Happy New Year everybody! As 2012 begins, the 2011 NFL regular season ends. And as we enter Week 17, we know very little about the playoffs. Sure, we know nine of the 12 teams that will be there, but a grand total of two teams have been locked into their positions, and seven teams are still alive for the final three spots. It's going to result in a crazy Week 17, which consists of just divisional matchups for the second straight year. Of the 16 games being played this weekend, 12 of them have some bearing on the playoff race. Let's start with those four:
Colts (2-13) at Jaguars (4-11): Indianapolis-After not winning for three and a half months, the Colts did it twice in five days. As a result, they might end up losing the No. 1 pick that seemed theirs for the taking all season. Of all their good streaks that the Colts have seen snapped this season, they still have a chance to keep one alive. They've never finished with a losing record in the AFC South. Believe it or not, Indy's actually the team with the momentum entering this game. In order to keep the No. 1 pick, they're going to need a Rams loss, because I think the Colts end the season on a three-game winning streak.
Bears (7-8) at Vikings (3-12): Chicago-This game would be a lot more interesting if the Bears had signed Donovan McNabb. I thought they might give the Packers a game on Christmas night. Instead they were embarrassed and put Atlanta into the playoffs. Chicago's been in a free fall since Jay Cutler got hurt. Minnesota managed a win last week. Who's going to win? Who cares? (For the record, I'm going with the Bears to end up .500.)
Redskins (5-10) at Eagles (7-8): Philadelphia-The Winter Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park on Monday because Lincoln Financial Field is being used for this meaningless football game. With a win, the Eagles can actually finish .500 and salvage second place in the NFC East. In December, Philly has looked like the team everyone expected them to be this season. There's no way the Eagles lose this game.
Seahawks (7-8) at Cardinals (7-8): Arizona-Last season, the 6-9 Seahawks played the 7-8 Rams for the NFC West title in the final game. With a win, Seattle became the first sub-.500 playoff team in NFL history. That's obviously not going to happen again this year, seeing as the 49ers clinched the division weeks ago. But the winner of this one finishes in a very quiet second-place with a respectable 8-8 record (maybe the NFC West isn't as bad as everybody thinks). I think that's going to be Arizona, my early pick for 2012's sleeper team.
Now on to the games affecting the AFC playoff race (which is virtually all of them):
Bills (6-9) at Patriots (12-3): New England-I'm starting with the only easy one. With a win, the Patriots clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Bills, who at one point this season were 5-2, snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 40-14 thumping of the Tebows in the snow last week. They also beat New England earlier this season. The last time that happened, the Patriots beat them 31-0 in Foxboro in the season finale. Don't be surprised if that happens again. The road to the Super Bowl in the AFC goes through New England.
Steelers (11-4) at Browns (4-11): Pittsburgh-Things are also simple for Pittsburgh. They need a win and a Ravens loss to win the AFC North. If not, they're the No. 5 seed and hit the road next weekend. Seeing as they play in a division that could end up with three playoff teams, drawing the only one that definitely won't be is a huge advantage for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger didn't play last week. They were playing the Rams, so it didn't matter. He's probable this week, but it doesn't matter again. The Steelers will take care of their business, then wait and see what happens in Cincinnati.
Ravens (11-4) at Bengals (9-6): Cincinnati-This is the closest thing there is to a playoff game in the AFC this week. If Baltimore wins, they've achieved their sole mission for this season: winning the AFC North and getting a home playoff game. If Cincinnati wins, the Bengals are going to the playoffs (who'd a thunk it at the beginning of the year that you could have Houston, Detroit, Cincinnati and either Denver or Oakland all in the playoffs?). The Ravens went 8-0 at home this season, making that postseason home game all the more important. The Bengals also know the importance of this game, and good for them for getting the sellout! I'm really torn about this game. I think Baltimore's the best team in the AFC, but if the Bengals win, it's makes everyone's life easier, as we'll avoid the potential four-way tiebreaker for one wild card spot. This one really could go either way. I've been a Bengals hater all season, but I've come around. Go Cincy!
Chiefs (6-9) at Tebows (8-7): Denver-Denver had a chance to clinch the AFC West last week, but got clobbered in Buffalo. As a result, the Tebows are now tied with Oakland for the division lead. Denver owns the tiebreaker, though, so the Tebows just need to beat Kansas City at home to clinch a trip to the playoffs. But the Chiefs are a completely different team under Romeo Crennel. They ended the Packers' undefeated season, then took the Raiders to overtime last week. This'll be a tough one, but with that amped-up hometown crowd and the potential to clinch a playoff berth, the Tebows snap their two-game losing streak.
Chargers (7-8) at Raiders (8-7): Oakland-I don't know how, but San Diego has been eliminated from playoff contention even if the AFC West finishes in a three-way tie at 8-8. The Raiders need a win and a Chiefs win to clinch the division. Oakland's still in the hunt for a wild card, but need a win, a loss by Cincinnati and a whole bunch of other stuff to happen in that case. The only thing the Raiders can control is whether or not they win, which I think they will.
Titans (8-7) at Texans (10-5): Tennessee-The only thing we know in the AFC is that the Texans will be the No. 3 seed and play whoever comes out of this wild card jumble. So, it's a distinct possibility that the Titans could play back-to-back games in Houston for the first time since they were the Oilers. The Titans appear to be third in line for that wild card berth, but trying to figure all that out just gives me a headache. Does anyone outside of Nashville even know that they still have a chance at the playoffs? Meanwhile, Houston's limping into the playoffs, having lost two straight to not very good teams (Carolina and Indianapolis). All the stars appear to be lining up for a Titans victory.
Jets (8-7) at Dolphins (5-10): Jets-I can't believe it took me three weeks to make a "Tony Sparano Got Whacked" joke. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, the Jets certainly haven't looked like a playoff team in the last two weeks. As a result, they probably won't be, although there's still an extremely outside possibility that they could somehow make it. But they need a win and losses by Cincinnati, Tennessee and at least one of the AFC West teams. For some reason, I think Rex Ryan will succeed in getting the Jets up for this game and doing everything they need to do. But it won't be enough.
Fortunately, things are a little clearer in the NFC:
49ers (12-3) at Rams (2-13): San Francisco-Ladies and gentlemen, the San Francisco 49ers are back! For San Francisco, the mission is simple: beat the Rams, earn a bye. Otherwise, the Saints can overtake them for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. I don't see the 49ers winning in New Orleans, so beating the hapless Rams is a must. If the Rams win, they avoid the No. 1 pick. St. Louis should start listening to trade offers for Andrew Luck, because the 49ers are going to win.
Panthers (6-9) at Saints (12-3): New Orleans-The Saints have convinced themselves they can win on the road in the playoffs. Even though I think they're the second-best team in football, I'm not sure about that. The reason that they give is their running game. The Saints have a running game? Drew Brees throws the ball on every freakin' down! Anyway, New Orleans needs a win and a San Francisco loss to avoid playing next week. They'll take care of their part in that scenario.
Buccaneers (4-11) at Falcons (9-6): Atlanta-Fortunately, the Falcons clinched a playoff berth before they even took the field last week. 'Cause they got thumped pretty badly in New Orleans. As a result, the Falcons now know that they'll be hitting the road as a wild card team next weekend. The only question is where are they going? The only way to avoid the No. 6 seed (and potentially a return trip to the Big Easy) is to win and have the Packers beat the Lions. Since that's an early game (as are 49ers-Rams and Saints-Panthers) and Falcons-Bucs is a late game, Atlanta could know where it's going before even taking the field. Tampa Bay's a mess. They'll end the season with a 10-game losing streak that costs Raheem Morris his job.
Lions (10-5) at Packers (14-1): Green Bay-This is the only Week 17 matchup between teams that are definitely going to the playoffs, although it means relatively little in the grand scheme of things. The Lions did themselves a huge favor by wrapping up a playoff spot last week and not having to rely on winning in Lambeau to get in. The Thanksgiving game was competitive and proved that the Lions definitely deserve their place in the playoffs. Neither team is playing for much. The Packers locked up home field last week, and I really don't think it matters to the Lions who they play next weekend. As for Green Bay, they can, and will, tie the NFC record for wins by finishing the season 15-1 (joining the 1984 49ers, 1985 Bears and 1998 Vikings).
Cowboys (8-7) at Giants (8-7): Giants-The only winner-take-all matchup of Week 17 is the final game of the 2011 NFL regular season. It's the second Giants-Cowboys matchup on Sunday Night Football in four weeks. The first one was a classic, as the Giants won 38-35 to move into first place. They responded by laying an egg against Washington the next week, but rebounded to beat the Jets on Christmas Eve. Dallas beat Tampa Bay right after the loss to the Giants, but their loss to the Eagles last week put us right back where we started. The Giants seem to play to the level of their competition, which bodes well for them in the rematch with Dallas. After 15 games, I still don't know what to make of the Cowboys. They had their fate in their hands, then got completely dominated by the Eagles. Adding injury to insult, Tony Romo was knocked out of the game. I'll be shocked if he doesn't play on Sunday, but you know Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck are going to go after that hand. Of their three division opponents, it seems to be the Cowboys that always brings out the best in the Giants. That home crowd's going to make a HUGE difference. The Cowboys began the season with a loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football. They'll end it with a loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Except this time, it'll keep Dallas out of the playoffs. The Giants win this week and host the first playoff game in MetLife Stadium history next week against either the Falcons or Lions.
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 156-84
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Top 11 Games of 2011
Last year at this time, I unveiled my list of the Top 10 Games of 2010. Well, with 2011 coming to an end, I figured it was a good time to once again do that list. However, since it's the top games of 2011, there's 11 on the list instead of just 10. As for the selection rules, the same ones used last year still apply. The games have to have taken place during the calendar year, and only one per sport. With all that in mind, here we go:
11. Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez-November 12, Las Vegas
This one probably would've made its way onto the list even if I hadn't added a game. It was voted "Event of the Year" by the boxing magazine Ring. The first time they fought, in 2004, it was a draw. Four years later, Manny Pacquiao won a split decision. The third part of the trilogy was for the WBO welterweight title. It sold out the MGM Grand and drew a record number of pay-per-view buys on HBO. It was a great fight. Very close and evenly-matched throughout. In the end, many experts thought Marquez had won. However, it was a majority decision for Pacquiao, who kept his belt.
10. Indianapolis 500-May 29, Indianapolis
The Indy 500 celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and fans were treated to a classic. There were 23 lead changes among 10 different drivers. With three laps to go, rookie J.R. Hildebrand moved into the lead with 2005 winner Dan Wheldon in second. As the white flag came out, it looked like Hildebrand would cruise to the victory. However, as he was rounding the final turn, he moved to get around another car and ended up slamming into the wall. Wheldon passed Hildebrand just as the yellow flag came out, giving him his second Indy 500 title. Sadly, it was the final victory of Wheldon's career, as he died tragically in a horiffic crash during the season finale in Las Vegas five months later.
9. Giants 37, Cowboys 34-December 11, Arlington, TX
I'm aware of the fact that this game was less than a month ago. I'm also aware that it's nowhere near as significant as the rematch on Sunday night. But, what a game! There were nine lead changes, but Dallas appeared to be sitting pretty when Tony Romo hit Dez Bryant for a 50-yard touchdown pass that gave the Cowboys a 34-22 lead with 5:41 left. That's when Eli Manning took over. First there was an eight-yard TD pass to Jake Ballard at the 3:14 mark that cut the deficit to five, 34-29. After a Cowboys three-and-out, Eli led another touchdown drive that was capped by Brandon Jacobs' one-yard run. The two-point conversion was good, putting the Giants up 37-34. Dallas drove into field goal range and made the game-tying 47-yarder with six seconds left, but the Giants used their final timeout just before the kick, so it didn't count. Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul, who already had a safety in the game, blocked the second attempt, sealing the comeback win.
8. Bruins 4, Canadiens 3 (OT) (Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 7)-April 27, Boston
The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs were phenomenal. Overtimes and Game 7's abounded. This matchup between longtime rivals had both. The Bruins lost the first two games of the series on home ice before winning three straight. The Canadiens then tied the series with a 2-1 win in Montreal in Game 6. One night later, this epic series ended with a classic Game 7. The Bruins led 2-0 after just 5:33, but Montreal came back to tie it at 2-2. Chris Kelly gave Boston a 3-2 lead midway through the third before P.K. Subban's power play goal with less than two minutes remaining sent it into overtime. 5:43 into the extra session, Nathan Horton found the back of the net to end the series. The Bruins would go on to win two more Game 7's, including one in the Finals, to win the Stanley Cup.
7. Butler 71, Pittsburgh 70 (NCAA Tournament, "Third" Round)-March 19, Washington
In a crazy NCAA Tournament, this game might've been the craziest. After a last-second win over Old Dominion, 2010 Tournament darling Butler was at it again against top-seeded Pitt in the "third" round. Butler took a 70-69 lead on Andrew Smith's layup with three seconds left, then Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Gilbert Brown. Brown made the first free throw to tie the game, then missed the second. Matt Howard grabbed the rebound and it looked like the game was going to overtime, but Pitt's Nasir Robinson committed one of the stupidest fouls I've ever seen in my life, sending Howard to the line. He made the first one, then missed the second on purpose to run out the clock. Butler eventually made it to the National Championship Game for the second straight year.
6. Auburn 22, Oregon 19 (BCS "National Championship" Game)-January 10, Glendale, AZ
As you know, I don't watch college football, so I'm basing this selection mainly on the suggestion of others. Both teams came into the game undefeated, so, in this case, the BCS was less of a sham than it normally is. They both scored a lot of points, so people expected the game to be high-scoring. Instead, the first quarter was scoreless. There was plenty of scoring in the second quarter, though, and Auburn led 16-11 at halftime. Auburn kicked a field goal in the third quarter before Oregon tied it on a LeMichael James touchdown and successful two-point conversion with 2:33 left. Auburn drove 73 yards on the final drive and appeared to score the winning touchdown, but replay showed that the runner's knee was down before the goal line. The ball was placed at the one-yard line and two seconds were put on the clock, and Auburn kicked a field goal as time expired to win the "National Championship."
5. Mavericks 95, Heat 93 (NBA Finals, Game 2)-June 2, Miami
Since I don't watch the NBA either, my man Ronak Patel made this pick for me. I've got to admit, Ronak made a pretty good call. Miami led by 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Dallas came all the way back, going ahead 93-90 on a Dirk Nowitzki three-pointer with 26.7 seconds left. Mario Chalmers, who hit the three for eventual National Champion Kansas to send the 2008 NCAA Championship Game against nobody (since, according to the NCAA, Memphis wasn't there) into overtime, then drained a trey for Miami two seconds later. But Nowitzki wasn't done. He drove down (with an injured hand) and sank a layup to give the Mavericks a 95-93 lead with 3.6 seconds to go. The Heat didn't have any timeouts left, and Dwayne Wade's three-point attempt at the buzzer clanged off the back rim. The Dallas victory evened the series at 1-1, en route to the Mavericks' first championship.
4. Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62 (Women's Final Four)-April 3, Indianapolis
After Stanford ended UConn's 90-game winning streak, the women's basketball world couldn't wait for a rematch in the National Championship Game. Texas A&M had other ideas. Just to get to the Final Four, Texas A&M had to play Baylor for the fourth time in the Dallas Regional final. After losing the first three games, the Aggies finally got by Brittany Griner and Co. to advance to the Final Four. Stanford led by 10 with six minutes left before Texas A&M gradually clawed its way back into the game. The Aggies went up 59-58 with 53 seconds remaining, setting off a wild final minute that featured five lead changes. Nneka Ogwumike gave Stanford a 62-61 lead with nine seconds to go, and Texas A&M didn't have any timeouts left. It didn't matter. Sydney Colson drove the length of the court and dished to Tyra White, who sank the winning layup with 3.3 seconds left on the clock.
3. Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 (US Open Semifinals)-September 10, New York
Novak Djokovic completely dominated men's tennis in 2011. His rise to No. 1 might've started at the 2010 US Open, when he came back from two match points down to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. Twelve months later, it was rematch time, except now Novak was the favorite. Federer had handed Djokovic his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the French Open and was looking to keep alive his streak of having won at least one Grand Slam tournament every year since his first in 2003. Roger jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Djokovic rallied to force a fifth set. In the fifth, Roger served for the match at 5-3, and he quickly jumped out to a 40-15 lead. Djokovic saved the first match point with a crazy forehand winner, then got to deuce when Roger's down-the-line forehand (his bread-and-butter shot) clipped the tape. That was the beginning of the end for Roger, who was broken, then dropped the next three games, as well to lose the match. All the rain and the havoc it caused with the schedule didn't matter during this match. This semifinal was tennis at its best.
2. United States 2, Brazil 2 (Penalty Kicks: 5-3) (Women's World Cup Quarterfinals)-July 10, Dresden, Germany
We all know the story of this game. For three weeks, it seemed like nobody even knew the Women's World Cup was going on. Then one phenomenal game later, everything changed. The U.S. took an early lead on a Brazilian own goal less than two minutes in before the sensational Marta tied it on a penalty kick in the 68th minute. There was an American red card on that play, meaning the U.S. was down to 10 players for the rest of the game. Regulation ended with the score still 1-1, but Marta scored again early in overtime. Brazil then resorted to stalling tactics trying to kill the clock. A Brazilian defender even went down with a fake injury, only to be magically healed (and receive a yellow card) as soon as she was taken off the field. It looked like the Americans were dead, but one final rush (during the time that was added while she was rolling around on the field) resulted in a gorgeous Megan Rapinoe cross finding the head of Abby Wambach, who found the back of the net as the game was literally seconds away from ending. The game went into the penalty kick shootout, and, after three American goals, Hope Solo stopped Brazil's third shot. After a goal by each team on its fourth attempt, Ali Krieger converted her opportunity. Game USA. This amazing game was one of the best soccer games I've ever seen, men or women, and was clearly going to be No. 1 on this countdown until...
1. Cardinals 10, Rangers 9 (11 innings) (World Series, Game 6)-October 27, St. Louis
A crazy final hour of the regular season was just the precursor to an incredible postseason that included one of the best games in the history of the sport. Texas led the series 3-2 and took a 7-5 lead into the ninth inning of Game 6. With closer Neftali Feliz on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, Texas was one strike away from its first World Series title. However, David Freese tied the game at 7-7 with a two-out, two-strike, two-run triple. Texas went back in front, 9-7, on Josh Hamilton's two-run homer in the top of the 10th. After an RBI groundout by Ryan Theriot made it 9-8, the Rangers were again one strike away from the championship in the bottom of the 10th. That's when Lance Berkman, who scored the tying run in the ninth, delivered a game-tying RBI single. Texas was held scoreless in the top of the 11th, and Freese led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off homer to straightaway center field, sending the World Series to Game 7 for the first time in nine years. It was the first time in World Series history that a team was down to its final strike twice, yet came back to win. St. Louis trailed five times in the game, including two-run deficits in both the ninth and 10th. The Cardinals also became the first team in history to score runs in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings in the same World Series game. St. Louis capped its unlikely run to the championship the following night, but its Game 6 that will be remembered. Unbelievable, amazing, incredible, memorable, all of the above. Whatever adjective you use, there's no question that Game 6 of the World Series was far and away the Game of the Year for 2011.
11. Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez-November 12, Las Vegas
This one probably would've made its way onto the list even if I hadn't added a game. It was voted "Event of the Year" by the boxing magazine Ring. The first time they fought, in 2004, it was a draw. Four years later, Manny Pacquiao won a split decision. The third part of the trilogy was for the WBO welterweight title. It sold out the MGM Grand and drew a record number of pay-per-view buys on HBO. It was a great fight. Very close and evenly-matched throughout. In the end, many experts thought Marquez had won. However, it was a majority decision for Pacquiao, who kept his belt.
10. Indianapolis 500-May 29, Indianapolis
The Indy 500 celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011, and fans were treated to a classic. There were 23 lead changes among 10 different drivers. With three laps to go, rookie J.R. Hildebrand moved into the lead with 2005 winner Dan Wheldon in second. As the white flag came out, it looked like Hildebrand would cruise to the victory. However, as he was rounding the final turn, he moved to get around another car and ended up slamming into the wall. Wheldon passed Hildebrand just as the yellow flag came out, giving him his second Indy 500 title. Sadly, it was the final victory of Wheldon's career, as he died tragically in a horiffic crash during the season finale in Las Vegas five months later.
9. Giants 37, Cowboys 34-December 11, Arlington, TX
I'm aware of the fact that this game was less than a month ago. I'm also aware that it's nowhere near as significant as the rematch on Sunday night. But, what a game! There were nine lead changes, but Dallas appeared to be sitting pretty when Tony Romo hit Dez Bryant for a 50-yard touchdown pass that gave the Cowboys a 34-22 lead with 5:41 left. That's when Eli Manning took over. First there was an eight-yard TD pass to Jake Ballard at the 3:14 mark that cut the deficit to five, 34-29. After a Cowboys three-and-out, Eli led another touchdown drive that was capped by Brandon Jacobs' one-yard run. The two-point conversion was good, putting the Giants up 37-34. Dallas drove into field goal range and made the game-tying 47-yarder with six seconds left, but the Giants used their final timeout just before the kick, so it didn't count. Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul, who already had a safety in the game, blocked the second attempt, sealing the comeback win.
8. Bruins 4, Canadiens 3 (OT) (Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 7)-April 27, Boston
The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs were phenomenal. Overtimes and Game 7's abounded. This matchup between longtime rivals had both. The Bruins lost the first two games of the series on home ice before winning three straight. The Canadiens then tied the series with a 2-1 win in Montreal in Game 6. One night later, this epic series ended with a classic Game 7. The Bruins led 2-0 after just 5:33, but Montreal came back to tie it at 2-2. Chris Kelly gave Boston a 3-2 lead midway through the third before P.K. Subban's power play goal with less than two minutes remaining sent it into overtime. 5:43 into the extra session, Nathan Horton found the back of the net to end the series. The Bruins would go on to win two more Game 7's, including one in the Finals, to win the Stanley Cup.
7. Butler 71, Pittsburgh 70 (NCAA Tournament, "Third" Round)-March 19, Washington
In a crazy NCAA Tournament, this game might've been the craziest. After a last-second win over Old Dominion, 2010 Tournament darling Butler was at it again against top-seeded Pitt in the "third" round. Butler took a 70-69 lead on Andrew Smith's layup with three seconds left, then Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Gilbert Brown. Brown made the first free throw to tie the game, then missed the second. Matt Howard grabbed the rebound and it looked like the game was going to overtime, but Pitt's Nasir Robinson committed one of the stupidest fouls I've ever seen in my life, sending Howard to the line. He made the first one, then missed the second on purpose to run out the clock. Butler eventually made it to the National Championship Game for the second straight year.
6. Auburn 22, Oregon 19 (BCS "National Championship" Game)-January 10, Glendale, AZ
As you know, I don't watch college football, so I'm basing this selection mainly on the suggestion of others. Both teams came into the game undefeated, so, in this case, the BCS was less of a sham than it normally is. They both scored a lot of points, so people expected the game to be high-scoring. Instead, the first quarter was scoreless. There was plenty of scoring in the second quarter, though, and Auburn led 16-11 at halftime. Auburn kicked a field goal in the third quarter before Oregon tied it on a LeMichael James touchdown and successful two-point conversion with 2:33 left. Auburn drove 73 yards on the final drive and appeared to score the winning touchdown, but replay showed that the runner's knee was down before the goal line. The ball was placed at the one-yard line and two seconds were put on the clock, and Auburn kicked a field goal as time expired to win the "National Championship."
5. Mavericks 95, Heat 93 (NBA Finals, Game 2)-June 2, Miami
Since I don't watch the NBA either, my man Ronak Patel made this pick for me. I've got to admit, Ronak made a pretty good call. Miami led by 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Dallas came all the way back, going ahead 93-90 on a Dirk Nowitzki three-pointer with 26.7 seconds left. Mario Chalmers, who hit the three for eventual National Champion Kansas to send the 2008 NCAA Championship Game against nobody (since, according to the NCAA, Memphis wasn't there) into overtime, then drained a trey for Miami two seconds later. But Nowitzki wasn't done. He drove down (with an injured hand) and sank a layup to give the Mavericks a 95-93 lead with 3.6 seconds to go. The Heat didn't have any timeouts left, and Dwayne Wade's three-point attempt at the buzzer clanged off the back rim. The Dallas victory evened the series at 1-1, en route to the Mavericks' first championship.
4. Texas A&M 63, Stanford 62 (Women's Final Four)-April 3, Indianapolis
After Stanford ended UConn's 90-game winning streak, the women's basketball world couldn't wait for a rematch in the National Championship Game. Texas A&M had other ideas. Just to get to the Final Four, Texas A&M had to play Baylor for the fourth time in the Dallas Regional final. After losing the first three games, the Aggies finally got by Brittany Griner and Co. to advance to the Final Four. Stanford led by 10 with six minutes left before Texas A&M gradually clawed its way back into the game. The Aggies went up 59-58 with 53 seconds remaining, setting off a wild final minute that featured five lead changes. Nneka Ogwumike gave Stanford a 62-61 lead with nine seconds to go, and Texas A&M didn't have any timeouts left. It didn't matter. Sydney Colson drove the length of the court and dished to Tyra White, who sank the winning layup with 3.3 seconds left on the clock.
3. Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 (US Open Semifinals)-September 10, New York
Novak Djokovic completely dominated men's tennis in 2011. His rise to No. 1 might've started at the 2010 US Open, when he came back from two match points down to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. Twelve months later, it was rematch time, except now Novak was the favorite. Federer had handed Djokovic his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the French Open and was looking to keep alive his streak of having won at least one Grand Slam tournament every year since his first in 2003. Roger jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Djokovic rallied to force a fifth set. In the fifth, Roger served for the match at 5-3, and he quickly jumped out to a 40-15 lead. Djokovic saved the first match point with a crazy forehand winner, then got to deuce when Roger's down-the-line forehand (his bread-and-butter shot) clipped the tape. That was the beginning of the end for Roger, who was broken, then dropped the next three games, as well to lose the match. All the rain and the havoc it caused with the schedule didn't matter during this match. This semifinal was tennis at its best.
2. United States 2, Brazil 2 (Penalty Kicks: 5-3) (Women's World Cup Quarterfinals)-July 10, Dresden, Germany
We all know the story of this game. For three weeks, it seemed like nobody even knew the Women's World Cup was going on. Then one phenomenal game later, everything changed. The U.S. took an early lead on a Brazilian own goal less than two minutes in before the sensational Marta tied it on a penalty kick in the 68th minute. There was an American red card on that play, meaning the U.S. was down to 10 players for the rest of the game. Regulation ended with the score still 1-1, but Marta scored again early in overtime. Brazil then resorted to stalling tactics trying to kill the clock. A Brazilian defender even went down with a fake injury, only to be magically healed (and receive a yellow card) as soon as she was taken off the field. It looked like the Americans were dead, but one final rush (during the time that was added while she was rolling around on the field) resulted in a gorgeous Megan Rapinoe cross finding the head of Abby Wambach, who found the back of the net as the game was literally seconds away from ending. The game went into the penalty kick shootout, and, after three American goals, Hope Solo stopped Brazil's third shot. After a goal by each team on its fourth attempt, Ali Krieger converted her opportunity. Game USA. This amazing game was one of the best soccer games I've ever seen, men or women, and was clearly going to be No. 1 on this countdown until...
1. Cardinals 10, Rangers 9 (11 innings) (World Series, Game 6)-October 27, St. Louis
A crazy final hour of the regular season was just the precursor to an incredible postseason that included one of the best games in the history of the sport. Texas led the series 3-2 and took a 7-5 lead into the ninth inning of Game 6. With closer Neftali Feliz on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, Texas was one strike away from its first World Series title. However, David Freese tied the game at 7-7 with a two-out, two-strike, two-run triple. Texas went back in front, 9-7, on Josh Hamilton's two-run homer in the top of the 10th. After an RBI groundout by Ryan Theriot made it 9-8, the Rangers were again one strike away from the championship in the bottom of the 10th. That's when Lance Berkman, who scored the tying run in the ninth, delivered a game-tying RBI single. Texas was held scoreless in the top of the 11th, and Freese led off the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off homer to straightaway center field, sending the World Series to Game 7 for the first time in nine years. It was the first time in World Series history that a team was down to its final strike twice, yet came back to win. St. Louis trailed five times in the game, including two-run deficits in both the ninth and 10th. The Cardinals also became the first team in history to score runs in the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th innings in the same World Series game. St. Louis capped its unlikely run to the championship the following night, but its Game 6 that will be remembered. Unbelievable, amazing, incredible, memorable, all of the above. Whatever adjective you use, there's no question that Game 6 of the World Series was far and away the Game of the Year for 2011.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
2011--The Year In Sports
It's hard to believe that 2011 is almost over. When looking back at the last 12 months in sports, it's certainly safe to say that it was a weird year. There were great moments, of course, but the bad news that came out on seemingly a weekly basis overshadowed all the wonderful things that took place this year. One thing is certain: 2011--The Year In Sports will be remembered. Sadly, it'll probably be for all the wrong reasons.
The negative stories seemed to take over everything because there were way too many of them. Most notably, there was that horrible sex abuse scandal at Penn State, a scandal so bad that it brought down the legendary Joe Paterno. Then a few weeks later, similar allegations came to light at Syracuse. Those are clearly the two worst stories to come out in a scandal-plagued year in college sports. And let's not forget about Nevin Shapiro and all the trouble that he's gotten the University of Miami's football program into. Or Terrelle Pryor and his friends at Ohio State. Although, it seems to me the Buckeyes got off easy from the NCAA (they deserved at least the same penalty as USC, probably worse).
In a year when the BCS was exposed as the complete fraud that I've known it is all along, that stupid system led to an almost complete restructuring of the college sports landscape for the second straight year. Texas A&M got it all started when it decided it didn't want to be in the Big 12 anymore, then Missouri followed suit. Then out of nowhere, Syracuse and Pitt decided to join the ACC. The Big East was almost obliterated for the second straight year before Big "East" became a strictly relative term with the additions of Boise State and San Diego State. But conference restructuring (which probably isn't over yet) was just the tip of the iceberg. The NCAA passed a resolution allowing for student-athletes to receive $2,000 stipends starting in September, only to have it tabled because enough schools opposed it.
This was also the year of the lockout. There was a point this summer where half of North America's major sports leagues were involved in a work stoppage. Of course, we all knew the NFL was going to get a deal done in time for the season to start. I have to say, it was a surprise to see the NBA's owners and players come to an agreement, though. But that's what happens when you have a commissioner who's obsessed with playing on Christmas. Heaven forbid you not have any Christmas games! Let's force both sides to sign a bad deal and put ourselves right back into this same situation a couple years from now. Meanwhile, the league with the most famous work stoppage of all (the 1994-95 MLB strike) agreed on a new CBA with weeks to spare.
Death is a part of life, so, naturally, there are a number of notable sports deaths each year. 2011 was no exception. We lost the great Joe Frazier. And Al Davis. And Grete Waitz. And Harmon Killebrew. But the tragic deaths the sports world suffered in 2011 were almost unbearable. The entire Russian hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl perished in a plane crash. When it seemed like that wasn't enough, Oklahoma State, which had to deal with a plane crash that killed members of its men's basketball team 10 years ago, had it happen again. Women's coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were lost when their plane went down in Arkansas on the way back from a November recruiting trip. What are the chances it would happen to the same school twice? It just doesn't seem fair. Then there's the shocking death of Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon on the race track in a horrific accident during the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.
I'm going to choose to remember Wheldon for a happier moment, one of the best of the year--when J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall on the final turn of the Indy 500, giving Wheldon the victory. That was just one of many great moments from 2011. It was the year hockey returned to Winnipeg, with the Jets relocating from Atlanta. It was a year of milestones, as Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit, Mariano Rivera set the all-time saves record, Albert Pujols hit three home runs in a World Series game and Drew Brees set the single-season record for passing yards. It was a year of magical moments like Abby Wambach's last-second goal against Brazil in the Women's World Cup and Novak Djokovic's complete domination of the men's tennis tour. Djokovic's domination could only be matched by that of the Green Bay Packers, who lost only once this year. On December 18!
The sensational final day of the baseball season was just a prelude to a tremendous postseason. And what better way to cap that phenomenal postseason than the first seven-game World Series in nine years? Of course, that World Series gave us plenty of moments to savor, including a game for the ages. Game 6 will be remembered for a long time. The Rangers were twice a strike away from winning their first title, only to have the Cardinals remarkably come back and win the game to even the series. One night later, St. Louis completed its march to an unlikely championship.
But the Cardinals weren't the only unlikely champs of 2011. UConn went into the Big East Tournament as the No. 9 seed. Eleven wins later, the Huskies weren't just Big East champs, they were National Champions, too. Among the teams that joined them in the Final Four: VCU and Butler, which reached the Championship Game for the second straight year. On the women's side, it was all about UConn and Stanford. Well, Texas A&M had something to say about that. After the thrilling win over Brazil, it seemed like the U.S. was destined to win the Women's World Cup. But it was Japan that upset the Americans in penalty kicks in the final, winning the title for its tsunami-ravaged country. And while Novak Djokovic was dominating men's tennis, the Grand Slam champions on the women's side included Li Na (China's first Grand Slam champion), Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur, whose US Open win was her third career title.
Most importantly, congratulations to all the champions of 2011. The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title, while the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972. South Carolina defended its College World Series title, Auburn was crowned "National Champions" in college football and Minnesota-Duluth earned its first championship in NCAA men's hockey. Maya Moore led another Minnesota team, the Lynx, to its first WNBA title, and Tony Stewart broke Jimmie Johnson's five-year run of NASCAR Sprint Cup championships. In addition, numerous athletes won World Championships in track & field, swimming and other Olympic sports, as the London Games quickly approach.
The London Olympics will obviously be the most significant sporting event of 2012. But I have no doubt that we'll be provided with plenty of memories across the entire sporting landscape over the next 12 months. Even if they aren't all good, that was definitely the case in 2011. It's safe to say that, without question, 2011 was a year in sports that will never be forgotten.
The negative stories seemed to take over everything because there were way too many of them. Most notably, there was that horrible sex abuse scandal at Penn State, a scandal so bad that it brought down the legendary Joe Paterno. Then a few weeks later, similar allegations came to light at Syracuse. Those are clearly the two worst stories to come out in a scandal-plagued year in college sports. And let's not forget about Nevin Shapiro and all the trouble that he's gotten the University of Miami's football program into. Or Terrelle Pryor and his friends at Ohio State. Although, it seems to me the Buckeyes got off easy from the NCAA (they deserved at least the same penalty as USC, probably worse).
In a year when the BCS was exposed as the complete fraud that I've known it is all along, that stupid system led to an almost complete restructuring of the college sports landscape for the second straight year. Texas A&M got it all started when it decided it didn't want to be in the Big 12 anymore, then Missouri followed suit. Then out of nowhere, Syracuse and Pitt decided to join the ACC. The Big East was almost obliterated for the second straight year before Big "East" became a strictly relative term with the additions of Boise State and San Diego State. But conference restructuring (which probably isn't over yet) was just the tip of the iceberg. The NCAA passed a resolution allowing for student-athletes to receive $2,000 stipends starting in September, only to have it tabled because enough schools opposed it.
This was also the year of the lockout. There was a point this summer where half of North America's major sports leagues were involved in a work stoppage. Of course, we all knew the NFL was going to get a deal done in time for the season to start. I have to say, it was a surprise to see the NBA's owners and players come to an agreement, though. But that's what happens when you have a commissioner who's obsessed with playing on Christmas. Heaven forbid you not have any Christmas games! Let's force both sides to sign a bad deal and put ourselves right back into this same situation a couple years from now. Meanwhile, the league with the most famous work stoppage of all (the 1994-95 MLB strike) agreed on a new CBA with weeks to spare.
Death is a part of life, so, naturally, there are a number of notable sports deaths each year. 2011 was no exception. We lost the great Joe Frazier. And Al Davis. And Grete Waitz. And Harmon Killebrew. But the tragic deaths the sports world suffered in 2011 were almost unbearable. The entire Russian hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl perished in a plane crash. When it seemed like that wasn't enough, Oklahoma State, which had to deal with a plane crash that killed members of its men's basketball team 10 years ago, had it happen again. Women's coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were lost when their plane went down in Arkansas on the way back from a November recruiting trip. What are the chances it would happen to the same school twice? It just doesn't seem fair. Then there's the shocking death of Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon on the race track in a horrific accident during the IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.
I'm going to choose to remember Wheldon for a happier moment, one of the best of the year--when J.R. Hildebrand hit the wall on the final turn of the Indy 500, giving Wheldon the victory. That was just one of many great moments from 2011. It was the year hockey returned to Winnipeg, with the Jets relocating from Atlanta. It was a year of milestones, as Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit, Mariano Rivera set the all-time saves record, Albert Pujols hit three home runs in a World Series game and Drew Brees set the single-season record for passing yards. It was a year of magical moments like Abby Wambach's last-second goal against Brazil in the Women's World Cup and Novak Djokovic's complete domination of the men's tennis tour. Djokovic's domination could only be matched by that of the Green Bay Packers, who lost only once this year. On December 18!
The sensational final day of the baseball season was just a prelude to a tremendous postseason. And what better way to cap that phenomenal postseason than the first seven-game World Series in nine years? Of course, that World Series gave us plenty of moments to savor, including a game for the ages. Game 6 will be remembered for a long time. The Rangers were twice a strike away from winning their first title, only to have the Cardinals remarkably come back and win the game to even the series. One night later, St. Louis completed its march to an unlikely championship.
But the Cardinals weren't the only unlikely champs of 2011. UConn went into the Big East Tournament as the No. 9 seed. Eleven wins later, the Huskies weren't just Big East champs, they were National Champions, too. Among the teams that joined them in the Final Four: VCU and Butler, which reached the Championship Game for the second straight year. On the women's side, it was all about UConn and Stanford. Well, Texas A&M had something to say about that. After the thrilling win over Brazil, it seemed like the U.S. was destined to win the Women's World Cup. But it was Japan that upset the Americans in penalty kicks in the final, winning the title for its tsunami-ravaged country. And while Novak Djokovic was dominating men's tennis, the Grand Slam champions on the women's side included Li Na (China's first Grand Slam champion), Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur, whose US Open win was her third career title.
Most importantly, congratulations to all the champions of 2011. The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title, while the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972. South Carolina defended its College World Series title, Auburn was crowned "National Champions" in college football and Minnesota-Duluth earned its first championship in NCAA men's hockey. Maya Moore led another Minnesota team, the Lynx, to its first WNBA title, and Tony Stewart broke Jimmie Johnson's five-year run of NASCAR Sprint Cup championships. In addition, numerous athletes won World Championships in track & field, swimming and other Olympic sports, as the London Games quickly approach.
The London Olympics will obviously be the most significant sporting event of 2012. But I have no doubt that we'll be provided with plenty of memories across the entire sporting landscape over the next 12 months. Even if they aren't all good, that was definitely the case in 2011. It's safe to say that, without question, 2011 was a year in sports that will never be forgotten.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Week 16 Picks
Football's an interesting game, isn't it? The Colts can't win a game for three and a half months, then do it twice in five days! I got that pick wrong, but, believe me, I'm completely fine with it. Anyway, with Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, the NFL's full slate of games moves to Saturday this week. And to say that a number of them have significant playoff implications would be a tremendous understatement.
Tebows (8-6) at Bills (5-9): Denver-Denver can clinch the AFC West with a win and losses by the Raiders and Chargers. The Tebows did finally lose last week, though. Even a visit by the wunderkind isn't enough to prevent this game from being blacked out in Buffalo. Unfortunately, I think this is loss number eight in a row for the Bills. Although, knowing Tebow, it'll be closer than it should be.
Cardinals (7-7) at Bengals (8-6): Cincinnati-This is a matchup of surprise playoff contenders. The Cardinals have won four straight, including victories over the Cowboys and 49ers, to jump into the wild card discussion in the NFC, while the Bengals are tied with the Jets for the last spot in the AFC. Arizona's not going to make the playoffs, which makes this game more important for Cincinnati. They play the Ravens in Baltimore next week, so they certainly can't afford a loss here. Keeping the game out of overtime (where the Cardinals are 3-0 this season) is key. I think the Bengals do that to set themselves up to potentially clinch a playoff spot next week.
Jaguars (4-10) at Titans (7-7): Tennessee-It seems like everybody in the AFC is 7-7, and the Titans are in that group. They need a lot of help to make the playoffs, though, and losing to the Colts last week certainly didn't help. Will it be Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker at quarterback for Tennessee? I'm not really sure it matters. Jacksonville's hapless.
Raiders (7-7) at Chiefs (6-8): Oakland-There's nothing like spending Christmas with your "friends." I certainly wouldn't have put my money on Kansas City being the team to end the Packers' undefeated season, but by pulling off the upset of the season, the Chiefs managed to somehow stay alive in the AFC West. The only way they do that, though, is if the Tebows also lose to the Bills this week (Denver plays Kansas City in Week 17). It certainly was the right decision to insert Kyle Orton as the starter (think the Bears aren't regretting not putting in a claim?), and I wouldn't be surprised if Romeo Crennell ends up as their full-time coach. Oakland's been in a complete free fall since the calendar turned to December. That trend needs to reverse if the Raiders have any hope of making the playoffs. The Chiefs would like nothing more than to ruin the Raiders' season (especially on Christmas Eve), but I just don't see it happening for some reason.
Dolphins (5-9) at Patriots (11-3): New England-I said last week that one of the four 10-3 teams in the AFC needed to lose and make the tiebreakers a lot less confusing. As it turns out, three of them did, making New England the No. 1 seed at the moment. The Patriots will be if they win out. This week, they clinch a bye with a win over Miami. I'd be shocked if that doesn't happen.
Giants (7-7) at Jets (8-6): Giants-This is the most important Giants-Jets game there's ever been (which is probably what the NFL was hoping for when they scheduled it so late in the season). The winner is in great position to make the playoffs, while the loser is probably out. But the Giants need to win more than the Jets do. It's still possible for the Jets to get in even with a loss, while the Giants could be eliminated this week if they lose. The significance of this game isn't lost on either team. Maybe they were both looking ahead. That's the only plausible explanation for them both laying gigantic eggs last week. The trash talk has amped up significantly on both sides. Now they've got to go out on the field and prove it. This isn't just for New York bragging rights. Joe Namath has said the Jets are going to win (shocker!), but won't go so far as to guarantee it. Four years ago, the Giants won en route to a Super Bowl title. They always play to the level of their opponent (ask the Packers, Patriots and Cowboys, or the Redskins or Seahawks). For that reason, I give the slight edge to Big Blue. Besides, New York is a Giants town. Even though it's a Jets home game, there's going to be a significant number of blue jerseys in the stands. Don't think that won't be a factor. Just ask Mets fans.
Rams (2-12) at Steelers (10-4): Pittsburgh-Everything fell into place exactly the way the Steelers needed it to last week, then the lights literally went out on them on Monday night. But I think that had a lot more to do with the 49ers proving they're legit than anything else. Pittsburgh gets James Harrison back this week, and Ben Roethlisberger's lack of mobility won't be as big of an issue against a weak St. Louis defense. The Steelers still have a lot to play for, too. They can still be the No. 1 or 2 seed in the AFC. Mostly, they're trying to avoid the No. 5 seed and the trip to Denver.
Vikings (2-12) at Redskins (5-9): Washington-If they played the Giants every week, the Redskins would be a playoff team. As it stands, Washington just isn't a good football team. Playing Minnesota should be a recipe for the Redskins to pick up their second straight win, though. The only questions remaining about the Vikings' season are if they can overtake the Colts for the No. 1 pick, and if they'll take Andrew Luck if they do.
Buccaneers (4-10) at Panthers (5-9): Carolina-The NFC's version of the Buffalo Bills has to be the Tampa Bay Bucs. A season that started with such promise and included a win over the Saints has been overtaken by an eight-game losing streak that's now the longest in the NFL. But with a win, the Bucs can actually move out of last place in the NFC South. If the game was in Tampa, I might think that's possible, but it's in Charlotte.
Browns (4-10) at Ravens (10-4): Baltimore-Jim Harbaugh did his brother a huge favor on Monday night. Now the Ravens' playoff fate is back in their own hands. Baltimore is 7-0 at home this season, so how much do you think they want a playoff home game? The Ravens are also the only team in the NFL other than the Packers that's undefeated in its division. Both of those things bode well for them. Traveling cross country and losing to the Chargers in San Diego in December can be easily forgiven. Losing at home to the Browns can't.
Chargers (7-7) at Lions (9-5): Detroit-Believe it or not, Detroit can clinch a playoff spot this week. The Lions are two games up for a wild card spot with two games left. If you'd told them that they could have everything locked up before the season finale in Lambeau, they'd have told you that's their dream scenario. Well, welcome to a world where that's exactly what can happen. It won't be easy against a Chargers team that always saves its best football for December and still has a very realistic chance of winning the AFC West. But knowing that they're thisclose to the playoffs and playing in front of that amped-up Ford Field crowd should be enough to give the edge to the Lions.
Eagles (6-8) at Cowboys (8-6): Philadelphia-The Eagles, miraculously, are still able to win the NFC East. The first step in that process is winning out. The Cowboys, though, can knock Philly out entirely with a win. In fact, the Ryan brothers can help each other out this week the same way the Harbaugh brothers did last week. Rex can give Rob a nice Christmas present by beating the Giants. If the Jets do that and the Cowboys win, next week's Giants-Cowboys game won't even matter. Dallas will have already won the NFC East. But I think that Eagles team that's played the last two weeks is the one we expected to see all season. They know their chances of making the playoffs are slim, but they still exist. At the very least, they'll take great joy in messing with Dallas' playoff hopes.
49ers (11-3) at Seahawks (7-7): San Francisco-Seattle is somehow still in the NFC playoff race. In fact, the Seahawks are ahead of both the Giants and Bears right now. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the 49ers showed the entire country how good they are against the Steelers on Monday night. They've still got an outside chance of taking home field away from the Packers, but, more importantly, they're fighting the Saints for the other bye. That's important, since San Francisco doesn't want to play that New Orleans offense in the dome. They've still got something to play for. They're not going to screw it up.
Bears (7-7) at Packers (13-1): Green Bay-I know David Stern is obsessed with Christmas, but why did the NBA add a doubleheader (giving them five Christmas games) against this dynamite Sunday night game and think people would actually watch the basketball games? The NFL's oldest (and I'd argue, best) rivalry takes center stage on Christmas night. The Packers won't go undefeated, and they still haven't clinched home field in the NFC. That gives them plenty to play for. Other than the simple satisfaction of beating the Bears. A few weeks ago, I predicted this might be the Packers' first loss. That was before Jay Cutler got hurt and the Bears turned into the Peyton-less Colts. Chicago has lost four straight and might be out of the playoff race by the time the game starts. Regardless, the Packers win and lock up home field.
Falcons (9-5) at Saints (11-3): New Orleans-We get another good one in the Monday night finale. Somebody's clinching something in this game. The Falcons clinch a playoff spot with with a win, while New Orleans clinches the NFC South with a victory. (The Saints only need to win one of their last two to do that.) New Orleans might even be scarier than Green Bay right now. The Saints are on a six-game winning streak (the longest in the NFL) and still in the hunt for a first-round bye. Atlanta could theoretically clinch a playoff berth before Monday night, which is a good thing for the Falcons. Because I don't think they're beating that Saints buzzsaw.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 8-8
Season: 143-82
Tebows (8-6) at Bills (5-9): Denver-Denver can clinch the AFC West with a win and losses by the Raiders and Chargers. The Tebows did finally lose last week, though. Even a visit by the wunderkind isn't enough to prevent this game from being blacked out in Buffalo. Unfortunately, I think this is loss number eight in a row for the Bills. Although, knowing Tebow, it'll be closer than it should be.
Cardinals (7-7) at Bengals (8-6): Cincinnati-This is a matchup of surprise playoff contenders. The Cardinals have won four straight, including victories over the Cowboys and 49ers, to jump into the wild card discussion in the NFC, while the Bengals are tied with the Jets for the last spot in the AFC. Arizona's not going to make the playoffs, which makes this game more important for Cincinnati. They play the Ravens in Baltimore next week, so they certainly can't afford a loss here. Keeping the game out of overtime (where the Cardinals are 3-0 this season) is key. I think the Bengals do that to set themselves up to potentially clinch a playoff spot next week.
Jaguars (4-10) at Titans (7-7): Tennessee-It seems like everybody in the AFC is 7-7, and the Titans are in that group. They need a lot of help to make the playoffs, though, and losing to the Colts last week certainly didn't help. Will it be Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker at quarterback for Tennessee? I'm not really sure it matters. Jacksonville's hapless.
Raiders (7-7) at Chiefs (6-8): Oakland-There's nothing like spending Christmas with your "friends." I certainly wouldn't have put my money on Kansas City being the team to end the Packers' undefeated season, but by pulling off the upset of the season, the Chiefs managed to somehow stay alive in the AFC West. The only way they do that, though, is if the Tebows also lose to the Bills this week (Denver plays Kansas City in Week 17). It certainly was the right decision to insert Kyle Orton as the starter (think the Bears aren't regretting not putting in a claim?), and I wouldn't be surprised if Romeo Crennell ends up as their full-time coach. Oakland's been in a complete free fall since the calendar turned to December. That trend needs to reverse if the Raiders have any hope of making the playoffs. The Chiefs would like nothing more than to ruin the Raiders' season (especially on Christmas Eve), but I just don't see it happening for some reason.
Dolphins (5-9) at Patriots (11-3): New England-I said last week that one of the four 10-3 teams in the AFC needed to lose and make the tiebreakers a lot less confusing. As it turns out, three of them did, making New England the No. 1 seed at the moment. The Patriots will be if they win out. This week, they clinch a bye with a win over Miami. I'd be shocked if that doesn't happen.
Giants (7-7) at Jets (8-6): Giants-This is the most important Giants-Jets game there's ever been (which is probably what the NFL was hoping for when they scheduled it so late in the season). The winner is in great position to make the playoffs, while the loser is probably out. But the Giants need to win more than the Jets do. It's still possible for the Jets to get in even with a loss, while the Giants could be eliminated this week if they lose. The significance of this game isn't lost on either team. Maybe they were both looking ahead. That's the only plausible explanation for them both laying gigantic eggs last week. The trash talk has amped up significantly on both sides. Now they've got to go out on the field and prove it. This isn't just for New York bragging rights. Joe Namath has said the Jets are going to win (shocker!), but won't go so far as to guarantee it. Four years ago, the Giants won en route to a Super Bowl title. They always play to the level of their opponent (ask the Packers, Patriots and Cowboys, or the Redskins or Seahawks). For that reason, I give the slight edge to Big Blue. Besides, New York is a Giants town. Even though it's a Jets home game, there's going to be a significant number of blue jerseys in the stands. Don't think that won't be a factor. Just ask Mets fans.
Rams (2-12) at Steelers (10-4): Pittsburgh-Everything fell into place exactly the way the Steelers needed it to last week, then the lights literally went out on them on Monday night. But I think that had a lot more to do with the 49ers proving they're legit than anything else. Pittsburgh gets James Harrison back this week, and Ben Roethlisberger's lack of mobility won't be as big of an issue against a weak St. Louis defense. The Steelers still have a lot to play for, too. They can still be the No. 1 or 2 seed in the AFC. Mostly, they're trying to avoid the No. 5 seed and the trip to Denver.
Vikings (2-12) at Redskins (5-9): Washington-If they played the Giants every week, the Redskins would be a playoff team. As it stands, Washington just isn't a good football team. Playing Minnesota should be a recipe for the Redskins to pick up their second straight win, though. The only questions remaining about the Vikings' season are if they can overtake the Colts for the No. 1 pick, and if they'll take Andrew Luck if they do.
Buccaneers (4-10) at Panthers (5-9): Carolina-The NFC's version of the Buffalo Bills has to be the Tampa Bay Bucs. A season that started with such promise and included a win over the Saints has been overtaken by an eight-game losing streak that's now the longest in the NFL. But with a win, the Bucs can actually move out of last place in the NFC South. If the game was in Tampa, I might think that's possible, but it's in Charlotte.
Browns (4-10) at Ravens (10-4): Baltimore-Jim Harbaugh did his brother a huge favor on Monday night. Now the Ravens' playoff fate is back in their own hands. Baltimore is 7-0 at home this season, so how much do you think they want a playoff home game? The Ravens are also the only team in the NFL other than the Packers that's undefeated in its division. Both of those things bode well for them. Traveling cross country and losing to the Chargers in San Diego in December can be easily forgiven. Losing at home to the Browns can't.
Chargers (7-7) at Lions (9-5): Detroit-Believe it or not, Detroit can clinch a playoff spot this week. The Lions are two games up for a wild card spot with two games left. If you'd told them that they could have everything locked up before the season finale in Lambeau, they'd have told you that's their dream scenario. Well, welcome to a world where that's exactly what can happen. It won't be easy against a Chargers team that always saves its best football for December and still has a very realistic chance of winning the AFC West. But knowing that they're thisclose to the playoffs and playing in front of that amped-up Ford Field crowd should be enough to give the edge to the Lions.
Eagles (6-8) at Cowboys (8-6): Philadelphia-The Eagles, miraculously, are still able to win the NFC East. The first step in that process is winning out. The Cowboys, though, can knock Philly out entirely with a win. In fact, the Ryan brothers can help each other out this week the same way the Harbaugh brothers did last week. Rex can give Rob a nice Christmas present by beating the Giants. If the Jets do that and the Cowboys win, next week's Giants-Cowboys game won't even matter. Dallas will have already won the NFC East. But I think that Eagles team that's played the last two weeks is the one we expected to see all season. They know their chances of making the playoffs are slim, but they still exist. At the very least, they'll take great joy in messing with Dallas' playoff hopes.
49ers (11-3) at Seahawks (7-7): San Francisco-Seattle is somehow still in the NFC playoff race. In fact, the Seahawks are ahead of both the Giants and Bears right now. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the 49ers showed the entire country how good they are against the Steelers on Monday night. They've still got an outside chance of taking home field away from the Packers, but, more importantly, they're fighting the Saints for the other bye. That's important, since San Francisco doesn't want to play that New Orleans offense in the dome. They've still got something to play for. They're not going to screw it up.
Bears (7-7) at Packers (13-1): Green Bay-I know David Stern is obsessed with Christmas, but why did the NBA add a doubleheader (giving them five Christmas games) against this dynamite Sunday night game and think people would actually watch the basketball games? The NFL's oldest (and I'd argue, best) rivalry takes center stage on Christmas night. The Packers won't go undefeated, and they still haven't clinched home field in the NFC. That gives them plenty to play for. Other than the simple satisfaction of beating the Bears. A few weeks ago, I predicted this might be the Packers' first loss. That was before Jay Cutler got hurt and the Bears turned into the Peyton-less Colts. Chicago has lost four straight and might be out of the playoff race by the time the game starts. Regardless, the Packers win and lock up home field.
Falcons (9-5) at Saints (11-3): New Orleans-We get another good one in the Monday night finale. Somebody's clinching something in this game. The Falcons clinch a playoff spot with with a win, while New Orleans clinches the NFC South with a victory. (The Saints only need to win one of their last two to do that.) New Orleans might even be scarier than Green Bay right now. The Saints are on a six-game winning streak (the longest in the NFL) and still in the hunt for a first-round bye. Atlanta could theoretically clinch a playoff berth before Monday night, which is a good thing for the Falcons. Because I don't think they're beating that Saints buzzsaw.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 8-8
Season: 143-82
Thursday, December 22, 2011
24/7: What We've Learned So Far
I'm so psyched for the NHL Winter Classic it's not even funny. Obviously, the reason for this is because the Rangers are playing in it for the first time. (I just wish they were hosting, but they can't play it at Yankee Stadium because of the stupid Pinstripe Bowl.) I was in the NHL Store the other day, and I'm very proud of myself for showing great restraint. Even though I wanted everything, all I got was a puck with the two logos on it. That's not to say Winter Classic apparel won't be added to my wardrobe. I'm just going to wait for Christmas before I go and buy it myself.
Anyway, I thoroughly soaking up all of the hype surrounding the game. MSG is going to show a marathon of each of the first four Winter Classics, as well as the first outdoor game the Rangers ever played, a preseason game against the Kings on the Las Vegas Strip in 1993. Then there's the alumni game, which will be on both MSG and Versus on New Year's Eve (yes, that's how I'll be spending my New Year's Eve).
But perhaps the best Winter Classic-related programming is HBO's acclaimed 24/7. I knew it was good after watching it last year, when the Penguins and Capitals were featured, so I knew it was going to be good again. Going in, I knew that I'd like 24/7 better this year simply because the Rangers are one of the teams they're following around, but it's also a lot cooler to get the behind-the-scenes look at games I actually watched live. Case in point: watching John Tortorella rip into the Rangers after their 1-0 loss to Dallas at the Garden last week. You knew that game was bad just from what HBO showed, but having watched the game, I know how bad it actually was.
We're only two episodes into the four-episode series, but we've already learned a lot about both teams. Specifically, we've learned that the f-word is very prevalent in hockey, and it can be used in any number of situations. It can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. You'd think it's the most common word in the English language. I'm not sure I've heard a John Tortorella sentence without it in two episodes. But there have been plenty of other highlights, too, all with the Rangers' and Flyers' upcoming games as the backdrop.
The star of episode one was without question Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. He has, shall we say, a "unique" view of the world. A discussion of vodka in the trainers' room led to something about killing tigers being a crime in Russia. In tonight's episode, they showed the Flyers at a team breakfast in Montreal last Thursday talking about the previous night's episode, and nobody wanted to sit at Bryzgalov's table. Jaromir Jagr even got up and moved, then complained about sitting alone! As breakfast ended, he left us with a final thought comparing his Siberian husky to a woman. I'm not sure I get all of his analogies, but Bryzgalov is hilarious.
They also showed Wayne Simmons heading out to teach hockey to some inner-city Philadelphia kids in the first episode, as well as devoting a good amount of time to the concussions suffered by Chris Pronger and, most recently, Claude Giroux.
My Flyers MVPs of episode two had to be the rookies. My favorite scene was in the Montreal hotel room when they were talking to Harry Zolnierczyk and Zac Rinaldo about what it's like to be Jagr's teammate, and Rinaldo starts explaining how he used to be the video game Jagr when he was growing up playing SEGA Genesis. Then there's Sean Couturier, who rents a room from Danny Briere, which comes in handy when Briere's three sons need someone to hang out with. Of course, it's no laughing matter when Couturier gets knocked out off a shot by teammate Kimmo Timonen in a loss to the Bruins.
As for the Rangers, Tortorella's F-bombs are prevalent in the first episode. They also dwell on Artem Anisimov getting a ridiculous unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "excessive celebration" after a goal, and the guys ragging him pretty hard for it in the locker room before practice the next day. I also enjoyed credit card roulette during the team dinner at the Buffalo Chop House (I've been there, it isn't cheap), where the "winners" were Henrik Lundqvist, who can certainly afford it, and rookie Jeff Woywitka, who makes nowhere near the money Lundqvist does.
But the Rangers' first star of episode one had to be Ryan Callahan's grandma. They talked to Callahan about the responsibility of being the captain, and showed him at his parents' house in Rochester on the Rangers' trip to Buffalo. His whole family came to the game the next night, when Callahan drew a questionable cross-checking penalty. He greeted his family after the game, and his 95-year-old grandma was quick to point out that it "wasn't a penalty" and she'd tell that to the referee if she got the chance. Not as good as Bryzgalov, but close.
In episode two, the Rangers highlight had to be that kid with cerebral palsy that got to meet the team through the "Garden of Dreams" Foundation a couple years ago and has been their biggest fan ever since. He and Tortorella talk all the time, and the Rangers surprised him with tickets to the Winter Classic. Great stuff. And it was so cute when they showed the kid decked out in his jersey and helmet to watch the game in Phoenix on Saturday night. Dan Girardi's son ranks a close second as best Ranger of episode two, which also included a surprise appearance by John McEnroe. He and Lundqvist jammed together during a practice session for a charity event they're doing in February. (While they were doing that segment on the wide array of things you can do in New York, I was shocked NOT to see Sean Avery modeling. Maybe that'll be in next week's show.)
If you haven't seen 24/7 yet, you've still got time. It's on HBO, so they repeat it about 30 times a week. And there are still two episodes left. The last one airs two days after the Winter Classic. The entire series consists of four hours. To paraphrase the Icelandic guy from the Mighty Ducks 2, "It's four hours well worth it."
Anyway, I thoroughly soaking up all of the hype surrounding the game. MSG is going to show a marathon of each of the first four Winter Classics, as well as the first outdoor game the Rangers ever played, a preseason game against the Kings on the Las Vegas Strip in 1993. Then there's the alumni game, which will be on both MSG and Versus on New Year's Eve (yes, that's how I'll be spending my New Year's Eve).
But perhaps the best Winter Classic-related programming is HBO's acclaimed 24/7. I knew it was good after watching it last year, when the Penguins and Capitals were featured, so I knew it was going to be good again. Going in, I knew that I'd like 24/7 better this year simply because the Rangers are one of the teams they're following around, but it's also a lot cooler to get the behind-the-scenes look at games I actually watched live. Case in point: watching John Tortorella rip into the Rangers after their 1-0 loss to Dallas at the Garden last week. You knew that game was bad just from what HBO showed, but having watched the game, I know how bad it actually was.
We're only two episodes into the four-episode series, but we've already learned a lot about both teams. Specifically, we've learned that the f-word is very prevalent in hockey, and it can be used in any number of situations. It can be a noun, a verb or an adjective. You'd think it's the most common word in the English language. I'm not sure I've heard a John Tortorella sentence without it in two episodes. But there have been plenty of other highlights, too, all with the Rangers' and Flyers' upcoming games as the backdrop.
The star of episode one was without question Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. He has, shall we say, a "unique" view of the world. A discussion of vodka in the trainers' room led to something about killing tigers being a crime in Russia. In tonight's episode, they showed the Flyers at a team breakfast in Montreal last Thursday talking about the previous night's episode, and nobody wanted to sit at Bryzgalov's table. Jaromir Jagr even got up and moved, then complained about sitting alone! As breakfast ended, he left us with a final thought comparing his Siberian husky to a woman. I'm not sure I get all of his analogies, but Bryzgalov is hilarious.
They also showed Wayne Simmons heading out to teach hockey to some inner-city Philadelphia kids in the first episode, as well as devoting a good amount of time to the concussions suffered by Chris Pronger and, most recently, Claude Giroux.
My Flyers MVPs of episode two had to be the rookies. My favorite scene was in the Montreal hotel room when they were talking to Harry Zolnierczyk and Zac Rinaldo about what it's like to be Jagr's teammate, and Rinaldo starts explaining how he used to be the video game Jagr when he was growing up playing SEGA Genesis. Then there's Sean Couturier, who rents a room from Danny Briere, which comes in handy when Briere's three sons need someone to hang out with. Of course, it's no laughing matter when Couturier gets knocked out off a shot by teammate Kimmo Timonen in a loss to the Bruins.
As for the Rangers, Tortorella's F-bombs are prevalent in the first episode. They also dwell on Artem Anisimov getting a ridiculous unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for "excessive celebration" after a goal, and the guys ragging him pretty hard for it in the locker room before practice the next day. I also enjoyed credit card roulette during the team dinner at the Buffalo Chop House (I've been there, it isn't cheap), where the "winners" were Henrik Lundqvist, who can certainly afford it, and rookie Jeff Woywitka, who makes nowhere near the money Lundqvist does.
But the Rangers' first star of episode one had to be Ryan Callahan's grandma. They talked to Callahan about the responsibility of being the captain, and showed him at his parents' house in Rochester on the Rangers' trip to Buffalo. His whole family came to the game the next night, when Callahan drew a questionable cross-checking penalty. He greeted his family after the game, and his 95-year-old grandma was quick to point out that it "wasn't a penalty" and she'd tell that to the referee if she got the chance. Not as good as Bryzgalov, but close.
In episode two, the Rangers highlight had to be that kid with cerebral palsy that got to meet the team through the "Garden of Dreams" Foundation a couple years ago and has been their biggest fan ever since. He and Tortorella talk all the time, and the Rangers surprised him with tickets to the Winter Classic. Great stuff. And it was so cute when they showed the kid decked out in his jersey and helmet to watch the game in Phoenix on Saturday night. Dan Girardi's son ranks a close second as best Ranger of episode two, which also included a surprise appearance by John McEnroe. He and Lundqvist jammed together during a practice session for a charity event they're doing in February. (While they were doing that segment on the wide array of things you can do in New York, I was shocked NOT to see Sean Avery modeling. Maybe that'll be in next week's show.)
If you haven't seen 24/7 yet, you've still got time. It's on HBO, so they repeat it about 30 times a week. And there are still two episodes left. The last one airs two days after the Winter Classic. The entire series consists of four hours. To paraphrase the Icelandic guy from the Mighty Ducks 2, "It's four hours well worth it."
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
My Pro Bowl Selections
I'll be honest with you, I'm not going to watch the Pro Bowl. I'm still boycotting. I used to be one of the 11 people that did, but then Mr. Brilliant Commissioner decided that he was going to move the game out of Hawaii and put it the week before the Super Bowl. They realized after one year that not having the game in Hawaii was a dumb idea, but I'm not coming back until the timing is back where it belongs, as well. Seriously, why isn't anyone else bothered by the fact that they have an "all-star" game in which any players from the best two teams in the league automatically can't play?
But they're still going to announce the Pro Bowl selections later this week, so that means it's time for me to make mine. (It really is a sign that I have problems when I'm blogging my Pro Bowl picks.)
AFC
QB: Tom Brady, Patriots; Matt Schaub, Texans (injured); Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers; Philip Rivers, Chargers (Schaub's replacement)
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars; Arian Foster, Texans; Ray Rice, Ravens
FB: LeRon McClain, Chiefs
WR: Wes Welker, Patriots; Mike Wallace, Steelers; Brandon Marshall, Dolphins; Nate Washington, Titans
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots; Antonio Gates, Chargers
T: Joe Thomas, Browns; Michael Oher, Ravens; Jake Long, Dolphins
G: Kris Dielman, Charters; Chris Kemoeatu, Steelers; Logan Mankins, Patriots
C: Nick Mangold, Jets; Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers
DE: Andre Carter, Patriots; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Jabaal Sheard, Browns
DT: Haloti Ngata, Ravens; Tommy Kelly, Raiders; Marcell Darreus, Bills
OLB: Tamba Hali, Chiefs; Terrell Suggs, Ravens; Von Miller, Broncos
ILB: Brian Cushing, Texans; Nick Barnett, Bills
CB: Kyle Arrington, Patriots; Darrelle Revis, Jets; Lardarius Webb, Ravens
SS: Troy Polamalu, Steelers; George Wilson, Bills
FS: Eric Weddle, Chargers
K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
P: Shane Lechler, Raiders
KR: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
ST: Brendon Ayandabejo, Ravens
NFC
QB: Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Drew Brees, Saints; Eli Manning, Giants
RB: Frank Gore, 49ers; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
FB: John Kuhn, Packers
WR: Greg Jennings, Packers; Calvin Johnson, Lions; Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals; Roddy White, Falcons
TE: Jimmy Graham, Saints; Jason Witten, Cowboys
T: Jason Peters, Eagles; Chad Clifton, Packers; Jeff Backus, Lions
G: Jahri Evans, Saints; David Diehl, Giants; Kyle Kosier, Cowboys
C: Roberto Garza, Bears; Ryan Kalil, Panthers
DE: Jared Allen, Vikings; Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants; Jason Babin, Eagles
DT: Ndamukong Suh, Lions; Justin Smith, 49ers; Cullen Jenkins, Eagles
OLB: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Lance Briggs, Bears; Brian Orakpo, Redskins
ILB: Patrick Willis, 49ers; London Fletcher, Redskins
CB: Charles Woodson, Packers; Charles Tillman, Bears; DeAngelo Hall, Redskins
SS: Roman Harper, Saints; Kenny Phillips, Giants
FS: Quintin Mikell, Rams
K: David Akers, 49ers
P: Andy Lee, 49ers
KR: Devin Hester, Bears
ST: Kroy Biermann, Falcons
But they're still going to announce the Pro Bowl selections later this week, so that means it's time for me to make mine. (It really is a sign that I have problems when I'm blogging my Pro Bowl picks.)
AFC
QB: Tom Brady, Patriots; Matt Schaub, Texans (injured); Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers; Philip Rivers, Chargers (Schaub's replacement)
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars; Arian Foster, Texans; Ray Rice, Ravens
FB: LeRon McClain, Chiefs
WR: Wes Welker, Patriots; Mike Wallace, Steelers; Brandon Marshall, Dolphins; Nate Washington, Titans
TE: Rob Gronkowski, Patriots; Antonio Gates, Chargers
T: Joe Thomas, Browns; Michael Oher, Ravens; Jake Long, Dolphins
G: Kris Dielman, Charters; Chris Kemoeatu, Steelers; Logan Mankins, Patriots
C: Nick Mangold, Jets; Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers
DE: Andre Carter, Patriots; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Jabaal Sheard, Browns
DT: Haloti Ngata, Ravens; Tommy Kelly, Raiders; Marcell Darreus, Bills
OLB: Tamba Hali, Chiefs; Terrell Suggs, Ravens; Von Miller, Broncos
ILB: Brian Cushing, Texans; Nick Barnett, Bills
CB: Kyle Arrington, Patriots; Darrelle Revis, Jets; Lardarius Webb, Ravens
SS: Troy Polamalu, Steelers; George Wilson, Bills
FS: Eric Weddle, Chargers
K: Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots
P: Shane Lechler, Raiders
KR: Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs
ST: Brendon Ayandabejo, Ravens
NFC
QB: Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Drew Brees, Saints; Eli Manning, Giants
RB: Frank Gore, 49ers; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
FB: John Kuhn, Packers
WR: Greg Jennings, Packers; Calvin Johnson, Lions; Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals; Roddy White, Falcons
TE: Jimmy Graham, Saints; Jason Witten, Cowboys
T: Jason Peters, Eagles; Chad Clifton, Packers; Jeff Backus, Lions
G: Jahri Evans, Saints; David Diehl, Giants; Kyle Kosier, Cowboys
C: Roberto Garza, Bears; Ryan Kalil, Panthers
DE: Jared Allen, Vikings; Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants; Jason Babin, Eagles
DT: Ndamukong Suh, Lions; Justin Smith, 49ers; Cullen Jenkins, Eagles
OLB: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys; Lance Briggs, Bears; Brian Orakpo, Redskins
ILB: Patrick Willis, 49ers; London Fletcher, Redskins
CB: Charles Woodson, Packers; Charles Tillman, Bears; DeAngelo Hall, Redskins
SS: Roman Harper, Saints; Kenny Phillips, Giants
FS: Quintin Mikell, Rams
K: David Akers, 49ers
P: Andy Lee, 49ers
KR: Devin Hester, Bears
ST: Kroy Biermann, Falcons
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Week 15 Picks
I'm not sure how they were able to work it out so well, but the NFL gives us a bunch of good games between playoff contenders this week. Of course, those are balanced out by the duds like Buffalo-Miami, but still. There are some really good matchups, especially in the late games and night games, this week. Although, they do need to look at the games they put in primetime next year. Why have the Jacksonville Jaguars been on national TV twice in the last three weeks? And why was St. Louis-Seattle the Monday night game last week? Anyway, I digress.
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 137-73
- Dolphins (4-9) at Bills (5-8): Miami-I should probably take the Bills at home, but I'm not inclined to pick teams that come into the game on a six-game losing streak. Just in case anybody forgot, the Bills were 5-2 at one point this season. They're not anymore, and Bills-Dolphins is back to the No. 5 regional game on CBS that only people in Buffalo and Miami have to be subjected to.
- Seahawks (6-7) at Bears (7-6): Chicago-Somehow Seattle is still alive in the NFC playoff race. In fact, a victory puts the Seahawks ahead of the Bears and gives Seattle the tiebreaker. The Bears haven't looked good during their three-game losing streak, but they aren't playing an AFC West team this week. And there's absolutely no opportunity for them to get Tebowed against the Seahawks. Chicago let one get away last week, and dropped out of a wild card position as a result. The Bears need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. I think they get it.
- Titans (7-6) at Colts (0-13): Tennessee-The Titans' comeback came up just short last week against the Saints, giving the AFC South title to the Texans. So now Tennessee's playoff chances rely on their outside hopes for a wild card. Meanwhile, the Colts are three games away from becoming the second 0-16 team in NFL history. They can clinch the No. 1 pick if the Rams and Vikings both win this week. And evidently there's this guy who took out a $10 bet on them going winless that stands to make $10,000 on that 1,000-to-1 shot actually happening. The Titans make that all two games away from becoming a reality.
- Packers (13-0) at Chiefs (5-8): Green Bay-While the Colts are looking to avoid 0-13, the Packers seem to be cruising towards 13-0. That wasn't even a game last week against the Raiders. This week it's the Chiefs, who had been keeping games close with their defense until last week's disaster against the Jets that got Todd Haley fired. Kansas City can't score, which is a problem, especially against the Packers. Green Bay makes it a full calendar year without a loss.
- Bengals (7-6) at Rams (2-11): Cincinnati-The one team that really screwed itself in the playoff race last week was Cincinnati, which lost to Houston on the final play of the game and dropped out of playoff position as a result. The Bengals now know that they probably have to win out (at least until that game against the Ravens in Week 17) if they're going to be playing in January. Losing to St. Louis would all but knock them out. That won't happen.
- Saints (10-3) at Vikings (2-11): New Orleans-Two years ago, these two met in the NFC Championship Game. Oh, how times have changed. Thanks to San Francisco's loss last week, the Saints can now think about a first-round bye in the playoffs. Since the Falcons won on Thursday night, they can't clinch the NFC South this week. But that's OK, because they have that tremendous showdown with Atlanta in the Superdome next Monday night. New Orleans will go into that game with an 11-3 record. They might be the best team in the NFL after the Packers right now.
- Redskins (4-9) at Giants (7-6): Giants-Oh Jason Pierre-Paul, how do I love thee? His large hands turned the Giants from a team on a four-game losing streak into the NFC East leaders. Their fate is now very much in their own hands, and the Giants don't have another road game all season! Of course, it could be easy to overlook the Redskins with that showdown against the Jets on tap next week, but the Giants lost to the Redskins in Week 1. Another loss to Washington would kill them. Not just in the division. That would end the Giants' wild card hopes. I don't see Tom Coughlin letting that happen, especially since the revenge card is in play after that Week 1 loss.
- Panthers (4-9) at Texans (10-3): Houston-Who would've thought that with three games left, the Houston Texans would've already clinched the AFC South? Not only that, but Houston's the No. 1 seed in the AFC right now and still playing for a first-round bye in the playoffs. People in Carolina are actually trying to make a case for Cam Newton for the Pro Bowl, as if the three NFC quarterback spots aren't going to Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Eli Manning. Newton's a fantasy quarterback, that's it. Houston doesn't even have a starting quarterback and is still going to win the game.
- Lions (8-5) at Raiders (7-6): Detroit-This might be the most underrated good game of the week. Ndumakong Suh is allowed to play this week, as Detroit heads cross-country to play a reeling Raiders team that has lost two straight, including a 30-point shellacking last week in Green Bay. Both of these teams are surprise playoff contenders, and this game could go a long way in determing each of their playoff fates. Detroit doesn't have to deal with Tebow, so they can probably afford a loss a little bit more, but not by much. They hold one of the NFC wild cards right now, and there's no guarantee things stay that way. And, they still have another game with the Packers (in Lambeau) to worry about. This is definitely a toss-up. Detroit's the better team and gets its best defensive player back, so I'm going with the Lions on the road.
- Patriots (10-3) at Tebows (8-5): Denver-New England clinches the AFC East with a win. Here's the craziest thing about this matchup: neither team ever loses. Just ask Rick Reilly. It really is crazy how the Tebows manage to pull the game out in the fourth quarter week after week, but I wonder what things would be like if their opponent ever built a big enough lead that they didn't have to worry about Tebow in the fourth quarter. Or what things would be like if Denver ever decided to play the first three and a half quarters of the game. But they've won six straight, so who am I to question what they're doing? The Patriots have no secondary, so a normal offense would just take the air and eat them up. But as we all know, unless they actually are a college team, the Tebows don't have a normal offense. Instead, they rely on Brady outscoring you, although even that almost didn't work last week against Washington. One of those 10-3 teams in the AFC is going to actually lose at some point and make these tiebreakers less confusing, right? Ordinarily, I'd say this is the type of game where New England gives its pretender opponent a dose of reality, but I just don't see a way I can pick against the Tebows until they actually come back to Earth.
- Jets (8-5) at Eagles (5-8): Jets-This was my preseason Super Bowl projection, but that's obviously not going to happen. The "Dream Team" isn't going to make the playoffs, which means the only reward left in the Eagles' season is playing spoiler to playoff contenders. The Jets certainly fit the bill there. And they might get caught looking ahead to next week's Christmas Eve showdown with the Giants. The Jets have won three straight since getting Tebowed to move into playoff position. They're currently the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but only one game ahead of that three-way tie at 7-6. And evidently the Sanchize has a pretty active social life (sidebar: Why is that news? He's a 25-year-old single guy living in New York. So what if he's the Jets' quarterback?) Hopefully a Jets win here is a good omen. Although, the Rangers win in the hockey game across the parking lot two weeks from now is the one I really want.
- Browns (4-9) at Cardinals (6-7): Arizona-CBS has two dynamite doubleheader games. And this one. Arizona has beaten Dallas and San Francisco in the last two weeks to move from 4-7 into the NFC playoff discussion, although the Cardinals in the playoffs would still be the longshot of all longshots. Even still, a win over Cleveland makes them .500. After nobody in the NFC West did that last season, it's awesome to think that 8-8 could be third in that division this year. Arizona moves to 7-7 with a victory.
- Ravens (10-3) at Chargers (6-7): Baltimore-The Ravens clinch a playoff spot if they win on Sunday night. And that's something they need to do if they're going to get some separation on the Steelers. The Chargers started their annual December surge with that Monday night win in Jacksonville, then they rolled the Bills last week. San Diego's still alive in the AFC West, but has road games at Detroit and Oakland after this one. The Chargers need to win out if they have any hope of passing the Tebows in the AFC West. I don't see that happening, though. Baltimore might be the best team in the AFC, and the Ravens will only get better with Ray Lewis back on the field this week. Playoff spot? Check. The cross-country trek is worth it for Baltimore.
- Steelers (10-3) at 49ers (10-3): San Francisco-This phenomenal Monday night matchup might be the game of the week. Pittsburgh and San Francisco are both playoff-bound. The 49ers have already clinched the NFC West, while the Steelers are in with a win this week (they also get in if Cincinnati, Tennesse and Oakland lose). The 49ers might've ruined their chances at being the No. 2 seed in the NFC with that loss to the Cardinals last week. Pittsburgh knows it needs to keep winning (and get a Baltimore loss) to avoid the No. 5 seed and a visit to Denver in the AFC. But the Steelers are without James Harrison, who's suspended, and might be without Ben Roethlisberger (who I think will play). The good news is that Pittsburgh will come into the game well-rested, having not played since Dec. 8. I'm not sure that's enough, though. This is the biggest home game the 49ers have had in years. They're not going to miss out on the opportunity to show off what they've got in front of a national audience.
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 137-73
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Highlights of the New Labor Deal
In a year that saw lockouts in both the NFL and NBA, Major League Baseball's players and owners quietly agreed on the details of a new CBA that was officially ratified today. As a result, the league with the most famous work stoppage in history, the 1994-95 strike that cancelled the 1994 World Series, will have 21 consecutive years of labor peace. (Personally, I don't think MLB will ever have another work stoppage again.)
That's not to say there won't be some significant changes coming to baseball. In fact, just the opposite. The new CBA has a bunch of changes. Both sides just happened to agree on what they should be and how to implement them. The two biggest ones we already knew. Starting in 2013, the Houston Astros are moving from the NL Central to the AL West, giving each league 15 teams and necessitating daily interleague play. The playoffs will also be expanded, with an additional wild card team in each league and the two wild card teams facing each other in a one-game playoff prior to the start of the Division Series. As I've said in the past, I'm not really a fan of the extra wild card team, but I'm on board with most of the other changes.
That's not to say there won't be some significant changes coming to baseball. In fact, just the opposite. The new CBA has a bunch of changes. Both sides just happened to agree on what they should be and how to implement them. The two biggest ones we already knew. Starting in 2013, the Houston Astros are moving from the NL Central to the AL West, giving each league 15 teams and necessitating daily interleague play. The playoffs will also be expanded, with an additional wild card team in each league and the two wild card teams facing each other in a one-game playoff prior to the start of the Division Series. As I've said in the past, I'm not really a fan of the extra wild card team, but I'm on board with most of the other changes.
- Teams in the same division can now meet in the postseason prior to the LCS. This was made necessary when they added the second wild card. It's likely that both wild card teams won't be from the same division, and they can't wait until the wild card game is over to set the Division Series matchups. So, now it'll be 1 vs. the wild card winner and 2 vs. 3. That's the way it was already set up (unless the wild card and No. 1 seed were from the same division), so this change is pretty minimal. And, again, it was necessary if they want to have that wild card game. The only potential problem is when, for example, the Phillies and Braves are the two best teams in the National League, but that happens so infrequently that it's a non-issue. Besides, this added emphasis on winning the division is definitely a good thing.
- The All-Star Break will be extended to four days in 2013, and MLB has the right to move the All-Star Game to Wednesday. I have to say, I really like the idea of a Wednesday All-Star Game. It seemed a little weird to think of at first, but it actually makes way too much sense to not do it. Moving the Home Run Derby to Tuesday and All-Star Game to Wednesday would give the players Monday as a travel day (instead of after their game on Sunday). Even more importantly, the Sunday rule for starting pitchers would no longer apply. Wednesday is the usual throw day after a Sunday start anyway, so they'd all be available to pitch. Ask the AL about that problem in Arizona. As for extending the break, since most series are three games, a lot of teams already get four days off anyway. This is probably just addressing the problem of some teams starting a four-game series on Thursday (and getting only three days off), while others started a three-game series on Friday (getting four days). This makes it uniform.
- Players can't change uniform numbers during the season without switching teams. No more getting traded only to have somebody else wearing your number, so you buy it from him after a couple of games. Just like there's no more switching from 32 to 23 because you're trying to break a slump. This is a marketing thing more than anything else. MLB doesn't want to be stuck with tons of apparel in stores that has the wrong number on it. I still have a couple questions about this rule, though. What about those guys on the Triple-A shuttle? Say a guy gets called up in May and is issued No. 28, then he gets sent down and somebody else is given that number. Now that same guy comes back in September and 28 isn't available. Likewise, what about the young guys who make the team out of Spring Training? If you're given No. 84 in Spring Training, it's pretty clear you aren't expected to make the team. But what if you do? Do you have to keep 84 all season, or can you switch to a normal number?
- Teams and players are no longer allowed to ask official scorers to reconsider scoring decisions. This is just a minor blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things, but I thought I'd throw it out there for Mr. Jim and his official scoring brethren. They do a great job and have to come up with hit/error decisions almost instantaneously. If it's close, they have the benefit of replay. It's not their fault that a guy loses his hitting streak because that questionable play in the third inning was ruled an error instead of a hit. Just like there's no reason to go back and change a borderline play from a hit to an error to protect a pitcher's ERA, or go the other way because it's the eighth inning and that was the other team's only hit.
- Instant replay will be expanded to fair-or-foul calls, fan interference, and whether a ball was caught or trapped. The umpires still need to approve this one, too, but you've got to figure that expanded replay will be implemented in some form. It's silly that the only thing they can review right now is whether or not a home run left the park. They at least need to be able to review fair or foul down the line, too. I'd be OK if they still wanted to limit it to home runs, but fair or foul is just as easy to review and just as important. And we've seen that replay doesn't actually take that long or disrupt the game that much. It's more important to get the call right. Play everything out like the ball's fair, then send the runners back if it's foul. I have no issue with that. Trapped or caught is a little trickier, but I think that's the extent of where you can go with replay. You have to leave the judgment plays (Did the throw beat the runner? Did he make the tag in time?) in the hands of the umpires.
- The schedule formula still has to be worked out, but teams will play 17 or 18 division games and no more than 20 interleague games. I still like my suggestion for the way the schedule should be made. Just saying. But I'm glad to see that they're sticking with the unbalanced schedule. If they're going to put an added emphasis on winning the division, it wouldn't have made any sense to have teams play fewer division games. Especially now that all six divisions are going to have the same number of teams, everybody in baseball should play the same number of division games. Wasn't that part of the point of moving Houston in the first place? I think the 18 interleague games that every American League team has been playing for years is the perfect number. It has to be an even number, 12's not enough and 24's too many. 18's just right. Three weeks out of the season to play interleague games isn't an imposition, and doesn't disrupt the flow of things as much as a whole month would. You're still playing 144 games (89 percent of the schedule) against the teams you're fighting for playoff positions. Most of those 144 should be against your division, which it looks like they're going to be.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Helmet-to-Helmet Rule Needs to Change
A lot of stuff happened in the world of sports today, didn't it? Jerry Sandusky waived his hearing and is going right to trial, which isn't really "news" since it was going to happen anyway (the going to trial part, not the waiving his hearing part). Bernie Fine's accusers have hired Gloria Allred and sued both Jim Boeheim and Syracuse University. I'm not saying Bernie Fine didn't do anything to these guys, but you can't tell me they aren't just in it for money. The suspensions for the Cincinnati-Xavier fight have been announced. Yancy Gates only got six games. I say only because he deserved more. He went all Ron Artest on Xavier. Tim McCarver was elected into the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. How? Were they out of announcers? Albert signed with the Angels because the Cardinals only offered him a five-year deal at first. It'll still be weird to see him in another uniform, though. Details of baseball's new labor deal have started to leak out. They'll get their own blog post next time.
But my topic du jour is the one-game suspension handed down by the NFL to Steelers linebacker James Harrison for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Thursday night. Just as Ndamukong Suh (the other poster child for Roger Baddell's crackdown on player safety) comes back from suspension, Harrison is suspended. I think it's some sort of unwritten NFL rule that they aren't both allowed to play in the same week.
I saw the entire Steelers-Browns game, and I don't think Harrison's hit warranted a suspension. A fine maybe, but even that's borderline in my opinion. The hit was a penalty. I'm not saying it wasn't. But I think that was the extent of it. The only reason a suspension came about was because it was James Harrison, who seems to get fined for an illegal hit every week. And for me, that opens up a whole different can of worms.
I've actually been sitting on this topic for a while now, and this is as good a time as any to finally make this point. I'm all for player safety, but some of these defensive players are getting penalized/fined/suspended for helmet-to-helmet hits that they can't avoid. The "defenseless" receiver might not be defenseless when the play actually develops. That's really something the NFL needs to start taking into consideration.
Sometimes helmet-to-helmet hits are very much intentional. It's pretty obvious when they're deliberate. In those cases, the protocol is correct. If a defender goes flying in when a play is already over and hits a receiver that's lying on the ground with his helmet, that's 15 yards for unnecessary roughness and a fine. Anytime that a defender uses his helmet to make a tackle, that's a 15-yard penalty and probably a fine. Those are clear violations of the rules, and I have no problem with the appropriate punishments being applied in those situations.
But then there are other times when helmet-to-helmet hits are the unfortunate, unavoidable results of bad timing. How many times have guys left their feet to make a tackle, then gotten a penalty for hitting a receiver who ducked down at the last second? This is actually the scenario that bothers me the most with this rule. When the defender leaves his feet, he's about to make a legal tackle. That only changes once the receiver goes to the ground. Now you're telling me that the defender's supposed to realize that the other guy went to the ground, determine whether or not he's going to end up hitting him helmet-first, and (if he is) change direction, all during the two seconds he's in the air.
In most cases, the receiver probably knows what's going to happen first and ducks down for the sole purpose of drawing the penalty. I give the receivers that have that kind of foresight a ton of credit. But why are defenders the only ones held accountable in these situations? Sometimes things happen so fast that the helmet-to-helmet hits are unavoidable. It's the same thing when a quarterback decides to slide at the last second or gets hit a split-second after he throws a pass. How's the defender supposed to stop? There's no way to avoid the hit (and the penalty).
There's also a clear double-standard here. Linemen bang helmets trying to block each other on every freakin' play. Nothing's ever called on them. Running backs are allowed (in fact, encouraged) to lower their heads and take the impact if it'll get them a few more yards. Then why do defenders get 15-yard penalties for hitting those same running backs in the helmet? Evidently, it's totally fine if you get plowed into like a battering ram, but you're not allowed to try and make a tackle when that happens (how many face masks are called on plays like this, too?).
I think common sense needs to enter the equation on helmet-to-helmet hits (I know common sense is often a problem when it comes to NFL rules, though). There's a big difference between the unavoidable kind and the deliberate kind. The deliberate kind is the one that deserves the unnecssary roughness penalties, fines and suspensions. Also, stop making rules that are only applied one way. Every helmet-to-helmet tackle is automatically the defender's "fault." That's not always the case. If you can have offensive pass interference, why can't you have an offensive helmet-to-helmet hit? Finally, apply the same rules to everybody. Stop singling out guys. Ndumakong Suh and James Harrison aren't the only guilty parties here, regardless of what the NFL would like us to believe.
But my topic du jour is the one-game suspension handed down by the NFL to Steelers linebacker James Harrison for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Thursday night. Just as Ndamukong Suh (the other poster child for Roger Baddell's crackdown on player safety) comes back from suspension, Harrison is suspended. I think it's some sort of unwritten NFL rule that they aren't both allowed to play in the same week.
I saw the entire Steelers-Browns game, and I don't think Harrison's hit warranted a suspension. A fine maybe, but even that's borderline in my opinion. The hit was a penalty. I'm not saying it wasn't. But I think that was the extent of it. The only reason a suspension came about was because it was James Harrison, who seems to get fined for an illegal hit every week. And for me, that opens up a whole different can of worms.
I've actually been sitting on this topic for a while now, and this is as good a time as any to finally make this point. I'm all for player safety, but some of these defensive players are getting penalized/fined/suspended for helmet-to-helmet hits that they can't avoid. The "defenseless" receiver might not be defenseless when the play actually develops. That's really something the NFL needs to start taking into consideration.
Sometimes helmet-to-helmet hits are very much intentional. It's pretty obvious when they're deliberate. In those cases, the protocol is correct. If a defender goes flying in when a play is already over and hits a receiver that's lying on the ground with his helmet, that's 15 yards for unnecessary roughness and a fine. Anytime that a defender uses his helmet to make a tackle, that's a 15-yard penalty and probably a fine. Those are clear violations of the rules, and I have no problem with the appropriate punishments being applied in those situations.
But then there are other times when helmet-to-helmet hits are the unfortunate, unavoidable results of bad timing. How many times have guys left their feet to make a tackle, then gotten a penalty for hitting a receiver who ducked down at the last second? This is actually the scenario that bothers me the most with this rule. When the defender leaves his feet, he's about to make a legal tackle. That only changes once the receiver goes to the ground. Now you're telling me that the defender's supposed to realize that the other guy went to the ground, determine whether or not he's going to end up hitting him helmet-first, and (if he is) change direction, all during the two seconds he's in the air.
In most cases, the receiver probably knows what's going to happen first and ducks down for the sole purpose of drawing the penalty. I give the receivers that have that kind of foresight a ton of credit. But why are defenders the only ones held accountable in these situations? Sometimes things happen so fast that the helmet-to-helmet hits are unavoidable. It's the same thing when a quarterback decides to slide at the last second or gets hit a split-second after he throws a pass. How's the defender supposed to stop? There's no way to avoid the hit (and the penalty).
There's also a clear double-standard here. Linemen bang helmets trying to block each other on every freakin' play. Nothing's ever called on them. Running backs are allowed (in fact, encouraged) to lower their heads and take the impact if it'll get them a few more yards. Then why do defenders get 15-yard penalties for hitting those same running backs in the helmet? Evidently, it's totally fine if you get plowed into like a battering ram, but you're not allowed to try and make a tackle when that happens (how many face masks are called on plays like this, too?).
I think common sense needs to enter the equation on helmet-to-helmet hits (I know common sense is often a problem when it comes to NFL rules, though). There's a big difference between the unavoidable kind and the deliberate kind. The deliberate kind is the one that deserves the unnecssary roughness penalties, fines and suspensions. Also, stop making rules that are only applied one way. Every helmet-to-helmet tackle is automatically the defender's "fault." That's not always the case. If you can have offensive pass interference, why can't you have an offensive helmet-to-helmet hit? Finally, apply the same rules to everybody. Stop singling out guys. Ndumakong Suh and James Harrison aren't the only guilty parties here, regardless of what the NFL would like us to believe.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Peyton for MVP
I've been saying (somewhat facetiously) all season that Peyton Manning deserved consideration for the NFL MVP award this season. Evidently I'm not the only one. In the first issue of the new NFL Magazine, they make the case for Peyton to be named MVP for the fifth time. He's obviously not going to win. Aaron Rodgers is going to. But the "debate" about Peyton is an interesting one.
Now, if you've ever met me, you know that I'm a little biased about this subject. I have a pretty serious man crush on Peyton Manning. I'm very unapologetic about this fact. As a result, I've become a Colts fan. Needless to say, this season has been pretty painful.
Peyton's first 13 years in the NFL were nothing short of extraordinary. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 Draft, he never missed a start until this season. He turned the Colts, a former laughingstock, into one of the best teams in the NFL. They won at least 12 games for seven straight seasons (2003-09) and made the playoffs every year from 2002-10. Indy won Super Bowl XLI and went back to the Super Bowl three years later, losing to New Orleans. The future Hall of Famer playing quarterback was the main reason for this success. Everyone knows this.
But, believe it or not, his value has been on display more this year than ever before. With Peyton, the Colts would be the Colts, and they'd probably be challenging the Texans for the lead in the AFC South. Without him, they haven't won a game. In fact, they're a complete joke. They resemble the ridiculously bad teams that wore the same uniforms in the early 90s. The Colts have shuffled through three different quarterbacks, and each one looks more clueless than the last. The offense, which Peyton guides with such precision, is completely lost and ridiculously inept. And the bend-but-don't break defense that's designed to just make sure the other team doesn't score as many points as the Colts do is equally as horrible. Indianapolis entered the year dreaming of playing in a Super Bowl at home. Instead, they're three games away from becoming the second 0-16 team in NFL history.
There are a lot of reasons why everything has hit the fan all at once in Indianapolis this season. Just like there are a lot of people to blame. For starters, Peyton's not the only injured Colt. The lockout didn't help, either. Neither did the fact that the Colts had no backup plan until the lockout was settled, and only then had an "Oh crap!" moment and hastily signed the newly unretired Kerry Collins "just in case." Then there's the sheer inevitability that their incredible run had to end sometime. But this team shouldn't be this bad. Who knows? Maybe they're still only 5-8 under Peyton. But they're definitely not winless.
And that's exactly why the Peyton for MVP debate has some merit. Again, he's not going to win, and I don't think he should. That honor should be reserved for somebody who puts up tremendous numbers while helping his team on the field. But let's not forget what MVP stands for. Most Valuable Player. Nobody can argue that this season isn't one in which Peyton Manning's value to the Indianapolis Colts has been most evident.
The entire team is built around him. He calls the plays. He runs the offense. He makes things happen. He figures out ways to win when it seems like there aren't any there. Even if the Colts are down 14 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, you don't have any doubt Peyton will find some way to win. Last year when they looked completely out of it with a month left, the Colts managed to win the division again. Even the defense is built around him. Their job is to keep the offense off the field long enough to get some rest and make sure the other team doesn't score more than Peyton does. Without him on the field, everything has fallen apart. It's pretty clear to me that he's the most valuable player on that roster.
Of course, the Patriots still went 11-5 the year Tom Brady got hurt on the first play of the season. But that just proves my point even further. New England was still good without Brady. The Colts without Peyton Manning are an absolute disaster. There's no doubt in my mind that he comes back healthy next year and the Colts are the Colts again. Of course, there's no way of knowing that, so it can't be used as a criterion for judging someone this year. But if I'm right, it'll serve as further proof that Peyton's value to his team is unrivaled in the NFL.
Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've made the argument that an injured player deserves some consideration for MVP simply because of how bad his team is without him. I said the same thing about Barry Bonds in 2005. He only played in 13 games that season, as the Giants finished 75-87, seven games behind the first-place Padres. San Francisco went to the World Series in 2002, won the division in 2003 and finished 91-71 as Bonds won MVP honors in 2004. They were a one-man team at the time. It's pretty clear that they missed him pretty badly in 2005. The Giants weren't good in 2006 or 2007, either, but there was no way to foresee that at the time. That's part of my point.
A star player's worth isn't only judged in how much he contributes to his team's success. Perhaps even more so, his value is evident when they struggle because he physically CAN'T do anything about it. It's an interesting debate that's definitely worth at least talking about.
Now, if you've ever met me, you know that I'm a little biased about this subject. I have a pretty serious man crush on Peyton Manning. I'm very unapologetic about this fact. As a result, I've become a Colts fan. Needless to say, this season has been pretty painful.
Peyton's first 13 years in the NFL were nothing short of extraordinary. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 Draft, he never missed a start until this season. He turned the Colts, a former laughingstock, into one of the best teams in the NFL. They won at least 12 games for seven straight seasons (2003-09) and made the playoffs every year from 2002-10. Indy won Super Bowl XLI and went back to the Super Bowl three years later, losing to New Orleans. The future Hall of Famer playing quarterback was the main reason for this success. Everyone knows this.
But, believe it or not, his value has been on display more this year than ever before. With Peyton, the Colts would be the Colts, and they'd probably be challenging the Texans for the lead in the AFC South. Without him, they haven't won a game. In fact, they're a complete joke. They resemble the ridiculously bad teams that wore the same uniforms in the early 90s. The Colts have shuffled through three different quarterbacks, and each one looks more clueless than the last. The offense, which Peyton guides with such precision, is completely lost and ridiculously inept. And the bend-but-don't break defense that's designed to just make sure the other team doesn't score as many points as the Colts do is equally as horrible. Indianapolis entered the year dreaming of playing in a Super Bowl at home. Instead, they're three games away from becoming the second 0-16 team in NFL history.
There are a lot of reasons why everything has hit the fan all at once in Indianapolis this season. Just like there are a lot of people to blame. For starters, Peyton's not the only injured Colt. The lockout didn't help, either. Neither did the fact that the Colts had no backup plan until the lockout was settled, and only then had an "Oh crap!" moment and hastily signed the newly unretired Kerry Collins "just in case." Then there's the sheer inevitability that their incredible run had to end sometime. But this team shouldn't be this bad. Who knows? Maybe they're still only 5-8 under Peyton. But they're definitely not winless.
And that's exactly why the Peyton for MVP debate has some merit. Again, he's not going to win, and I don't think he should. That honor should be reserved for somebody who puts up tremendous numbers while helping his team on the field. But let's not forget what MVP stands for. Most Valuable Player. Nobody can argue that this season isn't one in which Peyton Manning's value to the Indianapolis Colts has been most evident.
The entire team is built around him. He calls the plays. He runs the offense. He makes things happen. He figures out ways to win when it seems like there aren't any there. Even if the Colts are down 14 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, you don't have any doubt Peyton will find some way to win. Last year when they looked completely out of it with a month left, the Colts managed to win the division again. Even the defense is built around him. Their job is to keep the offense off the field long enough to get some rest and make sure the other team doesn't score more than Peyton does. Without him on the field, everything has fallen apart. It's pretty clear to me that he's the most valuable player on that roster.
Of course, the Patriots still went 11-5 the year Tom Brady got hurt on the first play of the season. But that just proves my point even further. New England was still good without Brady. The Colts without Peyton Manning are an absolute disaster. There's no doubt in my mind that he comes back healthy next year and the Colts are the Colts again. Of course, there's no way of knowing that, so it can't be used as a criterion for judging someone this year. But if I'm right, it'll serve as further proof that Peyton's value to his team is unrivaled in the NFL.
Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've made the argument that an injured player deserves some consideration for MVP simply because of how bad his team is without him. I said the same thing about Barry Bonds in 2005. He only played in 13 games that season, as the Giants finished 75-87, seven games behind the first-place Padres. San Francisco went to the World Series in 2002, won the division in 2003 and finished 91-71 as Bonds won MVP honors in 2004. They were a one-man team at the time. It's pretty clear that they missed him pretty badly in 2005. The Giants weren't good in 2006 or 2007, either, but there was no way to foresee that at the time. That's part of my point.
A star player's worth isn't only judged in how much he contributes to his team's success. Perhaps even more so, his value is evident when they struggle because he physically CAN'T do anything about it. It's an interesting debate that's definitely worth at least talking about.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Week 14 Picks
The NFL season is headed down the stretch. But even with just four weeks left, there's still a lot that we don't know. Who's the best team in the AFC? Is Denver actually going to make the playoffs? Will the Colts manage to win a game? Most of all, who's going to make the playoffs? There are four teams fighting for the other AFC wild card berth, while the NFC wild card race is down to a Bears team without a quarterback, a Lions team that can't stop committing stupid penalties, a schizophrenic Falcons team, a Giants team that's capable of beating (or losing to) anybody, and the Dallas Cowboys, who are being their usual confusing selves. This week's Giants-Cowboys game should help clear things up in the NFC a little, but probably not that much, especially since the other Giants-Cowboys game is in Week 17.
That game's not until Sunday night, so it comes at the end of our weekly installment. As for the rest:
Texans (9-3) at Bengals (7-5): Houston-The Texans can all but clinch their first-ever division title (and playoff berth) with a win and a Titans loss this week. Cincinnati somehow still holds the tiebreaker among that group of 7-5 teams for the remaining AFC playoff spot. But the Bengals haven't exactly been impressive against playoff-bound division foes Pittsburgh and Baltimore this season. It'll take a miracle for Houston to NOT make the playoffs, so Cincinnati needs to win this game a lot more than the Texans do. But Houston beat Atlanta last week with T.J. Yates at quarterback, so I'm not betting against them.
Vikings (2-10) at Lions (7-5): Detroit-I have two bits of good news for the Lions: 1. They're not on national TV this week, and 2. They're not playing a playoff-bound opponent. Even without Ndamukong Suh, beating the Vikings shouldn't be a problem. Which is a good thing, because they're on the outside looking in at the NFC playoffs right now.
Saints (9-3) at Titans (7-5): New Orleans-Is any team other than the Packers playing better football than New Orleans right now? Talk about a team on a roll! The Saints have a comfortable two-game lead in the NFC South, but need to keep winning in order to keep pace with San Francisco in the race for the No. 2 seed. Tennessee somehow remains on the fringe of the AFC playoff race (I'm not sure how, just go with it) and needs a win to stay in the hunt. A loss here all but knocks out the Titans, but Tennessee's not going to beat a Saints team that's playing this well.
Eagles (4-8) at Dolphins (4-8): Miami-It's been a good week in Miami. The Marlins got Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. So what if they didn't get Albert? And the Panthers are in first place! If it sounds like I don't care at all about the Dolphins-Eagles game, you're right. But I've gotta pick somebody, so it might as well be Miami.
Chiefs (5-7) at Jets (7-5): Jets-Call me crazy, but I think the Jets have the best chance to make the playoffs of all those 7-5 teams in the AFC. The Chiefs won't be a pushover, though. Kansas City has surprisingly resembled a professional football team over the past few weeks, giving Pittsburgh a game, then getting that stunning win over the Bears in Chicago last week. Kansas City's not going to make the playoffs, but definitely has that spoiler mentality. The Jets can't take this game lightly, and I don't think they will. Jets win.
Patriots (9-3) at Redskins (4-8): New England-I'm not sure how all the tiebreakers in the AFC work out, but the Patriots are the No. 1 seed in the conference right now. With a win and a Jets loss, they'll clinch the division once again. I'm not sure that happens, but the Patriots winning part certainly will.
Falcons (7-5) at Panthers (4-8): Carolina-Atlanta's seemingly safe playoff positioning got a little more precarious with a loss in Houston last week, but fortunately for the Falcons, the Bears, Lions, Cowboys and Giants all lost, too. So, the only real damage done was adding one to the "L" column. With a Monday night showdown against the Saints on the horizon the day after Christmas, the Falcons know they can't afford another loss if they want to win the NFC South. Cam Newton had perhaps his best game as a pro last week against the Bucs, but Tampa Bay's not Atlanta. The Falcons move to 8-5 and keep their hold on one of the NFC wild cards.
Buccaneers (4-8) at Jaguars (3-9): Tampa Bay-After making us watch Jacksonville on Monday night last week, the NFL's going to do it again with a Thursday night game next week (fortunately, in this case, I don't get NFL Network). Anyway, in another one of this week's "Who cares?" games, I'll take Western Florida over Eastern Florida.
Colts (0-12) at Ravens (9-3): Baltimore-Playing first-place teams certainly isn't the recipe to pick up your first win of the season. I've been saying somewhat sarcastically all season that I think Peyton deserves some MVP consideration, a topic that this week's NFL Magazine touched on. More on that during the week. Anyway, the Ravens are now in second place after the Steelers' win in Cleveland on Thursday night, but they'll jump right back into the division lead with a victory. Against the Colts, that better happen.
Bears (7-5) at Broncos (7-5): Denver-The Bears conclude their tour through the AFC West against the Tebows. I'm still not really sure how this is happening, but Denver can't lose and is actually in first place. The Bears are a better team, but clearly need Jay Cutler a little more than everybody thought. Chicago needs to figure out this quarterback thing soon or they'll be watching the playoffs. Meanwhile, how long can Tebow actually keep this going? I think one of the reason the Broncos have become "good" is because their opponents have to go from game planning for an actual NFL offense to game planning for the University of Florida. It's going to stop working at some point. But until it does, I'm not picking against the Broncos. I've learned my lesson.
49ers (10-2) at Cardinals (5-7): San Francisco-The 49ers clinched their first division title since 2002 last week. It might seem like they can mail it in for the final month of the season, but they're still fighting with the Saints for the No. 2 seed. I'm not saying that they shouldn't rest their injured guys, though. Doing that makes sense. Keep them healthy for the playoffs. Besides, I'm pretty sure they'll beat the Cardinals without Patrick Willis and Frank Gore.
Raiders (7-5) at Packers (12-0): Green Bay-CBS made this the doubleheader game. Good call. Let's watch the Packers as much as possible. They're not going to go undefeated. The Giants almost got them last week and gave everyone else the blueprint for how to beat Green Bay. One of the most surprising teams of the season, Oakland dropped into a first-place tie with the Tebows after losing to the Dolphins last week. That was a bad loss, but it didn't kill their playoff chances. This is a good matchup and should be an entertaining game to watch, but the Raiders aren't going to be the team that knocks off the Packers.
Bills (5-7) at Chargers (5-7): San Diego-Remember when the Bills were 5-2? Yeah, I don't either. San Diego was also good at the beginning of the season, then lost six in a row. The Chargers finally got back in the win column last week in Jacksonville and always play well in December, but they need to win out to even think about somehow winning the AFC West. Beating the Bills will be a decent start.
Giants (6-6) at Cowboys (7-5): Giants-Believe it or not, the Giants are the only 6-6 team in the NFL. And this week they finally end that brutal stretch where they play five first-place teams in six games. So, in other words, I take that four-game losing streak with a game of salt. Especially since the Giants are still in the thick of the playoff race. In fact, with a win this week, they move back into first place. They play again in Week 17, so this isn't a must-win for either team, but the Giants need to win a little bit more. With a loss, they'll need to win out, which still might not be enough. They're not both going to make the playoffs. They both know that. It's going to come down to their second meeting, but the winner of this one's going to own the tiebreaker going into that game. Call me a homer, but I'm encouraged by last week's close game with the Packers. I'm going with the Giants, who seem to play better in Jerry's World than the other two NFC East teams do.
Rams (2-10) at Seahawks (5-7): Seattle-Last year, these two played in Seattle in Week 17 and it was flexed into Sunday night. A lot of people were pissed off about that, even though it was for the NFC West title. That's certainly not the case this year (San Francisco has already clinched the division), but the NFL still decided we wanted to see this game so much that they put it on Monday night. We finally get a decent Monday night game next week (Steelers-49ers). Until then, we're stuck with this one. It's in Seattle, so, Seahawks.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 11-5
Season: 123-70
That game's not until Sunday night, so it comes at the end of our weekly installment. As for the rest:
Texans (9-3) at Bengals (7-5): Houston-The Texans can all but clinch their first-ever division title (and playoff berth) with a win and a Titans loss this week. Cincinnati somehow still holds the tiebreaker among that group of 7-5 teams for the remaining AFC playoff spot. But the Bengals haven't exactly been impressive against playoff-bound division foes Pittsburgh and Baltimore this season. It'll take a miracle for Houston to NOT make the playoffs, so Cincinnati needs to win this game a lot more than the Texans do. But Houston beat Atlanta last week with T.J. Yates at quarterback, so I'm not betting against them.
Vikings (2-10) at Lions (7-5): Detroit-I have two bits of good news for the Lions: 1. They're not on national TV this week, and 2. They're not playing a playoff-bound opponent. Even without Ndamukong Suh, beating the Vikings shouldn't be a problem. Which is a good thing, because they're on the outside looking in at the NFC playoffs right now.
Saints (9-3) at Titans (7-5): New Orleans-Is any team other than the Packers playing better football than New Orleans right now? Talk about a team on a roll! The Saints have a comfortable two-game lead in the NFC South, but need to keep winning in order to keep pace with San Francisco in the race for the No. 2 seed. Tennessee somehow remains on the fringe of the AFC playoff race (I'm not sure how, just go with it) and needs a win to stay in the hunt. A loss here all but knocks out the Titans, but Tennessee's not going to beat a Saints team that's playing this well.
Eagles (4-8) at Dolphins (4-8): Miami-It's been a good week in Miami. The Marlins got Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. So what if they didn't get Albert? And the Panthers are in first place! If it sounds like I don't care at all about the Dolphins-Eagles game, you're right. But I've gotta pick somebody, so it might as well be Miami.
Chiefs (5-7) at Jets (7-5): Jets-Call me crazy, but I think the Jets have the best chance to make the playoffs of all those 7-5 teams in the AFC. The Chiefs won't be a pushover, though. Kansas City has surprisingly resembled a professional football team over the past few weeks, giving Pittsburgh a game, then getting that stunning win over the Bears in Chicago last week. Kansas City's not going to make the playoffs, but definitely has that spoiler mentality. The Jets can't take this game lightly, and I don't think they will. Jets win.
Patriots (9-3) at Redskins (4-8): New England-I'm not sure how all the tiebreakers in the AFC work out, but the Patriots are the No. 1 seed in the conference right now. With a win and a Jets loss, they'll clinch the division once again. I'm not sure that happens, but the Patriots winning part certainly will.
Falcons (7-5) at Panthers (4-8): Carolina-Atlanta's seemingly safe playoff positioning got a little more precarious with a loss in Houston last week, but fortunately for the Falcons, the Bears, Lions, Cowboys and Giants all lost, too. So, the only real damage done was adding one to the "L" column. With a Monday night showdown against the Saints on the horizon the day after Christmas, the Falcons know they can't afford another loss if they want to win the NFC South. Cam Newton had perhaps his best game as a pro last week against the Bucs, but Tampa Bay's not Atlanta. The Falcons move to 8-5 and keep their hold on one of the NFC wild cards.
Buccaneers (4-8) at Jaguars (3-9): Tampa Bay-After making us watch Jacksonville on Monday night last week, the NFL's going to do it again with a Thursday night game next week (fortunately, in this case, I don't get NFL Network). Anyway, in another one of this week's "Who cares?" games, I'll take Western Florida over Eastern Florida.
Colts (0-12) at Ravens (9-3): Baltimore-Playing first-place teams certainly isn't the recipe to pick up your first win of the season. I've been saying somewhat sarcastically all season that I think Peyton deserves some MVP consideration, a topic that this week's NFL Magazine touched on. More on that during the week. Anyway, the Ravens are now in second place after the Steelers' win in Cleveland on Thursday night, but they'll jump right back into the division lead with a victory. Against the Colts, that better happen.
Bears (7-5) at Broncos (7-5): Denver-The Bears conclude their tour through the AFC West against the Tebows. I'm still not really sure how this is happening, but Denver can't lose and is actually in first place. The Bears are a better team, but clearly need Jay Cutler a little more than everybody thought. Chicago needs to figure out this quarterback thing soon or they'll be watching the playoffs. Meanwhile, how long can Tebow actually keep this going? I think one of the reason the Broncos have become "good" is because their opponents have to go from game planning for an actual NFL offense to game planning for the University of Florida. It's going to stop working at some point. But until it does, I'm not picking against the Broncos. I've learned my lesson.
49ers (10-2) at Cardinals (5-7): San Francisco-The 49ers clinched their first division title since 2002 last week. It might seem like they can mail it in for the final month of the season, but they're still fighting with the Saints for the No. 2 seed. I'm not saying that they shouldn't rest their injured guys, though. Doing that makes sense. Keep them healthy for the playoffs. Besides, I'm pretty sure they'll beat the Cardinals without Patrick Willis and Frank Gore.
Raiders (7-5) at Packers (12-0): Green Bay-CBS made this the doubleheader game. Good call. Let's watch the Packers as much as possible. They're not going to go undefeated. The Giants almost got them last week and gave everyone else the blueprint for how to beat Green Bay. One of the most surprising teams of the season, Oakland dropped into a first-place tie with the Tebows after losing to the Dolphins last week. That was a bad loss, but it didn't kill their playoff chances. This is a good matchup and should be an entertaining game to watch, but the Raiders aren't going to be the team that knocks off the Packers.
Bills (5-7) at Chargers (5-7): San Diego-Remember when the Bills were 5-2? Yeah, I don't either. San Diego was also good at the beginning of the season, then lost six in a row. The Chargers finally got back in the win column last week in Jacksonville and always play well in December, but they need to win out to even think about somehow winning the AFC West. Beating the Bills will be a decent start.
Giants (6-6) at Cowboys (7-5): Giants-Believe it or not, the Giants are the only 6-6 team in the NFL. And this week they finally end that brutal stretch where they play five first-place teams in six games. So, in other words, I take that four-game losing streak with a game of salt. Especially since the Giants are still in the thick of the playoff race. In fact, with a win this week, they move back into first place. They play again in Week 17, so this isn't a must-win for either team, but the Giants need to win a little bit more. With a loss, they'll need to win out, which still might not be enough. They're not both going to make the playoffs. They both know that. It's going to come down to their second meeting, but the winner of this one's going to own the tiebreaker going into that game. Call me a homer, but I'm encouraged by last week's close game with the Packers. I'm going with the Giants, who seem to play better in Jerry's World than the other two NFC East teams do.
Rams (2-10) at Seahawks (5-7): Seattle-Last year, these two played in Seattle in Week 17 and it was flexed into Sunday night. A lot of people were pissed off about that, even though it was for the NFC West title. That's certainly not the case this year (San Francisco has already clinched the division), but the NFL still decided we wanted to see this game so much that they put it on Monday night. We finally get a decent Monday night game next week (Steelers-49ers). Until then, we're stuck with this one. It's in Seattle, so, Seahawks.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 11-5
Season: 123-70
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Patrick, Adams, Norris and Smythe
They might as well just go back to the '80s division names. That's the only possible silver lining in this stupid four conference plan the NHL unveiled the other day. NHL, who you kidding? They're divisions. Not conferences. I've had a few days to think about whether or not I like this thing. As you can probably tell, I don't.
For starters, the current conference names are as dumb as the Big Ten "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions. "Conference A" is the hypothetical name that you use when coming up with hypothetical divisions in a hypothetical league. I know it's only temporary, but you can't name an actual professional sports conference "Conference A." There was nothing wrong with Patrick, Adams, Norris or Smythe, which is what the NHL called its four divisions before renaming the conferences "Eastern" and "Western" in 1993-94. In fact, the division names honored some of the NHL's most important founding fathers: Lester Patrick, Charles Adams, James Norris (for whom the Norris Trophy for Best Defenseman is also named) and Conn Smythe (also the namesake of the trophy for playoff MVP).
Of course, realignment was made necessary because of the Atlanta Thrashers' move to Winnipeg. There were a couple of very easy ways to put Winnipeg in the Western Conference. My solution would've been to put Nashville (which is actually, you know IN the Southeast) in Atlanta/Winnipeg's place in the Southeast Division and Winnipeg in the Northwest Division with the other Western Canadian teams, then moving Dallas into Nashville's vacated place in the Central Division and moving Colorado from the Northwest to the Pacific. Giving us divisions that look like this:
Atlantic-New Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Northeast-Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
Southeast-Carolina, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Washington
Central-Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis
Northwest-Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Vancouver
Pacific-Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose
Instead, the NHL gave in to certain teams that didn't like the division they were in. Evidently the Red Wings whined enough about being in the Western Conference that the NHL decided to make them happy. (I'm not sure what their problem was when they were in the same division as the rival Blackhawks). Dallas being in the Pacific Division didn't make that much sense, but keeping the Western Canadian teams together did. And, until this season, there were 17 teams in the Eastern time zone. That means two of them had to be in the Western Conference, and the Red Wings and Blue Jackets are the westernmost of those teams. One of the solutions tossed around was simply moving one of them to the East (instead of Nashville, which, again, is actually in the Southeast). But pissing off 14 teams just to make Detroit happy wasn't going to fly.
The Red Wings' main issue was with the schedule. Specifically the amount of travel they have to do. But the schedule easily could've been adjusted without blowing up the whole two-conference, six-division structure. This season, teams play six games against their division rivals, four games against the other 10 teams in their conference and 18 interconference games. It would've been easy to set up a home-and-home with everybody else in the league and maintain the current structure (five division games, three or four conference games, two interconference games each).
So why don't I like the new alignment? Well, there are a couple of reasons. For starters, let's stay on the schedule issue. Now everybody will play a home-and-home with every other team in the league, but the only teams they'll see more than twice are those in their "conference." Not enough variety. Yes, it increases travel for most teams, but that's not even really what makes this an issue. Take a team like the Rangers. They haven't been in the same division as Boston or Montreal for years, yet still face the Bruins and Canadiens regularly. Now you're telling them that Boston and Montreal are both only coming to the Garden once a year. And, seriously, how many times can you play the Devils and Islanders in one season?
But here's my biggest problem (other than the fact the four divisions are called "conferences"): the playoff structure. Making the playoffs just got a whole lot tougher. Part of what made the rivalries of the '80s so great was that the first two rounds of the playoffs were division semifinals and finals, with the four division winners moving on to the conference finals. But that was also the biggest problem with the NHL's playoff structure in the '80s. For the better part of that decade, Edmonton and Calgary were the two best teams in the Campbell Conference, if not the entire NHL. But since they were both in the Smythe Division, it was impossible for the Oilers and Flames to meet in the conference finals. Same thing for the Bruins and Canadiens. Now it's possible to run into that same problem again. In fact, neither one of last season's conference finals would've happened if this alignment had been in place. The Lightning and Bruins are now in the same "conference." So are the Sharks and Canucks.
Likewise, limiting the playoffs to four teams per division is going to keep some very good teams out of the playoffs at the expense of others that might not be as deserving. Case in point: of the top eight teams in current Eastern Conference standings, five are in the new "Conference C," while only three (the Penguins, Rangers and Flyers) are in the new "Conference D." It's also a 5-3 split favoring "Conference B" in the Western Conference.
And what are you going to call the semifinal round? Who's going to play who in that round? There's talk about re-seeding after the "conference" finals or having the matchups rotate each year. For the fans (and probably the players, too), that's way too confusing. The matchups need to be predetermined. Since qualifying for the playoffs would be based on your division finish rather than your conference finish, it wouldn't matter that the two Eastern "conferences" have seven teams each and the two Western "conferences" have eight teams each. Have the Eastern teams meet and the Western teams meet, just like they currently do. Or, why not go back even further and just seed the top 16 teams in the league 1-16 for the playoffs, completely disregarding divisions or conferences entirely?
Besides, all of this might be moot anyway. The Coyotes might not be in Phoenix that much longer. My predicition is that they move to Quebec and are moved to "Conference C." Conferences C and D are then renamed "divisions" (which is what they are) within the Eastern Conference (or whatever you want to call it). The Norris and Smythe Divisions are then combined into the Western Conference. And once you have the Red Wings and Blackhawks finish with the two best records in the league, but it's impossible for them to meet in the conference finals, for a few years in a row, the playoff structure is fixed so that the division winners are the top two seeds and the other six playoff spots per conference are based on points, regardless of division.
The NHL might've solved some of its "problems," but I think a lot more might've just been created. Either way, I highly doubt this four conference structure lasts very long. Fans will like getting to see every team in the league, but they'll hate not being able to see some as often as they used to, and they'll get bored of seeing the same teams over and over. Even more significantly, until more than two teams can play in the finals, having more than two conferences simply doesn't make any sense.
For starters, the current conference names are as dumb as the Big Ten "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions. "Conference A" is the hypothetical name that you use when coming up with hypothetical divisions in a hypothetical league. I know it's only temporary, but you can't name an actual professional sports conference "Conference A." There was nothing wrong with Patrick, Adams, Norris or Smythe, which is what the NHL called its four divisions before renaming the conferences "Eastern" and "Western" in 1993-94. In fact, the division names honored some of the NHL's most important founding fathers: Lester Patrick, Charles Adams, James Norris (for whom the Norris Trophy for Best Defenseman is also named) and Conn Smythe (also the namesake of the trophy for playoff MVP).
Of course, realignment was made necessary because of the Atlanta Thrashers' move to Winnipeg. There were a couple of very easy ways to put Winnipeg in the Western Conference. My solution would've been to put Nashville (which is actually, you know IN the Southeast) in Atlanta/Winnipeg's place in the Southeast Division and Winnipeg in the Northwest Division with the other Western Canadian teams, then moving Dallas into Nashville's vacated place in the Central Division and moving Colorado from the Northwest to the Pacific. Giving us divisions that look like this:
Atlantic-New Jersey, N.Y. Islanders, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Northeast-Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
Southeast-Carolina, Florida, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Washington
Central-Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis
Northwest-Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Vancouver
Pacific-Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose
Instead, the NHL gave in to certain teams that didn't like the division they were in. Evidently the Red Wings whined enough about being in the Western Conference that the NHL decided to make them happy. (I'm not sure what their problem was when they were in the same division as the rival Blackhawks). Dallas being in the Pacific Division didn't make that much sense, but keeping the Western Canadian teams together did. And, until this season, there were 17 teams in the Eastern time zone. That means two of them had to be in the Western Conference, and the Red Wings and Blue Jackets are the westernmost of those teams. One of the solutions tossed around was simply moving one of them to the East (instead of Nashville, which, again, is actually in the Southeast). But pissing off 14 teams just to make Detroit happy wasn't going to fly.
The Red Wings' main issue was with the schedule. Specifically the amount of travel they have to do. But the schedule easily could've been adjusted without blowing up the whole two-conference, six-division structure. This season, teams play six games against their division rivals, four games against the other 10 teams in their conference and 18 interconference games. It would've been easy to set up a home-and-home with everybody else in the league and maintain the current structure (five division games, three or four conference games, two interconference games each).
So why don't I like the new alignment? Well, there are a couple of reasons. For starters, let's stay on the schedule issue. Now everybody will play a home-and-home with every other team in the league, but the only teams they'll see more than twice are those in their "conference." Not enough variety. Yes, it increases travel for most teams, but that's not even really what makes this an issue. Take a team like the Rangers. They haven't been in the same division as Boston or Montreal for years, yet still face the Bruins and Canadiens regularly. Now you're telling them that Boston and Montreal are both only coming to the Garden once a year. And, seriously, how many times can you play the Devils and Islanders in one season?
But here's my biggest problem (other than the fact the four divisions are called "conferences"): the playoff structure. Making the playoffs just got a whole lot tougher. Part of what made the rivalries of the '80s so great was that the first two rounds of the playoffs were division semifinals and finals, with the four division winners moving on to the conference finals. But that was also the biggest problem with the NHL's playoff structure in the '80s. For the better part of that decade, Edmonton and Calgary were the two best teams in the Campbell Conference, if not the entire NHL. But since they were both in the Smythe Division, it was impossible for the Oilers and Flames to meet in the conference finals. Same thing for the Bruins and Canadiens. Now it's possible to run into that same problem again. In fact, neither one of last season's conference finals would've happened if this alignment had been in place. The Lightning and Bruins are now in the same "conference." So are the Sharks and Canucks.
Likewise, limiting the playoffs to four teams per division is going to keep some very good teams out of the playoffs at the expense of others that might not be as deserving. Case in point: of the top eight teams in current Eastern Conference standings, five are in the new "Conference C," while only three (the Penguins, Rangers and Flyers) are in the new "Conference D." It's also a 5-3 split favoring "Conference B" in the Western Conference.
And what are you going to call the semifinal round? Who's going to play who in that round? There's talk about re-seeding after the "conference" finals or having the matchups rotate each year. For the fans (and probably the players, too), that's way too confusing. The matchups need to be predetermined. Since qualifying for the playoffs would be based on your division finish rather than your conference finish, it wouldn't matter that the two Eastern "conferences" have seven teams each and the two Western "conferences" have eight teams each. Have the Eastern teams meet and the Western teams meet, just like they currently do. Or, why not go back even further and just seed the top 16 teams in the league 1-16 for the playoffs, completely disregarding divisions or conferences entirely?
Besides, all of this might be moot anyway. The Coyotes might not be in Phoenix that much longer. My predicition is that they move to Quebec and are moved to "Conference C." Conferences C and D are then renamed "divisions" (which is what they are) within the Eastern Conference (or whatever you want to call it). The Norris and Smythe Divisions are then combined into the Western Conference. And once you have the Red Wings and Blackhawks finish with the two best records in the league, but it's impossible for them to meet in the conference finals, for a few years in a row, the playoff structure is fixed so that the division winners are the top two seeds and the other six playoff spots per conference are based on points, regardless of division.
The NHL might've solved some of its "problems," but I think a lot more might've just been created. Either way, I highly doubt this four conference structure lasts very long. Fans will like getting to see every team in the league, but they'll hate not being able to see some as often as they used to, and they'll get bored of seeing the same teams over and over. Even more significantly, until more than two teams can play in the finals, having more than two conferences simply doesn't make any sense.
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