Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens on winning the Super Bowl over the San Francisco 49ers. Whether you doubt the legality of having injured superstars Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs back so soon or not, the Ravens will go down in history as champions. The 49ers franchise suffered their first ever loss in the Super Bowl after five victories, but Colin Kaepernick looks to give them a shot at getting back there again.
I did my 2nd annual NFL Crystal Ball right before the season and now it is time to see how I did.
1st prediction was that RGIII would play in 16 games. Correct!! Yeah, yeah he missed a game, but played in a playoff game so 16 games it was.
2nd prediction that Norv Turner wouldn't make it as head coach of the Chargers past their Bye Week in Week 7. 1/2 points! He was dead coach walking by that time and was finally fired after the season.
Standings Predictions: (actual records in parenthesis)
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles 12-4 (4-12)
Dallas Cowboys 10-6 (8-8)
New York Giants 9-7 (9-7)
Washington Redskins 6-10 (10-6)
NFC North
Green Bay Packers 14-2 (11-5)
Chicago Bears 11-5 (10-6)
Detroit Lions 8-8 (4-12)
Minnesota Vikings 4-12 (10-6)
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons 13-3 (13-3)
New Orleans Saints 10-6 (7-9)
Carolina Panthers 7-9 (7-9)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-13 (7-9)
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers 11-5 (11-4-1)
Seattle Seahawks 5-11 (11-5)
St. Louis Rams 5-11 (7-8-1)
Arizona Cardinals 4-12 (5-11)
AFC East
New England Patriots 13-3 (12-4)
New York Jets 10-6 (6-10)
Buffalo Bills 6-10 (6-10)
Miami Dolphins 6-10 (7-9)
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens 12-4 (10-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7 (8-8)
Cincinnati Bengals 9-7 (10-6)
Cleveland Browns 2-14 (5-11)
AFC South
Houston Texans 12-4 (12-4)
Tennessee Titans 7-9 (6-10)
Indianapolis Colts 6-10 (11-5)
Jacksonville Jaguars 2-14 (2-14)
AFC West
Denver Broncos 11-5 (13-3)
Oakland Raiders 8-8 (4-12)
Kansas City Chiefs 7-9 (2-14)
San Diego Chargers 4-12 (7-9)
Hit and miss obviously. I did get 7 of the 8 division winners correct missing only my Washington Redskins. Biggest misses were the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC and Kansas City Chiefs and both the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts in the AFC.
I predicted Tom Brady to win the MVP over Matt Ryan and while they both had good seasons it was Adrian Peterson who won the award over Peyton Manning. Two huge injury risks heading into the season somehow not only managed to stay healthy, but perform well beyond expectations. Deer antler spray for everyone!!!
In my Suprises/Breakouts section I chose:
Jake Locker- 2/10 Locker played in just 11 games and totaled 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. A mid-season injury derailed any possibility at building upon a promising finish to the 2011 season.
Jeremy Maclin- 6/10 A good bounce back season for Maclin who still produced as the city of Philadelphia was burning down around him. He still didn't match the 2010 season though.
Donald Brown- 0/10 Ugh. I hitched my ride to him this season and was burnt badly. After 3 years of steady progression, Brown took a major step backwards in his now fledgling career.
Torrey Smith- 4/10 Even with 15 more targets than last season, Smith's numbers were practically identical to 2011. He continues to be high risk/high reward for fantasy owners.
Vernon Davis- 1/10 It took until the playoffs to see the 49ers finally use Davis properly, but he was a major fantasy disappointment all regular season.
In my Disappointments section I chose:
Maurice Jones-Drew- 10/10 When will RB's learn not to hold out. MJD suffered through a terrible season all stemming back to not being at practice.
Ryan Mathews- 9/10 He started injured, ended injured and didn't do much in between scoring just once in a forgettable season.
Vincent Jackson- 0/10 A new team rejuvenated Jackson who had a career high in receiving yardage and caught 8 touchdowns...oops!
Victor Cruz- 4/10 His receiving yardage dropped by nearly 500 yards, but he still hauled in 10 touchdowns which was one more than last year.
Matthew Stafford- 8/10 His TD's were cut in half while throwing one more INT than last year. He still threw for nearly 5,000 useless yards.
The Playoffs:
I went 7/12 (all division winners) and missed both Super Bowl participants (Houston over Atlanta in mine).
Not horrible, but not great.
The emergence of Colin Kaepernick, RGIII and Russell Wilson to how the quarterback position is played is what I will take away from this season. All three did things that I didn't think were possible while pocket passers like Brady, Brees and Manning still produced big numbers. It's a special era we're witnessing for quarterback play. The quarterback position will be DEEP in fantasy football next season...wait, wait and wait for one to fall.
Early prediction for Super Bowl 48 that will probably change by September: Denver over Seattle as Manning pulls off a Ray Lewis and rides off into the sunset on top.
Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2013
Monday, September 24, 2012
Weekend Viewing Recap 9/24/12
Even though I had a rare full weekend off from work, I found myself doing more work at home than I ever do for my actual job. Isn't that always the way? Saturday was community yard sale day so we lugged out half of our house and tried our very best to give away some junk. Six hours and a bunch of bartering later we made barely enough to cover our efforts, but the house was cleaner and that was what we were aiming for. My wife and I both let go of our childhood furniture that was being used in the guest bedroom. We cleared room for the nursery which now needs painting...anybody willing to help?
Sunday was more cleaning. We started in the kitchen and cleared out the pantry and all the cabinets. Our house wins for most trash bags out on the curb this weekend. Of course this is just the beginning. I'm going to go room by room and gut the house of all the crap that we've acquired in the last five years. With the baby on the way I am going to need all the room I can get for his toys and diapers and stuff. This should be fine.
If you were like me and spent your free time doing housework and hawking junk in a yard sale you probably missed some sports. Here's your recap on the biggest events of the weekend:
10. Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
This was a much better start for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They got an early safety and field goal to take a 5-0 lead and things were looking peachy. Then I blinked and the Texans had responded with 3 consecutive passing touchdowns by Matt Schaub and it was 21-5. The lead was extended to 31-11 after Schaub fired his 4th touchdown of the game and this one looked to be wrapped up with a pretty little bow. Peyton was having none of that though as he threw two fourth quarter touchdowns and with three minutes to play it was suddenly a nail biter. Even though the Texans weren't able to run the clock out they only left Manning 30 seconds and 85 yards to score. No miracle this time as Houston looks to be for real and continues to be my favorite to be the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Denver is going to be okay as Peyton continues to shake off the rust and as they are mired in a season opening gauntlet of tough games. I guessed 30-24 Houston and got 31-25...I win.
9. Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals
As predicted this series has been pretty even. Of the first three games (the fourth being played today) only Friday had final inning fireworks. The Nationals clung to a 2-1 lead before Ryan Braun and the Brewers hit him around for three runs and Milwaukee won 4-2. Saturday was all Washington as Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond both hit 3 run, 4th inning home runs. This was more than enough for Gio Gonzalez who notched his 20th victory of the season, becoming the first pitcher this year to do so and the first Washington pitcher to accomplish the feat since 1933. That was done by some fringe major league pitcher name Walter Johnson. Quite a feat Gio, quite a feat. Sunday lived up to the name thanks to a beautiful, bright sun field that caused Bryce Harper to miss a fly ball leading to the first runs of the game as Milwaukee won to take a 2-1 series lead. Jordan Zimmermann should even the series up for Washington if my prediction is to come true.
8. #22 Arizona Wildcats at #3 Oregon Ducks
Thanks for showing up Arizona. Luckily I was far too exhausted to even give this game a chance Saturday night and I didn't miss much. Matt Scott came into this game on fire and left ice cold. He threw three interceptions including two that were returned for touchdowns as Oregon thumped the Wildcats 49-0. Neither Kenjon Barner nor De'Anthony Thomas were able to score for the Ducks, but none of that seemed to matter. They did have 175 combined total yards on 36 touches which while far lower than the norm were still enough to keep Oregon moving up and down the field. The big takeaway from this game has to be the Oregon defense. Posting a shutout in college football is tough to do. Posting a shutout against a team in your conference is even harder and if they happen to be ranked at the time, well that's a bold statement. Maybe the Ducks are for real this season.
7. Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
This series was not for the faint of heart. Being an Athletics fan did not help. Hating the Yankees with every ounce of my soul didn't help either. Friday was a classic pitcher's duel between C.C. Sabathia and Jarrod Parker. Down 1-0 in the 9th, Brandon Moss hit a pinch hit home run to tie the score up. Russell Martin trumped that home run with a walk of home run an inning later for New York. Saturday was probably the game of the season in MLB. Oakland started with 3 straight doubles to take a 2-0 lead, New York scored 3 in the bottom of the half of the first. They trade two runs each as the Yankees led 5-4 heading to the 7th when Oakland tied it up with sac fly. Then the offenses went into hibernation. My wife and I walked into Babies R' Us to set up our registry just as Oakland tied it up and two plus hours later we walked out as Jonny Gomes was hitting a go ahead 2 run home run in the...wait for it...13th inning. That was followed by two more mammoth home runs by Oakland and they had a 9-5 lead. Unfortunately they had no major league caliber pitchers left. Three straight singles, a wild pitch, a sac fly and a home run later it was 9-9. The 14th inning went quietly for Oakland and then they basically conceded the game by sending Tyson Ross out to pitch the bottom half. That Yankees scored on an error with two outs and the bases loaded giving Ross his 10th loss on the season in only 73 innings pitched. Sunday was another back and forth with Oakland taking a 3-0 lead only to see New York score 4 to take the lead right back. Oakland tied it up and then took a one run lead in the 6th and miraculously it held up for their lone victory of the series. The Yankees stay a game up on the Orioles in the A.L. East who are one game up on Oakland for the 1st Wild Card spot. Oakland is 2.5 games up on Los Angeles and 3.5 games up on Tampa Bay for the 2nd Wild Card.
6. #18 Michigan Wolverines at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame did everything in their power to lose this game. Luckily for them, Michigan tried even harder to lose. It appeared as though both teams were on the take and were trying to shave points before any were even scored. I had this game pegged as my upset special and if Denard Robinson had played even average, Michigan would have walked out of South Bend with a victory. He threw four interceptions during the game which kept the Wolverines scoreless until the 4th quarter. They weren't out of it, though as it was only 10-0. This game was ugly. It wasn't LSU vs. Alabama ugly with two pro defenses facing off, but just ugly, ugly. Notre Dame will continue to rise in the rankings and as long as they keep passing these tests I suppose we have to take them seriously, but they had better play a lot better if they think they are going to beat an SEC team.
5. #15 Kansas St. Wildcats at #6 Oklahoma Sooners
If you were going to tell me that Kansas St. was going to get 149 yards passing and 0 touchdowns from starting quarterback Collin Klein I would have told you Oklahoma won by 30. This did not happen. Kansas St. used a stingy defense that kept Landry Jones in check (at least compared to his dissection of the Wildcats a year ago) and a seemingly unstoppable running attack to upset Oklahoma on the road. John Hubert carried the ball 23 times for 130 yards and a touchdown and while Klein could throw with any significance he did have 79 yards on the ground along with touchdown. Both of these came in the 4th quarter which had started with Oklahoma leading 13-10. Oklahoma will now plummet in the rankings and Kansas St. will now shift its focus to staying undefeated until their trip to Morgantown to face West Viriginia in late October. That will be some couch burning fun.
4. Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
What a dud of a series this turned out to be. The streaky Angels have caught fire again behind their pitching staff and swept away the White Sox from southern California. Los Angeles held the potent Chicago lineup to only 5 runs over the weekend. This included another stellar start from Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver on Sunday who earned his 19th victory with 6.1 innings giving up just a run. Dan Haren and Ervin Santana did their part as well giving up only 3 runs over their 13 innings. With the day off Monday, Los Angeles can even skip the scheduled start of the struggling C.J. Wilson and keep their big guns in turn. For Chicago things could have been much worse. After winning the first game of their series, the Detroit Tigers were promptly swept in a Sunday doubleheader by the Minnesota Twins to lose that series. That leaves Detroit a game behind Chicago even with the White Sox on a current 5 game losing streak.
3. New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
This game will go down in Baltimore Ravens history as the Torrey Smith game. Playing with a heavy heart from losing his brother just hours earlier Sunday morning, Smith responded with his best game of the year. He hauled in 127 yards and two touchdowns to help bring the Ravens from behind to upend the New England Patriots 31-30. Sure this game was not without its share of unneeded controversy thanks to the replacement refs and sure maybe, just maybe, that last second field goal leaked a little right, but when the Ravens look back it will always be remembered for what Torrey Smith was able to do. After the Patriots scored the first 13 points, it was a Smith touchdown that got the team right and the fans back into it. Ray Rice then took over through the middle of the game amassing 150 total yards and scoring a touchdown. For the Patriots it seemed as though the only thing that could slow them down was their tricky play calling or the fact that they refused to run the ball to milk away the clock when they had the lead. Both Wes Welker and Brandon Llyod eclipsed 100 yards receiving, but when push came to shove, New England couldn't get that final first down that would have iced the game. Not only that, but their incomplete passes kept stopping the clock giving Baltimore invaluable time and timeouts to keep their hopes alive. They took full advantage, scraping together one final drive and hitting a game winning 27 yard field goal as time expired.
2. PGA Tour Championship
Yeah about the Tiger, Phil and Rory Sunday I was hoping for...that didn't happen. The three mega stars of the Tour combined for a +2 weekend and were not a factor at all. Maybe that's why I didn't watch too much golf. Instead American Brandt Snedeker came out of nowhere to capture the Tour Championship and in turn he won the FedEx title. He's not the sexiest of names and the poor performances of the 'Big 3' certainly cost the PGA some viewers, but what it does is give another American some good feelings heading into the Ryder Cup in Chicago. Instead of man versus man it becomes USA vs. Europe. Yippee!
1. #10 Clemson Tigers at #4 Florida St. Seminoles
This was fun. This was college football of the past. Forget suffocating defenses and playing for field position. I wanted a Tecmo Bowl like atmosphere and by God I got it. Twelve touchdowns and just one lonely field goal later, Florida St. emerged as true championship contender. Sure their defense might need to be shored up a bit, but Clemson has a dynamic offense so giving up some points was to be expected. I came in to the game watching what Tajh Boyd was going to do, but it was Florida St. quarterback EJ Manuel that left me with my jaw on the floor. He had 482 total yards, eclipsing 300 in the air and 100 on the ground. That's a good day at the office. As for the game itself, Clemson held a 31-21 advantage midway through the 3rd quarter until the Seminoles reeled off 28 straight points in just under a quarter of play. That was all she wrote and now Florida St. looks at a schedule where they have only one currently ranked team left to play and that isn't until Thanksgiving. In between they have a tough test at Virginia Tech, but this is a very manageable schedule to weave through to get to a possible BCS championship game. Better luck next year at becoming big time Clemson. I had predicted a 13 point FSU win and they won by 12 so not too shabby.
Sunday was more cleaning. We started in the kitchen and cleared out the pantry and all the cabinets. Our house wins for most trash bags out on the curb this weekend. Of course this is just the beginning. I'm going to go room by room and gut the house of all the crap that we've acquired in the last five years. With the baby on the way I am going to need all the room I can get for his toys and diapers and stuff. This should be fine.
If you were like me and spent your free time doing housework and hawking junk in a yard sale you probably missed some sports. Here's your recap on the biggest events of the weekend:
10. Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
This was a much better start for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. They got an early safety and field goal to take a 5-0 lead and things were looking peachy. Then I blinked and the Texans had responded with 3 consecutive passing touchdowns by Matt Schaub and it was 21-5. The lead was extended to 31-11 after Schaub fired his 4th touchdown of the game and this one looked to be wrapped up with a pretty little bow. Peyton was having none of that though as he threw two fourth quarter touchdowns and with three minutes to play it was suddenly a nail biter. Even though the Texans weren't able to run the clock out they only left Manning 30 seconds and 85 yards to score. No miracle this time as Houston looks to be for real and continues to be my favorite to be the AFC representative in the Super Bowl. Denver is going to be okay as Peyton continues to shake off the rust and as they are mired in a season opening gauntlet of tough games. I guessed 30-24 Houston and got 31-25...I win.
9. Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals
As predicted this series has been pretty even. Of the first three games (the fourth being played today) only Friday had final inning fireworks. The Nationals clung to a 2-1 lead before Ryan Braun and the Brewers hit him around for three runs and Milwaukee won 4-2. Saturday was all Washington as Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond both hit 3 run, 4th inning home runs. This was more than enough for Gio Gonzalez who notched his 20th victory of the season, becoming the first pitcher this year to do so and the first Washington pitcher to accomplish the feat since 1933. That was done by some fringe major league pitcher name Walter Johnson. Quite a feat Gio, quite a feat. Sunday lived up to the name thanks to a beautiful, bright sun field that caused Bryce Harper to miss a fly ball leading to the first runs of the game as Milwaukee won to take a 2-1 series lead. Jordan Zimmermann should even the series up for Washington if my prediction is to come true.
8. #22 Arizona Wildcats at #3 Oregon Ducks
Thanks for showing up Arizona. Luckily I was far too exhausted to even give this game a chance Saturday night and I didn't miss much. Matt Scott came into this game on fire and left ice cold. He threw three interceptions including two that were returned for touchdowns as Oregon thumped the Wildcats 49-0. Neither Kenjon Barner nor De'Anthony Thomas were able to score for the Ducks, but none of that seemed to matter. They did have 175 combined total yards on 36 touches which while far lower than the norm were still enough to keep Oregon moving up and down the field. The big takeaway from this game has to be the Oregon defense. Posting a shutout in college football is tough to do. Posting a shutout against a team in your conference is even harder and if they happen to be ranked at the time, well that's a bold statement. Maybe the Ducks are for real this season.
7. Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
This series was not for the faint of heart. Being an Athletics fan did not help. Hating the Yankees with every ounce of my soul didn't help either. Friday was a classic pitcher's duel between C.C. Sabathia and Jarrod Parker. Down 1-0 in the 9th, Brandon Moss hit a pinch hit home run to tie the score up. Russell Martin trumped that home run with a walk of home run an inning later for New York. Saturday was probably the game of the season in MLB. Oakland started with 3 straight doubles to take a 2-0 lead, New York scored 3 in the bottom of the half of the first. They trade two runs each as the Yankees led 5-4 heading to the 7th when Oakland tied it up with sac fly. Then the offenses went into hibernation. My wife and I walked into Babies R' Us to set up our registry just as Oakland tied it up and two plus hours later we walked out as Jonny Gomes was hitting a go ahead 2 run home run in the...wait for it...13th inning. That was followed by two more mammoth home runs by Oakland and they had a 9-5 lead. Unfortunately they had no major league caliber pitchers left. Three straight singles, a wild pitch, a sac fly and a home run later it was 9-9. The 14th inning went quietly for Oakland and then they basically conceded the game by sending Tyson Ross out to pitch the bottom half. That Yankees scored on an error with two outs and the bases loaded giving Ross his 10th loss on the season in only 73 innings pitched. Sunday was another back and forth with Oakland taking a 3-0 lead only to see New York score 4 to take the lead right back. Oakland tied it up and then took a one run lead in the 6th and miraculously it held up for their lone victory of the series. The Yankees stay a game up on the Orioles in the A.L. East who are one game up on Oakland for the 1st Wild Card spot. Oakland is 2.5 games up on Los Angeles and 3.5 games up on Tampa Bay for the 2nd Wild Card.
6. #18 Michigan Wolverines at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame did everything in their power to lose this game. Luckily for them, Michigan tried even harder to lose. It appeared as though both teams were on the take and were trying to shave points before any were even scored. I had this game pegged as my upset special and if Denard Robinson had played even average, Michigan would have walked out of South Bend with a victory. He threw four interceptions during the game which kept the Wolverines scoreless until the 4th quarter. They weren't out of it, though as it was only 10-0. This game was ugly. It wasn't LSU vs. Alabama ugly with two pro defenses facing off, but just ugly, ugly. Notre Dame will continue to rise in the rankings and as long as they keep passing these tests I suppose we have to take them seriously, but they had better play a lot better if they think they are going to beat an SEC team.
5. #15 Kansas St. Wildcats at #6 Oklahoma Sooners
If you were going to tell me that Kansas St. was going to get 149 yards passing and 0 touchdowns from starting quarterback Collin Klein I would have told you Oklahoma won by 30. This did not happen. Kansas St. used a stingy defense that kept Landry Jones in check (at least compared to his dissection of the Wildcats a year ago) and a seemingly unstoppable running attack to upset Oklahoma on the road. John Hubert carried the ball 23 times for 130 yards and a touchdown and while Klein could throw with any significance he did have 79 yards on the ground along with touchdown. Both of these came in the 4th quarter which had started with Oklahoma leading 13-10. Oklahoma will now plummet in the rankings and Kansas St. will now shift its focus to staying undefeated until their trip to Morgantown to face West Viriginia in late October. That will be some couch burning fun.
4. Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
What a dud of a series this turned out to be. The streaky Angels have caught fire again behind their pitching staff and swept away the White Sox from southern California. Los Angeles held the potent Chicago lineup to only 5 runs over the weekend. This included another stellar start from Cy Young candidate Jered Weaver on Sunday who earned his 19th victory with 6.1 innings giving up just a run. Dan Haren and Ervin Santana did their part as well giving up only 3 runs over their 13 innings. With the day off Monday, Los Angeles can even skip the scheduled start of the struggling C.J. Wilson and keep their big guns in turn. For Chicago things could have been much worse. After winning the first game of their series, the Detroit Tigers were promptly swept in a Sunday doubleheader by the Minnesota Twins to lose that series. That leaves Detroit a game behind Chicago even with the White Sox on a current 5 game losing streak.
3. New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
This game will go down in Baltimore Ravens history as the Torrey Smith game. Playing with a heavy heart from losing his brother just hours earlier Sunday morning, Smith responded with his best game of the year. He hauled in 127 yards and two touchdowns to help bring the Ravens from behind to upend the New England Patriots 31-30. Sure this game was not without its share of unneeded controversy thanks to the replacement refs and sure maybe, just maybe, that last second field goal leaked a little right, but when the Ravens look back it will always be remembered for what Torrey Smith was able to do. After the Patriots scored the first 13 points, it was a Smith touchdown that got the team right and the fans back into it. Ray Rice then took over through the middle of the game amassing 150 total yards and scoring a touchdown. For the Patriots it seemed as though the only thing that could slow them down was their tricky play calling or the fact that they refused to run the ball to milk away the clock when they had the lead. Both Wes Welker and Brandon Llyod eclipsed 100 yards receiving, but when push came to shove, New England couldn't get that final first down that would have iced the game. Not only that, but their incomplete passes kept stopping the clock giving Baltimore invaluable time and timeouts to keep their hopes alive. They took full advantage, scraping together one final drive and hitting a game winning 27 yard field goal as time expired.
2. PGA Tour Championship
Yeah about the Tiger, Phil and Rory Sunday I was hoping for...that didn't happen. The three mega stars of the Tour combined for a +2 weekend and were not a factor at all. Maybe that's why I didn't watch too much golf. Instead American Brandt Snedeker came out of nowhere to capture the Tour Championship and in turn he won the FedEx title. He's not the sexiest of names and the poor performances of the 'Big 3' certainly cost the PGA some viewers, but what it does is give another American some good feelings heading into the Ryder Cup in Chicago. Instead of man versus man it becomes USA vs. Europe. Yippee!
1. #10 Clemson Tigers at #4 Florida St. Seminoles
This was fun. This was college football of the past. Forget suffocating defenses and playing for field position. I wanted a Tecmo Bowl like atmosphere and by God I got it. Twelve touchdowns and just one lonely field goal later, Florida St. emerged as true championship contender. Sure their defense might need to be shored up a bit, but Clemson has a dynamic offense so giving up some points was to be expected. I came in to the game watching what Tajh Boyd was going to do, but it was Florida St. quarterback EJ Manuel that left me with my jaw on the floor. He had 482 total yards, eclipsing 300 in the air and 100 on the ground. That's a good day at the office. As for the game itself, Clemson held a 31-21 advantage midway through the 3rd quarter until the Seminoles reeled off 28 straight points in just under a quarter of play. That was all she wrote and now Florida St. looks at a schedule where they have only one currently ranked team left to play and that isn't until Thanksgiving. In between they have a tough test at Virginia Tech, but this is a very manageable schedule to weave through to get to a possible BCS championship game. Better luck next year at becoming big time Clemson. I had predicted a 13 point FSU win and they won by 12 so not too shabby.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Weekend Viewing Guide 9/21/12
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller
Last night I got to witness some mini-history as the Washington Nationals clinched a playoff spot. The crowd was quite electric in watching a DC based baseball team punch its ticket to the post season for the first time since 1933. Of course last night's win only guarantees one extra game at this point, but its a start. When you go to a sporting event, or even watch it at home, you never know what type of history you'll see. Not every game will produce a memorable result, but every once in a while you will get to say "I was there" and those memories might just last forever.
This weekend might just produce one of those jaw dropping, wish I was watching, tell all your friends moments. Those moments that are etched in the hearts and souls of the die hard fans. They will make you weep with sorrow and cry in ecstasy. To this day every time I see Kirk Gibson limp around the bases after hitting the game winning home run off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, I well up in anger and fling the remote across the room. I was 10 years old. It was the first time I cried while watching sports. I was hooked for life.
Here's what you should be watching this weekend in the hopes that you catch one of those indelible moments:
10. Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
The incredibly tough schedule that faces Denver to start the season continues this week as they host my Super Bowl winner Houston. After already facing Pittsburgh and Atlanta, the Broncos still have New England and San Diego on the road before their bye week (with Oakland as well) and then New Orleans coming out of the break. Peyton Manning looked downright awful to start on Monday night, but rebounded to give the Broncos a sporting chance. There have been very little issues for the Texans so far this season. They have handled both the mediocre Dolphins and inept Jaguars with relative ease for their 2-0 start. Behind the two headed monster of Arian Foster and Ben Tate (184 yards, 3 TD's) and a very good defense, it has been just like early 2011 before all the injuries hit when the Texans were the breakout team of the season. Final Score: Houston 30 Denver 24
9. Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals
Fresh off of clinching a playoff spot, the Washington Nationals will now turn their focus into wrapping up the N.L. East crown. They host the surging Milwaukee Brewers who have come out of nowhere to threaten for a playoff spot. They have leapfrogged practically the entire National League in the last 30 days with a 22-6 record since August 19th when they were 12.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot. Today they have passed six teams and are only 2.5 games out from making the playoffs. The turnaround has been quite remarkable and has been spearheaded by reigning MVP Ryan Braun who has put together yet another MVP season with 40 home runs, 105 RBI and a current 6.6 WAR for you SABR nerds out there. For Washington, their magic number is 7 meaning they could theoretically wrap up the division as early as Monday with some help from Philadelphia. Realistically these two teams split the four game and Washington clinches on the road.
8. #22 Arizona Wildcats at #3 Oregon Ducks
More west coast football taking the big stage. After last weekends shocking Stanford upset of #2 ranked USC, the Oregon Ducks now have a chance to stake their claim as BCS Championship contenders. Sure the talk will be all about what horrific concoction Oregon rolls out for their jersey of choice, but after we get past that it will be all about their high powered offense. They are currently averaging 54 points a game against inferior competition, but I don't think Arizona will want to do much to slow the pace of the game down. In their only competitive game, the Wildcats won a shootout against then #18 ranked Oklahoma St. 59-38. That is the type of scoring I'm hoping for in this game. Arizona will do their damage in the air behind Matt Scott who has nearly 1000 yards passing already while Oregon will run the ball early and often with Kenjon Barner and do everything athlete De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas leads the Ducks in receiving with 11 receptions and 3 touchdowns, but he also has 13 rushes at 17.5 yards per carry and 4 more scores. That's some silly production to start the season. Final Score: Oregon 55 Arizona 34
7. Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
So we meet again...unfortunately not for the last time. The team that can't spend enough versus the team that doesn't have any money to spend. The Bronx Bombers versus Moneyball. The future Yankees versus the current Yankees. $197 million payroll vs. $55 million payroll. East coast bias versus a team that is trying to leave its home city. All the differences and yet these two teams come into the final two weeks of play separated by a single game. The Yankees lead the A.L. East by 1 game over the Baltimore Orioles who are tied for the Wild Card lead with the Athletics. Oakland has lost their only 3 veteran starters within the last month and are now completely reliant on a bunch of rookies and castoffs in their rotation. New York on the other hand has recently re-added veteran Andy Pettitte to the rotation which already has former Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia. Oakland is hanging together with bubble gum and fishing line, but this weekend could be a disaster if the pitching doesn't hold up. I see the Yankees winning at least two with a real chance at a sweep.
6. #18 Michigan Wolverines at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Is it time to take Notre Dame seriously? This would normally be the type of game where the Irish would fall flat after a huge win, but maybe this year version is different. Michigan has picked themselves up off the mat after being throttled by Alabama with wins over Air Force and Massachusetts who aren't quite at the same level as the defending champion, #1 ranked Crimson Tide. Frankly I don't know what to make of Michigan just yet, and that makes me think maybe they can win this one. The key will be how Denard Robinson handles another good defensive unit. We saw him struggle mightily against Alabama, but Notre Dame is no Alabama. Classic trap game here: Michigan 26 Notre Dame 23
5. #15 Kansas St. Wildcats at #6 Oklahoma Sooners
Quick story: Kansas St. always makes me remember a quarterback they once had, Chad May who wore #5. May 5...my birthday, I always liked him for that reason. This Wildcats team is much more competitive than they were with May at the helm, but this week they head to Norman, OK to face a much better Sooners team. Fans will be hoping for a more competitive game than last seasons that ended in a 58-17 blowout in favor of Oklahoma. The scary thought is that game was in Manhattan, KS and it might be even uglier this year around. If anything at least we will get to watch stud quarterback Landry Jones try and carve apart the Wildcats secondary (505 yards passing last year) once again. It will be a bit closer this go around but the story will remain the same Oklahoma 42 Kansas St. 24
4. Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
That loud sound you hear in southern California is the clock ticking away on the Angels season. Every time they make a mini surge they drop a series that they have to win. After winning the first game at home against Texas, they dropped the final two of the key series. With only 12 games remaining the Angels now face the arduous task of making up 5 games on either the Orioles or the Athletics to attempt to salvage a disappointing season. Their opponent, the Chicago White Sox have everything to play for. They have a slim two game lead over the Detroit Tigers in the A.L. Central and will give the Angels fits. I think Chicago wins two of three (okay...I really really really hope they do) and puts a near virtual end to the Angles season...YOU CAN PUT THAT ON THE BOARD....YESSSSS!!!!
3. New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
I know NBC was hoping for a 2-0 vs. 2-0 battle between these two Super Bowl contenders when the schedule was release. I definitely know that nobody foresaw the loser of this game dropping to 1-2 on the early season. Both teams lost games last week that they should have won. The Patriots with Tom Brady at quarterback had only lost once at home and never in a home opener until last week. They looked awful and lost starting TE Aaron Hernandez for at least a month with an ankle injury. The Ravens had a 10 point halftime lead and a six point fourth quarter lead, both of which they blew losing by a single point. This will be their second prime time, nationally televised game and the schedulers at the NFL will do them no favors as they have to play again four nights after this game. I think Baltimore responds at home with a 27-23 victory.
2. PGA Tour Championship
So it all comes down to this. Can Rory run away with the title by winning his 3rd straight event? Can Tiger come all the way back and hoist the trophy again? Will he quit mid stream because he is too intimidated by Rory? Will Phil come out of nowhere to get back to the top of the mountain? All we can hope for all three of them to be with a shot or two of each other on Sunday afternoon. The NFL season is still early enough that you can miss out on a couple games and settle in for some top notch golf with abundant story lines. I've said it before and I'll say it again, fans must savor weekends like this where the generational gap will be crossing paths. There will only be a small window where we get Tiger and Phil playing top notch golf along with the newest wunderkind in Rory. Just the fact that I can write this entire preview and not use a single last name says all you need to know about the popularity of these three golfers. For the record I have to go with Rory to put a cherry on top of his stellar run here at the end of the season with another victory.
1. #10 Clemson Tigers at #4 Florida St. Seminoles
It's been a while since Florida St. has been this good. Even though they have not played any quality opponents, they have done exactly what has been asked out of them by stomping the living crap out of them. Through their first three games they have outscored their opponents 176-3. That is not a misprint. Clemson vows to be a bit more of a test with the likes of Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins all a threat to score every time they get their hands on the ball. If the offense of Clemson can find a way to penetrate the stout Florida St. offense this game could get really exciting. Last season with very similar rosters, Clemson won 35-30 at home, this year it will be the other way around as Florida St. will hold serve and win a shootout 37-24.
Last night I got to witness some mini-history as the Washington Nationals clinched a playoff spot. The crowd was quite electric in watching a DC based baseball team punch its ticket to the post season for the first time since 1933. Of course last night's win only guarantees one extra game at this point, but its a start. When you go to a sporting event, or even watch it at home, you never know what type of history you'll see. Not every game will produce a memorable result, but every once in a while you will get to say "I was there" and those memories might just last forever.
This weekend might just produce one of those jaw dropping, wish I was watching, tell all your friends moments. Those moments that are etched in the hearts and souls of the die hard fans. They will make you weep with sorrow and cry in ecstasy. To this day every time I see Kirk Gibson limp around the bases after hitting the game winning home run off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, I well up in anger and fling the remote across the room. I was 10 years old. It was the first time I cried while watching sports. I was hooked for life.
Here's what you should be watching this weekend in the hopes that you catch one of those indelible moments:
10. Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
The incredibly tough schedule that faces Denver to start the season continues this week as they host my Super Bowl winner Houston. After already facing Pittsburgh and Atlanta, the Broncos still have New England and San Diego on the road before their bye week (with Oakland as well) and then New Orleans coming out of the break. Peyton Manning looked downright awful to start on Monday night, but rebounded to give the Broncos a sporting chance. There have been very little issues for the Texans so far this season. They have handled both the mediocre Dolphins and inept Jaguars with relative ease for their 2-0 start. Behind the two headed monster of Arian Foster and Ben Tate (184 yards, 3 TD's) and a very good defense, it has been just like early 2011 before all the injuries hit when the Texans were the breakout team of the season. Final Score: Houston 30 Denver 24
9. Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals
Fresh off of clinching a playoff spot, the Washington Nationals will now turn their focus into wrapping up the N.L. East crown. They host the surging Milwaukee Brewers who have come out of nowhere to threaten for a playoff spot. They have leapfrogged practically the entire National League in the last 30 days with a 22-6 record since August 19th when they were 12.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot. Today they have passed six teams and are only 2.5 games out from making the playoffs. The turnaround has been quite remarkable and has been spearheaded by reigning MVP Ryan Braun who has put together yet another MVP season with 40 home runs, 105 RBI and a current 6.6 WAR for you SABR nerds out there. For Washington, their magic number is 7 meaning they could theoretically wrap up the division as early as Monday with some help from Philadelphia. Realistically these two teams split the four game and Washington clinches on the road.
8. #22 Arizona Wildcats at #3 Oregon Ducks
More west coast football taking the big stage. After last weekends shocking Stanford upset of #2 ranked USC, the Oregon Ducks now have a chance to stake their claim as BCS Championship contenders. Sure the talk will be all about what horrific concoction Oregon rolls out for their jersey of choice, but after we get past that it will be all about their high powered offense. They are currently averaging 54 points a game against inferior competition, but I don't think Arizona will want to do much to slow the pace of the game down. In their only competitive game, the Wildcats won a shootout against then #18 ranked Oklahoma St. 59-38. That is the type of scoring I'm hoping for in this game. Arizona will do their damage in the air behind Matt Scott who has nearly 1000 yards passing already while Oregon will run the ball early and often with Kenjon Barner and do everything athlete De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas leads the Ducks in receiving with 11 receptions and 3 touchdowns, but he also has 13 rushes at 17.5 yards per carry and 4 more scores. That's some silly production to start the season. Final Score: Oregon 55 Arizona 34
7. Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees
So we meet again...unfortunately not for the last time. The team that can't spend enough versus the team that doesn't have any money to spend. The Bronx Bombers versus Moneyball. The future Yankees versus the current Yankees. $197 million payroll vs. $55 million payroll. East coast bias versus a team that is trying to leave its home city. All the differences and yet these two teams come into the final two weeks of play separated by a single game. The Yankees lead the A.L. East by 1 game over the Baltimore Orioles who are tied for the Wild Card lead with the Athletics. Oakland has lost their only 3 veteran starters within the last month and are now completely reliant on a bunch of rookies and castoffs in their rotation. New York on the other hand has recently re-added veteran Andy Pettitte to the rotation which already has former Cy Young award winner C.C. Sabathia. Oakland is hanging together with bubble gum and fishing line, but this weekend could be a disaster if the pitching doesn't hold up. I see the Yankees winning at least two with a real chance at a sweep.
6. #18 Michigan Wolverines at #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Is it time to take Notre Dame seriously? This would normally be the type of game where the Irish would fall flat after a huge win, but maybe this year version is different. Michigan has picked themselves up off the mat after being throttled by Alabama with wins over Air Force and Massachusetts who aren't quite at the same level as the defending champion, #1 ranked Crimson Tide. Frankly I don't know what to make of Michigan just yet, and that makes me think maybe they can win this one. The key will be how Denard Robinson handles another good defensive unit. We saw him struggle mightily against Alabama, but Notre Dame is no Alabama. Classic trap game here: Michigan 26 Notre Dame 23
5. #15 Kansas St. Wildcats at #6 Oklahoma Sooners
Quick story: Kansas St. always makes me remember a quarterback they once had, Chad May who wore #5. May 5...my birthday, I always liked him for that reason. This Wildcats team is much more competitive than they were with May at the helm, but this week they head to Norman, OK to face a much better Sooners team. Fans will be hoping for a more competitive game than last seasons that ended in a 58-17 blowout in favor of Oklahoma. The scary thought is that game was in Manhattan, KS and it might be even uglier this year around. If anything at least we will get to watch stud quarterback Landry Jones try and carve apart the Wildcats secondary (505 yards passing last year) once again. It will be a bit closer this go around but the story will remain the same Oklahoma 42 Kansas St. 24
4. Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
That loud sound you hear in southern California is the clock ticking away on the Angels season. Every time they make a mini surge they drop a series that they have to win. After winning the first game at home against Texas, they dropped the final two of the key series. With only 12 games remaining the Angels now face the arduous task of making up 5 games on either the Orioles or the Athletics to attempt to salvage a disappointing season. Their opponent, the Chicago White Sox have everything to play for. They have a slim two game lead over the Detroit Tigers in the A.L. Central and will give the Angels fits. I think Chicago wins two of three (okay...I really really really hope they do) and puts a near virtual end to the Angles season...YOU CAN PUT THAT ON THE BOARD....YESSSSS!!!!
3. New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
I know NBC was hoping for a 2-0 vs. 2-0 battle between these two Super Bowl contenders when the schedule was release. I definitely know that nobody foresaw the loser of this game dropping to 1-2 on the early season. Both teams lost games last week that they should have won. The Patriots with Tom Brady at quarterback had only lost once at home and never in a home opener until last week. They looked awful and lost starting TE Aaron Hernandez for at least a month with an ankle injury. The Ravens had a 10 point halftime lead and a six point fourth quarter lead, both of which they blew losing by a single point. This will be their second prime time, nationally televised game and the schedulers at the NFL will do them no favors as they have to play again four nights after this game. I think Baltimore responds at home with a 27-23 victory.
2. PGA Tour Championship
So it all comes down to this. Can Rory run away with the title by winning his 3rd straight event? Can Tiger come all the way back and hoist the trophy again? Will he quit mid stream because he is too intimidated by Rory? Will Phil come out of nowhere to get back to the top of the mountain? All we can hope for all three of them to be with a shot or two of each other on Sunday afternoon. The NFL season is still early enough that you can miss out on a couple games and settle in for some top notch golf with abundant story lines. I've said it before and I'll say it again, fans must savor weekends like this where the generational gap will be crossing paths. There will only be a small window where we get Tiger and Phil playing top notch golf along with the newest wunderkind in Rory. Just the fact that I can write this entire preview and not use a single last name says all you need to know about the popularity of these three golfers. For the record I have to go with Rory to put a cherry on top of his stellar run here at the end of the season with another victory.
1. #10 Clemson Tigers at #4 Florida St. Seminoles
It's been a while since Florida St. has been this good. Even though they have not played any quality opponents, they have done exactly what has been asked out of them by stomping the living crap out of them. Through their first three games they have outscored their opponents 176-3. That is not a misprint. Clemson vows to be a bit more of a test with the likes of Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins all a threat to score every time they get their hands on the ball. If the offense of Clemson can find a way to penetrate the stout Florida St. offense this game could get really exciting. Last season with very similar rosters, Clemson won 35-30 at home, this year it will be the other way around as Florida St. will hold serve and win a shootout 37-24.
Monday, September 3, 2012
NFL Crystal Ball 2012
I'm back with another year of fearless predictions of the upcoming NFL season. Last year I had Green Bay defeating New England so I was halfway home, but since I didn't have the New York Giants even making the playoffs I feel I failed.
Houston over New England
SUPER BOWL:
Houston over Atlanta 24-20 Arian Foster Super Bowl MVP 115 yards rushing, 2 TD's
I did correctly predict that Aaron Rodgers would win the MVP award and that Jamaal Charles would be a disappointment, so not everything was a loss.
Once again I played out every game 10,000 times on my XBOX (what a long weekend it was) and I have seen surprises and disappointments and everything in between. Just to let you all know, RGIII will play in all 16 games. It won't help the success of the Redskins, but it was still amazing to see him stay upright.
My predictions only had 4 teams not make the playoffs that were in it last year which would actually be lower than the minimum of 5 that the NFL has seen over recent years. The biggest surprise was that the Philadelphia Eagles were able to keep it together and win the NFC East, but of course I thought the same last year too. Out west Norv Turner doesn't last as Chargers head coach through their Bye Week in Week 7.
Here are how the standings will shape up this season:
NFC EAST:
Philadelphia 12-4
Dallas 10-6
New York 9-7
Washington 6-10
NFC NORTH:
Green Bay 14-2
Chicago 11-5
Detroit 8-8
Minnesota 4-12
NFC SOUTH:
Atlanta 13-3
New Orleans 10-6
Carolina 7-9
Tampa Bay 3-13
NFC WEST:
San Francisco 11-5
Seattle 5-11
St. Louis 5-11
Arizona 4-12
AFC EAST:
New England 13-3
New York 10-6
Buffalo 6-10
Miami 6-10
AFC NORTH:
Baltimore 12-4
Pittsburgh 9-7
Cincinnati 9-7
Cleveland 2-14
AFC SOUTH:
Houston 12-4
Tennessee 7-9
Indianapolis 6-10
Jacksonville 2-14
AFC WEST:
Denver 11-5
Oakland 8-8
Kansas City 7-9
San Diego 4-12
MVP: Tom Brady 2nd: Matt Ryan
Surprises/Breakouts: Jake Locker, Jeremy Maclin (2nd year in a row for this pick), Donald Brown, Torrey Smith, Vernon Davis
Disappointments: Maurice Jones-Drew (hamstring issues due to holdout), Ryan Mathews, Vincent Jackson, Victor Cruz (freak salsa dance injury in Week 4), Matthew Stafford (11 games played which saddens me)
Playoffs:
NFC:
1. Green Bay 14-2
2. Atlanta 13-3
3. Philadelphia 12-4
4. San Francisco 11-5
5. Chicago 11-5
6. Dallas 10-6
Wild Card:
Philadelphia over Dallas
Chicago over San Francisco
Semifinals:
Green Bay over Chicago
Atlanta over Philadelphia
Conference Championship:
Atlanta over Green Bay
AFC:
1. New England 13-3
2. Baltimore 12-4
3. Houston 12-4
4. Denver 11-5
5. New York 10-6
6. Pittsburgh 9-7
Wild Card:
Houston over Pittsburgh
Denver over New York Jets
Semifinals:
New England over Denver
Houston over Baltimore
My predictions only had 4 teams not make the playoffs that were in it last year which would actually be lower than the minimum of 5 that the NFL has seen over recent years. The biggest surprise was that the Philadelphia Eagles were able to keep it together and win the NFC East, but of course I thought the same last year too. Out west Norv Turner doesn't last as Chargers head coach through their Bye Week in Week 7.
Here are how the standings will shape up this season:
NFC EAST:
Philadelphia 12-4
Dallas 10-6
New York 9-7
Washington 6-10
NFC NORTH:
Green Bay 14-2
Chicago 11-5
Detroit 8-8
Minnesota 4-12
NFC SOUTH:
Atlanta 13-3
New Orleans 10-6
Carolina 7-9
Tampa Bay 3-13
NFC WEST:
San Francisco 11-5
Seattle 5-11
St. Louis 5-11
Arizona 4-12
AFC EAST:
New England 13-3
New York 10-6
Buffalo 6-10
Miami 6-10
AFC NORTH:
Baltimore 12-4
Pittsburgh 9-7
Cincinnati 9-7
Cleveland 2-14
AFC SOUTH:
Houston 12-4
Tennessee 7-9
Indianapolis 6-10
Jacksonville 2-14
AFC WEST:
Denver 11-5
Oakland 8-8
Kansas City 7-9
San Diego 4-12
MVP: Tom Brady 2nd: Matt Ryan
Surprises/Breakouts: Jake Locker, Jeremy Maclin (2nd year in a row for this pick), Donald Brown, Torrey Smith, Vernon Davis
Disappointments: Maurice Jones-Drew (hamstring issues due to holdout), Ryan Mathews, Vincent Jackson, Victor Cruz (freak salsa dance injury in Week 4), Matthew Stafford (11 games played which saddens me)
Playoffs:
NFC:
1. Green Bay 14-2
2. Atlanta 13-3
3. Philadelphia 12-4
4. San Francisco 11-5
5. Chicago 11-5
6. Dallas 10-6
Wild Card:
Philadelphia over Dallas
Chicago over San Francisco
Semifinals:
Green Bay over Chicago
Atlanta over Philadelphia
Conference Championship:
Atlanta over Green Bay
AFC:
1. New England 13-3
2. Baltimore 12-4
3. Houston 12-4
4. Denver 11-5
5. New York 10-6
6. Pittsburgh 9-7
Wild Card:
Houston over Pittsburgh
Denver over New York Jets
Semifinals:
New England over Denver
Houston over Baltimore
Conference Championship:
Houston over New England
SUPER BOWL:
Houston over Atlanta 24-20 Arian Foster Super Bowl MVP 115 yards rushing, 2 TD's
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