NFL Heads Starting to Roll...Dec.30 update

It's not even 12:00 and NFL coaches are starting to lose jobs.
Rod Marinelli is fired in Detroit, a pretty easy decision to make. The Lions had no talent, which is not Marinelli's fault. The Lions, essentiallt to a man, gave up on the season around week 10. That's Marinelli's fault. He's a great defensive coordinator, he'll find work somewhere.
Eric Mangini fired in New York. Very surprising. Mangini is a good coach. I think they'll be hard pressed to find a better coach. In trying to upgrade thier team, the Jets seem to be moving backwards. The upgrade at QB failed miserably, and now this. Bad decision by the Jets. Will another team hire Mangini? He definitely did not make any friends arounds the league when he ratted out Bill Belichek last season which led to the spygate scandal.

Who Else Will be Fired?
Who knows. Sean Salisbury on the Score is saying that 10 coaches in total may lose thier jobs.
I think these coaches are out;
Wade Phillips- No excuses for Dallas' performance vs Philly in a must win game with the most talent in the NFL.
Romeo Crennell- Browns gave up around week 12. Watching the Browns was painful sometimes. In one drive vs the Giants in a midseason win over the Champs, the Browns went 80 yards for a TD while incurring about 6 false start penalties. It was hilarious. Romeo's legacy will be the time in 07 when the Browns had 3 penalties on one play.....a punt!
Jim Haslett- Haslett will not be fired, just relieved of his interim Head Coach duties. Haslett won his first 2 games at midseason, including a win vs Dallas, but the Rams lost every game the rest of the way.
Herm Edwards- The Chiefs made it known to their fans that they were re-building. But 2 wins. In the AFC West?
Jack Del Rio- Depends on whether or not Jaguars managment evaluate Del Rio's performance this season or his body of work over the past 5 years. He built the Jags into a good football team with a Pittsburgh Steelers style of play, but the Jags were expected to be a playoff team, not a 5 win team. I think they'll give Jack another season to show that this was just a bump in the road.
Marvin Lewis- It's not Marvin's fault that Carson Palmer was injured, or that management has not drafted any decent defensive players. However, Cinci fans are getting tired of the "inmates rule the asylum" culture that has seemingly taken over the Bengals. It appears that Lewis has lost the respect of his team of convicts and jerks. They need someone to go in there and kick ass.

Coaches Who Willl Not Be Fired

Mike Shanahan- Despite Denver's december meltdown, Shanahan is untouchable. You have to wonder if complacency has settled in, and Shanahan has become too comfortable. If the Broncos rebuild thier defence they could be a 12 win team next year.
Lovie Smith- Dissapointing season for the Bears, but expect management to try and get Smith a decent QB in the offseason, then give him another chance to get the Bears back to the playoffs.
Jim Zorn- Zorn lost the respect of his star player, Clnton Portis, at a critical time of the season. Redskins are smart to realize that it was a rookie mistake. Zorn will be a good coach, and the Skins were really overrated anyway.
Dick Jauron- The Bills are not a good football team. They're getting there. They have Marshawn Lynch and some good defensive players. But their QB play was absolutely awful, and they need some more speed on offence to go along with Roscoe Parrish. Jauron will get another chance to get the Bill's over the hump.

Shanahan get's the Axe
Crazy news. Shows how much i know! Certainly the Broncos cannot be blamed, Denver has not been to the playoffs in three years and completely fell apart this season down the stretch. Shanahan was President of Football Operations, so it was his team, chosen by him and developed using his philosophies.
The ripple effect this may have on the NFL could be monstrous. Alot of GM's and Owners who were on the bubble whether or not they would make a change at Head Coach may be very tempted to fire away and enter the Shanahan sweepstakes. The only way Shanahan will not be on the sideline for an NFL team next season is if he chooses.

NFL Week 17

Browns Quit, Crennell Done

The Browns lost 31-0 at home to a Pittsburgh team that had nothing to gain by winning and lost Ben Rothlisberger in the 1st quarter. Tomorrow morning, expect Romeo Crennell to be fired.



Cowboys Worst Loss In Franchise History?

Dallas' 44-3 loss to Philly the most horrific loss in the Cowboys iliiustrious history? Maybe.

Consider.

At time of kickoff, every Cowboy coach and player, with the Bucs losing to Oakland, knew that if they beat Philly, they would be in the playoffs.

They lost 44-3!

They probably have the most talent in the NFL.

As Joe Buck said, the defence basically gave up.

As Troy Aikman said, the receivers stopped trying in the first half.

Wow.

What can you possibly say to defend this. Going into a game vs a divisional rival that you know you can beat, and if you do, you make the playoffs, only to lose by 41 points, not scoring 1 touchdown.

Unbelievable. Absolutely, definitely, the lowest moment in Dallas Cowboy's history.

Expect Wade Phillips to be fired as early as tomorrow afternoon. Don't expect Jason Garrett to be his replacement.



Tampa Bay's Worst Loss in Franchise History?

Considering the Buccaneers franchise history, despite their recent success, it's hard to think that today's loss to Oakland could have been the most dissapointing one in thier three decades as an NFL team.

I think it was.

All they had to do was win, at home, vs. a horrible Oakland Raiders team. Then sit back and relax, and watch Philly beat Dallas. No good.
TBay laid the ultimate egg vs the awful Raiders giving them no hope of qualifying for the NFC playoffs.
Good for the rest of us. The Bucs were an awful team to watch.

Dolphins/Chargers/Eagles/Ravens Advance...Face First
The thing that I love about all these teams advancing to the playoffs....they all won to get in. I hate it when teams lose in the last week, but still make the playoffs because another team lost. At the time of kickoff, each of these 4 teams knew that if they won the game, they would be in the playoffs. Each team went out and kicked ass, although the Dolphins did take a little longer to put away the Jets.

Did the Jets Give Up?
Probably. It's hard to say, but I'm guessing that half way through the 3rd quarter when the Jets looked at the scoreboard and saw the Ravens were going to beat the Jags, thus eliminating them from playoff contention, it's hard to believe they didn't lose a little bit of motivation to beat a very fired up Dolphins team.

These Ain't Your Papa's Dolphins
As I've mentioned before, these aren't the soft, cold weather hating bunch of good guy Dolphins that we've known for years.
This team takes the field and literally punches you in the kisser.
They play physical football. They play creative offense. They are determined and focused. They do not make mistakes or turn the ball over. Finally, they run about 2 or 3 trick plays every game that really gets you excited.
I've been a Dolphins fan for nearly 2 decades. This may be the most exciting Dolphins team I've ever seen.
The thing about the NFL that is kind of boring is that every team does the exact same thing. With a few exceptions, it's pretty much a fullback, running back, tight end, and 2 wide receivers.

The Dolphins run so many different formations, either with Pennington behind center, or in the "wildcat", that it's alot of fun to watch them play.

Colts Super Bowl Favorites
Are the Colts the team to beat in the AFC, despite not having one home playoff game.
Maybe.
If you are a proponent of the philosophy that the hottest team entering the playoffs will keep winning, than you have to like Indy's chances. They have won 9 straight games, culminating with a 23-0 trouncing of Tennessee. The defence is not as quick or physical when they won the Super Bowl, and Joseph Addai is half the running back he once was, but Peyton Manning may be playing the best football of his career.

San Diego vs Indy
I love this game next weekend. The hottest team in the NFL at the hottest team in the NFL. The Colts have won 9 in a row, winning alot of games on grit and determination, battling injuries and making crazy 4th quarter comebacks. Versus a Chargers team that underachieved for 12 weeks, then had a couple of cream puff games (one of which they needed a miracle comeback to win), got lucky with an inspired Bill's win at Denver, then beat the defensively inept Broncos in San Diego to go from 4-8 to AFC West division champs.
The Chargers have absolutely no right to be hosting an AFC playoff game, but they have so much talent and they may be coming together at the right time and go all the way to the Super Bowl. The Colts have shown so much grit and determination while battling through injuries and could be super bowl favorites as well. Makes for an awesome wildcard game.

Saturday, Dec. 27

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jermaine O'Neal
So this is the Jermaine O'neal we've heard so much about since the Raptors traded TJ Ford for his services.
Not bad.
Last night vs the lowly Kings, O'neal scored 36 points, many of which came on a series of beautiful twists and turns on the low block culminating with dunks or sweet finishes at the basket.
I like Chris Bosh, sure he's a little soft and he has trouble maintaining focus and intensity, but watching Bosh on the block is really not very exciting. He's basically going to shoot his jumper or try to get you to leave your feet on the upfake, put his head down and drive hard to the basket.
Watching O'Neal in the post last night was a basketball fan's dream. Beautifully crafted and skillfully delivered moves and shots that just seemed absolutely unstoppable.
We saw the Jermaine O'Neal that Pacers fans loved, and hated, The O'Neal that Donnie Walsh tried to trade for years before his successor was finally able to find a willing partner in the Raptors, who were desperate to unload TJ Ford.
O'Neal simply doesn't deliver night in night out. He takes games off, goes through the motions, doesn't play hurt. Frustrating.
If Jermaine can somehow play like that, at least 4 nights out of 5, for the rest of the season, the Raps may get back into the race.
Of course, even with O'Neal's performance, it still took the Raptors about 46 minutes to finally put away a horrible Sacramento team. Mind you, winning games on the other side of the continent over the holidays is never easy, just ask the Celtics (Golden State?!).
I think one of the Raptor's biggest problems is they are almost always outmatched at the 2/3 positions. If you could combine Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker into 1 player, you might have something. But as seperate entities, they are simply mediocre NBA players.
Parker can shoot it and he is a willing defender, but his lack of athleticism makes it hard for him to match up with the leagues better offensive players.
Moon has the athleticism, but he can't shoot, and he is not a good defensive player. He seems to have no grasp whatsoever of defensive rotation, let alone the ability to maintain 18 seconds of focus.
Add in Jose Calderon's defensive woes, and it makes for a hard time keeping the opponent's back court under control. It's enough that Calderon is Spanish, and the Spaniards are not known for their defensive prowess (see Pau Gasol), but he's also painfully slow afoot, making it nearly impossible to keep opposing point guards from getting to the key.
If the Raptors are ever going to get back into the race, they will need Jermaine O'Neal to play like he did last night. However, I doubt that will happen.

5 Days till Sunday!

AFC Playoffs Start Early
This sunday there will be 2 games to determine playoff berths in the AFC. At 5:oo the Dolphins will be in New York. If the Dolphins win they get the AFC East title, as they have the tiebreaker with the Pats who may also be 11-5 if they beat Buffalo. If the Jets win, they'll need the Bills to beat the Patriots, creating a 3 way tie at 10-6 with the Jets holding the tiebreaker over both teams.
The Patriots need to beat Buffalo, and hope the Jets beat the Dolphins, giving them an 11-5 record with the Fins and Jets at 10-6. If the Pats lose they are finished.
The Patriots/Bills game is at 2:00, so by the time the Jets and Fins kickoff, they'll know where they stand.

Denver and San Diego will play at 9:00 for the AFC West. There are three very intriguing aspects to this game.
1) Denver beat the Chargers in week 2 on the infamous Ed Hochuli call that gave Denver another chance to put the ball in the end zone. Chargers are probably still bitter.
2) The Chargers were 4-8 and left for dead. But thanks to a cream puff game vs Oakland, a historic comeback vs KC, and a beat down on the Bucs in Tampa, they are now 1 home game from the playoffs. Denver could have avoided all this by beating Buffalo at home last week.
3) The Broncos are not a very good team and would not have made an impact in the playoffs. San Diego has alot of talent, and may be a team that underachieved, got lucky, and now they are playing the best football of the year at the right time. They have the same team that gave the Patriots all they could handle with a hobbled Rivers and no LT in last year's AFC championship. Plus it set's up a very exciting first round game, the Indianapolis Colts(#5 seed) at the Chargers (#4 seed). Oh yeah.

Sunday, December 21

McGahee's Moment

At the University of Miami, RB Willis Mcgahee was a dynamic athlete and a guaranteed top 5 pick in the NFL Draft.
Then the unthinkable happened.
In the 4th quarter of his last collegiate game, the national championship vs Ohio State, Mcgahee tore his ACL when he was tackled on a screen pass.
Instantly Mcgahee went from early first round pick to a lengthy rehabilitation program and a draft day risk for any team willing to take a running back who suffered an ACL tear.
The Bills took him at #23. He's had a decent career, but probably not as great as it could have been. This season in Baltimore there has been speculation that it could be his last. He's slowing down dramatically and he's not big enough to power between the tackles.
If this is his last season, then last night he finally had a career defining moment. Will any of us ever forget the sight of Mcgahee, against a Cowboys team deperate for a defensive stand, breaking through the middle of the line and running for a 77 yard touchdown, the longest run of his NFL career. Mcgahee literally went untouched and ran in a straight line from the time he took the ball until he crossed the goal line, the first of 2 dramatic long touchdown runs (Mcclain had the second) that will probably propel the Ravens into the AFC playoffs, while seriously damaging Dallas' NFC playoff chances.

I'm not a Willis Mcgahee fan, and I don't know what kind of guy he is. I'm not a Ravens fan, in fact, a Cowboys win would have been more beneficial for me as a Dolphins fan. But watching Mcgahee run to glory last night filled me with that kind of happiness and pure unadulterated joy, that professional sport can sometimes give you as a fan. Where you spontaneously find yourself jumping around, pumping your fist, and yelling "GO! GO! GO!"
Thanks Willis.

Patriots Roll, Dolphins Get it Done, Jets in Tough
As I predicted, the Patriots cruised past the Cardinals 47-7, the Dolphins had to play thier best football to beat a fired up KC team on enemy turf, and the Jets are getting all they can handle in the snow at Seattle.

Watching a snowy football game in December is awesome. The Seahawks appear to be game and the fans are making lots of noise.
Arizona should be ashamed of themselves for their performance today. I understand that they have the NFC west clinched, they had to travel 3000 miles to play, and it was a bad weather game. But 31-0 at halftime?! Where's your pride.

They played like the Old Dolphins teams would in snow games. Not this Miami team though. The Dolphins were always characterized by having alot of talent but being a bunch of nice guys and were a little soft. This year's team is cocky, brash, and come out and punch you in the mouth from the opening kickoff. They do not have enough talent to make a serious playoff run, they may not even make the playoffs, but they are a very tough, physical football team.

San Diego beat Tampa Bay to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now they need Buffalo to beat the Broncos in Denver to set up an elimination game with Denver next week in San Diego. Broncos beat Buffalo and they're in.

Seahawks Upset Jets in Snowy Seattle
Thanks Seattle! The Jets took a huge step backwards tonight, losing to a fired up Seahawks team that obviously wanted to send out their head coach a winner, and took advantage of a loud home crowd and miserable weather.
With the loss the Jets now need to beat Miami next week, and hope that New England loses to Buffalo. As tough as it sounds, the Jets are still very much in contention. They are home to the Dolphins, and the Patriots are in Buffalo. A Jets win at home and Pats loss on the road is still a very likely scenario. Basically this is what it comes down to;
Miami- If they beat the Jets, they get the AFC East. (11-5, NYJ 9-7, tiebreaker vs NE)
New York- Need to beat Miami, and hope the Patriots lose. (10-6, tiebreakers vs Mia and NE)
New England- Need to beat Buffalo, and hope the Dolphins lose.( 11-5, NYJ 10-6, Mia 10-6)

Chargers/Broncos Winner Takes All
Perhaps the least talked about story that is pretty neat is the Chargers charge to a 1 game playoff with Denver.
Three weeks ago the Chargers were 4-8, the and the Broncos were 7-5. The only chance San Diego had was to win three straight and hope the Broncos lost 2 of 3. Which officially happened today when the Chargers beat Tampa Bay and the Broncos lost at home to Buffalo. Denver is 8-7, San Diego is 7-8, and they'll play next week in San Diego. Whoever wins get the AFC West, the loser is finished.
The interesting thing about this? San Diego is a very good football team finally starting to play to their potential. The Broncos are a very flawed football team with a horrible rush defence and inconsistent offence. If the Chargers win, which they probably will, they would be a talented football team playing their best football at the right time, and they could make a run into late January. Who would of thought that four weeks ago?
Another interesting subplot; the Broncos beat the Chargers in week 2 on the infamous Ed Hochuli blown call where Jay Cutler clearly fumbled the ball, but Hochuli ruled that he had already blew his whistle. The Broncos subsequently scored sending the Chargers to an 0-2 record at the time.
I think San Diego is going to win this sunday, and it could be a rout.

Does Anybody Want the NFC Wildcard
Asides from the Atlanta Falcons, who walked into Minnesota, beat the Vikings and secured a wildcard berth, is there any NFC team that really wants to make the playoffs this year. On consecutive nights, 2 teams from the NFC East, supposedly the best division in football, had a chance to put themselves in the drivers seat for a wildcard spot, and couldn't come through. The Cowboys last night vs the Ravens, and Philly today vs the Redskins.
Philadelphia scored 3 points! Three points in a game you almost have to win vs a team that has been horrible all december. Wow.

Ravens TD Runs Unprecedented
I think alot of people are still in shock from last night's game. Those 2 long runs for td's by the Ravens is something I have never seen in my life.
There's america's team, playing thier last game in Texas Stadium, playing for their playoff lives and needing a three and out late in the 4th quarter to get their offense back on the field.
In both instances you thought for sure the Ravens would run three quick running plays and turn the game over to their defence. Which would have been the right idea. Except they didn't count on a complete stategical and physical breakdown by the Cowboys defensive coaches and players.
Kimberly Jones made an excellent point this morning on ESPN The Reporters. In both runs, there was not a single Cowboy defender to be seen, frantically trying to chase down Mcgahee or Mcclain from behind. Mcgahee has clearly lost a step, and Mcclain is close to 250 pounds and essentially a full back hybrid. Are you telling me that a Cowboys safety or defensive back could not have chased down one of those guys over a stretch of 80 yards?
Regardless, if the Cowboys do miss the playoffs, you can bet that game will cost Wade Phillips his job. Don't assume Jason Garrett will replace him. Last years "next great coach" has seen his stock drop considerably with the Cowboys offensive performances of late.

New Orleans Bowl
If you were fortunate to watch any of the New Orleans Bowl tonight on The Score, you can see why I love these small bowl games with small college teams. Tonight it was the Southern Missisippi Golden Eagles vs the Troy Trojans.
The game was exciting, full of enthusiasm, had lots of scoring, and went to overtime. The kicker for Southern Miss, Brit Barefoot (he was not a bare foot kicker....what happened to bare foot kickers anyway), made 3 field goals over 30 yards, after not making 1 fg over 29 yards the entire season. His last one, which ended up being the game winner in OT, hit the left goal post and bounced in.
The Troy Trojans responded by working their way into field goal position, but their kick was blocked, and the Golden Eagles were New Orleans Bowl champions.
Who cares? Nobody besides the players, students, and alumni of these 2 schools. But watching these kids give everything they have in front of adoring fans is really cool.
The game was played in the Super Dome and there was only about 15000 people there. But they were clearly divided in thier loyalty to the 2 teams and were loud and boisterous.
The players are fun to watch because they are really excited about being in a big stadium and playing on ESPN. Almost every single one of these guys will not be playing professional football when they finish school so for them, this is their super bowl. It's alot of fun.
Next up, Boise State vs Texas Christian in the Poinsettia Bowl on the 23rd!

Wed. Dec. 17 Quick Hitters

Where in the World is Rafael Furcal
Following this guy's free agent journey is more exciting than the NFL playoff chase. Oakland, Atlanta, L.A., where is he going? You can tell the MLB free agent pool is low when there is so much talk about a poor man's Omar Vizquel getting courted like "The Bachelor" by the Braves and Dodgers.

Changes Coming in Ottawa
When Senator fans start booing you know there is trouble. Maybe the NHL's most forgiving fan base finally started to let their frustration be felt as they loudly booed the home squad during thier most recent egg laying, a despicable 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.
Watching the Senators the past two months may very well be the most painful thing in hockey right now. Such a talented team that goes through the motions on so many nights is shameful at best.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the Sens are about to embark on an 8 game road trip during the holidays and new year. Assuming they continue to play the way they have played the entire first half of the season, expect changes at one or multiple levels. Murray, Hartsburg, Spezza, take your pick.

JoePa 3 Year Extension
Think you're getting old and your job is becoming really hard. Joe Paterno just signed a 3 year extension at Penn State. Assuming he does not die or get bought out, Paterno will be coaching NCAA football at 85 years old!!

Falcons In/Cowboys Out??
Just read an article on CNNSI predicting that Atlanta, by virtue of a win over Minnesota this weekend, will make the playoffs, while Dallas, predicted to lose to Philly in week 17, will not make playoffs.
I can see the logic of predicting a Cowboys loss at Philly, but will the Falcons win this weekend at Minnesota? I'm not so sure.

Pats Losing To Cards?????
The same writer predicted Arizona will beat the Patriots in New England this weekend...not a chance. I really hope they do, because that would help the Dolphins...but there's NO WAY the Cardinals are beating New England on sunday. Maybe if they needed a win to clinch or stay in the NFC playoff hunt, but with the NFC west already secured, there's no way they're showing up in Foxboro and beating the Pats who absolutely have to win to stay in the AFC playoff hunt.

Monday, Dec.15

Peter King Monday Morning QB
One of my favorite sports reporters to read on the internet is Peter King. He has a regular piece called Monday morning QB on CNNSI.
Today he has the Steelers ranked #1 in his "fine fifteen". I've been making the point of how impressive the Steelers have been considering the strength of their schedule.
King put it best today when he wrote that Pittsburgh being 11-3 after the schedule they played is like being 13-1 or 14-0 with a normal schedule.
This week the Steelers play the Titans with home field throughout the playoffs at stake. If the road to the Super Bowl goes through Pittsburgh, it will be very difficult for any team to knock out the Steelers.

Browns/Eagles
Take the Eagles tonight, the Browns are down to their third string qb, not that they would have much of a chance with Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson. The Eagles will be 8-5-1 and still have a legitimate chance at a wildcard, but they'll have to win out at the Skins then home to the Boys. How much do you think they regret earning a tie vs the lowly Bengals? Probably about as much as the Jets regret losing to the Raiders.

3 Dominant NBA Teams
In the era of parity it's not often you get 3 teams in one league with overwhelmingly dominant records, but such is the case in the NBA. The Lakers are 20-3, Celtics are 22-2, and the Cavaliers are 20-4.
Unlike last season, it would appear the Lakers are heads and tails above the rest of the Western Conference, while another Celtics/Cavs Eastern final is beginning to loom it's ugly head. If those teams do play again, hopefully it will be a little prettier to watch than last year's Celtics victory in 7 games.

Bowl Games are 5 days Away
I love the college bowl season. I wish there was some type of national championship format. But I really enjoy watching the smaller bowls in late December that feature teams you have seldom seen or heard from. For example, Dec.20 it's the EagleBank Bowl featuring Navy vs Wake Forest. Go Midshipmen!! Beat those Demon Deacons! I`ll be watching. Actually I guess the game on TV that day will be the St.Petersburg Bowl with South Florida vs Memphis....even better! Personally I can't wait for Northern Illinois vs Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl!

Undefeated Orange Lose First Game on 60 Footer at the Buzzer
Syracuse lost tonight at the buzzer to Cleveland State on a 60 foot toss. The Cuse were 9-0 and ranked #11 in the country. Sorry Niall. But hey, they beat the champs a few weeks ago.

Avery Finished in Dallas
Sean Avery will not be back in Dallas. Will Brett Hull be next? Is there any team that will take a chance on Avery. Not unless he begins to show atrition for what he's done and said. I still think he's just going to walk away and head to the fashion world.

Ottawa Finished?
Are the Sens finished? Well they may be this time next month. Starting next week the Senators go on a grueling 8 game road trip spanning coast to coast. Opponents include the Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Devils, Flyers, and Bruins. Yikes.

NFL week 15

Settling in for a full day of football that will NOT include the Steelers/Ravens. Thanks to living in Patriots country, instead of the titanic AFC North battle, we get New England vs ......the Raiders. Wow. Sportsnet could come to the rescue but for some reason they've decided to show Denver at Carolina. So it looks like the Bills/Jets (Go Bills) and prob. TBay vs Atlanta at 2:00. Raiders/Pats at 5:00 (Go Raiders!), then Boys/G-Men in the sunday nighter. At least there is a Raptors game at 1:30 vs Chris Paul and the Hornets.
Great article discussing how crazy the NFL wildcard situation is. Basically saying that not only could a 10 win team miss the playoffs, but an 11 win team could miss as well. Winning 11 games and not making the playoffs? That's what makes the NFL so great, every game is so critical.

"As the Cleveland Browns found out a year ago, winning 10 games doesn't guarantee you a playoff berth. But more often than not, 10 usually gets you in.
Besides the Browns, the 2005 Kansas City Chiefs and '03 Dolphins are the only other teams to win 10 and miss the playoffs since 1992. Since the league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978, a total of 276 teams won at least 10 games and all but 16 of those teams qualified for the postseason.
Over the last 30 years, there have never been more than two teams to win 10 and miss the playoffs in the same season. This year there could be three.
The Jets, Dolphins or Patriots could do it. It's all but certain that only one of those AFC East teams will qualify. All are 8-5 and could finish with 10 wins.
Depending on how other playoff contenders fare the final three weeks, it's possibile that the Patriots win all three and miss the playoffs despite finishing with 11 wins. That would happen if the Jets or Dolphins also won out, because both teams hold the tiebreaker advantage over New England. The 1985 Broncos are the only team to win 11 and miss the playoffs.
The Ravens and Colts, both at 9-4 and in second place in their respective divisions, are currently holding the two wild card spots. Both also hold the tiebreaker over the three AFC East teams. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head; the Colts beat the Patriots and the Ravens defeated the Dolphins. The second tiebreaker for the wild card is won-lost-tied percentage against conference teams. The Colts (8-2 in AFC) and Ravens (7-3) also have the advantage over the Jets (6-4), Dolphins (6-4) and Patriots (5-5).
Over in the NFC, there are 11 teams with winning records. Not including NFC West champion Arizona and whatever other three division winners emerge, there are six teams that can win 10 games. At the moment, the 9-4 Buccaneers and 8-5 Cowboys are the two wild card entries. The Bucs can solidify their chance with a victory over the 8-5 Falcons. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' grip on the wild card is tenuous at best after last Sunday's fourth quarter collapse against the Steelers. Dallas plays the Giants, Ravens and Eagles, who climbed back into the playoff picture last week with that huge victory over the Giants.
The 8-6 Bears, who kept their playoff hopes alive by beating the Saints on Thursday night, play the Packers at home and the Texans on the road the last two weeks. Chicago will be favored in both."

That piece was from the CNNSI website.

Basically if you lay an egg in the next three weeks you're in alot of trouble. So a loss for the Dolphins vs the Niners, or the Pats vs the Raiders, and you'll need to win and get alot of help from other teams. The Jets probably have the toughest game today, home to the Bills.
The Dolphins have to be thankful for the great work of Mike Singletary's Niners, officially eliminating the Bills two weeks ago then beating the Jets last week. But they'll need to take care of San Fran at home or they will be on the outside looking in.
With all the success of Matt Ryan this year, there has been talk that the Fins made a mistake in passing on Ryan and taking Offensive lineman Jake Long.
I disagree.
Yes, Matt Ryan is special. I remember watching him last year with Boston College vs Virginia Tech. He made a touchdown pass to win the game that was a sign of things to come. Rolling to his left at about the 30 yard line, he threw the ball all the way to the other side of the field, to a wide open receiver deep in the end zone. Why was the reciever so open? Because that type of throw was impossible for almost every qb in college...but not Matt Ryan. He'll be a great one.
But the NFL is all about that 15 by 5 foot trench divided by the length of a football. Any Super Bowl team is built by starting with the offensive line, then the defensive line, and then you start to add your skill players. Bill Parcells (gay) knows this. That's why he drafted the best offensive lineman in the draft, Jake Long of Michigan. I`m sure there will always be a sense of regret for Dolphins fans, still craving a dynamic qb that has not been had since Dan Marino. But when the fish are playing meaningful football in January for the next 10 years, I`m sure they won`t be dissapointed.

The Reporters on Sunday Mornings
If you love sports you have to watch TSN on sunday mornings from 11-12. First, ESPN The Reporters with John Saunders and three journalists that usually include Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan, and Mitch Albom.
Then TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge that usually includes Steve Simmons, Michael Farber, and Damian Cox.
Lots of intelligent and meaningful discussion about a broad variety of topics from guys who really know their stuff. There is no shouting and trying to yell nonsense over each other`s voices, no gadgets or gimmics, just insightful and passionate commentary from the best in the business.

Steelers Super Bowl Bound?

The Steelers are now 11-3 after another hardfought victory against a worthy adversary. The Steelers came back in the 4th quarter for the second straight week to beat the Baltimore Ravens (controvesrial ending to that game).
The Steelers are in the midst of playing the most difficult schedule of any team since 1976 (Giants) and are pulling out wins with grit and determination. It's classic Steelers football; dominate on defence and do just enough on offence. Ben Rothlisberger has developed into a great leader and guttsy QB.
I think Pittsburgh is going to the Super Bowl. They have played so many tough games against great teams, and have won almost all of them. The games they lost were against the Colts (20-24), Giants (21-14) , and at the Eagles (6-15).

If Pittsburgh can get a bye and rest up for a home playoff game, they will be very tough to beat.

Cowboys/Giants
Not too pull a Billy Packer and attempt to validate one of my previous points by talking about it to death, but after watching the Boys and G-Men, I'm pretty happy about my earlier point that success in the NFL begins with the linemen.
En route to a 20-8 win over the Giants, the Cowboys had 7 sacks! Three by Demarcus Ware alone. Tony Romo got banged around too and the Cowboys gave up a safety, but the Dallas defensive line dominated the Giants. Alot of that was not the O-lines fault however, the secondary had the Giant's receivers locked down and Eli had nowhere to throw the ball on alot of dropbacks. Not having Charles Jacobs to help set up the play action pass didn't help either.
Do you think Eli Manning misses Plaxico Burress? The Giants receivers looked pretty good when Plax was getting double teamed and drawing the opponents best cover guy, but tonight against the Dallas secondary they looked very pedestrian.
The Cowboys looked really good tonight. The camera shot of Owens, Whitten, and Romo all laughing on the sidelines was hilarious considering what went on this week off the field.
They still have it tough with a home game next week vs Baltimore and then finishing at Philly. The Ravens will be playing desperate football as they'll need a win to stay in the AFC wildcard chase, while the game against the Eagles could be a win or go home scenario for both teams.

Cowboys/Steelers Superbowl
After making my case for Pittsburgh, and watching the Cowboys dominate the champs, I'm prepared to pick Dallas from the NFC for the Super Bowl.
First, they have alot of talent. Probably more talent then any other team in the NFL.
Second, they remind me alot of the Giants last year. Before the Giant's incredible run to the Superbowl, they had a very hard season filled with controversy and injuries. Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat, Eli Manning was soft, Jeremy Shockey was angry at the world, the team was underachieving. Then came the last game of the regular season vs the New England Patriots. Even though the Giants has already secured a wildcard, they went out and tried to beat the Pats, giving it thier all en route to a 35-31 loss.
But the game changed their mindset. It made them realize how good of a football team they could be.
The Cowboys are in the exact same situation this year. Controversial players, coach on the hot seat, Romo's leadership questioned, Terrell Owens saying stupid things and feeling under-appreciated. Last week Dallas gave a game away to Pittsburgh. The season had been a nightmare.
Until tonight.
The Cowboys beat up on the team that alot of experts regard as the best team in football. I think the Cowboys will get a wildcard spot and go on to play in the Super Bowl. I hope I'm wrong because I really don't like Dallas. Also, I'm assuming Tony Romo will stay healthy. Without Romo, they don't have a chance in hell.

AFC West
The AFC West, the worst division in the conference, is starting to get a little interesting. The Chargers have managed to beat Oakland and KC and are now 6-8, 2 games behind Denver at 8-6. If San Diego wins next week, and Denver loses, it would set up a winner take all game between the 2 teams in San Diego to finish the season.
San Diego is in tough at the Tampa Bay Bucs, who are playing for a wildcard berth in the NFC. Denver has home vs the Bills. Buffalo has lot of pride and will prob. come to play. Probably the only chance Buffalo would have if Trent Edwards can play, because JP Losman is horrible!!

Losman Blows it for Bills (and Dolphins and Patriots)
JP Losman's total ineptitude at QB played a major role in the AFC race today. The Bills showed up vs the Jets and were on the verge of putting them away, leading 27-24 with a first down and about 2 minutes left. Then JP took over. On second down he foolishly rolled out to his right, didn't feel the Jets defender coming from behind, and was stripped of the football. The Jets scooped up the ball and took it to the house for the games decisive score. Thanks JP!

Dolphins/Patriots TCOB
The Fish squeezed one out vs a hard working Niners team, while the Pats destroyed the horrible Raiders. San Fran had possesion of the ball for 38 minutes which included several drives that lasted over 8 minutes. But they could not punch it in the endzone, settling for field goals. On one drive they ran about 16 plays and had to settle for a punt from the Dolphins 40 yard line!

With that said I love the way Mike Singletary has settled the Niners down and has them playing smart, extremely safe, football. They do not turn the ball over and they do not get pentalized under Singletary, which keeps them in games right to the end. Makes them extremely boring to watch but it has made the Niners alot more respectable then they were the first half of the season.
Speaking of smart football, the Dolphins are on pace to set the record for fewest turnovers in a season. After 14 games, they only have 10! That stat goes a long way in explaining their turnaround this season.

So with 2 games left, the Jets, Phins, and Pats are all 9-5. Of the three teams, Miami is the only team that controls thier own destiny. If they beat KC and the Jets, they get the division. They hold the tiebreaker with the Patriots. With the Colts closing in on the first wildcard spot, there may only be one spot left for the two teams that do not win the division. That's assuming the Ravens stop winning.

Next week the Dolphins are in KC, the Patriots are home to Arizona, and the Jets are in Seattle. Even though Arizona has the best record of these teams, I think the Patriots have it the easiest. They will be home. The Cardinals are extremely overrated, and they have already secured the NFC West division.
Miami and NY will be on the road against teams with very loyal fans who still make alot of noise, despite the fact their teams aren't good. The Chiefs and Seahawks will be juiced to play spoiler and players will be battling for jobs for next season. It'll be tough.

Thursday quick hitters

* If you have not seen the video of Glen "Big Baby" Davis crying on the Celtics bench after being chewed out by Kevin Garnett, go to youtube immediately. That dude is just weird. Asides from this incident, he is remembered for dancing like a woman with a boa around his neck at the 2006 Final 4 with LSU, and licking the golden basketball at the top of the NBA Championship trophy. Strange dude.


* If the Saints aren't careful, they may just beat the Bears to get back in the wildcard chase. On a critical 4th and inches, the Saints ran a pitch out against the Bears defence that went for a 10 yard loss!
However, Kyle Orton then threw an INT to Karl Fujita (pronounced Fa-Jeet-A...just like the way idiot frat boys like to pronounce Fajitas at Mexis), and the Saints capitalized with a touch to go up 24-21.
A classic game of two teams still in the playoff chase but with such glaring weaknesses that there is not a chance in hell either team will be in the super bowl.

* Yankees get Sabathia. I guess all that talk from C.C. about wanting to play on the west coast in the National League was just a crock of shit. Although, 7 years/160 million...I can't blame him. Plus, I think alot of the great players in Baseball want to challenge themselves to see if they can make it in New York. Some fail, some succeed, but being at the top of your game and playing in NYC, especially for the Yanks, elevates you to God like status. Which is something these egomaniac assholes like. Maybe even more than the $$$$$.

* Getting back to the Kyle Orton Int, Chris Collinsworth is an exceptional colour commentator. Not only is he knowledgable, he's not afriad to call a spade a spade.
Regarding Orton's interception, Collinsworth said that's the difference between a QB like Orton and a QB like Drew Brees. When Orton cannot find his primary receiver, and has to start looking at the second option, he gets confused and throws interceptions. Whereas a QB like Brees has no problem going through all of his options and making the right pass.
There's 2 things happening with that comment;
1) He's educating fans like me as to what truly separates a qb of Orton's ability and Brees' ability.
2) He's calling Orton a mediocre QB. He's not afraid that Orton is going to watch the game on tape and get offended. Orton is an average QB, and Collinsworth tells you that he is. Alot of other commentators would go on and on about Orton's savvy and leadership skills. Collinsworth tells it the way it is.

Collinsworth also called out Saints Wide Receiver Devery Henderson for being afraid to run slant routes, which often end up with a hard hit from a linebacker or safety. Love it!

* Bears win 27-24. The Saints are done. Bears put pressure on Minnesota for the NFC North. The NFL has to change the overtime format at some point. When a team can win a coin toss, get a 40 yard pass interference call, and kick a field goal to win a hard fought game....there has to be a better way.

* I can't wait for Steelers/Ravens on Sunday. I doubt it will be pretty, but it will be 2 tough teams going at it. Lots of hard hits, but no fights, can you imagine such a thing all you hockey fans.

Sam Mitchell/NFL observations

Alabama vs Florida


Settling in to watch the much balleyhood college game, #1 Florida vs. #2 Alabama. Not sure how long Alabama is going to be able to hang in there, Florida jsut stopped the Tide three and out, then marched pretty easily downfield for a touchdown.

With that said, Bama just completed a pass play for about 60 yards. I was just about to say that Florida has way too much speed, but Bama just tied the score with two speed plays. Incredible start to what promises to be a great game. You have to love college football in the states. There may be nothing more exciting in sports than when the two teams take the field in a huge college game!

Florida beats Bama 31-20. Just a huge performance by Tim Tebow. Tebow is becoming the most legendary College performer since the Rocket. I`m not sure if there will be any place for him in the NFL, but he is only in his junior year and has already reached god like status in NCAA football. Maybe he`ll be a qb in the CFL in 2010.

Sam Mitchell Fired

The Sam Mithcell era in TO is over. The one time coach of the year has been fired by the Raptors and replaced on an interim basis with canadian Jay Triano.

Mitchell has always been considered a lame duck in Toronto. He was the hand picked coach of a horrible GM, Pete Babcock. Considering the Raptors have never had NBA championship talent, the only thing that could have saved his job under new GM Brian Colangelo was to win the Coach of the Year award...which he did. So other teams lined up for his services after 2007 and Colangelo felt compelled to rehire him.

However his marriage with Colangelo was one that you new would not work long term. Colangelo was the builder of the run and gun Phoenix teams featuring Steve Nash. He likes up tempo basketball with a mixture of european and north american talent. Mitchell is a half court, slow it down but run when the opporunity is there coach.

However, the thing that killed Mitchell was that the Raptors were a horrible defensive team. They could not rebound the ball and they seemed lost in the half court defence. Offensive spacing in the half court was Mitchells biggest strength as a coach, but his limitations in teaching defence and full court ball became more and more obvious as his tenure endured.

Watching the Raptors play Portland today, Jack Armstrong said it best when he said that you can always tell how poorly coached a team was after the coach is fired. The Raptors look absolutely awful. Its not Jay Trianos fault and its pretty tough to coach youre first 2 games vs Utah and the Blazers, two very well coached teams.

Triano has to do 2 things. Break all the horrible habits the Raptors players had developed under Mitchell. Secondly, start to install the push the ball mentality that Colangelo wants to see. Tough.

(sorry, my apostrophe key is not working!)

Sloan for NBA Champion

Ive never been a huge Jerry Sloan fan., but id love to see him win an NBA championship. Hes a great coach, a nice man, and extremely dedicated to the Utah Jazz. If he won a championship it would put a smile on alot of faces of people who like good guys that win it all.

Blazers Could be Special

With Brandon Roy, Lemarcus Aldridge (who is so earily similar to Rasheed Wallace, they call him Baby Sheed), and Greg Oden, the Blazers should win an NBA championship at some point, assuming they can keep all three players together. Remember, with the exception of the Pistons in 02 and the Bad Boys in the late eighties, almost all NBA champions are built around 2-3 great players;
Celtics (Garnett,Pierce,Allen and Bird,Mchale,Parish)

Lakers (Shaq, Kobe and Magic, Kareem)

Spurs (Duncan, Parker, Ginobulli and Duncan, Robinson)

Bulls (MJ, Pippen)
Heat (Shaq, Wade)
Rockets (Akeem, Clyde)

As I mentioned, Aldridge looks like Sheed minus the grey circle on his head. Roy could be one of the ten best players in the league right now. Oden looks like a 7 foot version of me, stomping around under the basket, grabbing offensive boards and missing lay-ups, but in time should be one of the best true centers in the game. Plus they have a great coach in Nate Mcmillan.

Cowboys in Trouble
The Cowboys simply blew an incredible chance to take control of the NFC wildcard chase by giving away a victory to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the loss the Cowboys drop to 8-5, giving them no chance at the division title, and realistically nothing accept the second wildcard spot. Given the turbulant season it has been for Dallas, I think they would be happy just getting into the playoffs. Remember, the Giants were the #6 seed Wildcard in last year's NFC playoffs.
But to get there Dallas will still have to win at least 2 of thier last 3 games, which will be no easy task. The Boys will play home games vs the Giants and Baltimore, then finish the season at Philadelphia, who are now playing excellent football.

Dolphins Playoff Surge Continues
In what is becoming one of the greatest single season turnarounds in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins are now tied for the AFC East lead.
The fish took care of business vs. the downtrodden Buffalo Bills, while the Jets lost to the niners in San Fran and the Patriots escaped Seattle with a win. All 3 teams now have records of 8-5. The pivotal game could be in the last week when the Dolphins play at the Jets. Otherwise Miami has an easy couple of games coming up, home to San Fran (although the Niners have knocked off the Bills and Jets in consecutive weeks) then at Kansas City. So far the Dolphins have won all the games they were supposed to win, all be it ugly at times. If they can handle the Niners and Chiefs they would be 10-5 heading into New York.
The Jets play at home next week to the Bills then go to Seattle. The Patriots play at Oakland then home vs Arizona.
So it's very likely that all 3 teams will be 10-5 heading into the last game of the season. The Patriots will be at Buffalo. Looking at the tiebreaker scenarios, it would appear that the Jets or the Dolphins would win the East if they share the same record as the Patriots, based on projected records vs the AFC conference. So the Pats need to sweep the rest of their schedule and hope that the fish or Jets slip up the next couple of weeks.

Colts/Ravens in Drivers's Seats for AFC Wildcards
The Colts finally had an easy game with a 35-3 win over the Bungles. The Ravens were very impressive in thier big win over a pretty good Washingon team. Ed Reed is a scary, scary man. Both teams are now 9-4 and in control of the race for the last 2 wildcards. Of course the Ravens still have a chance to win the AFC North if they beat 10-3 Pittsburgh next week, but with a road game at Dallas 2 weeks from now, the wildcard is much more realistic.
The Colts have one more gimmee when they host the horrible Lions next week, then they are in tough at Jacksonville, and finally home to the Titans, who could be resting starters that game. The Colts should finish 11-5, giving them a wildcard spot. They have an 8-2 record vs the AFC so they would win any tiebreakers.
The Ravens definitely have the toughest schedule of wildcard hopefuls. Home vs the Steelers, at Dallas, then finishing at home vs the Jaguars. Assuming they'll handle the Jags, they'll have to win at least 1 vs Pittsburgh and Dallas to get to that magic number of 11 wins. They also have a strong record vs the AFC so would prob. win a tiebreaker vs an 11 win team from the AFC East.
Understand? I hope so, because I think my head is about to explode.

NFC Wildcard
With their victory tonight over Tampa Bay, the Panthers should be able to win the NFC South. Personally, I think the South is extremely overrated. I can't see any team from that division playing in the Super Bowl. With that said, the Bucs and Falcons could still claim the last 2 wildcard spots.
The Bucs have the best chance at 9-4, with a big game at the Falcons next week, then home games vs the Chargers and Raiders. They should finish at least 11-5.
The 8-5 Falcons are in tough. Even if they hold serve at home vs the Bucs, they're last two games are at Minnesota before an easy one vs St.Louis. They should finish at 10-6, with an NFC record of 7-5.

The Cowboys should finish at least 10-6, with an NFC record of 7-5/8-4.

The Redskins need to win thier last 3 games which is very possible. They play at Cinci and San Fran with a home game vs. the Eagles in between. If they win out they'll be 10-6 with an NFC record of 8-4.

The Eagles still have a chance at 7-5-1, but they need to win out and get some help. They should beat the Browns at home next week and then they'll have 2 critical games at Washington then home vs Dallas. Unlike the Skins who appear to be fading, the Eagles are playing their best football of the year, and Philly has had alot of great December runs to the playoffs under Andy Reid.

Obviously the Eagles vs Redskins and Cowboys vs Eagles games are going to be huge and will probably determine the last wildcard spot. The Falcons need to win out and hope the NFC east teams pick each other off, while Tampa Bay certainly control thier own destiny.

I think the NFC north will only give 1 team to the playoffs, either the Vikings or Bears as division champs.
The 8-5 Vikings are at in very tough with games at Arizona, then home to Atlanta and the Giants.
The 7-6 Bears have it much easier with home games vs New Orleans and Green Bay, then on the road at Houston.
If the teams finish tied, the Vikings should have the tie breaker advantage.

So...there are no fewer than 6 huge games next week.

Tampa Bay vs Atlanta
Pittsburgh vs Baltimore
Vikings vs Cardinals
Giants vs Cowboys
Bills vs Jets
Browns vs Eagles

That's not mentioning the Patriots, Dolphins, Colts, and Redskins trying to take care of business vs bad teams, and the Bears with a pretty tough game at home vs the underachieving Saints. Should be a great weekend.

Also;

The Brewers are trying to make a serious run at C.C. Sabathia...good luck.

I can't wait for Oklahoma vs Florida.

Michigan basketball may be back....the Wolverines beat Duke over the weekend.

Friday, Dec.5

Sean Avery Musings
I hate Sean Avery. I really hate him. I'm thrilled to see him suspended, and I think his career with Dallas is over.
Everyone seems to think that there will be a team willing to take him. But I wonder if Avery may just walk away. If a team really steps up to the plate and says "we want you just the way you are" , then he would probably stick around the league. However, if it becomes apparent that no team will take him unless he tones it down, I would not be surprised to see him take his buy out and leave.
The guy loves fashion. He even interned at Vogue over the summer. It would not surprise me at all if he left and pursued a career in the fashion industry.
If you think the league needs a guy like Sean Avery to "shake things up" then you are sadly mistaken. The league needs more players like Crosby and Ovechkin. Watch TSN when they show highlights from a Penguins game and Capitals game back to back. That's exciting hockey.
Exciting hockey is not some idiot pre-madonna degrading women and pissing off his own teammates.

Toews/Kane Commercial
The NHL needs a lot less of Sean Avery, and a lot more stuff like the Jonathon Toews/Patrick Kane political ad parody on youtube. That's what the league needs. You say the league needs more fighting and guys like Sean Avery. I say the league needs more display of skill and feel good stuff like the Toews/Kane commercial.

Bartender Rips Plax
I love this story from the New York Post

It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Knucklehead receiver Plaxico Burress was acting like a Giant jerk at the Latin Quarter even before he shot himself and ended up on the floor shaking and bleeding, employees at the Midtown club said. "Burress was an ****," said a female bartender about his conduct last Saturday. "He was rude and disorderly and didn't acknowledge anyone unless they were in the VIP section. He didn't treat anybody with respect. "I'd rather work with regular customers. Celebrities like Plaxico just cause more problems. He gives the club a bad rep," the bartender said.

It's guys like this that makes professional sports very difficult to stomach sometimes.

Giants/Spurs/Dolphins
On the home front, the Giants are trying to get back into the mix. They have shored up the bullpen to go along with their young starting rotation, and they've upgraded at shortstop by signing Edgar Renteria (although they paid him way too much!). Now, according to Dan Patrick, they are going to make a serious run at.....C.C. Sabathia!! Heads up.

Spurs are pulling it together. The big 3 are healthy and the team has weathered a rough start. Last night they beat an improved Nuggets team in Denver by 17 points.

The analysts are starting to pick the Dolphins this weekend vs Buffalo. Three reasons;
1) J.P. Losman is horrible.
2) Not a true home game for the Bills (the game is at Rogers Centre in TO).
3) The Dolphins are a tough defensive team, they do not make mistakes on offence, and they are really confident. Meanwhile the Bills are in a freefall and 2-6 in their last 8 games. Must win game for the Fish if they are going to make the Wild Card. I'd also like to extend my support for Seattle, San Fran, Cincinatti, and Washington this weekend as they play vs AFC wildcard contenders.

Now if those National Champion Jayhawks can just get back into the Top 25.
Speaking of NCAA basketball.....

UNC is Dominant
It's only December but you can already book your NCAA bball champs. North Carolina.
I've heard rumours about how scary this team is, and after watching them demolish Mighigan State on Wed., I'm a believer. They have the best player in the country (Tyler Hansborough), the best point guard (Lawson), they are deep, big, and blessed with talent at all positions. Plus, they have one of the best coaches in the country in Roy Williams.
This would have been very difficult for me to accept in the past, as I was always bitter about Roy leaving KU for UNC. But after Bill Self's Jayhawks trashed UNC in last year's final four, all is forgiven.
Speaking of Mighigan State, they may have been totally dominated by UNC, but there is always a big difference between the Spartans in December, and the Spartans in March. No matter how much talent Tom Izzo has, MSU is always a tough out come tourney time.
Sticking with Tom Izzo, I've never seen him give up, but in the second half as UNC was extending thier lead to 30 points on MSU's home floor (all be it in Detroit), Izzo was visibly shaken by the Tar Heel explosion. Usually he goes down with guns blazing, but against UNC he succumbed to his fate. That's how good Carolina is. They broke the spirit of one of the most competitive and resourceful coaches in the country.

Florida/Alabama
If you like football and you are doing nothing around 5:00 on Saturday, watch Alabama and Florida. #1 vs #2 in the country, battling for the SEC title, and a spot in the National Championship game. Going to be an awesome spectacle.
There is so much excitement, enthusiasm, and pagentry at games like this that the 1st quarter is usually the most exciting part of the game! Everyone is picking Florida but I think Alabama has a more balanced attack, take the Tide by a touchdown

quick shots from work

Been very busy lately with work, CKDU, and family in town. Here are some quick observations while I wait for customers at work;



Buffalo is Finished


The Bills are done. After losing to a horrible niners team on sunday, you can officially eliminate them. Awful QB play was the biggest reason. Trent Edwards has been terrible for over a month, and JP Losman was worse in the second half vs San Fran.



Miami Still Winning...barely


The fish are still in the hunt for a playoff spot via a few ugly wins over sad sacks like the Seahawks, Raiders, and Rams. A win is a win, and I'm sure Buffalo would exchange thier losses to the Browns and Niners for a couple of ugly wins. Miami is now 7-5 and absolutely have to beat Buffalo or the Jets to have a chance at the wildcard. That's assuming they can take care of the Chiefs and Niners. Still, pretty good considering the Dolphins were last year's Detroit Lions.



Lions to go 0-16


I was shocked to see the Lions lose that badly to Tennessee. Yes, the Lions are awful. But I've seen alot of horrible Lion's teams get jacked up for the Turkey game and at least make the game competitive. That game was absolutely embarrasing.


The Lions have home games vs New Orleans and Minnesota, and road ganes vs Indy and Green Bay. It's hard to believe they will be able to win any of those games, let alone be competitive.



Plax Shoots Himself


Talk about embarrasing. I'll leave it to people alot smarter than me to discuss this issue. I'm just glad he shot himself and not someone else. I could care less if I ever see that guy on the field again. Although I'm certain the Cowboys will probably have him in Dallas this time next season.

Colts Still Winning

Has there been a more remarkable story than the Colts this year. Despite all the injuries and a brutal schedule, they are 8-4 and on the verge of a wildcard berth. Peyton Manning played through pain the first few weeks. They have had significant starters on both sides of the ball injured at various points of the season. But they have just found a way to win games.

They needed two miraculous comebacks vs Minnesota and Houston to stay alive early in the season. Then they had huge victories over New England and Pittsburgh. Last week they won on a last play 51 yard field goal by Adam Vinateri over San Diego. This week they beat the Browns 10-6 on a fumble recovery touchdown! They finally get a couple of gimme games the next two weeks as they host horrible Cincinatti and atrocious Detroit. At that point they will be 10-4 and will prob. only need 1 win at Jacksonville or home to Tennessee to make the playoffs.

Steelers are Looking Very Tough

Gentlemen allow me to introduce you to the Pittsburgh Steelers. You may have forgotten about them with the incredible season the Titans have put together, and all the broadway heroics of the New York Bretts. But the Steelers are developing the kind of swagger and big game moxy that propel teams to the Super Bowl.

At the first of the season there was alot of talk about how insane the Steeler's schedule was. It was regarded as the most difficult schedule for any team since 1976! It certainly has not been that difficult, as the combined record of Pittsburgh opponents this season is 65-65. However, when you look at some of the games the Steelers have played, and still have remaining, thier journey to the playoffs has and is pretty daunting. When the Steelers finish their season they will have played games vs the following teams;

NY Giants
Tennessee
Dallas
Indianapolis
Washington
New England
Philadelphia
Baltimore

These 8 teams have a combined record of 63-29!! And remember, they play Baltimore twice. So that's 9 games vs Tier 1 and Tier 2 NFL teams. Crazy! Plus, when they are not playing these teams, they have to deal with bitter rivals Cleveland and Cinci, and the underachieving yet very talented Chargers. So basically the only easy game they had this season was the opener vs. Houston.
So the Steelers are 9-3, and in order to make the playoffs they only have to win at least 2 of 4 vs Dallas, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Cleveland. Wow.

What's my point? If Pittsburgh does make the playoffs, they are my pick to go to the Super Bowl out of the AFC. Hands down.

Monday Night Football, Nov. 18

Edwards Struggles Continue

I've written in previous blogs about how overrated I think Trent Edwards is. He's been killing the Bills with turnovers the past few weeks. Tonight he had three ints in the first quarter! First pick was tipped at the line of scrimmage, but the other two were horrible passes.

They showed a clip of Edwards getting pounded to the turf in week 5 vs the Cardinals, and Tony Kornheiser asked Ron Jaworski if he thought perhaps Edwards was still suffering from a concussion. Jaws is a great colour commentator, but he is not a doctor, so of course he said no. I am surprised however that Jaws did not allude to the possibility that Edwards could be a little gun shy after taking the hit and may not be stepping up in the pocket and stepping into his throws like he was in the first few weeks. Instead he said that Edwards is just going thru the normal up and downs that QB's go through in their career. Sounded like an easy way out to me. Edwards is really struggling and he's killing the Bill's playoff chances. The problem is the backup QB is J.P Losman, so it's Edwards or bust for the Bills.

GO BROWNS

If you're a fan of any other team in the AFC east, the Colts, or the Ravens, you need to cheer hard for the Browns. One more loss for Buffalo, and barring a miracle run, they would be finished. One less team in that crazy wildcard chase is better for everybody...except the Bills of course.

Sens/Rangers

I've been saying on my radio shows that I find the Boston Bruins to be the most boring team to watch in the NHL. I've now seen enough of the Ottawa Senators to declare the Sens as the least exciting team to watch in the NHL. They have exciting players. They just do not play with alot of energy and they take too many nights off. Worse, they seem to drag down their opposing team into listless play as well. Painful to watch.

Browns up 13-0! Bills are lucky to only be down by 13, they have played awful so far.

Wide Right 2008

Remember 20 years ago when the Bills season ended in the Super Bowl on a missed field goal by Scott Norwood that sailed wide right. Well, 20 years later the Bills super bowl aspirations come to an end in week 11 with another missed field goal....ironically wide right.

The Bills had a chance to keep their slim playoff hopes alive after the offence drove to the 30 yard line setting up Rian Lindell with an opportunity to be the hero, but his 47 yard attempt missed and the Bills lost 29-27. The Bills move to 5-5, losers of 4 straight, and will have to pull off a minor miracle to pass all three teams ahead of them in the AFC East, let alone get back in the wildcard race. They`ll have to win at least 5 of thier last 6 just to have a chance, and 1 more loss to an AFC east team would definitely be the final nail in the coffin.

The Browns got a 56 yard boot by Phil Dawson to give them their 4th victory of the year. The Browns still have faint playoff hopes, but would need to win the remainder of their games and alot of help from other teams.

Football Frenzy, Nov.16

Today is one of those perfect sundays that you only get a few times a year. The weather outside is nasty, and there is a full day of big football games on TV. Laval/Calgary, the Huskies and Western, Giants/Ravens, Steelers/ Chargers, a nightcap featuring Dallas/Washington. Crazy. There's even a Raptors game at 2:00!

I'm settling in to watch Laval and Calgary. I was going to write about how Calgary did not have a chance in this game but Laval beat me to the punch. Laval took the opening kickoff and 3 plays later scored a touchdown.

As always, Laval is scary good. They are a permanent fixure atop the rankings each year and they dominate the best conference in the country. It's enough that they are talented and well coached, but they also have 16000 fans cheering them on at the stadium.

It's fun to see Blake Nill on the sidelines of a big game again, but his youthful team is in way over thier heads. I'll be shocked if Calgary stays within 10 points.

Sidenote, if you ever get a chance to see a game at Laval, take it. It's a blast. The atmosphere is awesome. Thousands of red shirted fans walking around with Budweiser 4 packs in their hands. It's a great experience. Laval just made it 14-0 five minutes into the first quarter. Wow.

When I spoke with Huskies Head Coach Steve Summarah on Operation Wakeup last week, I asked him if the Atlantic and Quebec conferences have talked about making sure that there is a SMU/Laval game every year. It's such a great rivalry, and it's good for both conferences.
In the States, each conference has a revolving schedule fortmat, but they make sure that big rivals plays each other every year, i.e. Ohio State vs Michigan in the Big 10. If the Atlantic/Quebec interlock is going to survive, they can't have Laval and SMU go a couple of years without playing each other. It's not alot of fun for anyone watching Laval beat SMU's weak sisters of the AUS by 50 points in Quebec City every year. Laval is literally scoring a touchdown with every paragraph I write. 21-0 halfway thru first quarter!

On another note, CFL/CIS officials, and TSN/The Score executives really dopped the ball on their scheduling this weekend. The CFL had thier games on Saturday, which was smart. However, the CIS games on Sunday, vs. the NFL! Not smart.
If all parties would have come together and created a full day of canadian football, ideally on Saturday, they would have had something very special. All of the games should have been played yesterday, and here's what the schedule could have looked like.
1:00- Calgary vs Laval
4:00-SMU vs Western
7:00- Edmonton vs Montreal
10:00-BC vs Calgary

That would have been a fun day for canadian football fans.

Huskies/Western

17-12 for Western at this point. The Huskies are getting screwed on goal line plays. Western has scored two touchdowns on controversial calls. The first it appeared that the Western player fumbled just before crossing the goal line. On the seond, it looked like the Mustang runner was stopped shy or just at the goal line. It appears the refs have a quick trigger on the touchdown call. Give Western credit. they are moving the ball and making plays. It's a great game so far. If you're watching the Steelers and Chargers, stop. Watch the Huskies game.

Fishing for the Playoffs
The Dolphins improbable march to the playoffs continued today with an ugly win at home vs the horrible Raiders.

They needed a last second field goal to win 17-15. Sometimes a win is a win. Miami now has 6 of them and are set up nicely for a huge divisional game at home vs the Patriots.Miami blew out New England in week 3 when they unveiled their daunted "Wildcat" offence which has since become the darling of the league.
The Pats are 4-3 since that defeat while the fish have gone 5 and 2. Miami has benefitted from the very easy schedule as a result of going 1-15 last year.
The game vs the Patriots will be huge for both teams as the hunt for a wildcard spot is really heating up with the Colts getting back to their old selves.
The Dolphins have the easiest schedule of all playoff contending teams, includingg a home game vs San Fran, and road games vs. KC and St.Louis. Those 3 teams have a combined record of 6 and 24.

Colts are Back in the Mix
Three weeks ago the Colts were 3-4 and two of their wins were on miracle comebacks vs the Vikings and Texans. They beat the Patriots to get their confidence back. Beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh to get their swagger back. Today they took care of business at home vs the Texans, and now they are back in the AFC playoff chase.

The Colts survived a rash of devestating injuries and a brutal 9 game stretch of tough opponents and are now healthy, 6-4, and have several easy games ahead. They have games vs Cincinatti, Cleveland, and Detroit. Assuming they can sweep those three teams, they'll only need to win one of their remaining games vs Jacksonville, San Diego, and undefeated Tennessee. The Titans game could be especially intriging as it is the last game of the year. The Titans may still be in the hunt for an undefeated season and the Colts may need the win to get a Wildcard spot.

Speaking of Tennessee, they are now 10-0. The remainder of their schedule is as follows;
vs NYJ
at Detroit
vs Cleveland
at Houston
vs Pittsburgh
at Indianapolis

If they can beat the Jets, who are starting to look very tough, they should have clear sailing to 14-0. Then in tough vs Pittsburgh and at the Colts. Should get interesting.

Big D is Back!
Think Tony Romo isn't important to the Cowboys. They were on the verge of self destruction while Romo was injured. Now their on the cusp of beating the Skins in Washington. The next two weeks they play San Fran and Seattle, so they should be 8-4 heading into a brutal stretch run where they play the Giants, Steelers, Ravens, and Eagles! Yikes!

Pats/Jets...Tech/Miami....Sens

Settling in for a thursday night of sports. Virginia Tech vs Miami on the Score. Solid ACC game, although ACC games can be pretty bad. Miami is much improved from recent years but still not a solid top 25 team. Tech is down this year. Good game to watch during commercials and halftime of the Pats/Jets.

Sens and Islanders on Sportsnet. Islanders are a bad hockey team and the Sens are just painful to watch some nights. They're just going through the motions. Showed absolutely no fight vs. the Canadiens.

Feature game is obviously the Pats vs Jets. I talked about this game on my Operation Wakeup show wed. morning on CKDU. Critical game for both teams as the AFC East is so tight this year. Plus, from a wildcard perspective, you have the Dolphins, Bills, Colts, Steelers, Ravens, Chargers, and Broncos to worry about. Each game is so important especially vs divisional opponents.

Pats have so many injuries but they just keep plugging guys in. Now they've lost Audalius Thomas the great linebacker to go along with Marvin Harrison. At running back, their top 3 guys are all hurt. Now they've got a rookie, Benjarvus Green-Ellis (great name) running the ball, and last week he put up 100 yards vs Buffalo.

The biggest injury has been losing Tom Brady, but now Matt Cassell is starting to win games for the Pats. He's completing 70 % of his passes and is starting to show some running prowess, running for a touchdown vs the Bills.

I've been reading that this game is why the Jets signed Brett Favre. That this game has to be his coming out game as a Jet. I think all he has to do is not turn the ball over. The Jets have to establish the run with Thomas Jones and set up play action for Favre to complete low risk passes. However, in order for the Jets to win, Favre will probably have to make 3 or 4 big plays. The type of plays that Chad Pennington was never able to make. But if the Jets have turnovers and penalties, they'll lose, becasue the Pats won't have either.

The game has a great deal of intrigue but I would'nt expect an exciting game. With the los of Brady, the Pats are back to beating teams slowly and gradually. The score will prob. be close but there not be alot of scoring and ball control will be the theme.

Senators score! Maybe they'll be just interested enough to beat a bad NYI team.

Guess I was wrong about the footbal game. Been pretty exciting. Great catches, a kickoff return for a touchdown, 3 or 4 big plays. Pats need to get Randy Moss involved. Where is Kevin Faulk? Cassell has a great security blanket in Wes Welker. There's Faulk, a gain of 20.

Senators should just be ashamed of themselves. Losing 3-1 to a bad Islanders team. The Sens were essentially on the power play the last 10 minutes of the game and couldn't score 1 goal! The fans were booing and rightfully so, absolutely disgusting.

What a game. First off, I think the Jets have the best receieving corps in the AFC east, maybe the entire conference. Not only are they fast with good hands, they're all tough as nails. Jones and Washington are tough too. Huge confidence boosting win for the Jets, and puts them in the driving spot to win the division with home games vs Buffalo and Miami left on their schedule.

Chris Collinsworth is a great colour commentatar, i just wish he would not use the tired expression "in space" so much. That has to be the most overused phrase is football this year. "Get him the ball in space!" Enough already.

Matt Cassell is on the cusp of being a pretty good QB, but until he learns how to throw the deep ball with accuracy he won't be great. But he can really run! He reminds me of a bigger Jeff Garcia right now.

Notes from NFL Sunday, Nov. 9.

It's sunday afternoon and there are 2 games available for those of us in the Halifax area who do not have a superfan NFL package or some type of digital cable that give 1000 channels. Currently, the Jets are blowing out the Rams 40-3, and the Bills and Patriots are matched up in a 13-3 barnburner. Some observations:

1) Why does everybody think Trent Edwards is a great QB. The analysts tell us how great he is and how he's an up and coming star. Everytime I watch him he is horrible. He's already thrown 2 interceptions today. Dick Jarron has to get him under control.

2) At least there is a Raptors game on to watch during commercials. Chris Bosh has really picked it up on defence. Being on that Olympic team with Coach K and Kobe obviously made an impression on him.

3) How big is that Colts/Steelers game today. Colts absolutely have to win to stay in wild card contention. Tough chore against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

4) I can't remember an NFL season where there were critical games being played in early November. In the AFC, the entire East division, Ravens, Broncos, Chargers, Colts, Browns, and Jaguars are all battling for wildcard spots. In The NFC, the entire east division, Bears, Vikings, Packers, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints, and Panthers are all battling. The NFL tries to have parity, they got it this year.

5) On my radio show on CKDU (Wednesdays at 8 am, 88.1, ckdu.ca) I talked about how the Patriots will still win 11-12 games this season without Tom Brady. They''ll simply do it the way they used too...ugly. Today's game vs Buffalo is a prime example.

6) Wonder why the Falcons are 6-3. It's not just Matt Ryan. The offensive line and Michael Turner are accounting for the league's best running attack. Today in a pivotal game with the Saints, Matt Ryan was not sacked once. The defence is pretty good too.

7) It was nearly deja vu all over again for the Chargers. Leading 20-13 with the Chiefs driving late, the Chargers fell victim to a horrible pass interference call giving KC the ball 0n the 1 yard line. The Chiefs got the touchdown, and then, just like the Broncos in week 2 vs San Diego, decided to go for 2 and the win. This time the Chargers defence stood pat and they won a critical game to keep them in the playoff chase. Pretty gutsy call by Herman Edwards. The only problem is that he's no Mike Shanahan. The Chargers are now 4-5 and need only to overtake the defenceless Denver Broncos at 5-4 to win the AFC West.

8) After the Bills/Pats game mecifully came to an end, the Bills had found themselves the losers of three straight games...versus divisional opponents none the less. Dolphins, Jets, Patriots in three weeks. Not good. The Bills still have 1 game each vs AFC east teams and 4 relatively easy games vs Cleveland, KC, San Fran, and Denver. Trent Edwards has to stop turning the ball over.

9) After nine weeks did anybody think the Dolphins would have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Cowboys? At 5-4, the Fish still have the Raiders and Niners at home, and travel to KC and St.Louis.Those 4 teams have a combined record of 7 wins and 28 losses. That should give Miami 9 wins, which means each game vs the Jets, Bills, and Pats will be critical.

10) That Colts/Steelers game was awesome. The Steelers were lucky to nearly win it, I thought the Colts really outplayed them. Marvin Harrison is a shell of what he once was.

11) Settling in for the Giants/Eagles, Eli Manning just threw a horrible interception, setting the Eagles up first and goal.