Thanksgiving Football Picks

Things sure won't be pleasant for the Harbaughs, as the Ravens take on the 49ers at home on Turkey Day. 

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

An NFC North rivalry to kick start your Thanksgiving. For the Lions, it’s one of the few years that they are in contention. So for the organization, this game means a lot.Two of the best quarterbacks in the game today are facing each other. Will the Lions be able to triumph over the undefeated Packers? It will be a difficult, and a sadly unlikely task. Still, it could be possible with the leadership of Matt Stafford and Kevin Smith. 

Packers over Lions

Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys 

The Cowboys continue the team’s tradition of playing on Thanksgiving. The ‘Boys face a  Dolphins team which has won three games in a row. The Cowboys also have a win streak of their own going on right now.  DeMarco Murray could be the difference in this game whether his team wins, or gets the stuffing knocked out of ‘em.   

Cowboys over Dolphins 

San Francisco 49ers at Baltimore Ravens 

The 49ers cannot seem to lose, and neither can the Ravens. What will happen when they face a team with an equally as good a defense? Conflict at the dinner table, that’s what.  Frank Gore will try to create some holes but it’ll be tough, everyone on the Ravens wants a piece of him. Ray Rice will have an even harder time, everyone is going for him, which could cause chaos for John Harbaugh against his brother. The brothers will be forced to try different methods in this game. It will be a learning Thanksgiving for the brothers. This is hope for a clean game. No one should get hurt. 

Ravens over 49ers. 

Dear Joe Paterno...

Bye Coach Paterno! It's been a nice 46 years!

Dear Coach Paterno, 

What happened to you Coach? You were coaching at Penn State for what? 46 years. That’s a long time. A really long time. 46 years? Add the ages of [NBA players] Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, and you will get 46.  Wow. So why aren’t you out there coaching anymore? Oh yeah. You let that Sandusky guy do some bad stuff Sure you told your athletic director. But that was it. C’mon coach. I respected you. Everyone respected you. You were supposed to be a traditional football coach, in the face of numerous college scandals; a breath of fresh air. You never did anything wrong, you were the most respected in the game. And then, the news came out. One of your other coaches,  Mike McQueary told you that your assistant coach was doing bad stuff.  Sure you told your athletic director, but that’s it! You’re Joe Paterno for crying out loud! You have power! You could have done so much more. Well, now you’re not coaching anymore. The scandal is old news. How can you get the university’s respect back? It will be extremely hard. You may never be able to do it. 

Week 11 Game of the Week

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

An AFC North rivalry game is taking place tomorrow. The Bengals visit Baltimore, as they try to pry second place away from the Ravens. Both the Bengals and the Ravens lost last week. They are tied at 6-3, and in second place in the AFC North. 

Bengals Offense: Andy Dalton. Who would have thought that the former TCU quarterback, is one of the best rookies this season? Dalton has led the Carson Palmerless Bengals to a 6-3 record thus far. He has thrown for 1,866 yards, more than any other rookie except Cam Newton. Another rookie, A.J Green is having a great year. Green, a wide receiver, has 35 catches for 435 yards. He leads all rookies in those categories. The rushing game has been a bit struggle for the Bengals. Primary back Cedric Benson has been injured for a little bit, and Bernard Scott has had to carry the ball. Benson is back now, but don’t look for him to be too much of a factor against the best defense in the league. 

Ravens Offense: The Ravens offense is always overshadowed by the team’s spectacular defense. Mostly it’s for good reason, but this year the team is looking to change that. Joe Flacco is having yet another solid year. He is 12^th in passing yards this season so far. Ray Rice is having a perfect fantasy season. Unfortunately, all those fantasy points are not exactly translating to real world success. The Ravens rank 24^th in rushing. Joe Flacco has great targets for himself in Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. Smith and Boldin have combined for 6 touchdowns and 70 catches.

Edge: Bengals

Bengals Defense: The Bengals defense is surprisingly one of the best in football. They rank 5^th in total defensive yards. They rank 10^th in passing defense, but may have trouble defending Flacco. In defending the run, they rank second. Ray Rice will have some trouble against the Bengals. Flacco will have to work his arm a lot against this team. 

Ravens Defense: Known as the Best Defense in the game. The Bengals Rushing game, which isn’t very good in particular should not bother running against the 3^rd best rushing defense. Andy Dalton will have some trouble passing against a team which has the 3^rd most sacks. In total, the Ravens, with Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and more are going to be hard to do score against.

Edge: Ravens 

The Pick: Two all-pro defenses go against each other. Expect a low scoring game. Also, expect a lot of passing. Ray Rice will beg for carries, but the Bengals will keep stopping him forcing Flacco to pass. Andy Dalton is young, and will most likely make some rookie mistakes.  The Ravens have beaten the first place Steelers twice, while the Bengals lost in their only contest against them. When you beat the first place team twice, it’s kind of hard to lose to anybody else in your division. 

Ravens 17- Bengals 10

Week 11 Picks

Note: Similar to last week, we will have picks, but no longer in-depth analysis for each game. The most exciting game of the week will be selected, and there will be an in-depth preview for that specific game. However there will still be analysis. And now…. Week 11 Picks!! 

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns

Blaine Gabbert has been slowly developing as a quarterback, and could break out in this contest. The Jaguars also have Maurice Jones-Drew, who despite having a subpar year, is still an all-pro running back. Peyton Hillis is inactive and Colt McCoy isn’t exactly spectacular. It’s kinda obvious who’s going to win. 

Jaguars over Browns 

Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions 

An intriguing matchup. Two former SEC quarterbacks going at it against each other. Cam Newton vs. Matthew Stafford. Both of these quarterbacks are having all-star years, and Newton is a shoe-in for Offensive Rookie. The Lions have been struggling of late, but should be able to get back on track. Lions over Panthers 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers

The only undefeated team in the NFL happens to be the reigning Superbowl champs. Aaron Rodgers and his receivers are having an fun time catching the ball from Rodgers  Josh Freeman is also having a great season, unfortunately, it will be difficult for his squad to beat the champs.

 Packers over Buccaneers 

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

An AFC East rivalry. The Bills started off as one of the NFL’s best teams. They even beat the Pats! However, they’ve cooled down a bit. Still, the Dolphins aren’t exactly a challenge for these guys. Sorry Fishies, try again next year. Bills over Dolphins 

Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings 

Carson Palmer is having a ball on the field. Are his fun times going to translate to a victory? Against AP and Christian Ponder? It will be tough for the former Heisman trophy winner, as Ponder is steadily improving. I don’t think he’ll do it. 

Vikings over Raiders 

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins 

DeMarco Murray! Everyone’s most popular fantasy pickup. DeMarco Murray! The starting running back for the Cowboys, who after having a fantastic first game, has cooled down. The Cowboys probably won’t need him to do that well against the Redskins. The ‘Boys still have Romo, and the ‘Skins have lost Hightower, and (still) can’t find a quarterback. Cowboys over Redskins

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

While the baseball Cardinals won the world series… the football cardinals, after starting out 1-6... Have managed to win 2 games in a row. Pretty good, considering they’ve managed to do it under QB Johnny Skelton. Unfortunately, they’ve run into the Red Hot 49ers. The 49ers have won 8 games in a row. Frank Gore and Alex Smith unstoppable, and the rest of the spare parts on the squad will come together. 

 49ers over Cardinals 

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams 

Another AFC West matchup. Last year’s worst division has turned into the 49ers and a bunch of bad teams who couldn’t beat LSU.  This is a matchup of Tarvaris Jackson and a struggling Sam Bradford. Marshawn Lynch vs. Steven Jackson. Interesting matchup in the running game. The better running game will get the win. Rams over Seahawks

Tennesee Titans at Atlanta Falcons 

The Falcons have managed to come back this year. Matt Ryan struggled at the beginning of the year, but has seemed to regain his footing. Chris Johnson is the most disappointing player of the year. The NFL should make an award called the Chris Johnson award. It wouldn’t be an award to brag about. Falcons over Titans 

San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears 

Two of the NFL’s most under appreciated quarterbacks face off. Phil Rivers vs. Jay Cutler. Rivers has received some love, but there are many critics. As usual the Bears’ D, is fantastic. That will probably be the difference in this one. Also, expect Forte to run over the Chargers. Bears over Chargers 

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants 

LeSean McCoy. Possibly the best running back in football right now. Who would have known? The “Dream Team” did. The Eagles are finally putting the pieces together and have started ripping apart opponents.  The Giants are a great team, with a great quarterback. Eli Manning. With Vince Young starting, and Jeremy Maclin out, the Eagles could have trouble in the passing game. But the last time the Eagles played on Sunday Night football… Eagles over Giants 

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots 

The Pats did it! The Pats finally ended their losing streak. The Chiefs did it! They ended their winning streak! Well, Jamaal Charles is out. Matt Cassel, hasn’t been good of late. How can this team win? The Chiefs are playing the worst defense. However, the Pats have the best offense, and a healthy Tom Brady. However, the last time these two teams played each other…. Brady was injured. Patriots over Chiefs

A Year Without the NBA

David Stern and the rest of the owners have been saying "No" to the proposed offers, prolonging the NBA Lockout.

Kevin Durant and other NBA players cannot be happy about being locked out. 

"It looks like the 2011-12 season is really in jeopardy”, said NBA commissioner David Stern. Ugh. Yet another opportunity to end the NBA lockout has failed.  Why can’t the two sides agree? This isn’t about healthcare,  IT'S ABOUT BASKETBALL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!

How popular is basketball these days?  Ask anyone who has witnessed people shooting a piece of crumpled-up paper into a trash can while shouting “Kobe”!  How popular is the NBA? Everyone plays NBA 2K11. Fantasy basketball is the fastest growing fantasy sport. Basketball also has some of the more interesting metric stats, which gets statisticians involved and interested. Also, more and more youth are leaning towards playing basketball over other sports. The NBA also has more mainstream superstars than the other four major sports. Don’t believe me? How many big name players can you name in the MLB? Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, and A-Rod are the only players right? In the NFL, there are countless top quarterbacks and running backs; but can you name your favorite team’s starting left guard? Didn’t think so. In hockey, with the exception of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, there really aren’t many that superstars.  The NBA has the most stars by far than any other sport. To name a few of these players: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, and Kevin Durant; but  the list goes on and on. 

So what will “The Big 3” do in their second season? Will Cuban and Dirk win another championship? Can Kobe win without Phil?  The world may never know the answers to these important questions. The games are canceled through November. Commissioner Stern may cancel more. 

So what does this mean? The last time a major sport didn’t have a season was in 2004-05 when the NHL was locked out for a year. Though there are still some devoted fans, Hockey fandom has gone down in the U.S. Who knows what will happen with the NBA. Will people still watch it when it returns? Will the players recover? How will the coaches ready their teams with such short notice? These and other essential questions will hopefully be answered this year. Hopefully soon. 

Will there be an NBA season? Depends on who you ask. For optimists, there will be one by Christmas. Pessimists hardly believe,  another National Basketball Association game is possible. Sadly, no one can predict when the NBA will return. We’re hoping for a gamewinner from MJ, to save the day. 

Week 10 Sunday Night Football

Note: After intense deliberation, the writer of this blog has decided to only go in-depth for the Sunday Night football game. (in the play-offs it will be a different story).  With the exception of this week, for the remainder of the NFL season there will still be picks. But no longer in-depth analysis of every game. Just this one. Don’t worry there’s still going to be picks each week. 

The New England Patriots vs. The New York Jets. An interesting matchup. A rivalry. A game of strategic coaching. A game with high-profile receivers. One team has one of the best defenses in the NFL, while the other has the worst. One team has an all-star quarterback, while the other passer is a work in progress. 

Patriots Offense: The New England Patriots’ attack, as usual starts with Tom Brady. Brady is having yet another fantastic year for the Pats. Wes Welker. Wes Welker is a monster. 66 catches on the year, 13 more than second place, [Dolphins receiver]  Brandon Marshall. Welker also has 6 touchdowns thus far. In the running game, the Patriots have struggled to find a primary back. Rookie Stevan Ridley had a couple solid games, but has unable to gain the starting job. Kevin Faulk had a decent game, but went down with a knee injury. Danny Woodhead and BenJarvus Green-Ellis also have carried the ball for the Patriots. 

Jets Offense: Mark Sanchez has struggled for the Jets. He is ranked 20^th in passing yards. Ouch. On the receiving side, Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes have combined for about 50 catches. Another ouch. Their receptions combined are less than Welker’s receptions by himself. Shonn Greene has also been running for the Jets. He has 502 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Jets. 

Edge: Patriots 

Patriots Defense: This is an extremely sad topic. The Patriots have the worst passing defense in the NFL. It probably is one of the worst in recent years. The passing defense has contributed to the team’s recent 2 game losing streak. Even though Sanchez is not exactly an All-pro, he could torch the defense tonight.  Good news for the Patriots, the run defense is pretty top-notch. The team’s rushing defense is ranked 9^th. 

Jets Defense: The Jets’ defense is what has kept them in contention this season. The team is ranked 7^th in total yards. Another bonus, the passing defense is fantastic. They are ranked 4^th in yards per game. The secondary should give Tom Brady a hard time. The rushing defense is a work in progress, but is satisfactory enough to get by. 

Edge: Jets 

The Pick: Both of these teams have their strengths and weaknesses. The best offense in the league, against one of the top defenses. An okay offense, against the league’s worst defense. This game should be close. The game’s result comes down to the Patriots defense and Mark Sanchez. If the Patriots defense can hold up, the Patriots should rout the Jets. If it can’t, the Patriots will slowly drop out of contention. If Sanchez does his job, the Jets will remain in the game for a while. If he doesn’t, it could be a long game. I’m betting that the Pats’ defense holds up and snaps the team’s losing streak. 

Patriots 31- Jets 20

Confessions of a Patriots Fan

Tom Brady and the Patriots, slowly falling from the top teams in football.

Whenever someone asks me about my team, I will defend the team in the best way possible.  No matter what sport. Even if the team is not doing well, or the player is facing something. It is my team, and I was given a choice to support it, and have to support it until the very end.  However, one must say everything about their team. Not just the team’s triumphs, but its struggles as well. A person who can admit all of these facts about their team is a true fan. 

Tom Brady is no longer the best quarterback in the NFL. That being said, he is still in the top-tier of quarterbacks. Just not the best quarterback. The Patriots are a great team. They are just not the greatest team anymore. These are facts that every Patriots fan should realize. 

Yes, yes it’s true. A Patriots fan acknowledging that his favorite team is not the premier team in football. I remember when I first became a Patriots fan. I was 5-6 at the time, and it was when the Patriots were in the Superbowl. The first football game I watched was Superbowl XXXVI, when Adam Vinateri kicked the game winning field goal to beat the Rams 20-17. Ever since then, I have watched Tom Brady win two other Superbowl games, and have an (almost) perfect season. 

After the win against the Rams, the Pats took a year off, and then proceeded to win 2 straight Superbowl championships. Following the win against the Eagles 2 years later,  the Patriots have yet to win another championship. They came close, losing to the Giants in the Superbowl because of a catch some guy made who isn’t in the NFL anymore.  They have failed to win a play-off game since the 2007 season. 

So why then does everyone think the team is a play-off contender? Because of Thomas Edward Brady. Brady is a fantastic quarterback, who has the ability to lead a team. He is surrounded with fantastic receivers, and the coach of the decade, Bill Belichick. A fantastic team on paper, but on the field...

The truth is, the team is not as good as it used to be. Sure the Patriots had Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Adalius Thomas, and other notable players at one point. But when a team has countless stars, and have already won 3 championships in the past 4 years; they are expected of winning everything. When this team was formed, a new Patriots dynasty was expected to have started. It lasted about a season and a half, before Moss was released, and the team couldn’t win in the play-offs.

The glory days of the Patriots are behind them. Vinateri is gone. Deion Branch is no longer the Superbowl MVP winning receiver, and sadly, Brady is getting old.  Every football fan has the team as one of their picks to win the Superbowl each year, but the team can’t do it.  It’s almost as if the team is cursed. They cannot seem to win, anymore. In fact, the Patriots lost to the Bills this year for the first time since 2003. In the current season, the Patriots are in a 2 game losing streak that could extend to 3 games this week. 

Patriots fans, we must come to the realization that our team needs to be improved. We need to continue cheering our hearts out for victories, because our team isn’t as good as it used to be. The Patriots need our support We need to still root for our team, and be loyal. And never give up. Go Patriots, and let’s beat the Jets on Sunday!