Week 12 Game of the Week

Tom Brady and the Patriots will try to out pass the Eagles.

New England Patriots at Philadelphia Eagles

Two of the best offenses face off. The list of the stars participating in this game is incredible. Tom Brady, Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, Wes Welker, DeSean Jackson. The list goes on and on. Expect a shootout in this matchup.  

Patriots Offense: Tom Brady is leading the Patriots to another offensive surge this season. He is leading the NFL in passing yards per game. He’s throwing most of  his passes to Wes Welker. Welker is dominating this season. He’s leading the NFL in catches. In the running game, the Patriots still can’t seem to find a running back. Still, when you have one of the best passing teams in the NFL, you don’t really need that good of a running back. 

LeSean McCoy looks to take advantage of the Patriots defense.

Eagles Offense: Who would’ve thought? LeSean McCoy is now one of the best running backs in the game, if not the best. He has led a struggling Eagles team to the brink of play-off contention. The Eagles need to win this matchup in order to stay in the hunt. Mike Vick should look for DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin a lot, since the Pats have the worst passing defense in the NFL. Vick will be throwing many passes in this one. 

Edge: Patriots 

Patriots Defense: The worst passing defense in football. If Vick doesn’t get 200+ passing yards in this matchup, there’s obviously a problem with the Eagles. The rushing defense for the Patriots is solid enough to make Vick throw more. However, LeSean McCoy is one of the best ‘backs in the game. 

Eagles Defense: The Eagles’ defense is much better. The Dream Team signed the necessary free agents to build a great defense. The Eagles have a solid rushing defense as well. The rushing defense should not be much of a factor in this game, as the Pats cannot seem to find a consistent running back. 

Edge: Eagles 

Pick: With two of the best offenses in the game today, expect a lot of fantasy points from each player in this game. The key to this game will be how the Pats’ defense will hold up. If LeSean McCoy can rush his way to a few touchdowns, the Pats could lose. Tom Brady will be his dominant self in this one. The Patriots have a big edge at quarterback, while the Eagles have the same at running back. There will be numerous touchdowns, but the team with the better quarterback usually wins. 

Patriots 38- Eagles 35

Week 12 Picks: Last Week: 9-4

Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons 

The Vikings lost to the Raiders last week. Eeek! When you lose to a team with a quarterback who missed training camp,  you have a problem. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones should be able take care of the Vikes in this one. But there is still hope for AP, just not much. Falcons over Vikings 

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Dalton rolls on. The Bengals continue to win with him as quarterback. The Browns’ shouldn’t be much of a challenge. However, Montario Hardesty and Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis could possibly coming back. It doesn’t matter who is starting though, as the Bengals have the 3^rd best rushing defense in football. Bengals over Browns 

Carolina Panthers at Indianapolis Colts 

A matchup of two of the worst teams in the NFL. The visiting team has the most surprising quarterback of the season, in Cam Newton. The home team, doesn’t really have anyone special. This team (the Colts) has not won yet this season, and probably won’t win in this one. The Colts could somehow win though, the Panthers’ defense is not very good. Still, the Panthers have Newton. Panthers over Colts 

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars 

Well look who it is. Matt Leinart, he of the 2004 Heisman trophy, is going to be throwing the ball for the division leading Texans. Welcome back to the NFL Matt! Your task is to lead your first place team to a victory over Maurice Jones-Drew and Blaine Gabbert. You think do it? I think so. Texans over Jaguars 

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets 

The Bills were supposed to be the NFL’s surprise team this season, after they beat the Patriots. After that victory, the team have been slowly slipping through the cracks, and the team is riding a three game losing streak. The Jets on the other hand, have not been doing so well either. The game is being played in the Meadowlands, and anything can happen; but Sanchez should do well at home. Jets over Bills 

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams 

Well isn’t that a coincidence. A matchup of the teams for which Kurt Warner played quarterback and then led the team to the Superbowl. These two teams could sure use his help now. Sam Bradford hasn’t been able to replay his rookie season again, and John Skelton is playing quarterback for the Cardinals. It will be hard to pick who’s going to win, but Steven Jackson is a great runner. Rams over Cardinals 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans 

The Bucs are feeling kinda low right now. They have lost 4 in a row, and need to start winning to get to the play-offs. The Titans lost last week to the Falcons. Josh Freeman is having a great season, while Chris Johnson continues to disappoint. He has just two touchdowns, and two 100 yard games. Expect Freeman to end the losing streak. Buccaneers over Titans 

Chicago Bears at Oakland Raiders 

Carson Palmer vs… Caleb Hanie? Who is that? Well, he is the Bears’ starting quarterback this week. It’s a good thing the team has Forte. Without Forte, the Bears would get killed. For the Raiders, Michael Bush continues to thrive as the primary back. Carson Palmer is slowly coming together. Without Cutler, it’ll be tough for the Bears. 

Raiders over Bears 

Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks 

The Redskins still don’t have a quarterback, and the Seahawks are starting Tarvaris Jackson. Not much better. Marshawn Lynch is steadily improving for Seattle. While the Redskins have lost six in a row. The Seahawks should continue the team’s slow march to the play-offs. 

Seahawks over Redskins 

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers 

A quarterback who doesn’t pass? That is what the Broncos are believing in. That quarterback, Tim Tebow, has led the squad to three straight wins. The Chargers, who for once started the season well; are now in a bit of a funk. The team has lost five straight games. Can Tebow continue his dominance? The Chargers passing defense is great. But wait. Tebow doesn’t pass! The Chargers should end the team’s funk though. Chargers over Broncos 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs 

This is a disappointing Steelers squad. Sure, the team is in 2^nd place in the AFC North, but losing to the Ravens. Twice? There have been better Steelers teams. Still, with Tyler Palko starting for the Chiefs, and no Jamaal Charles, the Steelers cruise. Steelers over Chiefs 

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints 

Eli Manning is having a fantastic season, one of his best. Drew Brees is also having a superb season as well. The Saints are in first in the NFC South, while the Giants trail the Cowboys by one game. This should be an entertaining game to watch. There will be a lot of passing in this one. It will be a close game, but Brees and Jimmy Graham should beat the Giants. Saints over Giants 

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.