NFL Divisional Playoffs

Cardinals @ Saints - Will we see any defense in this game? Both offenses are capable of scoring at rates that only seem possible on video games. Drew Brees lead America's new team, the Saints, to a 13-0 start before losing to the Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Panthers to close out the season. The Colts are worried that the Saints dont have any momentum going into the playoffs. Maybe the Cardinals defense is all that they need to get going. After holding the Packers to 10 first half points last Sunday, they allowed 35 in the 2nd half. Which defense shows up? I believe the key to this game is which team can run the football better. Arizona drafted Beanie Wells in part because he does run his hardest in big games. The Saints have a stable of backs that can run and catch lead by Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. I hope for a repeat of last weeks Cards/Pack shootout - Saints 42 Cardinals 35.

Ravens @ Colts - Jon Gruden told on funny joke when the Ravens played the Browns on Monday Night Football - if the Ravens wore throwback jersey's they would be the Browns. Well if the Colts wore throwback uniforms, they would be the Baltimore Colts.
This game does not lack star power. Peyton Manning on offense. Ray Lewis on defense. The best offensive player of the decade against the best defensive player of the decade. It doesnt get much better.
The Ravens have been playing "big boy" football lately and they raised plenty of eyebrows with there dismantling of the Patriots on Sunday. Plenty of people think that the Colts have some magical formula to get to the Super Bowl by resting there starters, well the reality is they dont - they have lost 3 straight postseason games after they have a bye. I know the Ravens have never beaten the former team from Baltimore, but I gotta feeling on this one - Ravens 27 Colts 10.

Cowboys @ Vikings - I have not hid the fact that I am not a Brett Favre fan. My biggest fear is that the Vikings will win (not because of Favre, obviously) and the people at ESPN will get full blown erections because they get to talk about Brett Favre for another week. Did I mention Brett Favre is playing? Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Favre.
Heres the real story. The Cowboys have been playing better than anybody, except for the Chargers the last 2 months of the season. And while the Vikings got off to the 10-1 start they have not looked good down the stretch, getting there noses bloodied by the Cardinals, and getting embarrassed by Carolina and Chicago (teams that didnt make the playoffs). If the Vikings do win the game, it will be because of a great defensive effort to shut down the Cowboys offense that is able to run and pass, probably led by Jared Allen and Antoine Winfield (by the way, there is not a better cornerback playing this weekend than Winfield, just saying). But I like the Cowboys in this game because they can run and they can rush the passer. Heres hoping Flozell Adams keeps Tony Romo upright - Cowboys 33 Vikings 16.

Jets @ Chargers - Mark Sanchez made me eat my words last week when he was the one that delivered the plays that Carson Palmer couldnt. Beating the Bengals is one thing, if the kid is able to beat the Chargers Eric Mangini may get fired instantly for letting him get away. All the talk has been about how good the Jets D is. And they are very good. But Darrelle Revis is only 5'11". He will be primarily covering WR Vincent Jackson who is 6'5". Advantage Chargers.
One thing the Jets did very well last week was blitz the passer. Expect those blitzes to be tamed down this week because San Diego is the best screen passing team, especially to Darren Sproles who I expect to have a big game. The Chargers will get an early lead, and the Jets will never be able to recover. Chargers 31 Jets 13.

Here's hoping for a weekend of fun and exciting games!

2010 College Football Top 10

I am glad that I waited to unveil my rankings because with Pete Carroll bolting to the NFL and Lane Kiffin taking over at USC there was a big shake up in the college football world. When looking to next season, there is a lot to consider. No team is perfect. Here is my look at the 2010 top 10:

1. Alabama - They almost everybody including the Heisman winner Mark Ingram, but certainly losing key defensive players will hurt them some. But Nick Saban is a great recruiter and I am sure he will find some athletes to replace the departing players. Bama has key games vs. Penn St and Florida early in the season so we should know how focused and ready they are to defend their title early.

2. Ohio St - Terrelle Pryor is the key to the season. The schedule sets up nice with Miami (Fl), Penn St, and Michigan at home and key road games @ Wisconsin and Iowa. If Pryror can be the caretaker he was down the stretch I like Ohio St's chances of running the table. If he has a slip up, I dont think the media will be forgiving with Ohio State.

3. USC - For a program that is under NCAA investigation, hiring Lane Kiffin was a bold move. They get rewarded for this bold move by a high ranking in this poll. Kiffin is inheriting a much better situation that the one he had at Tennessee. Even with the better competition in the PAC 10, Kiffin will be able to win from day 1. He is bringing a "dream team" of coaches so I trust the players will be ready to go(his father, Monte, will be defensive coordinator, Norm Chow as offensive coordinator, and recruiting genius Ed Orgeron).

4. Boise St. - Matt Tramba has them ranked @ #1! With 21 of 22 starters returning from an undefeated season, I understand why. Boise will get its chance to prove it belongs by playing Oregon St and traveling to Virginia Tech, teams that will be ranked in the top 25. But my problem with Boise is that they only have to win 2 games because the rest of there schedule is filled with essentially 1AA opponents.

5. Florida - Gator fans will miss Tim Tebow. But Florida is getting all the best players and Im sure Urban will have this team ready to eat nails when they rematch with Bama on October 2nd.

6. Nebraska - The Black Shirts are backs! Certainly losing King Kong from your defense will hurt, but they had a young offense and I trust Bo Pelini's ability to coach 'em up on the defensive side.

7. Pittsburgh - RB Dion Lewis is a stud. I expect the Panthers will be able to replace Bill Stull at QB because of Lewis and WR Jonathan Baldwin.

8. Wisconsin - RB John Clay goes into beast mode every game. QB Scott Tolzien was improving. This team really impressed me in there bowl game against Miami.

9. Texas - QB Garrett Gilbert got his baptism by fire in the National Championship game, but he got his feet under him in the second half. Texas has been able to recruit top players, so I think they will be able to surround Gilbert with enough players to compete in the Big 12.

10. Oregon - They have almost everybody coming back from a video game offense. But the defense will have to be improved in order for them to compete with USC and Oregon St for the PAC 10 title.

Playoff Preview

As I look ahead at the NFL playoffs, I think a legitimate case can be made for any team to win as evident by the Cardinals' playoff run last season. Each of the games this weekend is a rematch from the regular season, with 3 out of 4 being rematches from last Sunday so kudos to the NFL schedule makers for the playoff previews. Lets breakdown the games individually:

Jets @ Bengals - The Jets dominated the Bengals in New York on Sunday night, 37-0. The Bengals were resting several starters on Sunday, mainly RB Cedric Benson. The Jets do have the leagues #1 defense and #1 rushing attach - 2 very important aspects of winning in the playoffs. The Bengals also have a very improved defense and running game, but they have not had the same explosiveness on offense since WR Chris Henry was injured in the second Pittsburgh game. The determining factor for me is who will make the fewer mistakes. If your choosing a QB to make a play, you will pick Carson Palmer over Mark Sanchez especially in the windy cold weather in Cincinnati. Much has been hyped about how god Jets CB Darrell Revis is, but what should be noted is how well the Bengals CBs have played this season (Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph). This will allow the Bengals to load up the box and stop the Jets rushing attack. My pick is Bengals 9 Jets 7.

Eagles @ Cowboys - This rematch from last Sunday is the one game that actually did have meaning. Many people want to say the Eagles packed it in, but if they won that game they would have not only won the division but gotten a bye week. The Cowboys have been telling us all year that this is a different team. And it has, because this team finished strong. I think the Cowboys will be able to run the football like they have in there other 2 victories over the Eagles and Romo will not make the big mistakes. I know Eagles coach Andy Reid has never lost on wildcard weekend (7-0), and Dallas coach Wade Phillips has never won a playoff game (0-4), but I believe this Cowboys team is different. Cowboys 38 Eagles 23

Ravens @ Patriots - What a set up - Ravens are 5-2 all time on the road in the playoffs, Patriots have not lost a home playoff game since the 1970s. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they will be without WR Wes Welker who injured his knee last weekend. This is a rematch from Week 4 - the Patriots beat the Ravens 27-21 after some controversial penalties kept the Patriots drive alive and allowed them to win the game. The Ravens are very capable of pulling this upset, but I am picking Brady and Belichick because they I trust in them to make the play when it matters. Patriots 21 Ravens 17.

Packers @ Cardinals - Nobody gave the Cardinals a chance to win 1 game in the last postseason and they ended up winning 3 and came within seconds of winning the Super Bowl - so take this as a lesson that any team can truly win the Super Bowl. This team is very dangerous and does seem to have a proverbial switch that they can flip when they have to win a game. But this a good Packer team, who would have won its final 8 games if not for a miraculous catch by the Steelers. The key has been keeping Aaron Rodgers upright and playing good defense (LB Clay Matthews Jr. has my vote for defensive rookie of the year). The Cardinals are banged up - with injuries to WR Anquan Boldin, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and DL Calais Campbell. My pick is the Packers 28 Cardinals 24.

So what do I predict for the rest of the playoffs?

Divisional Playoffs:
Colts over Bengals
Chargers over Patriots
Cowboys over Vikings
Saints over Packers

Conference Championships:
Chargers over Colts
Cowboys over Saints

Super Bowl XLIV:
Chargers 31 Cowboys 28

Enjoy watching the games - it should be a fun and exciting month!

The Tide Rolls!

Congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide on winning the national championship.

But I have to say, the whole game had an odd feel to me. Alabama won the coin toss and elected the to receive (very odd choice for a defensive team). They came out flat on offense, while Texas' defense looked ready. Than Alabama tried what has to be the worst fake punt play ever that was intercepted by Texas. On the 5th play of the game, Alabama's defense knocked Texas QB Colt McCoy out of the game with what looked like a routine tackle. After Texas kicked a field goal, Alabama players seemed to run away from football and gave Texas great field position and another field goal.

Alabama then settled in on both sides of the ball, featuring Heisman trophy winning running back Mark Ingram on offense and attacking Texas freshman QB Garrett Gilbert who just seemed over matched. As Alabama kicked a field goal to go up 17-6 with :29 left in the 1st half, Texas in explicitly tried a shovel pass which was intercepted and returned for touchdown by Alabama, putting the Tide up 24-6 at the half.

The second half was a little more normal. Nick Saban came out with a very conservative game plan. Jim Tressel called his game plan conservative. Texas took advantage of that by chipping away at the lead, eventually making the score 24-21 in the 4th quarter led by the freshman QB Gilbert. But Alabama flipped the switch again, and the freshman once again looked over matched and ended up winning 37-21.

After the game, you can see the Nick Saban gatorade bath here - http://www.bustersports.com/blog/buster-blog/2010/01/08/nick-saban-takes-a-gatorade-jug-to-the-face-video/
- where Saban's players seemed to attack him more than lovingly dump water on him. How about Nick Saban after the game? I dont think I saw the guy smile. He seemed upset to win. Hey Nick, you just won the biggest prize in your profession how about 1 little smile? This begs the question, what does make Nick Saban happy? Because it clearly seems that winning does not.

All in all, I have to say I felt bad for Colt McCoy. I would have liked to watch the whole game with him playing in it. I felt bad for Texas' freshman QB Garrett Gilbert, he just seemed like he was walking on the highway. But Congrats to Alabama for taking advantage of the situation and winning the game, in my opinion they were the best team in the nation.

BCS Bowl Breakdown

Another blog update, another pic of T looking good!

Let me give credit where it is do, Matt Tramba correctly said that Georgia Tech is soft and Iowa would roll. He also said that Boise would win and he said Boise will run the table and be national champions next season, so he is on the hook for a bold prediction in 2010!

BCS National Championship game tonight. I like the Tide, I think they will roll, even if they have the Heisman jinx on there side. But make no mistake Texas has a tough D capable of shutting down the Bama run game which would force Bama's QB Greg McElroy to win the game, which he was able to do against Auburn and Florida. I expect this to be a low scoring defensive battle with Bama taking care of the football and winning the game in the 4th quarter.

Predicted score: Alabama 19 Texas 10

10 BOLD Predictions for 2010

Let me be the last to wish you a Happy New Year! As I look forward to the year ahead I have alot of predictions, some of the bolder than others and I want to share them with you.

10. The Tide will roll. Alabama will win by double digits over a Texas team that has struggled playing against the top defenses (and we all can agree Alabama is the top defense).
9. Jimmie Johnson will NOT win the Sprint Cup. The streak ends @ 4. This will be the extent of my NASCAR posts, sorry Big Poz.
8. Gilbert Arenas will go to jail. This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard of, but Arenas allegedly brought 3 unloaded guns into the arena and placed them on a chair to "play a joke" on a teammate. Washington DC has similar gun laws to New York City, the place that put Plaxico Burress away for shooting himself in the leg. At the very least, Arenas will be suspended for double digit games.
7. FANTASY ALERT - Breakout stars for Baseball - Julio Borbon, OF, Tex. Gordon Beckham, 3B, CHW. Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Col. I also think Dan Haren will be the top fantasy pitcher.
6. Michigan will win 9 games. Interesting schedule, best games - vs. UConn (to open season), @ ND, @ Penn St, @ Ohio State. If they ever are going to work under RichRod this will be the year. I think they may slip up once or twice, but this will be a better team all around.
5. The Indians will contend for the Central division. Maybe its not that bold, but I think the lineup will come together and keep them in it but too many soft tossing lefties will force them to lose the big games.
4. The Cavs will make it to the NBA finals, but lose to the Lakers in a 7 game series. The Cavs will dominate the Celtics in a 5 game series. But the Lakers will prove to be too much and Kobe will be the one asking Shaq how his ass tastes.
3. Ohio State will run the table in the regular season. I really dont think its that bold but they do have to make a trip to Wisconsin and Iowa, both tough places to play. Maybe its not that bold because they should be favored in every single game.
2. The San Diego Chargers will come from behind and beat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl 44. Tony Romo will have a great playoff run. Pip Rivers, who has been hot all year will lead them to a convincing victory over the Colts and than the Cowboys.
1. Whats the boldest prediction of the year? The New York Yankees will NOT make the playoffs. The Rays will be better than a year ago. And I have a feeling that the Red Sox pitching staff will be enough to make it over the Yanks.

Rose Bowl Reaction

I was very impressed with Ohio State this afternoon. This win capped off a great day by the Big 10, but also was a huge win for the program because they were able to get the proverbial monkey off their back.

I really liked the game plan by the coaches. They were able to get Pryor comfortable early by completing a lot of high percentage passes (they called a pass play 9 of there first 10 plays!) and were able to play keep away from the high powered Oregon offense. And when Oregon was on offense they never

Ohio State's defense stepped up to the challenge as well. As suspected, Oregon was able to get a few big plays but Ohio State always tightened down in the red zone. Ohio State never allowed Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli to get comfortable and forced them into several 3 & outs (Oregon converted 2 of 11 3rd downs).

My only complaint is that Oregon won the special teams battle - they always seemed to get a great field position from their return man Kenjon Barner. But that was only a blip.

The best part of this game, for me, was when Oregon tied the game at 10-10. I asked the question - how would Ohio State respond? Because they had gotten off to quick starts in past BCS games that did not end so favorably. But they had a very nice drive that turned into a field goal and than the defense forced a turnover that got us an additional 3 points before the half. Ohio State also answered the bell in the second half when Oregon came down and scored to begin the 2nd half.

Overall, it was a great effort. This Ohio State senior class had been in so many big games and never won, it was nice to send them out on top!