The NFC is loaded

Can you think of a NFC team that actually is real bad? Carolina? St.Louis? Philadelphia? Detroit?  All four of those teams had bad records last but had good wins over a quality team last year.  All four teams have quarterbacks who were number picks overall and all four teams are going to be difficult to beat this year. Let's go division by division to prove my point.
The NFC north is probably the weakest division in the conference. Most people feel that Green Bay is the best team. Aaron Rodgers had a good season last year, but far below his standards. He still needs a running game to give them balance and their defense needs a great year from Clay Matthews. They have holes on the o-line due injury and their secondary will be tested. They score a lot, but give up a lot too. The Bears have a new coach who is an offensive genius. Marc Freshman know offense. Jay Cutler would be wise to learn from him. The Bears have the balance the Packers wish for but don't have Aaron Rodgers leading them. The Bears will play solid defense, seem to always get an injury that disrupts their  season. Stay healthy Chicago and you may have something. The Minnesota Vikings have Adrian Peterson. He can keep them in games. They have a great defensive line. This team will go as far as Christian Ponder will take them. No Percy Harvin  will kill them too. The Detroit Lions have added Reggie Bush and if he stays healthy, the lions could be the most dangerous in all of football. The have an unstoppable force on offense in Johnson. They have front four that will knock you senseless. They have a quarterback who can throw the pigskin. Don't sleep on Detroit.
The NFC south also has four teams that will be difficult to beat. Atlanta Falcons last year were the team with the best record in the conference. They added OSI on defense and Steven Jackson on offense. The have balance on offense and should be an offensive juggernaut. Their secondary killed them last year. If they can get pressure on the quarterback they may have what it takes to win it all. The New Orleans Saints get their coach back and must really improve on defense. They gave up the most points in NFL history. They still have Drew Brees  and a loaded offense. They truly believe that Rob Ryan can change their defense. If he can, Bree's can do Magic. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have my attention. They will better on defense with the addition of Revis. Josh Freeman last year was great in the fourth quarter. They have great balance on offense. This team will drive everyone crazy this year. The Carolina Panthers have serious talent too. Cam  Newton can be a superstar. They have solid receiver in Smith. Two good backs when healthy. A superstud linebacker in Luke. If they figure it out between the ears, they be in every game they play.
NFC West has sick speed, youthful zest and mad talent. The Niners added championship pieces and are mad that they are no longer unbeaten in Super Bowls. The have speed in the receiving corp. They have a bruiser in the running attack. Great tight end. Great talent in the front seven. The secondary may be the only question. They will have home field and have the quarterback of the future. Will they lose a game? We shall see. The Seattle Sea hawks have everything the Niners have and when Percy Harvin returns, they will have more. The Seahawks are invincible at home. Their defense is fierce and fast. They can control the ball with a punishing rushing attack. They must hold on to the ball. This team is for real. The Arizona Cardinals added Carson Palmer and the physical defense they have could cause problems for all of its opponents. If Palmer throws the ball to his players more than to the other team, the Cardinals could be formidable. Patrick Peterson is must see television. So is Larry Fitzgerald.  The St. Louis Rams might Bethe only bad team in the NFC. Last year they beat the Niners.  They have a plan that bothers the Niners. They lost Stephen Jackson. Sam Bradford has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had a franchise quarterback salary. He needs to deliver some wins. They had a good draft over the past three seasons. Put up or get out of the way..
My favorite division, the NFC east, I could talk about for hours. The Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants all are capable of making a title run. The Redskins won the division last year behind rookie sensations Robert Griffin and Alfred Morris. The 'skins had balance and drove everyone crazy with their diversity in play calling. Griffin is coming off a knee injury and the 'skins vow to keep him safe this year. Can their defense keep up with their offense? If they can maybe this new generation of quarterback is ready to take over league. The Cowboys can score with anyone, but the key to this season is Demarco Murray. When he plays, they usually win. Romo needs a running game to take the pressure off of him. The Cowboys have talent on defense but they have always had talent. They should be better than their 8-8 record. Romo got paid. Jason Garrett is on the hot seat. Playoffs or bust. The Eagles are going to try and wear people down with their tempo and speed. The can run it well. They can stretch the field with Jackson. Mike Vick. Always off to a fast start gets hurt and then the interceptions pile up. The eagles will either be the most exciting team to watch or a train wreck. They have too much talent to be so bad. Defense has to get back to being dominant and opportunistic. Chip Kelly get ready for hell or give em hell.. The Giants... No preview about my team. Its a secret as to where I think they will end up. No one ever talks about the Giants. They talk about Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, the Jets, Ravens, Tebow, concussions. So I will keep them under the radar too....
So the NFC will have the following conclusions... Niners, Packers, Falcons, Giants win the divisions. Seattle and Chicago get wild card. Giants and Packers in the championship game. Who do you think wins.
The Super bowl is in my stadium. I am  not a fan of the new style quarterbacks. I saw Peyton Manning throw seven touchdown passes. All of these young guys are one hit away from being out for the season. The Manning bowl will be exciting.

The NFL Draft.. Can we Shut up Already

The NFL Draft is two days away and the NFL pundits can't wait. Ever since Alabama slapped Notre Dame all over the field, every network has been evaluating every eligible player to find out who be this years surprise,stud, or bust. Will there be a
Russell Wilson or David Wilson. Is there a Tom Brady or Ryan Leaf. There are definitely a few players who will make a lifetime mark on the NFL. Every draft has that. This draft has intrigue because a bunch of players have at one point been labelled as "can't miss" or overall number 1 talent.  Matt Barkeley would have a top ten pick last year and now he is second round talent. Landry Jones is now third round talent. Tyrann Mathieu may not be called till later. Manti Te'o a second round possibility. Just to name  a few. Marcus Lattimore may go undrafted.  Who knows..
Does anyone really know?  I don't think teams really do or do the pundits. I think teams should draft to beat the teams they play not the best player available. If the strength of the teams you play is passing the ball, shouldn't you draft better corners or d-line help.  For example, the NFC south is loaded with offensive football players. Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa can really throw the football. Each team has a receiver or tight end that been Pro-Bowler. You could either a player who can rush the passer to offset passing attacks or get better weapons to keep up with the better teams in the division. Tampa just got Darrell Revis to cover the best receivers in the south. Now they can focus on getting a pass rusher to sack Breed, Ryan, or Newton.  Simple right. My team, New York Giants every year draft tight ends in the first round even though the other teams in the division seem to make bigger splash moves. Now the Giants have won two super bowls in the last decade so maybe the other teams should draft to beat them, but I am always perplexed by the choices by the Giants. This year the Giants need to get someone who can play middle linebacker or contain RG3 ,Vicki and Romo on the perimeter. Instead the Giants will no doubt draft offensive lineman which makes no sense.
The other aspect of the draft that bothers me is teams think the trend is one thing and it completely blows up in their faces. For example, running quarterback is the trend right now. RG3, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson have freaked out everyone in the league because they can run and throw. I always ask this question, what quarterback has won a super bowl playing like they do? Jeff Hostetler is the only one. Twenty three years ago. Steve Young threw six touchdown passes and led the 49ers with his arm. The last four champs, Flacco,Manning, Rodgers,Brees pretty much stay in the pocket to make plays. In fact add Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and you have the highest paid players in the game. In fact I am willing to bet that one of the six will be in the super bowl this year. Running quarterbacks get hurt, they can't run in the rain or snow and are prone to turn the ball over when hit.  Plus they cannot run forever. Steve Young was a great runner but made the Hall of Fame because of his arm. John Elway ran, but his cannon  arm was his signature . Donovan Mcnabb ran a lot and had a lot of success but never won the super bowl. Teams adjust and find ways to exploit weaknesses in these schemes. I can't wait to see the plan of attack this year against these young guns. You will see that I am right.
The draft will be interesting to see if teams are drafting to the trend,needs, or best available player. Hopefully my team will do better than yours. I am just glad the chatter is over. No more speculation and innuendo. Should be a riveting three days.... Not

My favorite month of the year is September..

September 1st is New Years day to me.  I feel like the fall months of the calendar year is a time for rejuvenation and rebirth.  Enough of that nonsense, the reason why I love September is that College football and pro football commence, MLB pennant races heat up, U.S. Open tennis, and usually there is a great fight to watch.  The Nascar season winds down as the NHL gets started.  I cannot get enough of sports as you all know and if I had multiple televisons where i stay I would have a game on every channel. This September is no exception.  The college football season got off to a crazy start with blowouts, shocking results and Alabama showing us what a defending champ is supposed to do ona neutral field.  USC won as well and they really need to get to the title game and save college football.  We cannot have a seventh year in a row with a champion coming from the same conference..  It hurts college football because there is no growth in the game.  USC plays a completely different style of football than most of the SEC teams and their style of football translates better at the professional level.  Every year we keep hearing about pro teams wanting quarterbacks who can run and throw but at the end of each season, the Super bowl champ has quarterback that is pocket passer who can read coverages and pick defenses apart.  In fact only Steve Young and Aaron Rodgers who could also pocket pass well, have won super bowls.  Both of those qb's run well and could move out of the pocket.  Big Ben moves well in the pocket but he is not considered a running quarterback.  If you look at SEC football most of the teams run a a form of the Florida Gator offense from the shotgun and depend on their quarterbacks to either run or pass.  Geogia and Alabama this year have gone back to a little more traditional offense so they may be the exception.  Most of the nation runs that Florida offense.  The big difference between the SEC and the rest of the nation is the physical play on the defensive line.  When you dont have a fullback to help you block because you are in the shotgun single back set, your plays get blown up in the backfield.  Michigan could not get out of the backfield. Alabama and LSU make you play physical football and most schools do not have the schemes to handle these behemoths one on one.  So I am rooting harder than i ever to try to get a USC vs. SEC champ title game. Oklahoma showed me nothing on Saturday against UTEP.
The NFL starts with the Cowboys and Giants on Wedsnesday and the Cowboys are banged up and really don't know what to expect.  This season will either be a coming out party for new eleite teams or the same stuff different day.  I like Houston alot.  They have a soft schedule and a team that has a lot build on.  Foster, Johnson, Schaub,Daniels have to stay healthy on offense.  Wade Phillips has a fast defense who are hungry for a title.  The Patriots have the easiest schedule and would crave another shot at the Giants to give Brady his 4th ring.  The NFC is loaded.  At least 6 teams have the ability to win the title.  Packers, Giants, Niners, Saints, Eagles, Falcons, Bears, Lions, Cowboys can win in anyone's stadiums at any time if healthy. Should a wacky season.
The pennant chase in baseball has just gotten interesting. The Yankees are bailing water off of their ship.  They are so beat up and hope that returning star players like Arod and Andy Pettite will give them the boost to rejuvenate their season.  The Orioles are for real and the Rays have the best pitching. The Angels spent alot of money to get to the post season and succeed.  This series with Oakland will is important because they must take care of head to head games in order to gain ground.  The Tigers and White Sox just played an epic series where the Tigers earned a sweep.  Detroit has the veteran players to get this done based on pitching.  The White sox can hit homeruns but can they play to outscore their opponents or out pitch them?  The National League the intrigue is just as high.  The Dodgers created a Yankee style payroll  to win now.  They lose to too many bad teams though and I dont think they can get it done.  Billingsley was their hottest pitcher and he may be shelved for the season if shot in the arm does not work. Kemp needs to find April's magic and lead this team to the promise land.  Nationals are shutting down Strasburg and seemed poised to stay at top of N.L. east.  Chipper Jones final month as a Brave will make it interesting as the Braves don't want him to go out a loser.  After what happened last year, the Braves are going to make every team earn 27 outs.  The Reds are the real deal and if the game goes to bullpen, the game is over. Chapman is a beast.  Can you imagine facing a guy who throws 105 miles an hour in cold weather? Ouch babe..
U.S. open tennis is in its final week and Serena and Maria are on a collision course. So are Federer and Djokovic. Andy Roddicks surprise retirement announcement has buoyed ratings but tonight could be his demise.  DelPotro hits a big ball and can overpower most opponents.  Andy must serve well and steal a few concentration lapse games from Del Potro in order to advance.  I will blog about Roddick later this week.  Tennis lost Kim Clijsters last week as the young Brit robson showed some flashes of brilliance.  Robson also defeated Li Na.  Also there are two italian women playing in the quarters for the first time at the U.S. open.  Serena is lurking in their quarter if she beat Ivanovic and after winnin 6-0 6-0, in her last match she is driven to reclaim America's prize.
Chad Dawson wants to be a star in boxing, but his fights leave you not wanting to see him fight anymore.  He beat Hopkins in an unspired performance but Hopkins is like 50.  Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are about to get it on soon as well and we shall see who is the pound for pound best middleweight is.  Martinez is the gold standard but Chavez, Jr. is unbeaten and has grown up right in front of out eyes.  Also Jones and Machida will be explosive in MMA. I know everyone wanted Jones to fight Sonnen but this fight will have some great moments.
Denny Hamlins win last week gave him four for the season and he wants this title real bad.  The story is whether or not Jeff Gordon or Kyle Busch qualify for the playoffs.  This weekend in Texas will be exciting.  Gordon had the car last week to win but could not catch Hamlin on the last lap after the restart. Busch has had a quiet season. Normally right now he has had a few wins and has ticked off some other drivers.
Did I mention Golf?  The Ryder Cup is in America this time around and Hunter Nahan wants revenge.  Mcilroy is number 1 in the world but Tiger is starting to re discover his form on the weekends.  Yesterdays perfomance on the final will give him a ton to build on as the season ends.  Both are now vying for player of the year honors.  Two events left for the Fedex cup.
I COULD TALK ABOUT MORE..
HOCKEY WILL DIE if THEY LOCKOUT THE PLAYERS...
NOW YOU KNOW WHY I lOVE September?

The final two divisions are..Afc North and NFC East

I am sorry that is has been a while since my last post.  Life truly is a blessing, but extremely difficult to maintain. I realize that most people will disagree that the two best divisions in football are the NFC East and the AFC north.  I think that the NFC north is quite good. The Packers, Bears, and Lions have a shot to go to the big game and really make noise in the NFC. The AFC West could be good as well, but we don't know what we are going to get from those teams.  The Chiefs have a lot of people coming back, the Chargers are trying to build new chemistry, the Raiders have a new coach and Carson Palmer throws way too many interceptions, and then there is Peyton Manning.  He looked brilliant in his last pre- season game. Too many questions and not enough answers.  The NFC east is loaded (when healthy).   The Giants are the defending Super Bowl Champs and they look to prove that last year was not a case of catching lightning in a bottle.  The Eagles have stars everywhere.  So do the Cowboys. The Redskins are looking forward to a fresh start.  The AFC north is solid with the Steelers, Ravens, and Bengals who all played in the post season last year.  The Browns. like the Redskins are starting a new quarterback, and have high hopes for an improved season. lets analyze shall we.
The AFC North could have had the SuperBowl representative last year if it had not been for a dropped pass and a missed chip shot field goal.  Joe Flacco says he is an elite qb, and it is hard to to disagree since he has been in the post season every year of his career.  He may not be flashy as Brady or Brees and yes he has had brain cramps with horrid performances( see Jacksonville game last year). He does not have to do much. He has a quality running game with Ray Rice. He has quality receivers to throw to.  Anquan Boldin is a matchup nightmare.  The defense is getting a bit older and that may be the liability this season.  Terrell Suggs is out for a while with an injury and he is not someone easily to replace.  Ed Reed is unhappy with contract situation but he will perform.  This teams' only weakness may be covering receivers in this new pass happy league.  Could be a big year for this team if Flacco lives up to his own hype.  Eli said the same thing last year and won his second ring..
The Pittsburgh Steelers too are dealing with injuries and angry players.  Mike Wallace returned to the team finally.  The Steelers have a new offensive coordnator so Wallace is going to need some time to get in to football shape and learn the new plays. The Steelers like the Ravens are smarting from a post season loss that no one still can believe happen.  The Steelers always seem to find a new defensive stud and discover a running back to replace one from the previous year who is hurt or traded away.  This team will start the year without a couple of key cogs in Harrison and Mendenhall.  What I love about the Steelers is that they make no excuses and just play.  I expect no less this season. I don't see glory this year but they will be heard from from every corner of the planet.
The Bengals shocked the world last year and made the post season with a rookie qb.  They can really play some defense and coach Zimmer can really inspire.  Adding Terrence Newman may not be wise but maybe he can reinvent Newman he could be the piece that pushes them ahead of the Steelers. NOT!!!! They let Cedric Benson go.  Why? He was an off field catastrophe we all no that but on the field he was a security blanket for Dalton.  Who does he turn to now?  A.J. Green is quite good but still raw. This team will be in every game they play this year.  You are going to have to play 4 physical quarters of football to beat them.  Without a running game though, they may take a step backwards.They do every other year.  Check out their recent history..
The Browns have a lot to look forward to.  They have two young quarterbacks who can play and are tough.  They drafted Richardson who is really tough. They need help everywhere else.  They have young raw players all over the field.  They have no receivers worth a darn. They have a rugged tough linebacking core but their secondary couldnt cover me. They have a new owner.  thats a bout it.. Cleveland Brown football this year will be a year of wait and see. Josh Cribbs may be enough for me to watch.
The NFC East will be scrutinzed and watch as ever.  The Philadelphia Eagles seem to be the trendy pick. Why? Yes on offense they have a dynamic duo at receiver, a running game that gashes you at least once a game.  They have a tight end who can it all.  The defense is out to prove that last year was a fluke and that the last four games last year are who they really are. They had a guy almost break the sack record and I am sure NNamdi wants to prove he is worth all of the money spent on him.  The key for the Eagles this and every year is the quarterback.  Mike Vick has to stay healthy for 16 games.  If he does the Eagles go to the big game.  If he doesn't Andy Reid will be fired..
The Dallas Cowboys are another trendy pick.  They have a solid running game. A game breaking receiver and tight end. A super stud defensive end who wreaks havoc everywhere. They backup players who are as talented as most starters.  The word that has to describe the Cowboys is Soft.  They are the most injured talent laden team I have ever seen.  Felix Jones always hurt, Miles Austin always hurt, Tony Romo always hurt, Dez Bryant hurt or in trouble with the law. They have no secondary whatsoever.  They got torched by every team in the league last year.  This year, the drafted Claiborne to replace Newman and he is raw.  Mike Jenkins is too small.  I don't know why we talk about this team so much.  They really are all fluff no substance..
The Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III and veryone is all excited that they may have found their qb of the future.  He had a prolific college career but never really won any significant games. Yes he can run and he is wicked fast.  He is truly going to have to be because he is going ot be running for his life in this league and division.  The Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys are licking their chops at the opportunity to smash mr. Griffin. The Redskins have a good line but need a running game to help Griffin.  They 4 backs but none of them are anything special.  Helu and Hightower can go the distance against anyone, Torrain is tough.  When you have 4 backs that means you have none right? Defensively they will be great one week, but can't stop anyone the next.  The swept the Giants last year quite easily. No one know what to expect.  The redskins hope for improvement.
The Giants are my team and I am disgusted with how the world has thrown them under a bridge as a lucky team.  I have never heard of a team that gets no credit for winning a title.  they literlly had to win 6 games in a row against playoff quality teams and palyoff teams to get the big prize and they did.  Eli Manning is crafting a Hall of Fame career and the Giants are out to prove that last year was no fluke.  Defensively they will be better.  They have several d-linemen who fill the roles needed to make them a title contender again.  Yes they lost Manningham and Jacobs on offense but they believe in Barden and Ware to replace those pieces,  The Giants are hungry to knock the Jets off the back page.  I expect great things this year.
AFC North: Ravens 12-4, Steelers 10-6, Bengals 7-9, Browns 4-12
NFC East: Giants: 11-5, Eagles 10-6, Cowboys 9-7, Redskins 6-10
Player To watch AFC North: Joe Flacco.. It is your time to shine
Player to watch NFC East: Mike VIck: If you are Haelthy for regular season, could be special year.