Bleacher Report - Articles by Chad Minton

If You Want to Talk Stanford, Let's Talk Stanford

Chad Minton — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:28:43 -0500

Charlie Weis once again went into the lion's den during his latest press conference. He's got to be getting sick of this by now and I look forward to seeing each and every one.

This latest press conference featured not only the questions of Weis's job security, but also questions about his quarterback getting sucker punched in the face by what I'm assuming was a very angry fan.

Like many coaches tend to do when negative questions come up, Charlie stuck to avoiding the question and only wanting to talk about the upcoming game. In this case the surging Stanford Cardinal.

You may not want to talk about those issues but I'm expecting that after this weekend you won't want to talk about Stanford either.

The bottom line is this is not a good match-up for the slumping Fighting Irish. Granted Stanford is coming off a tough loss to California, but before that they had wins against three top 25 teams.

Not only has Notre Dame failed to beat a top 25 team this year, but they also haven't looked too impressive against the same teams that Stanford took care of in convincing fashion.

There's an even bigger eye-opener that looks horrible if you're Notre Dame coming into this game and that's Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart and his 1,500 rushing yards.

In the last three losses Notre Dame has given up an average of 257 rushing yards a game and that's without facing a Heisman candidate. Expect Gerhart and the rest of the Cardinal offense to rip the Notre Dame defense into shreds.

Now I don't want to come down completely on Notre Dame here because they do have a ton of talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

However that potent offense has been rock solid almost the entire year and six wins is all it's resulted in. That's even with three very close wins against sub-par teams. I just don't see them pulling out a win against a team as good as Stanford.

Stay tuned for Weis's press conference next week when the number one line will be, "I don't wanna talk about Stanford, I just wanna talk about the Little Caesers Pizza Bowl!"

Heisman Race Covered By Murky Waters

Chad Minton — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:47:40 -0500

At this point in a season the Heisman Trophy race has probably never been more congested. There's simply no clear-cut leader right now.

Over the years the Heisman trophy has become an exclusive award for only quarterbacks, and the occasional running back. Wide receivers and defensive players often get wrongly overlooked.

It looks like it will happen again this season. There are a handful of players who are deserving of the Heisman trophy who aren't quarterbacks this year.

One of those players that will most likely miss out on the award is Clemson's C.J. Spiller. This guy is an absolute game changer at the running back position and has single handily taken Clemson to the ACC championship game.

Another very worthy candidate who has just recently emerged as a candidate is Standford running back Toby Gerhart. He has an unprecedented 24 touchdowns and has also played a vital role in Stanford's emergence as a top team in the Pac-10.

However, there is still a great likelihood that the trophy will once again go to a quarterback. If Florida and Texas meet in the national championship game, look for the winning quarterback to take home the Heisman.

If Alabama beats Florida and Texas to win the national championship, then Mark Ingram will win the Heisman. Ingram would definitely deserve the Heisman if that happened. He goes against the best defenses in the country almost every week and still puts up solid numbers.

Even though there's still a lot of football to be played before this is all cleared up, it still looks like a handful of players will be robbed of the trophy because they're not on a national championship team.

Top Heisman Candidates

Mark Ingram (Alabama)
Toby Gerhart (Stanford)
C.J. Spiller (Clemson)
Tim Tebow (Florida)
Colt McCoy (Texas)
Kellen Moore (Boise St.)

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Roll Over Another Sun Belt Opponent

Chad Minton — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:28:00 -0500

Nothing seems to be able to stop the offense of the Blue Raiders at this crucial point of the season. Earlier in the season Dwight Dasher seemed to be the only threat, but now some other guys have joined in on the fun.

Saturday's win over Louisiana-Lafayette marked the Blue Raiders' fourth straight game of scoring 27 points or more. On top of that, the Blue Raiders have scored 30-plus points in all but one of their seven wins this season.

The schedule get's incredibly weak for the last two games of the 2009 campaign.

Arkansas State comes to town next week for the last home game of the season, and the season finale will be at Louisiana-Monroe. Monroe barely got past the winless Hilltoppers this past weekend so that should be a fairly easy win.

The other big story outside of the Blue Raiders cruising to a bowl bid is the fact that Dasher broke the school record for total offense in a single season. Dasher has 3,040 yards of total offense on the season.

Even the ESPN guys are giving Dasher their praises. During the broadcast of a Friday night game one of the commentators announced Dwight Dasher as one of his offensive players to watch for on Saturday.

What has made the Blue Raiders so much more dangerous is that they're no longer one-dimensional in the rushing attack.

Sophomore running back D.D. Kyles has added a whole other problem for opposing defenses to worry about. Kyles now has three straight 100-yard games on the ground.

As of right now the bowl projections are putting the Blue Raiders in the PapaJohns.com Bowl or maybe the EagleBank Bowl.

It's very unlikely the Blue Raiders will get the New Orleans Bowl, which is awarded to the Sun Belt champion. Troy would have to lose their remaining two games and that probably won't happen.

Either way, the Blue Raiders are most likely going bowling for only the second time in school history.

Favre Returns to Lambeau In Triumphant Fashion

Chad Minton — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:40:00 -0500

To my surprise, Brett Favre returned to Lambeau Field on Sunday to an overwhelming amount of boos. You heard a few claps here and there, but it sounded more like a WWE event than it did an NFL game.

Needless to say, Favre was the villain. And after laughing off the boos, and even a few middle fingers, the villain won.

The Packers are now 0-2 against their rivals in purple this season due in large part to the man who brought their franchise back to the top in the mid-90s.

None of this should be put on the shoulders of Aaron Rodgers. Simply put, he's been great and has proven he's got a great future in this league. It's the rest of his team that needs to start pulling its weight. Especially against more formidable opponents.

It still seems the Packers defense has a ton of holes in it. It has looked good against weak opponents and horrible against good ones.

The Vikings now have a powerful grip on the NFC North and unless they collapse like Favre's Jets did last season, an easy road to the postseason lies ahead.

Favre definitely deserves kudos from the entire NFL. Even the die-hard Packer fans. He came into Green Bay under enormous pressure, threw four touchdowns and led his team to a huge victory. All at the age of 40.

Simply unbelievable, and there's no other way to put it.

Going into the season I was a Brett Favre critic. I thought he acted like a diva with the whole Packers situation. I still think he did.

Bu I stand corrected regarding his ability. I saw him being just another average quarterback in the NFL. Another Chad Pennington or Matt Hasselbeck.

I was way off.

As good as Favre has been, you can't forget the fact that Minnesota was already one of the better teams in the NFC before the quarterback addition. They went to the playoffs last season.

I'm not ready to climb aboard the Favre bandwagon just yet, but I'm definitely checking out the brochure.

Fisher's Stunt Comes At Worst Possible Time

Chad Minton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 -0400

Virtually every Titans fan had to hear of Jeff Fisher's little stunt he pulled at a charity event at Lipscomb University on Tuesday by pulling his button-up shirt off and revealing the enemy: a Peyton Manning Colts jersey.

Now I understand that Fisher was just kidding and that it was all in good fun. Former Colts coach Tony Dungy was there and it was a charity event. However, Fisher has the worst possible timing. And his opening comment didn't help things either:

"I just wanted to feel like a winner."

Excuse me? Did I really just hear that come out of a coach's mouth right in the middle of the season where his team is 0-6? Don't forget it was just two days after a 59-0 loss that probably even had some Patriots fans embarrassed for us.

This comment had to be demoralizing to many of the Titans players, especially the ones who have given it everything they have this season. We know for sure it didn't sit well with Keith Bullock who said, "It didn't make me laugh at all." He went on to add that it doesn't matter what we think anyways.

Shortly after Sunday's game, many questions were brought up as to whether the Titans quit or not. Patriots safety Rodney Harrison thinks our players quit on Sunday, and maybe some of them did. There's really no way to know for sure.

I've never seen a team go from one of the premiere teams in a conference to the armpit of the entire league so fast. This team has become nothing but dysfunctional.

There's already talks that Fisher's job may be in jeopardy at the end of the season if he doesn't get things turned around quickly. Owner Bud Adams has even said that he needs to review this whole situation to see if any changes are necessary.

The media definitely doesn't seem to think Fisher is the problem, but they don't make the choices for the organization thankfully.

All I can say to Jeff is don't quit your day job to become a comedian, because most of your loyal fans probably didn't think it was too funny.

Meyer Should Sit Tebow Against LSU

Chad Minton — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:53:00 -0400

One of the biggest SEC games of the year is just days ahead of us as No. 1 Florida will take on No. 4 LSU down in the bayou on Saturday night. I don't need to take time to explain the implications of this game, especially for LSU.

If Florida loses this game, it's not the end of the world. They have little competition in the watered down SEC East and even one loss will still leave the Gators with a good chance of making the SEC championship game.

As for LSU, if they lose this game, Alabama will have the upper hand in the much tougher SEC West. You also can't forget about Ole Miss, which is still very much alive for the division title.

Even though this game is so important, Urban Meyer has to set aside football from real life. I know he's going back and forth on trying to decide whether or not to start the recently concussed Tim Tebow.

Tebow suffered a concussion less than two weeks ago against Kentucky. As of right now Tebow is listed as a game-time decision.

The worst case scenario far out-weighs the best case scenario in this situation. Besides, it's not like Florida is taking on Charleston Southern this week. They're taking on who is in my opinion the second best team in the SEC in LSU. This defense is going to blitz the you know what out of whichever guy lines up under center for the Gators.

All it takes is another massive blow to the head and Tebow's football career could be drastically put in jeopardy. It's not just about Tebow's future as a football player. It's about his future as a regular person. Tebow just recently started praciticing with the team again and for a while wasn't even allowed to read a book.

How is a guy suppose to go from not being allowed to read to leading his team against an SEC defense in hostile territory? I know Tebow is the closest thing to God when it comes to playing college football, but it's just not a good idea to start this guy.

If something terrible does end up happening to Tebow, Meyer could end up putting himself under horrible scrutiny for starting a player that was extremely vulnerable to another concussion.

I know you're the football genius, Urban,and I'm not, but you got to make the right choice here. The right choice doesn't always get you the win, but that choice doesn't necessarily make it wrong.

Tennessee Titans Lose the Opener, But Not Without Heart

Chad Minton — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:50:00 -0400

No football fan likes watching their team lose the first game of the season. Nothing is worse than being all pumped up about the season getting underway just to watch your favorite team fall.

Titans fans, let me just tell you: it will be okay.

The NFL got its season underway Thursday night with the Titans and the Steelers doing battle. This is easily the NFL's newest rivalry.

Many probably think this rivalry started last season when Lendale White, Keith Bullock, and a couple other Titans stomped all over the sacred Steelers terrible towel. As obvious as it would seem, that's not where the rivalry started.

The rivalry really started during the 2002-2003 playoffs when the Steelers were called for a roughing the kicker penalty, which gave Titans kicker Joe Nedney one more chance to nail the winning field goal in overtime.

I can't imagine how bitter Steelers fans were after that game and I'm sure that stuck with them up until now.

After watching tonight's game I realized that the Titans and the Steelers are probably the two best teams in the AFC, thanks in large part to their defenses. They mirror each other in so many ways that it's scary.

In fact, the first half showed both teams trying to go vertical, when that obviously didn't work for either of them. Then they both started pounding the ball down the middle and relying on the short underneath routes.

In the end, the Steelers obviously won that battle.

I have to admit that at first, I was very upset to watch the Titans lose. However, after a few minutes of the loss sinking in, I realized the Titans lost to a good team.

No, not a good team, a great team. Not even a great team.

How about the Super Bowl champs?

Both teams showed a ton of heart and made it all more apparent as to why I love football so much and why I have been so impatient watching baseball all summer.

God Must Not Be a Mets Fan

Chad Minton — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:59:00 -0400

For all the Mets fans out there, I really do feel for you. What a horrible year 2009 has been. Not to mention the horrific end to the 2008 season.

With all the injuries the Mets have endured, I'm not even sure that manager Jerry Manuel knows half his players' names anymore.

The latest disaster for the Mets happened after Johan Santana suffered a season ending elbow injury. The injury doesn't seem to be too serious, but the Mets are doing the right thing by getting Santana the surgery. This thing could get really nasty if Santana misses significant time next season.

There was a ton of buzz behind the Mets back in April and some had them as a trendy World Series pick. Now the Nationals are the only team keeping them from being the laughing stock of the NL East. And quite frankly the Nationals have looked a whole lot better since the All-Star break.

The Mets' hitting lineup has been impacted the most by injuries with at least six significant players currently on the disabled list.

Of course a lot of you probably can't forget the freak accident that happened to Luis Castillo a couple of weeks ago. Castillo couldn't even walk down the steps to dugout without injuring himself. He's back now and is one of the only Mets player that is doing anything good for that team.

The injured Mets players can't even seem to rehab properly. Carlos Delgado has been out most of the season due to having hip surgery. Just when it looked like Delgado was on his way back to the lineup, he strained one of his oblique muscles.

Just hang in there Mets fans. You've definitely paid your dues the past couple of seasons while the NL East has gotten better and better, except those poor Nationals.

Current Mets on the Disabled List

Jose Reyes ( hamstring)
Carlos Beltran ( knee)
Carlos Delgado (hip, oblique)
David Wright (concussion)
Alex Cora (thumbs)
Johan Santana (elbow)
John Maine (shoulder)
J.J. Putz (bone chips)
Fernando Nieve (thigh)

Brett Favre Comes Out of Retirement Again To Join Minnesota Vikings

Chad Minton — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:11:00 -0400

Just when you thought Brett Favre was finally going to sail gracefully into the sunset he once again pulls a 180 on the sports world.

It's only been a few weeks since Favre confirmed that he wouldn't return to play for the Vikings. He was worried about his body being able to sustain a full NFL season. I guess Favre's physical condition magically got better in a matter of weeks.

The rumor first broke out on Monday when a few anonymous Vikings players said that Favre was close to signing with the team. Now there are numerous reports confirming that Favre is expected to sign a deal anywhere between $10 to $12 million by end of today.

As much as I am completely sick of hearing about Brett Favre's comeback, he probably couldn't have picked a better team to come back to.

Favre is coming back to a team that has a great run defense, the NFL's best running back in Adrian Peterson, and a very winnable division in the NFC North.

There is a very great chance that we'll see Brett Favre in the playoffs again.

Even though Thomas Jones had a solid year for the Jets last season, he's still no Adrian Peterson. Favre will benefit greatly from having such a high caliber running back lining up behind him.

Favre is now going to have one of the best teams that's been around him in a long time. Even better than the Packers team that went to the NFC championship game just two seasons ago.

Not only did Favre choose the right team to come back to, but he also manipulated the system by skipping out on training camp.

By telling the media the white lie that his body couldn't make it through a full season, he bought himself some time to skip training camp.

Favre has been in the league for 18 years so the last thing he wanted to do was stay in a cramped up dorm room with a bunch of rookies and undrafted free agents.

This is where I think Favre has truly lost his heroic persona that he once had when he was a Packer.

As much as Favre himself probably doesn't need training camp, he could've used training camp as an opportunity for his teammates to become accustomed to their new quarterback.

I can only imagine how turbulent this has been for Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels. Most people probably can only imagine, but somewhere in Green Bay right now Aaron Rogers is nodding his head saying, "Yep, I know how you guys feel".

Allen Iverson Going Across the Pond?

Chad Minton — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:40:00 -0400

Former NBA superstar Allen Iverson is finding free agency a little tough this offseason. Even teams like the Grizzlies don't seem to be interested.

The former MVP may not be getting offers from any team in the states, but a team in Greece has reportedly presented Iverson with a two-year, $10 million deal.

It's very unlikely Iverson will get that kind of money from an NBA team, so now Iverson has a big decision to make. Go to Greece and be the No. 1 guy that he so desperately wants, or stay in the NBA and have a lesser role than he's used to.

Iverson may be one of the best scorers of my generation, but his glory days are long gone and Iverson just can't seem to accept that.

If Iverson does go to Greece, he'll definitely enjoy a fair amount of stardom. He'll also get plenty of opportunities to hurl up 30-plus shots a game like we saw him do when he played for the Sixers.

As great as all that sounds, this isn't Iverson's best move. Iverson has to learn to be the sixth man. Lamar Odom had to do that last season and it got him a ring.

By staying in the NBA and taking a smaller role, Iverson will leave himself the opportunity to sail gracefully into the sunset as his career eventually comes to an end.

Age isn't a big factor here. He's only 34, which means he still has at least a solid three or four years in the league. Who knows what can happen during that time if Iverson can stop making everything on the court be about himself?

There will still be plenty of chances for Iverson to resurrect his career and go out on a good note. He may not go out as the go-to guy that he once was, but Iverson has to learn to step aside and be the classy veteran that can help the NBA's future talent get better and better.

If Iverson can't learn to be the sixth man, I hope he likes pita bread.

Dasher Ready to Have the Blue Raiders Dash Into Spotlight

Chad Minton — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:23:00 -0400

Just two seasons ago, Dwight Dasher stepped in after an injury to Joe Craddock and led the Blue Raiders to four big wins as a true-freshman. Dasher looked like the future of Blue Raider football.

As a true-freshman, Dasher threw for over 1,000 yards, nine touchdown passes, and had a quarterback rating of 131.

However, last season was a huge setback for Dasher as he struggled to only complete seventeen passes and lost the starting job to Craddock.

Now Craddock has graduated, and Middle Tennessee is once again looking to Dasher to lead them back into the national spotlight. He won't have to wait long to get his opportunity as the opener is against Clemson.

Coach Rick Stockstill said recently at the Sun Belt Conference Media Days that Dasher has changed a lot from last season and that he has all the tools to be a good quarterback.

Even though the overall success of a team never completely rests on one player, Dasher will still play a vital role in whether the Blue Raiders can bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season.

What makes Dasher so dynamic is his strong arm and his ability to flush the pocket and pick up crucial yards with his feet. He did that plenty of times during his freshman season as he rushed for 530 yards.

Things for Dasher may be a little easier than last season since almost every starting receiver from last season is back again this season.

Guys like Patrick Honeycutt, Malcolm Beyah, and Sancho McDonald all had solid numbers last season.

The top three receivers all had at least 200 yards receiving last season, so there will be plenty of help out there for Dasher.

The Blue Raiders are also getting red-shirt-senior, Michael Cannon back. Cannon missed all of last season with a knee injury after being considered the best receiver on the roster at the time.

All the pieces seem to be laid out for Dasher to take over as the catalyst for Blue Raider football. Now he just has to put them all together.

Vanderbilt Looks to Bounce Back from History Making Season

Chad Minton — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:39:27 -0400

Last season was one to remember for the Vanderbilt Commodores after ending their bowl drought of over 20 years.

Now the question is: can they do it again?

It's definitely a possibility, thanks to an SEC East that looks pretty ordinary outside of the Florida Gators.

Georgia has a ton of replacements to make on the offensive side of the ball, South Carolina has been on the decline for a while now, Tennessee looks to be a train wreck on offense as well, and Kentucky is just Kentucky.

The schedule will definitely not be a cake walk, as it never is in the SEC. Vanderbilt has tough road games at Florida, LSU and Tennessee.

They also have the challenge of taking on a very improved Georgia Tech that will be an interesting test for Vanderbilt at home.

After watching Larry Smith perform the way he did at quarterback in the Music City Bowl to lead Vanderbilt to a win over Boston College, he will most likely be the starter in the opener against Western Carolina. Senior Mackenzie Adams will have to play the worst-case scenario again this season.

The rushing attack won't raise any eyebrows with Jared Hawkins, but he always seems to get positive yards on first and second down.

A big factor to whether the Commodores see another bowl game this year rests greatly on how the wide receivers perform this year.

Three wide receivers from last season won't be in the lineup this season. George Smith and Sean Walker were lost to graduation, and Justin Wheeler tore his ACL, which will most likely tragically end his season before it gets started.

There is still a lot of buzz surrounding the receivers they have left, including Connecticut transfer Terence Jeffers. Jeffers led Connecticut with 582 yards receiving last season.

The defense has always kept Vanderbilt in games in the past, and look for them to do that again this season since the offense definitely won't be one of the best.

Lucky for Vanderbilt, there's not a whole lot of great offenses that they will face this season outside of Florida, LSU and Georgia Tech.

The defense will have a ton of experience with all four defensive lineman and two linebackers returning as starters. Linebackers Chris Marve and Patrick Benoist had a combined 214 tackles in 2008.

As good as the defensive line and the linebackers will be, the secondary might be the complete opposite.

With the exception of senior Myron Lewis, the secondary will consist of no starters from last season and little experience or depth. The secondary will most likely be one injury away from being in a lot of trouble.

Even though the secondary looks shaky, there is still a lot to look forward to this upcoming season if you're a Vanderbilt fan, and Bobby Johnson definitely looks to have this program finally going in the right direction.

Blue Raiders Have Tough Schedule in Store for 09'

Chad Minton — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:49:00 -0400

The Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders will have plenty of opportunities this upcoming season to prove that they can jump to college football's next level.

As usual, the most difficult part of the schedule will definitely be the non-conference portion, which includes three teams that made bowl games last season. In all, the Blue Raiders will play five teams that made bowl appearances last season.

There will be little time once the season starts for the Blue Raiders to make adjustments, as they start off the season in extremely hostile territory by taking on Clemson.

If the Blue Raiders can figure out how the play competitively against the Tigers, then a loss wouldn't be the end of the world.

One great thing about the schedule is that the Blue Raiders will get six home games, something they haven't enjoyed since 2003.

They went 4-1 at home last season, including a win over Maryland.

Another history-making moment involved in this year's schedule is Mississippi State coming to town on October 17. This will mark the first time an SEC team will make the trip to Murfreesboro.

Don't count the Blue Raiders out against MSU. Last season in Starkville, the Blue Raiders were neck and neck with the Bulldogs until the midway point of the fourth quarter before losing 31-22.

The Floyd Stadium crowd will be rocking for this game, and it's very likely that the attendance record will shattered.

Memphis will also visit Floyd Stadium after the Blue Raiders defeated the Tigers in the 2007 season at the Liberty Bowl.

Even though this schedule is probably one of the most challenging this program has ever seen, it will give MTSU football a great opportunity to step into the spotlight.

UFC 100 Fight Card Could Elevate Sport to New Level

Chad Minton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:51:00 -0400

It's now been over 15 years since the UFC first introduced to the world the art form of two men beating the crap out of each other in an octagon.

The UFC has unquestionably transformed into a world phenomenon since that day in Denver, Colorado.

On Saturday, the sports will celebrate UFC 100, and the fight card might be one of the most anticipated events in the history of MMA.

Simply put, almost every bout you will see on Saturday night could headline a normal UFC show. However, this is UFC 100 and UFC President Dana White made sure this will be the most memorable event to date.

The main event will be for the UFC heavyweight title as Brock Lesnar (3-1) will try to avenge his only loss to Frank Mir (12-3), a fight that he dominated up until the few seconds it took for Mir to secure his submission via knee bar.

What's not intriguing about this fight? You've got a former WWE wrestler in Lesnar, who is under a lot of scrutiny for even getting a title shot after fighting in only three professional bouts.

The Lesnar enthusiasts will argue that hiss lack of knowledge and experience in MMA was the only reason he lost that fight. Now he is more seasoned, if you will, to take on the technical specialist that is Frank Mir.

If that main event wasn't good enough, you also got an interesting fight between "The Ultimate Fighter's" most recent coaches, Michael Bisping (17-1) and the veteran Dan Henderson (24-7).

It was very obvious during the course of the reality show that these two don't exactly plan on hanging out anytime soon.

You've also got a fan-favorite in Georges St-Pierre (18-2) defending his Welterweight Championship against Thiago Alves (16-3).

There is a ton of buzz circulating among even the most casual UFC fans about this upcoming event. If UFC 100 lives up to the hype, it could elevate the sport to immeasurable heights.

UFC President Dana White has the potential to gain so many new fans to the sport that it could end up forcing the entire nation to show the same respect that is given to sports as basketball, baseball, and even football.

Not only could it end up creating new fans, but it could turn casual fans like myself into an absolute die-hard that can't quite get enough.

Leading up to UFC 100, ESPN is already giving it more exposure than it ever has before.

For the UFC, everyone will walk away a winner after the excitement finally comes to an end on Saturday night. Sorry boxing, but don't let the door hit you on the way out!

U.S. Soccer Team Advances, But Not Without Controversy

Chad Minton — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:10:00 -0400

The U.S. men's soccer team made one of the most unlikely advances in a tournament than I have ever seen in any sports tournament on Sunday.

After starting the Confederations Cup with two losses, the U.S. had to defeat Egypt by three goals and needed Brazil to defeat Italy by three goals in order to avoid elimination.

Ironically enough, it happened exactly the way it needed to for the U.S. to advance. The question is, was it really fair?

Brazil easily ran through Group B going undefeated. However, the U.S. lost to Italy to open up the Confederations Cup and still advanced over them despite having the same record.

The rules decide tie-breakers by total number of goals rather than what we're use to in the states, which is whoever won head-to-head.

As happy as I was to see the U.S. move on, this does not seem fair to me in the slightest bit.

So what if we scored four goals during the course of the tournament and Italy only scored three? The bottom line is Italy beat us just a week prior to the U.S. advancing and they deserve to play Spain in the next round.

Either way, now the U.S. gets the gift of playing Spain, which didn't give up a single goal in their three games in Group A.

As long as the U.S. doesn't get embarrassed, then they still have a lot to be proud of and should have a good idea of where the team is at as the World Cup gets closer and closer.

I may not agree with the rules, but I still can't help but chant...U-S-A, U-S-A!!!!!!

Vince Young Should Be the Starter Week One. Whether You Like It or Not

Chad Minton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:27:54 -0400

A quarterback controversy is brewing in Nashville after Vince Young recently made comments that he's "ready to play some ball".

"If they're not ready for me, then someone else will be," Young said.

That sounds like a quarterback that wants to be the starter.

The Vince Young project obviously hasn't gone exactly the way the Titans had originally hoped for, when they drafted him in the 2006.

However, as hard as the media and Titans fans have come down on Young, there's still a lot of promise in this guy.

We can't forget the fact that he's 18-11 as a starter, and every year he's played he has gradually improved. There's also no denying the fact that he had almost no one to throw to the last time he played.

Hopefully, this year will be different with the additions of Nate Washington and first-round pick Kenny Britt.

Now granted Kerry Collins did do a descent job last season, but all he did was manage games. Collins never really made the big play and instead just avoided the big mistake. That's all well and good, but Collins may only have two years at the most before he retires.

Where does that leave the Titans if Vince Young becomes a disgruntled back-up quarterback that wants out of Nashville?

We can't afford to lose Vince Young at this point. With the shelf-life of Collins at a bare minimum, the Titans could find themselves without a quarterback as soon as next off-season if they lose Vince Young.

I'm still a believer in Young. I see a guy who is showing his determination to get back on the field and prove he can be as successful as he was in college. He hasn't missed a day of offseason workouts which are completely voluntary.

You can't criticize Young for making the comments he did. The guy wants a second chance, and I think he deserves one as long as he has a good training camp.

The next time we see Vince Young we will see a more mature quarterback, who has polished up his pocket passing capabilities along with the threat of using his legs to pick up yards.

If Young does get off to another slow start that leads to a few losses, then obviously Collins will have to be inserted back in as the starter.

At this point in his career, I don't think Collins will have a problem being the back-up quarterback who mentors Young. He definitely didn't have a problem with it in Young's rookie season.

Whether fans like it or not, the future of the Titans lies in Vince Young's hands—not Kerry Collins's hands—and they have to give him another chance at being the franchise quarterback that all Titans fans hoped he would be on draft day.

2009 NBA Finals: David vs. Goliath

Chad Minton — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:37:00 -0400

People have counted out the Orlando Magic this entire postseason, and that includes myself. Even heading into the opening-round series against the Sixers, I had my doubts about this team's toughness.

I stand corrected.

However, the Magic are going to have to prove me wrong one more time to win their first NBA Championship because the Lakers just look too good for them in this series.

Throw everything out of the window when it comes to the Magic beating their first three teams of the playoffs because the Lakers are far different than Philly, Boston, and most certainly Cleveland. The Lakers create many matchup problems for the Magic, much like the Magic did to the Cavs.

The obvious first question is: who is going to guard Kobe? You can't double-team him heavily like you did against LeBron because Kobe will find his teammates who are very capable of beating you. Double-team Kobe and he's probably going dish it over to Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, or Trevor Ariza. Ariza has elevated his game tremendously this postseason and that could spell problems for Orlando.

Dwight Howard is also going to have a lot harder time having his way with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom doing the defending down low. It's going to be critical that Howard hits his free throws at a high percentage because the Lakers aren't going to let him just cruise on in and get easy shots.

As gloomy as it might look for Orlando, I still can't count them out completely. This team lives and dies by the three and anything can happen when you're that kind of a team. If Orlando's threes weren't falling in the Eastern Conference Finals, then Cleveland might be in the NBA Finals. It's a high risk, high reward proposition for Orlando.

Orlando will probably continue to be effective from behind the arc but it will only take them so far. Players like Mickael Pietrus, Rafer Alston, and Rashard Lewis are all going to have to carry the load on offense to beat the Lakers. It's possible, but it's going to be very tough.

In the end, it's going to be a home team's series and this year's NBA Finals will go seven games. Orlando will enter Game Seven living and dying by the three-pointer and the Staples Center crowd will probably get to them. Besides Hedo Turkoglu, none of these perimeter shooter have ever been in this type of situation where the stakes are this high.

Kobe Bryant will not let the Lakers lose at home in Game Seven. So the NBA shouldn't be too down on themselves for not getting a LeBron-Kobe NBA Finals, because this will still be a great series with plenty of drama and excitement.

LeBron James Exhibited Bad Sportsmanship After Game Six Loss

Chad Minton — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:30:00 -0400

All athletes are taught from a young age to be good sports and shake the other team's hands, even if you lose.

LeBron must have skipped that part.

Professional athletes are supposed to be role models for young athletes all over the world. What is a young, aspiring LeBron fan suppose to think when he sees his idol storm off the court without shaking anyone's hand after losing?

He's probably going to side with his role model and think it's okay not to shake the winning team's hands.

LeBron's excuse made me laugh even more: "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I'm a winner," he said. "If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them."

Wow, really?

That seems like bad sportsmanship 101 right there. I saw an interesting point in an ESPN.com forum that said that fighters in the UFC—arguably the fastest growing sport in the world—almost always shake each other's hands after a fight.

LeBron wouldn't fair well in that sport or any other sports where sportsmanship is important. I'm sure LeBron would have been more than happy to shake their hands if he would have been on the winning side.

LeBron couldn't even swallow his pride enough to shake his own Olympic teammate's hand after losing to his team. This shows me that LeBron still has a lot of growing up to do before I start putting him in the same group as Michael Jordan or even Kobe Bryant.

There's no denying that LeBron has probably the most talent the game has ever seen. But LeBron obviously has some maturing to do before he sees his first NBA championship.

Tiger Remains in His Slump After Sluggish Finish to TPC

Chad Minton — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:15:00 -0400

Tiger Woods entered the final round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass tied for second place on Sunday. The problem was, he was five strokes back. That use to be easy for Tiger to comeback from, but ever since his run at the Masters, Tiger has looked simply ordinary.

He trailed Alex Cejka, a Czech who had never won an event on the PGA Tour in almost 200 attempts. He failed just like Tiger, and Henrik Stenson pulled out only his second career PGA Tour win. He's been on the PGA Tour since 1998.

Many people are starting to wonder what could be wrong with the world's greatest golfer. After all, his stats were pretty ugly on Sunday. Woods only hit 6 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens. He still managed a +1 for the day. Definitely not living up to Tiger's expectations however.

What's funny about this "slump" that people are saying Tiger is in is the fact that many of golfers would love to be in Tiger's "slump." During Tiger's so called slump he's still managed to finish in the top 10 in 16 straight stroke-play events.

Everyone should quickly get out of panic mode because I guarantee you Tiger isn't panicking. He'll be back before we know it sinking those 15-foot birdie putts to win championships, sending us in shock and awe like he has his entire career.

Totals at The Players Championship (four rounds)

13 Bogeys
15 Birdies
1 Eagle
Eighth place (-7)

Say Hello to LeBron James, Your NBA MVP

Chad Minton — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:02:00 -0400

It was announced earlier today that LeBron James will be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2008-2009 season. It was really no surprise.

Going into this season, I felt like LeBron still had a lot to prove to put him on the same level as Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. He's definitely done that this season by carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 66-16 record.

There is no other player that is more valuable to his team than LeBron is to the Cavaliers.

LeBron averaged more than 28 points per game, seven rebounds per game, and seven assists per game. Oh yeah, he also made a strong case for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Needless to say, he's earned my utmost respect after this season, and he's lived up to all of his hype. Now LeBron just needs to work on ESPN's Skip Bayless, who is his biggest critic.

The only other player that had even an argument for MVP was Wade because, like LeBron, he had little to work with around him and still carried his team to the playoffs.

What puts LeBron ahead of Wade is where he carried his team compared to Wade.

Kobe Bryant is still arguably the best player in the league, but there's no way he is more valuable to the Lakers than LeBron is to the Cavaliers.

As for Dwight Howard, we all know he is a beast inside the paint. However, Howard had his moments in the season where he was less than stellar, and his offense still has room for improvement.

You can't forget how great the Magic looked without Howard in closing out the Sixers the other night.

The only career accomplishment left for LeBron to achieve is to win an NBA championship, and he's got a great chance this year if he can get past the Lakers. After all, he's only 24.

From top to bottom, the Lakers are the better team, but LeBron has carried this team on his back all season. I can't count him out to do that again.

I can't get ahead of myself because the Nuggets are looking really good in the West and you still can't count out the Celtics if Garnett sneaks his way back into the lineup.

Here's my final list of nominees for this year's MVP running:

LeBron James 28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg. Led team to 66-16 record
Dwyane Wade 30.2 ppg, 7.5 apg, 31 percent 3-pt. Lead Heat to 28-win swing from last season
Kobe Bryant 26.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.9 apg. Lead Lakers to best record in Western Conference
Dwight Howard 20.6 ppg, 13.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg. Defensive Player of the Year

MLB Power Rankings— Week Three

Chad Minton — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:19:00 -0400

1. Boston Red Sox (13-6): The Red Sox have won 11 straight games and finally look like the team many expected, including a sweep of the Yankees.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (14-6): The Cardinals continue to play solid baseball and lead the division by two and a half games over the Pirates. They've definitely owned the Cubs so far this season.

3. Toronto Blue Jays (14-7): I keep waiting for this team to fall off the map like the Marlins have done, but they keep playing solid baseball. They must continue if they want to make the playoffs.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (13-7): The Dodgers were looking like the best team in the majors before dropping two straight to the Rockies and the Giants. They still should take the NL West with no problem.

5. Detroit Tigers (11-8): Man, did this team start off slow. But now their opening series loss to the Blue Jays doesn't look so bad, and they lead the AL Central. Brandon Inge looks great with 7 home runs.

Almost In:

Pittsburgh Pirates (11-8): The Pirates have some impressive wins this year, but I'm still not too sold on these guys just yet.

Seattle Mariners (12-7): The Mariners' record would probably be a lot better if they weren't almost dead last in runs scored with 80.

Edwards Has Stong Words for NASCAR

Chad Minton — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:46:00 -0400

Another big crash occurred at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday afternoon, and Carl Edwards was at the center of the event.

Edwards was just seconds away from the victory before he attempted to block Brad Keselowski. Resultant contact caused his car to flip into the fencing used to separate the fans from the track, and seven fans were hurt.

Fortunately, none of the injuries were severe.

It might have been one of the best finishes NASCAR has seen, but at what price do some of these great finishes come by? Fans' or drivers' health?

Edwards definitely had a strong statement after the race:

"NASCAR puts us in this box [restrictor-plate racing], and [we'll] race this way until they kill somebody," Edwards said.

It was a powerful assertion that was undoubtedly directly aimed at NASCAR officials.

Later, former NASCAR driver Bobby Allison refuted the statement, saying that the potential for danger is part of the excitement of the sport and that there's nothing wrong with that.

I wonder if Allison would be singing a different tune if someone had been killed or seriously injured Sunday. The satisfaction of the fans is very important, but not as important as someone's life.

In no way am I saying that restrictor-plate racing should be abolished, but there is nothing wrong with examining the procedures and equipment we have in place now to make sure there is a middle-ground between excitement and safety.

Seven injuries is seven too many, and obviously, something needs to be tweaked. I'm sick and tired of officials (of sporting organizations or not) waiting to change things until someone is killed.

A life shouldn't have to be lost to make things right. Simple as that.

NFL Draft Day 1 Winners and Losers

Chad Minton — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:02:00 -0400

Like many expected, the Detroit Lions took Matthew Stafford as the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

They're paying Stafford a maximum of $78 million over six years, with $41.7 million being guaranteed to go in Stafford's pocket.

This hefty deal seems to be a big risk for the Lions. If Stafford somehow ends up being a bust, then the Lions could continue to be one of the worst franchises in the league.

However, if Stafford becomes an elite quarterback, then this could be the pick that turns this franchise around.

Day 1 Winners

Lions (Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew)
Bengals (Andre Smith, Rey Maualuga)
Broncos (Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, Aphonso Smith, Darcel McBath, Richard Quinn)

The Lions added obviously a very talented quarterback in Matthew Stafford and added a great target to help Stafford out in Brandon Pettigrew.

The biggest steal in the draft so far was the Bengals snatching up Rey Maualuga in the second-round. A great linebacker that could end up being the face of this franchise. You also can't forget the great addition of Andre Smith on the offensive line.

The busiest team on draft day No. 1 was definitely the Denver Broncos. They had five picks and addressed all of their needs with some great picks.

Knowshon Moreno is a versatile running back that can do some many things for you on offense. They also had a value pick in the second round in Aphonso Smith from Wake Forest. Great first day of the draft for the Broncos.

Day 1 Losers

Cardinals (Chris "Beanie" Wells)
Dolphins (Vontae Davis, Pat White, Sean Smith)

I understand that Edgerrin James is way past his prime, but I just don't think Beanie Wells is the right choice here. He's got some health issues and he really doesn't fit the Cardinals' style of offense.

Pittsburgh's LeSean McCoy would have been a better fit for them as he can also turn into a viable receiver for Kurt Warner.

Some may think the Dolphins had a decent draft day, but not me. Their first pick was Vontae Davis out of Illinois. This pick may turn out to be a good one, but Davis has had is moments where doesn't play well at all.

I really don't like taking Pat White. White was a great college quarterback thanks to the quirky offense of West Virginia, but I'm not so sure that's going to translate to the NFL.

Pat White reminds me of a Vince Young, if that gives you any idea of why I see them as a Day 1 loser.

Tennessee Titans Choose Size and Toughness in Kenny Britt

Chad Minton — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 20:34:58 -0400

The Titans did something they haven't done in the draft since 1998 when they took Kevin Dyson out of Utah. They selected a wide receiver in the first-round by taking Kenny Britt out of Rutgers.

Many were speculating that the Titans would take a cornerback as their first pick due greatly to the aging Nick Harper and the loss of Chris Carr to the Ravens.

The Titans instead decided to address a need that has been facing them even since losing Derrick Mason and that is having a true #1 receiver.

Kenny Britt definitely has the physical makeup of being a great receiver in the pro ranks. He stands at 6'3'' and 218 pounds. Other than 6'4'' Justin Gage, Britt will be the tallest receiver for the Titans and the Titans have lacked a big target at the wide receiver position for as long as they have been the Titans.

Britt isn't a guy that going to burn many people deep with his speed, but he's an excellent route-runner and his size will be great for redzone passing, which the Titans struggles greatly in last season.

Suddenly the Titans have a very promising group of receivers going into the 2009 season. Every Titans receiver bring something different to the table that is going to bolster up their passing game next season.

Now the Titans have big, solid targets in Justing Gage and Kenny Britt, and a speed spcialist in Nate Washington. You also can't forget about Lavelle Hawkins who showed some promise as a rookie last season with some big catches.

The Titans still have some issues that need to be addressed in the later rounds of the draft at the cornerback position and at defensive line.

Many picks still remain in this year's draft for the Titans and a value pick at the cornerback postion to help Nick Harper would be a great second-round pick for the Titans. Maybe even a local product in D.J. Moore out of Vanderbilt, who can also return kicks and punts.

The Titans also need to get a linebacker, because lets face it, Keith Bullock and David Thornton aren't getting any younger.

This year's draft has the potential to be one of the most successful for the Titans in many years, but of course no one will know that for sure for at least a couple of years.

The 10 Biggest Draft Picks in the History of the Titans/Oilers Franchise

Chad Minton — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:27:43 -0400

The time when every franchise tries to add the next piece piece to their championship puzzle is just weeks away. The 2009 NFL Draft. The Titans/Oilers franchise used some great draft picks in the mid-90's to become one of the AFC's elite franchises. As difficult as it was, I narrowed down 10 draft picks the Titans/Oilers franchise made they absolutely could not have lived without.

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Attention Jay Cutler: Get Out While You Can!

Chad Minton — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:53:09 -0400

The Cutler-McDaniels saga has reached a whole new chapter that includes new coach Josh McDaniels eating his own words.

He stated in an NFL Network interview that the relationship was now all of the sudden not beyond repair.

This is kind of situation is the last thing Cutler, and the rest of the team, needs during this offseason.

Whenever a coaching change is made in the NFL, it is crucial that the transition is as smooth as possible, and McDaniels has made it bumpier than riding a tricycle over the Rocky Mountains.

Cutler should get out of this mess that is forming in Denver before he wastes a precious year of his career on a disfunctional team.

The Broncos organization has already shown its utter stupidity by firing Mike Shanahan, who took them to two-straight Super Bowls and always put competitive teams on the field.

Instead they hire a coach who has no experience as a head coach, who attacks one of the few valuable assets he has on his offense in Cutler by rumoring to trade him.

The bottom line is, Cutler is getting better and better and the Broncos organization is getting worse and worse. McDaniels obviously realized that, thus flip-flopping and saying "Cutler is our quarterback".

If Cutler stays in Denver, his best case scenario his retaining his starting job but playing for a bad team in a bad division. That spells nothing but an early exit in the playoffs.

Cutler has the talent and mechanics to carry an already good team to the Super Bowl.

The New York Jets are reportedly prepared to go after Cutler if he is released. If this deal were to go down, both parties would benefit.

Cutler would go to a team that is on the rise and inherit an offense that is more balanced than the Broncos.

With Cutler at quarterback, the Jets would battle the Patriots for the division crown next season.

A new head coach backstabbing Cutler during the offseason could end up being a blessing in disguise for Cutler, and a self-destruction for the Broncos.

NCAA Tournament Invitations In The SEC: Pick Your Poison

Chad Minton — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:19:34 -0400

Conference tournament time is underway and teams from every conference are getting their last chance to show the selection committee they belong in the NCAA Tournament.

For teams in the struggling SEC, the only way they can ensure a spot in the Big Dance is winning the conference tournament. Every other team will be sitting and waiting on Sunday to see if they get an invite or get their bubble burst.

The SEC is by far the weakest major conference this season, and no team seems to be better than average. The selection committee has a huge task on its hands to sort out the mess and figure out what teams deserve a spot in the field of 65.

Let's examine the contenders a bit:

Tennessee (19-11)

The Volunteers may be the most disappointing team in the SEC, along with Kentucky. This team's inconsistency is hurting its NCAA hopes right now. Tennessee has to make at the very least the SEC championship game to lock down a spot in the Big Dance. However, Tennessee's strength of schedule will help out tremendously.

Major Wins: Marquette, Florida two times. Major Losses: Temple, Alabama

Florida (23-9)

Florida remains in good contention for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, despite some shaky losses in conference play. Like the Vols, the Gators' strength of schedule is impressive. They're coming off an opening round win against Arkansas and take on Auburn next in a quarterfinal matchup. A win against Auburn should lock up a spot in the field of 65.

Major Wins: Washington, South Carolina. Major losses: Georgia, Mississippi State

LSU (25-6)

LSU has basically already locked up a spot in the Big Dance, but an SEC Championship would give this team possibly all the way up to a fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament. LSU ended the season on a sour note with losses to Auburn and Vanderbilt.

If LSU loses its first game in the SEC tournament, then LSU's opening-round game will be much tougher. Their record seems impressive, but there are no big wins outside of the SEC, which greatly hurts their tournament resume.

Major Wins: Florida, Tennessee. Major Losses: Auburn, Vanderbilt

Kentucky (20-12)

Just over a month ago. Kentucky was looking like a team that could not only win the SEC Championship, but also go far in the NCAA Tournament. Now it is very likely Kentucky will settle for the NIT.

Kentucky most likely needs to win the SEC Championship to have a shot at anything other than the NIT. Kentucky is currently locked in a close one with LSU, and a win would greatly improve their chances. Some analysts think that the team's tradition will get them in the NCAA Tournament, but you can't rely on that. Kentucky is also just 1-4 against the Top 25.

Major Wins: West Virginia, Tennessee two times. Major Losses: VMI, Georgia, Ole Miss

South Carolina (21-8)

The Gamecocks have definitely seen their peaks and valleys this season. South Carolina has a little work to do before they can prepare for the NCAA Tournament. A tough early season loss to Charleston is really hurting them, along with the lack of a monumental win.

Baylor's win over Oklahoma yesterday boosted the stock of South Carolina's win over Baylor earlier this season. South Carolina needs to make the SEC Championship to ensure itself an invitation.

Major Wins: Florida, Kentucky two times. Major Losses: Charleston, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State

Its going to be tough to sort out this SEC mess, but most likely three of these five teams will be in the NCAA Tournament. A team like Mississippi State or Auburn may find themselves in the tournament if they make the SEC Championship and put up an impressive fight, though.

As of right now, my three teams in are Tennessee, Florida, and LSU.

If Given The Chance, The Titans Should Take Percy Harvin

Chad Minton — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:12:30 -0500

The NFL Draft is sitting just a little under two months away, and all of the various mock drafts are in circulation.

The Tennessee Titans currently have the 30th pick in the NFL Draft, and many are speculating that the Titans will draft an offensive player.

If Percy Harvin somehow slides all the way down to the 30th pick, the Titans have to snatch him up. It would be considered a huge steal and the Titans can't pass it up.

If the Titans could match Percy Harvin's speed (4.41 40-time) with Chris Johnson's blazing speed (4.24 40-time), then this offense could go from horrible to possibly one of the Top 10 offenses in a matter of minutes.

The hurdle the Titans have not been able to get over in recent years is their lack of explosiveness on offense. The Titans answered part of that problem in last year's draft, and we all know where that almost got them.

Not only can Harvin add more fire-power to the receiving corps, but he can also step into the backfield and create havoc with his feet for opposing linebackers.

The Titans will be a nightmare to game-plan for if both Harvin and Johnson will be on the roster.

Harvin was the missing piece to the puzzle in the Titans' disappointing playoff loss to the Ravens.

Chris Johnson went down in the 2nd quarter, and the Titans lost all of their offensive explosiveness in one play. If Harvin had been there, the Titans would have avoided being a one-dimensional team against one of the best defenses in the NFL.

With the recent acquisition of Nate Washington, it looks like the Titans are finally looking to improve this offense that hasn't been good since Steve McNair left three seasons ago.

Whether Harvin will slide all the way down to the 30th pick is still up in the air, but the draft becomes more and more unpredictable as the picks roll on, so don't count this possibility out.

Nashville Predators Making Strong Push for Fifth-Straight Playoff Appearance

Chad Minton — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:12:20 -0500

Many people, including myself, were counting the Predators out for making their fifth- straight playoff appearance. When it's all said and done, I may be standing corrected.

The Predators have now strung together four consecutive wins, three of those coming against division opponents.

They're latest victim coming Saturday night defeating the Red Wings 8-0, their largest goal total since January 2007.

This is by far the biggest win of the season and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Predators are sitting right in the middle of an enormous clump of teams all fighting for their playoff lives.

Going into tonight's action, only 10 points separates the last place team (Colorado) and the eighth place team (Anaheim).

Every team has at least 18 games left on the schedule, which leaves every team still mathematically alive for the playoffs.

One of the most common cliches in sports is that you want to be hot going into the playoffs, and the Predators are definitely one of the hottest teams in the league right now.

A big part of that is the impressive play of goalie Pekka Rinne, who had only played in three games prior to this season. He's already hammered out six shutouts this season.

The return of Steve Sullivan has also provided a huge spark to this Nashville offense that is close to the bottom in total goals scored this season.

Players like J.P. Dumont and David Legwand have also stepped up their game and have helped push the Predators back into the playoff picture.

If the Predators do sneak into the playoffs, they could be even more dangerous then they were last season.

They still have the same ingredients of last season's team, but with the offensive leadership of Steve Sullivan.

The remainder of the Predators' schedule includes a ton of games against Western Conference opponents that are fighting for the same few playoff spots they are fighting for.

They have Anaheim twice, Columbus three times, and end the regular season in Minnesota, which could decide the final playoff spot.

With all of the clutter in the Western Conference playoff race, this last part of the season is going to prove to be one of the best playoff races the NHL has seen of recent time.

If the Predators come out with one of those final spots, then it's likely they could sneak into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Once you reach the playoffs, it's usually a matter of whose the hottest.

The Predators will look to keep their sizzle alive tonight as they host Edmonton, who is currently one point ahead of the Predators in the standings.

Celtics Choose Instant Production Over Long-Term Consequences of Marbury

Chad Minton — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:34:38 -0500

The Boston Celtics made an insurance signing Friday as they added the troubled Stephon Marbury to their already stacked lineup.

When you first skim over this acquisition, you see a good pick-up for the Celtics for two main reasons.

One reason is that Marbury is still one of the most talented guards in the NBA and will provide a spark for the Celtics team.

The other main reason is that Marbury has already publicly stated many times that he wants to play for the Celtics. He didn't want to play for the Knicks, and the roof caved in from there.

However don't let these seemingly great reasons fool you. He could provide many of the same problems he provided the Knicks for five seasons if he's not happy.

This team is already loaded with stars and has great chemistry that could be disrupted by a personality like Marbury's. If it isn't broke, don't fix it, and the Celtics were running like a well-oiled machine.

I'm not discounting the fact that Marbury could contribute to the team with his ability to score and pass. Who knows, maybe he is the small, missing puzzle piece to this team winning back-to-back championships.

The Celtics are taking a bigger risk than many people realize and this deal could cause the team to implode if Marbury returns to his old antics; like skipping games and having personal vendettas against the coaching staff.

That may not happen this season, and the Celtics might get another championship out of the deal, but the risk of a team implosion is still very possible in future seasons.

Signing Marbury to a long-term, lucrative deal would be the biggest mistake the Celtics could make. If you're going to gamble on him for another championship this season, sign him to a modest deal that you can dig your way out of if things go south in the coming seasons.

The Celtics were already many people's favorites to win another NBA title, but with the strong resurgence of the Cavaliers and the Magic, the Celtics may have gotten a little nervous with the current roster they have. Which is hard to believe.

The Celtics were already my favorite to go to the NBA Finals again this season, despite dropping a ridiculous game to the Clippers Wednesday night. Now that they've signed Marbury, this season could seriously bring another championship if he plays to his undeniably great ability.

The question that arises from all of this is what are you willing to spend to almost guarantee a championship?

Is the health of your team for seasons to come really worth it?