever get back to the team they once were. I am a fan of the J.P. Losman to Lee Evans connection. Roscoe Parrish is a fast young man who helped me win a fantasy football championship in one of my league's that required us to have a ridiculous amount of players. Marshawn Lynch is good, but if Willis McGahee couldn't produce in Buffalo I'm not sure Lynch will do much better.

AFC North

Cincinnati (12-4) - Thank God for Michael Vick. Vick's stupidity has taken the Bengals police problems off the radar. Pacman Jones has also helped Chris Henry's case. Pacman is all over the place while Henry seems to be laying low. Perhaps one of these guys have learned a lesson. As far as football is concerned, Carson Palmer is poised to have his best season ever. The Bengals are also armed with an easy schedule and a motivated head coach who is nearing the hot seat. Don't fret Marvin, the black and orange will be back in the playoffs this season.

Baltimore (9-7) - The Ravens are an ugly team. Ugly offense, punishing defense, ugly jerseys. They are easy to appreciate, but very hard to watch. This season they face the league's hardest schedule, with an aging QB behind an aging O-line. Look for Willis McGahee to disappoint as well. This year, we won't have to watch the ugly play of Baltimore after the regular season.

Pittsburgh (8-8) - I'm all for the hiring of minority coaches, but I don't see it in Mike Tomlin. I guess people said the same thing about Bill Cowher. Look for their defense to struggle and their offense to be good against bad teams and bad against good teams.

Cleveland (3-13) - Goodbye Romeo Crennel. The person who gave up a first round pick for Brady Quinn should be fired as well. The starting running back for the 2008 Dallas Cowboys will be Darren McFadden or Steve Slaton. Yikes.

AFC South

Indianapolis (11-5) - The Colts won't be as good as they were last season, but that doesn't matter. They'll sweep their division, get a first round bye, and probably make it back to the AFC Championship game again.

Houston (7-9) - The Texans will be this year's 49ers. A young team making moves to get better that will be competitive. Last year, nobody realized that San Fran was kinda good until the season was halfway over. Should go something like that for these guys.

Tennessee (6-10) - The Madden Curse is real.

Jacksonville (6-10) - Too much turmoil in J'Ville for me. Bye bye Jack Del Rio and David Garrard.

AFC West

San Diego (11-5) - I was in no way against the firing of Marty Schottenheimer. But bring in Norv Turner? They should've fired Marty, hired Wade Phillips and got Cam Cameron to stay. Luckily for Norv, they're too good to not win 11 games.

Denver (9-7) - Denver is poised to be pretty decent. I say pretty decent because Cutler will likely be up and down. Welcome back to the playoffs Mr. Shannahan.

Oakland (8-8) - Oakland could sneak their way into the playoffs. They probably won't, but they have the players and the schedule to make a run. Hopefully their coaching will be up to par, and their o-line will hold up.

Kansas City (6-10) - The Hard Knocks curse, plus Larry Johnson coming off a season with major carries and a major hold out, plus a QB quandary = a bad year for K.C.

Monday, August 27, 2007

The Anti-Trojan Man

I have to take a break from football previews to bring you this breaking news. Travis Henry has nine, i repeat nine children by nine different women!!!!!!!! Use condoms young man. If the ridiculous amount of child support you pay isn't enough to make you use them Mr. Henry, maybe you should read this.

In other news, Mike Vick plead guilty and apologized for all the things he's done. It was a good move on his part, especially speaking without notes and asking kids to use him as an example of what not to do. See you in 2009/2010. (My thoughts on the Vick situation).

Lesson for today: If you don't use condoms, you might have children and if you fund a dogfighting enterprise, you're probably going to lose a lot of money.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Football Preview Pt. 2 (College Edition)

It’s almost time for College Football to rescue us from the boredom that is August. Forget NFL preseason, the NCAA’s playoffs essentially begin a week from tomorrow. That’s what I love about NCAA football the most, every single game counts. That said, you almost certainly have to go undefeated to guarantee yourself a shot at the national title. And if you aren’t in a major conference, no losses probably won’t be enough to get you a title shot. (see Boise St. – 06, Utah – 04)

That said, you shouldn’t judge College Football by who the best team is, but who has the best chance to go undefeated. Without further ado, here’s my NCAA top 15, based on who has the best chance to win the title.

15. Florida State – Bobby Bowden has been somewhat down in recent years, but he’s far from out. This year, he could be 9-0 headed into a match up with Virginia Tech. The tough part about that game is that it’s in Blacksburg. The good thing is Tech always struggles against FSU. Their final game of the season is against Florida in the Swamp, which will also be a very tough game. The Seminoles are more experienced than the Gators, which will help them. Unfortunately, I expect them to finish the season 10-2.

14. Penn State – The Nittany Lions had a decent season last year, following their surprise 2005 run to a BCS game. This year, they are poised for another great season. Their biggest challenges seem to be Michigan on the road and Wisconsin at home. If they can somehow knock of the Wolverines, they should have an inside track to the title game.

13. Rutgers – Rutgers is actually ranked this year, which is a major benefit for the Scarlet Knights. It’s hard to get the poll points needed to have a good BCS average if you begin the season unranked. The voters don’t usually pay attention to everyone, and a team like Rutgers off 2006 can get lost in the shuffle until it is 8-0. However, just like last year, they still have to beat West Virginia and Louisville to have a chance. I don’t think they can defeat either.

12. Cal – Cal is slightly overrated to me, as they are quarterbacked by the very overrated Nate Longshore. That said, they still have DeSean Jackson, Justin Forsett, and a very talented secondary on the other side of the ball. Too bad they have to play UCLA on the road.

11. UCLA – Karl Dorrell has rebuilt the Bruins program. They are also energized after knocking off USC and preventing the Trojans from once again making it to the National Championship. This year, the Trojans may be the only team standing between them and a shot at the title. UCLA is poised to have a sleeper/breakout season. If they can get past pesky Oregon State and Arizona and topple overrated Cal at home, their Dec 1 showdown with USC should be one for the ages.

10. Louisville – Louisville did a good job replacing Michael Bush last year. This year they have to replace Bobby Petrino as well. As long as the new coach doesn’t stop throwing the ball, they should remain a very formidable team. They’re also aided by a creampuff schedule. If they knock of West Virginia, they’ll have a great chance, but the computer (and games against Murray State and Middle Tennessee) may ultimately seal their fate.

9. Arkansas – Once again, the Razorbacks are a major sleeper. Mitch Mustain and his band of merry men are gone, and the Hogs can concentrate on playing the best players on their team. Fortunately for them, those players include Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Casey Dick. Another positive for Arkansas is the fact that they only have 4 road games: Alabama on Sept 15, Mississippi on Oct 20, Tennessee (overrated) on Nov 10, and LSU (slightly overrated) on Nov 24.

8. Florida – Right now, Florida has 5 ranked teams on their schedule, in addition to a road games at South Carolina and Kentucky. Couple that with all their loses from last year’s title team and it will be very tough for the Gators to repeat. However, Tim Tebow is the best quarterback for Urban Myer’s offense and Percy Harvin’s 2008 Heisman campaign will begin this year.

7. Virginia Tech – The highest ranked ACC team (#9) has a tough road ahead for a chance at the title. After a warm up against East Carolina, they essentially start the season on the road against LSU. They also have a road game against Clemson who’s always tough at home and could potentially face Florida State twice this season. The Hokies do have a top 3 defense and a decent offense, and they will have the nation behind them as they will put Virginia Tech in the national spotlight for the first time since the Cho Massacre.

6. Wisconsin – Wisconsin is a sleeper program. They are normally good, they have a ton of NFL players and a ton of players on their team that will play on Sundays soon. Yet, besides P.J. Hill, they field a team of unknowns. If they are able to knock off their major Big Ten rivals (Penn and Ohio St, and Michigan) it will be hard to deny them a chance at the title.

5. LSU – A lot is riding on the arm of Matt Flynn as he leads the #2 Tigers this season and has to follow in JaMarcus Russell’s footsteps. I think LSU is overrated, but they do have a somewhat favorable schedule in their favor. All of their games against ranked opponents come at home. Yet, four ranked opponents will be hard to beat anywhere, and they also have to travel to Kentucky and Alabama. I expect at least one, if not two losses for LSU this year.

4. West Virginia – WVU is the most electric team in college football. Pat White and Steve Slaton always put on a show in Rich Rodriguez’s fastbreak offense. Just like last year, the only thing that seems to be in their way is themselves. That and a creampuff schedule. They should run the table in the Big East this year, but could also end up as the 3rd wheel, like Auburn a few years back.

3. Michigan – Michigan is this year’s Ohio State; a tough Big Ten team with everyone coming back following a great season. This year, they get Ohio State at home, who should be down anyway. Also at home, they face Penn State, and they must travel to Wisconsin towards the end of the year. They tool, have a good chance of going undefeated, and a better chance of making it to the title game than the Mountaineers because of their conference affiliation.

2. Texas – Texas is stacked. They also play in the suspect Big 12. Oklahoma and Nebraska are very overrated, and Texas shouldn’t have any problems with them. The team they should have problems with, a team they always struggle against, is Texas A&M, which will have the 12th man in their favor for this season’s match up. If they get past the Aggies, it could be UCS/Texas pt. 2.

1. USC – USC has the most talented team in the nation. They always have a crazy recruiting class, their defense will be immaculate, and John David Booty is an excellent QB. The ball is in their court, and they should go all the away unless they have a mental lapse somewhere down the road.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Football Preview Pt. 1 (Fantasy Edition)

Its that time of year again. I figure since everyone else is doing it, why not? That is making bold and probably stupid predictions. Except, I'm going to try to be smarter than everyone else.

That said, I'm going to start of with a fantasy football preview which is sure to turn some heads. Luckily for me, nobody reads this stuff, including my opponents.

Top 5 QB's
1. Peyton Manning – He’s been the best QB over the past four or five years, statistically at least. In the past 3 years, he’s thrown for 108 TD’s, which is almost 650 points in TD’s alone. He should be everyone’s number one pick each year. This year, his numbers should be better than last year’s with the addition of rookie WR Anthony Gonzalez and a healthy Dallas Clark at TE.
2. Tom Brady – Brady is the most successful QB of this era. Yet, he never really puts up big numbers. Part of this is the Pat’s offense, but most of it is because his receivers suck. This year he has Randy Moss, Dante Stallworth, and Wes Welker to play along side the ex-Florida Gators and 49-year-old Troy Brown. That said, putting perhaps the game’s most accurate passer with a top 3 receiving corp should lead to Brady having a career year.
3. Carson PalmerCP9 bounced back from his playoff knee injury to have a solid year. However, there were times that he didn’t seem comfortable with his knee or with Ocho Cinco y Ochenta y Cuatro (T.J. Houshmandzedah – yes I looked up the spelling of that). This year, he’s knee is fine and reports say Chad and T.J. are looking better than ever.
4. Drew Brees – In my theory of NFL QB’s there were only four dudes that could be successful on any offense with any set of players in any scheme. After leading the freakin’ Saints to the NFC Championship game, Brees made that list grow to five. He should thrive in his second year in the offense, and the addition of Robert Meachem should be a plus.
5. Donovan McNabb – The heat is on Donovan this year. He’s coming off a bad knee injury and the Birds drafted his replacement in the 2nd round this year. The year before last, he also failed to finish the season due to an injury. The year before that, he failed to close the Super Bowl due to _____ (somehow, he and the Eagles got away with not having to address that). And the three year’s before that he failed to lead the Eagles out of the NFC title game. For all those failures, the past three year’s have been the best of his career. While the knee injury should slow him down and could keep him out of the first few games of the season, look for him to continue to play better than he’s ever played, for the most part.


Avoid These Dudes
1. Vince Young – I love Vince Young. He was my favorite player while he was in college and was well on his way to becoming my favorite in the NFL. Yet, he decided it would be a good idea to appear on the cover of Madden, which of course is always a bad idea. Unfortunately, something bad is going to happen to VY this year, injury, legal trouble, struggles, etc. In addition, his receivers suck really bad.
2. Trent Green – Trent Green is washed up, and he will continue to disappoint Dolphin’s fans, as they have yet to replace Dan Marino with somebody decent.
3. Matt Schaub – If he was that good, the Falcons probably would’ve kept him. Although, they could probably use him, he might be a little better than Joey Harrington. Unfortunately for Texans fans, he won’t be that much better.

Top 5 RB's
1. Stephen Jackson – Over the past few years, there has been a different running back to shine brighter than his peers. Last year, it was LDT, year before that LJ, before that it was Shaun Alexander. This year, it will be Stephen Jackson, who could become the second running back to catch 100 passes in a season this year.
2. LaDainian Tomlinson – Either two things are going to happen with this dude’s career. 1 – They will give him the ball less, to keep him healthier longer. 2 – They will continue to give him the ball like crazy, which will unfortunately shorten his career/end his reign as the most dangerous player in the league. Either way, his numbers will go down.
3. Brian Westbrook – The Eagles will need this dude more than ever this year. Andy Reid’s seat is probably getting a little warmer, so he’ll need to ride this dude more often this year while Donovan gets himself back up to speed.
4. Willie Parker – The Steelers will probably throw the ball more. That said, Parker is about to have a true breakout season. Last year, he had a lot of yards without the touchdowns to match. This year, he should see an increase in both receiving yards and overall touchdowns.
5. Travis Henry – He’s the best back Mike Shannahan has had since Clinton Portis. Therefore, he should put up close 1,500 yards this year, if not more.

Avoid These Dudes
1. Larry Johnson
– Potentially ugly holdout + generally poor disposition + too many carries = Not a good luck for your fantasy team.
2. Shaun Alexander – This is my biased pick of the year so far. I just don’t like this dude.
3. Joseph Addai – Joseph Addai is a good back. However, so is Dominic Rhodes. You wouldn’t draft D.Rhodes with an early round pick, so why would you waste one on this dude?

Top 5 WR's
1. Chad Johnson
– He’s led the AFC in receiving yards for the last four years. Carson Palmer is 100% healthy again. This dude is back to being flamboyant and fun loving, and he even beat a horse in a race. Be prepared for anything, especially production.
2. Torry Holt – He is like the forgotten man of receivers. But he’s also usually one of the most productive, and his hands are amazing. I expect the Rams offense to resemble the 99-01 Rams this year, and this dude will help put them back in the playoffs.
3. Steve Smith – He’s a bad man. Dwyane Jarrett will help, but he’s still pretty much all they have at WR in Carolina.
4. Terrell Owens – Terry Glenn was Drew Bledsoe’s dude. T.O. is Tony Romo’s boy. Romo is trying to get paid after this year, and T.O. is all about numbers – money and stats.
5. Roy Williams – I saw highlights of a Lions preseason game where the defense was already shifting over to Calvin Johnson’s side. In the words of another Roy, “Y’all must’ve forgot” that Roy Williams is nasty. Career year for this dude.

Avoid These Dudes
1. Wes Welker – For some reason, people seem to like him as a fantasy sleeper. He can catch, but he’s not really as fast as people think. While Moss and Stallworth (when healthy) will thrive, I think Welker will be caught in the shuffle.
2. Terry Glenn - Terry Glenn was Drew Bledsoe’s dude. T.O. is Tony Romo’s boy. Glenn’s numbers will probably decrease, while T.O.’s and Jason Whitten’s will increase.
3. Donald Driver – His success is tied to the success of Brett Favre. Ouch.

Top Five TE's
1. Antonio Gates – Tight Ends have been down recently, but this should be an up year for Gates, since him and Phillip Rivers have had time to gel.
2. Kellen Winslow – Often the butt of many jokes, including mine, is Kellen. Yet, this dude can ball, and he’ll finally get to show what he can do. Maybe.
3. Vernon Davis – He was hurt last year, but this dude is a freak. As Alex Smith continues to improve as a QB, he’ll look to Davis.
4. Randy McMichael – Randy McMichael is the best TE that Marc Bulger has ever had, and the Dolphins will regret cutting him. Additionally, Isaac Bruce is slowing down, so Randy should pick up his slack.
5. Tony Gonzalez – He’s also slowing down. Additionally, he might be playing with essentially a rookie at QB. His numbers should be down, but still better than most.

Avoid These Dudes
1. Alge Crumpler – He was Vick’s go to guy. Now we get to see how good he really is. He’s also very slow. I don’t know what that has to do with anything, just wanted to put that out there.
2. Jeremy Shockey – Overrated, usually a disappointment, has Eli Manning at QB.
3. Greg Olsen – There is a lot of talk of him being a freak of nature. That’s cool, but he probably won’t even start for half of the season.

Top Five K's
1. Adam Vinatieri – Best kicker in the game.
2. Jeff Wilkins – One of the game’s best, plays a lot of games indoors, and will be kicking for a potent offense.
3. Olindo Mare – Moves indoors after playing in Miami. Accuracy and distance should improve, plus his offense will put him in position to score lots of points.
4. Jason Elam – Always consistent.
5. David Akers – Always consistent.

Avoid These Dudes
1. Nate Kaeding – Don’t like him in the clutch.
2. Mike Nugent – He’s beginning to look like a bust.
3. Lawrence TynesDidn’t like him in KC, definitely don’t like him with the NY Giants.

Top Five Defenses
1. Baltimore – One of the two defenses you could pick early and not feel bad about it.
2. Chicago – The second of the two defenses you could pick early and not feel bad about it.
3. San Diego – A young defense gets a little older, which means they’ll be smarter and better, though the loss of Donnie Edwards should hurt.
4. New England – Added Adalius Thomas to an already dangerous defense. If they can get Asante Samuel back on the field look out. Either way, the quest to go 16-0 should be in full effect.
5. Oakland – If they were good under Art Shell, they should be good under anybody. Stranger things have happened.

Avoid These Groups of Dudes
1. Pittsburgh
– I’m not really feeling that Mike Tomlin dude. This will likely be a down year for the ‘Burgh.
2. Dallas – I have a bad feeling about Dallas this year, for some reason.
3. NY Giants – I really expect these guys to self destruct this season. They’re also suspect at linebacker and corner.