Bleacher Report - Front Page

Kevin Durant Vs. Brandon Jennings: The Rivalry Begins

Curtis Finchum — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:16:00 -0500

Three-year veteran Kevin Durant and rookie Brandon Jennings have both done something many thought wouldn't happen until the future.

Maturity was the biggest question surrounding both players, but so far this season both have answered that question.

Durant has turned the Thunder from a Western Conference bottom feeder into a team that could possibly make a run at the playoffs.

Jennings also has the entire Bucks organization thinking the same thing. With the return of both Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd, Milwaukee could compete for the division title.

On Friday, the two will get their first taste against each other. Both are incredibly competitive, vocal, and energetic players.

Basketball fans could be looking at the blossoming of a developing NBA rivalry come tomorrow night.

Though the Bucks are a depleted team, Jennings has kept the team afloat with his outstanding play. He set a team rookie scoring record earlier this season when he dropped a scintillating 55 points on Golden State.

Durant also has a team that happens to be plagued with injuries. Guards Shaun Livingston, Kevin Ollie, and Kyle Weaver are all out.

Luckily for Durant he still has his three most talented teammates in the lineup: guards Russell Westbrook and (rookie) James Harden as well as forward Jeff Green.

Two of the most explosive young players will go head-to-head for the first time and, knowing how both of these players play, they won't disappoint.

The season is young and we still have much to learn about both players and if this really turns into quite the rivalry that it has the potential to be.

But for now, it’s time for the players to lace up and prepare for what should be quite an explosive evening of NBA basketball.

There Is a Pulse in Denver: Broncos Finally Wake Up and Step Up

Henry Gula — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:01:55 -0500

"Wake up and step up."

That is what I have been saying the Denver Broncos need to do ever since their Monday Night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers three weeks ago.

It took them three weeks, but they finally did it. Going into a crucial primetime matchup with the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Night, the Broncos absolutely needed to win.

And, for the first time since mid-October, they did just that.

Just four short days ago, things looked bleak in Denver. The Broncos had lost four straight, the offense was hapless and the defense tired. Brandon Marshall and Knowshon Moreno were fighting on the sideline.

It's amazing how quickly things can change.

A short practice week and Thursday night game was just what the doctor ordered for the Broncos. There was no time to mope, as practice time was in short supply.

This is a young team with a young coach, both of whom needed the proverbial "fire" lit under them.

Josh McDaniels' smack-talking incident with members of the San Diego Chargers may have been the perfect fire-starter.

When the coach makes a controversial move like that, especially following a loss, the players are more motivated to win, not just for themselves, but to protect their headman's reputation and image.

However, regardless of the motivation, the Broncos were able to wake up from their daze, regain some of their early-season swagger, and put a 26-6 beatdown on the Giants.

The Broncos played well in all phases of the game, and looked like the team fans "knew and loved" through the first six weeks, able to execute most of the elements that had been missing over the four-game skid.

The defense held New York to a mere 57 rushing yards, forced three turnovers, and sacked Eli Manning three times

The Giants only managed one red-zone trip the entire game, and scored only the two field goals. This is the same Giants offense that hung 456 total yards and 34 points on the Atlanta Falcons four days earlier.

Their defensive effort set the tone for the entire game, and gave the Broncos confidence to open up the offense and once again take risks.

Elvis Dumervil was "back in the building" racking up two more sacks (he leads the league with 13) and forcing a fumble. His ability to pressure the quarterback is crucial to the success of the defense.

The Denver rushing attack finally got back into gear, as Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter teamed up to consistently put pressure on the Giants and keep the offense moving in the right direction.

Finally, Brandon Marshall's performance cannot be overlooked. His play is critical to the offense, and he made two spectacular catches.

Those kinds of catches help boost confidence for both Orton and McDaniels, which will ultimately lead to more aggressive play calling, something the Broncos undoubtedly need.

In the end though, the Broncos won the game they absolutely had to win. At 7-4, they now have nine days before they travel to Kansas City to take on the "streaking" Chiefs.

With last season's Kansas City trip in mind, the Broncos must not overlook the 3-7 Chiefs.

At this point, they need as many wins as possible in order to either beat out the Chargers in the West or obtain a Wild Card spot in the competitive AFC.

Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu once said, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

The Denver Broncos took their first step. They look to be back on track. Now it is time to buckle down and, ultimately, win.

NBA's Black Friday: The Best Bargains

Courtzide Seatz — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:53:31 -0500

With Black Friday only a few hours away, many bargain hungry shoppers have already set their alarm clocks and are fast asleep, surely dreaming about the fantastic deals they will be receiving on their favorite merchandise. Though I am not much of a shopper myself, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to explore current NBA rosters in search of the best bargains. To determine who were in fact the best bargains in the NBA, I took two major factors into consideration: 1. The salary a given player would be receiving this year 2. Their impact on their team relative to their salary Note: Rookies were excluded from this list because they have not yet been given an opportunity to renegotiate their contracts during the offseason.

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New York Giants: What We Really Know About Their Collapse.

Craig Santucci — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:18:33 -0500

Giants fans had hoped that the offensive spark displayed last week versus Atlanta would ignite this team to a return to dominance in the second half of the season. Instead, every mistake and miscue that was made over the four game loosing streak was displayed for the entire nation to see on Thanksgiving.

The Giants have collapsed, while the fan base was given a dose of reality tonight. The four game loosing streak was no fluke, you can stop blaming injuries. This team is just not that good. So what went wrong from 2008 to 2009?

This is what we do know.

1. The Defensive Coordinator —Bill Sheridan has ruined this defense. Sheridan has taken Steve Spagnuolo's league leading sack machine to the WORST RANKED red zone defense in the league. All in one year.

Did anyone see Chris Canty in pass coverage against the Broncos? Has anyone seen Osi Umenyiora or Justin Tuck in pass coverage this season? Yes, our passing rushing specialists are now required to cover tight ends instead of rushing the quarterbacks.

The under-sized Broncos defense executed misdirection stunts all night with success; however one of the "best defensive lines" in football was nowhere to be found.

The Giants defensive front should be taking control of any football game. Bill Sheridan must be dismissed.

2. Offensive Coordinator —Kevin Gilbride has taken away any swagger this offense once had and all but dissolved the "identity" of this Giants football team. Where is the smash mouth football that this team is known for?

The in-your-face running attack of the New York Giants is nonexistent.

Brandon Jacobs is not getting enough carries and Gilbride MUST stop calling the draw play. Wake up, Gilbride.

It's predictable and everyone knows what you're calling including the defense your facing. The play calling has been embarrassing!

3. Brandon Jacobs —A 260-pound tail back should not be taken down so easily and effortless. Jacobs is all but shying away from contact and is being taken down with ease. He is shell of his former self.

Where is the Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, Eddie George-style of smash mouth football this guy used to display. His speed is all but gone and his ferociousness has not been seen once this year.

4. Offensive Line - Are they just a year older and a year slower? Because this group is playing down right terrible. The under-sized front four of the Denver Broncos out-muscled, and embarrassed the Giants offensive line. They were pushed off the ball on numerous plays and out-smarted on more than half the snaps.

5. Aaron Ross - What happened to our promising first-round draft pick out of Texas?

Everyone was talking about a break-out year. Yet Ross has all but disappeared from the team and seems to be either in the dog house or on the way out of town.

His injured hamstring held him off the field for what seemed like five weeks too much and now when The Giants need an impact player with great coverage and tackling skills...he is nowhere to be found.

With Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington and Carolina looming...it could be a 7-9 season unless something amazing happens.

LSU Tigers: A Battle Cry for Coach Les Miles From Death Valley

Henry Ball — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:10:31 -0500

In the recently released movie "The Blind Side" about former Ole Miss left tackle Michael Oher, his guardian explains to him that “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Lord Alfred Tennyson's classic poem is in reality about the Rebels' rivalry game against LSU, now known as the Magnolia Bowl.

The guardian explains that the cavalry, in a display of courage and unity, charges into a heavily fortified valley at the behest of their flawed but courageous and patriotic leader.

Oher then writes an essay relating this story to his own life and wins over a skeptical teacher who was the final obstacle in his path to NCAA eligibility and being able to accept a scholarship offer to play at Ole Miss—or virtually any other university of his choosing.

I must admit, I have followed LSU athletics my entire life and I have always been slightly embarrassed by not having an answer to the question, “Why is Tiger Stadium called Death Valley?”

Of course there is the Wikipedia version—allegedly posted by a Clemson University grad—which is popular with Clemson fans, who claim that their stadium was the first to be dubbed in honor of the Valley of Death.

I’ve also heard explanations related to Mike the Tiger our ‘man eating’ mascot.

Sean Tuohy’s (Oher's guardian) version—however far from being historically accurate—works for me.

More importantly, a cursory look at the story of the Light Brigade draws some fascinating comparisons—in a creative and literary sense—to the current plight of LSU’s Tiger Nation.

The Light Brigade, led by it’s (insert d word) strong and patriotic (loyal) Major General, the Earl of Cardigan found themselves charging into the valley based on misdirected order’s from an underling. Unprotected at their flanks, they faced an insurmountable enemy.

The valley would become known as "the Valley of Death."

Cardigan and his 600 charged into the onslaught of Russian artillery expecting to have back up from the Heavy Brigade, led by the Earl of Lucan, who coincidentally was Cardigan’s predecessor as commander of the Light Brigade and his estranged Brother in Law.

Perhaps it was enmity or distrust, but the Heavy Brigade watched from on high as Cardigan's men were slaughtered.

A national controversy ensued and Cardigan was questioned; surely he was the villain. Why oh why would he charge so outmanned—surely his troops deserved better leadership, perhaps a better man.

Yet, the men of the brigade, those who survived the charge, would rally around their leader: courageous, loyal, flawed and strong.

Lord Tennyson would memorialize their charge and pen the battle psalm:

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder’d.

Honour the charge they Made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

Last Saturday, LSU had been out-played physically statistically and on the scoreboard against Ole Miss, but made a wild and valiant charge in the last two minutes and had victory in their sight.

Inexplicably, the Tiger’s through a series of misses (calls, communication, game/clock management, etc…) or a tragedy of errors , if you will, retreated from victory’s view.

Yet, as if fate had deemed it necessary the admittedly flawed yet courageous and loyal leader—head coach Les Miles—still had one last ditched attempt to gain victory yet watched it slip from his grasp.

Like the Earl of Cardigan, the Hat of LSU leads from the front. And like Cardigan, all of the disdain, vitriol and chagrin of the nation (Tiger Nation) has been aimed squarely at him. "If only he’d been more like the former great commander, Lucan our old friend."

In the aftermath, with calls for his head, one thing has been missed and his case must be pled. Those men that charged with him, all aware of each other’s flaws have come to his side and here is what they have said.

“It makes you earn so much more respect for a man who comes out and says something like that,” senior tight end Richard Dickson said.

“Coach Miles has done great things here, been a great coach. The way he comes out and says that means a lot to you as a player and as a man. I earned a lot of respect for our coach for the way he talked to us.”

RB Stevan Ridley added, “I respect him. Any head coach that does that in front of the team and in front of the assistants, that comes up there and says, ‘This was my fault,’ it takes a lot for somebody to swallow their pride and say, ‘I messed something up.’

“He did what he needed to do. There’s nothing else that needs to be said. It says a lot about the person he is, and not just the coach. The team, that was something we needed to hear.”

“He tried to take the blame for the whole game, but I don’t think that’s fair,” LSU guard Lyle Hitt said. “There’s more to the game than just the last 30 seconds. That loss is on everybody’s shoulders.”

Added linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, “People are trying to say the end of the game is the big reason we lost, but the game could’ve been won at any time during the game. He’s taking all the pressure, and it’s really not his fault.”

The men, or soldiers if you will, have taken this leader’s left flank (the ‘blind side’) and the nation (Tiger Fans) needs to take up arms on the right.

This brigade, the mighty Bengal Tigers and its phenomenal senior class, have one more chance for victory in the valley and it comes this Saturday night against the Arkansas Razorbacks!

When the Sun sets and night falls on Death Valley may ALL you Tigers roar.

Do not let their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

The entire world did wonder.

But honor the charge they made!

Honor the Senior Class and the leader whom they choose!

Honor them for courage, loyalty and the Victory we shall come to know!

Geaux Tigers!

Sources: Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, LSUsports.net, Lord Tennyson, Microsoft Images

By Henry Ball (aka Southern Man, CFB Czar) Featured Columnist, Syndicated Writer

Contributor @ Bleacher Report , College Gameday Network , and other Sports Media outlets.

Another Must Read: Is Les Miles on the Hot Seat ?

Gobble Gobble: Ten Games to Eat up in Week 13

Ron Clements — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:46:40 -0500

Texas and Texas A&M got the Thanksgiving weekend slate of college football kicked off right Thursday night. In a back-and-forth shootout perfect for the wild, wild West, the Longhorns held off their rivals from College Station for a 49-39 road victory at Kyle Field. And Colt McCoy (12) might have wrapped up the Heisman with 304 passing yards and another 175 on the ground while accounting for five touchdowns. If that game set the tone for what’s to come, it should be a fun weekend to sit back, feast on leftovers and enjoy rivalry weekend. The best part about rivalry weekend is that it’s all about in-state clashes. North Carolina and N.C. State battle; Oklahoma and Oklahoma State face off; Oregon and Oregon State meet in the annual Civil War; Mississippi and Mississippi State play in the Egg Bowl; Auburn and Alabama meet in the Iron Bowl; Utah and BYU is a matchup of ranked teams; Virginia Tech looks to keep rolling in Charlottesville against Virginia; Miami and South Florida tangle in Tampa; Georgia and Georgia Tech pummel for the peaches; Clemson and South Carolina cross hairs; and UCLA and USC meet in the storied Los Angeles rivalry game. Let’s not forget that Kansas needs to beat Missouri to become bowl-eligible, making the Border War more interesting. Not to be overlooked are games to decide Conference USA and the WAC. And this could be the final weekend we see Charlie Weis on the Notre Dame sideline. With so many games to choose from, I’ll try to whittle it down to 10. As always, BCS rankings are used and all times are Central.

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Lionel Messi: Can He Make South Africa 2010 His World Cup?

Jack — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:41:15 -0500

Every great World Cup is synonymous with a great player, particularly Garrincha in 1962, Pele in 1970, and Diego Maradona in 1986.

Many losing finalists have also been able to stamp their authority over World Cup tournaments including Ferenc Puskas in 1954, Johan Cruyff in 1974, and Zinadine Zidane in 2006.

With less than 200 days before South Africa 2010 kicks off, speculation has arisen as to who will be the star to capture the world’s attention in June. At the moment, Lionel Messi seems the most likely to assume this mantle.

Messi is likely to win the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, after being the runner-up in 2007 and 2008. His young career also has many parallels to that of Maradona, the World Cup winner and Messi's current coach.

In 2007, Messi scored a goal reminiscent of Maradona's epic jaunt through the English defense in 1986, while playing for Barcelona in a Copa del Rey match against Getafe.

Shortly afterwards, Messi scored his own version of the "hand of god" against Espanyol in the Barcelona Derby.

The Barcelona and Argentina number ten has also proven he can take over an international tournament, albeit at the youth level.

La Pulga was the unquestioned star of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, picking up the Golden Ball as best player and Golden Boot as the top scorer along the way to victory.

In 2008, Messi was Argentina’s inspiration as they won the Gold Medal for the second consecutive Olympic Games. Although Messi only scored two goals in the competition, he was at the heart of most of Argentina’s best moves and made the game-winning assist to Angel Di Maria in the final.

Since the Olympics, Messi’s performances for Argentina have taken a turn for the worst. His dip in form has coincided with Juan Roman Riquelme’s retirement from international play.

It is well known in Argentina that Messi and Riquelme do not get along off the field, but when playing together they were like poetry in motion. During the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela, Roman and Messi carved apart the competition at will, only to fall to Brazil in the final.

During the early part of the qualifying process for South Africa 2010, Argentina was in good form and Messi and Riquelme were the two players leading the attack. But, after Roman retired and Diego Maradona took over as coach, Argentina’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worst.

If Messi is to lead Argentina all the way to the final in South Africa, he will have to prove that he can play well for Argentina without Riquelme. Messi played brilliantly for Argentina in a win over France in a friendly and a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, but he was completely invisible in matches against Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Riquelme played a similar role as Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona’ playmaker during his days with Argentina, allowing Messi to play farther up the pitch as a forward. Without Riquelme in the line up, Messi has often dropped deeper and deeper into midfield to retrieve the ball, as Maradona has been unable to find a suitable replacement for the Boca Juniors star.

If Juan Sebastian Veron or Pablo Aimar are unable to bring the full repertoire of passes offered by Riquelme, Messi knows he will be expected to work wonders. He will likely have to put in a Maradona-like shift in order to gain the respect and love of the media and fans in Argentina.

While many of Argentina’s best players (such as Gonzalo Higuain, Javier Mascherano, and Sergio Aguero) have established fan bases from their days playing for big Argentine clubs, Messi never played a single match in Argentina Primera Division.

Even fans of Boca have respect and admiration for Higuain for his two goals in El Superclasico while playing for River Plate in 2006. Pipita made a name for himself for himself in Argentina, and fans of all teams (even River’s biggest rivals) will have learned more about Higuain as a player and person from watching him score goals on the field in Argentina than they would from watching Messi score at will for Barcelona, a club that means nothing to most fans in Argentina.

The fans' feelings toward Messi has also arisen due to his record at Barcelona and at the youth levels for Argentina. He has been unable to duplicate these performances for full national team, especially over the last six months.

Although it may be unfair to Messi, he understands his predicament. La Pulga has recently said he would trade all he has won at Barcelona for the World Cup, and he may well have to do just that in order to win over the hearts of the fans in his own country.

Dan Uggla: A Log For The Hot Stove

Dan Wade — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:33:06 -0500

The free-agent market officially opened last week, ushered in by a flurry of important signings that could truly change the game. Or a general malaise, one of the two, I forget which.

Anyone who studies market trends in baseball can tell you that a high volume of deals get done as the windows are closing, not opening.

Deals will get done between now and well into spring training as teams try to patch holes without creating new ones and without taking on ungodly salaries. The same is true with the trade deadline; sure, players get moved early in the season, but the last week of July is lousy with players flying from one team to the other.

Perhaps if the windows were smaller there would be more action. GMs bidding like floor traders, elbowing each other out of the way to talk to key agents, eventually a huge fight breaks out in the lobby of the Indianapolis Omni hotel with the winner getting the rights to sign Jason Bay for too much money.

As much as I’d like to see the Minnesota Twins go after a pitcher next, the rumblings I’ve heard are that they are still interested in an infielder. I certainly can’t blame them, as there are questions aplenty in there, so with one of the seasons’ hot trade targets already in the fold, let’s check out the other.

Dan Uggla may best remembered for his 2008 All-Star Game appearance in which he committed three errors and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a GIDP, but that’s certainly a far cry from his usual performance.

A career .243/.344/.482 hitter, the soon-to-be 30-year-old second baseman has been largely overshadowed by his double-play mate, one Hanley Ramirez.

Still, Uggla has been an above-average hitter in each of the last four seasons, hitting more than 25 home runs every season he’s been in the majors and never posting an OPS below .800. His EqA—a measure of his total offensive contribution, prorated by league difficulty, home park, and opposing pitching—has never dipped below the league average mark of .260, meaning he’s always been an offensive asset irrespective of position. When positional factors are taken into account, he’s worth about the same number of wins as Orlando Hudson, Nelson Cruz, and Aramis Ramirez, not at all a bad company to be in.

Last season, Uggla’s numbers fell off a little bit, dropping from .260/.360/.514 to 243/.354/.459 due in no small part to a regression in his batting average on balls in play–from .320 in 2008 to .274 last year. That figure was never going to stay that high, so a drop in batting average should have been expected.

One thing that bodes well for Uggla is that he kept his on-base percentage at almost the same level even with the drop in BA. His strikeouts were down both in relative (27.6% to 22.5%) and absolute terms (171 to 150) and his walk rate jumped from 12.4% to 13.8%.

One major concern I have about Uggla is his home/road split. His home park is a bit of a launching pad, one of the most hitter friendly in the majors in fact, and Uggla is a bit of a product of that. His home line—.251/.386/.513—is good for an OPS+ 21 points above average, or loosely as good as Matt Kemp and Denard Span were over the full season.

His away numbers—.235/.321/.408—turned him into Pedro Feliz or Miguel Cairo, 20 points below average. Over his career, the same split exists, though it’s narrower—just 10 points.

I would be more concerned about that split if it were lower across the board, that is, if his away line was .200/.291/.360, I’d be prepared to pass no matter the price.

As it stands, even if his away line becomes his overall stats, he’d still be better than any of the hitters the Twins had batting second last season. Additionally, with the addition of JJ Hardy (who has batted second in the order for almost his entire career), Uggla will probably bat seventh or eighth in the order. His power is legitimate wherever he’s playing: he hit 13 no-doubt home runs this season, good for 3rd in the NL.

If the Twins aren’t really in need of a marquee hitter, which since the next hitter they acquire will be their 6th hitter at best, then they need to be looking at defense as much as offense. Uggla’s is…enigmatic.

According to UZR, Uggla’s four full seasons have produced lines of 6.9, -9.3, 1.6, and -10.1; Baseball Prospectus’ FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) is a little more stable: 5, -19,-2,-1, at least stable enough to draw conclusions from. Uggla is well above replacement level, but below average overall. While he isn’t the guy who made three errors in the All-Star Game, he’s not making anyone forget Joe Morgan. He was close to Alexi Casilla’s level this year, but he is clearly a much better hitter, and thus has a much higher overall value.

If the Twins do bring in Uggla, it will be with the knowledge that he’s a passable defender at second, but hoping that he hits well enough to justify being in there (and having Nick Punto at third base, another consequence of adding a player at second.)

So what we have is a great offensive player whose production will decline because of a switch to the AL and may decline even more if his home/road splits hold up, and whose defense isn’t going to be there to help cushion the fall. Does that mean the Twins shouldn’t look at Uggla?

Not necessarily, but they need to understand that they won’t be getting the player who hit .243/.354/.482, and while he may not fall off precipitously, it’s much more likely that he’ll stay on the low side of his career numbers rather than rebound. This is why the increase in walk rate is so critical—plate discipline isn’t something that varies by league.

If he were a free agent, looking only for money and a place to play, I’d be a lot more eager to acquire him. However, not only will Florida be looking for a good return for their two-time All-Star, Uggla will also be looking for a raise during arbitration. He made $5.35 million in his first year of arbitration and will almost certainly make $1-2 million more this season, which would put the Twins to around $80 Million (assuming, perhaps unfairly, that Uggla is acquired and no one from the 25 man roster heads the other way).

I can’t imagine payroll going too much higher than that, and, as I’ve noted before, the Twins need to address their rotation.

If they feel they can get Carl Pavano back for $2-3 million plus incentives (unlikely), perhaps they could add both he and Uggla.

But if they want to pursue Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, or even (heaven forbid it) Jarrod Washburn, they probably will not have the flexibility to accommodate Uggla’s arbitration raise. As previously mentioned, removing one or more members from the 25-man roster would change these numbers a bit, but if, say Glen Perkins and Casilla, were to head to South Florida, the money saved wouldn’t even cover the raise Uggla was due, let alone his entire contract.

I’m not opposed to Uggla as a player, and for a team like the Cubs, he could make a lot of sense. However, given that Uggla’s arrival would signal not only a jettisoning of a possibly useful player or two in a trade, but also an inability to bring in a high quality pitcher or third baseman, I just don’t see it being the best move for the Twins right now.

Should a pitcher join Uggla on his trip north, however, that would change the calculus of this deal substantially.

Texas Should Fall Behind TCU In The Polls After Almost Losing to 6-6 Texas A&M

Tyler Stimson — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:55:47 -0500

All year long I have heard how great the Texas defense is—how they are the best in the country or at least on par with teams like Florida, Alabama, and TCU. That is clearly not the case.

Texas A&M was the only team that could stop themselves in their game versus Texas. Texas' "great" defense provided little resistance, giving up 39 points. They only stopped Texas A&M when they stopped themselves with turnovers and a missed FG at the end.

Texas has struggled with two .500 caliber teams this year—Oklahoma and Texas A&M. They are definitely not playing like the No. 3 team in the country, even if virtue of their preseason ranking, they will almost assuredly not drop.

TCU on the other hand has only struggled with a very good Air Force team early in the year in awful weather conditions, and a top 15 team in Clemson, which has won their division in the ACC.

Texas needed a fumble, an interception, missed tackle on a third and 12 play which led to a long TD, a kickoff return, and a missed FG to hold on to a narrow victory over a mediocre 6-6 Aggie team.

Texas is ranked ahead of TCU for three main reasons:

1. Big 12 vs. MWC - Really not too much of a difference—the Big 12 is a little deeper, but the MWC has a much better top three. Pretty much a wash.

2. Preseason Rankings (Texas No. 2, TCU No. 17) - Its such a shame that preseason perceptions have such a dramatic effect on the rankings.

3. Program Perception - TCU is a small private school with an undergraduate enrollment under 10,000. Texas is a perennial top 10 team, the flagship university of the state of Texas; with an undergraduate enrollment of over 50,000 students. They have won a national title recently in 2006, and they get consistently better recruiting classes.

Lets look at the resumes of Texas and TCU without bias:

Team A

SOS: 48
Victories over top 25 teams: 1
Won Multiple National Championships (in its history)
Averages 43 PPG on offense
Gives up 15 PPG on defense
Finished in the top 10 in the final poll last year

Team B

SOS: 32
Victories over top 25 teams: 3
Won Multiple National Championships (in its history)
Averages 40 PPG on offense
Gives up 12 PPG on defense
Finished in the top 10 in the final poll last year
Only team in the Country in the top 5 in Total Offense and Defense

Which team has the better resume?

If you look at it unbiasedly, Team B clearly has the better resume, albeit, by a small margin.

Team B is TCU.

Team A is Texas.

But because of the reasons I mentioned above—perceived conference strength, preseason ranking, and program perception—Texas will stay ahead of a team with a better resume.

Hawks-Magic: Orlando Embarrasses Atlanta on National Television

John Boller — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:45:03 -0500

The undefeated season at the highlight factory is no more. After seven straight wins at Philips Arena, the Orlando Magic left the Hawks with a bitter taste in their mouths to go with their turkey.

The win pushed the Magic's record to 12-4, earning them a spot alone atop the Eastern Conference, while giving Atlanta its first back-to-back loss of the season.

Leading the Magic to their 93-76 win was All-Star center Dwight Howard. Howard played over 40 minutes in the game and finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds.

Howard’s new buddy, Vince Carter, also proved to be too much for the Hawks in the 17-point loss. Carter finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, shooting just 7-for-18 from the field but connecting on three treys.

As a team, the Magic made 10 three-pointers, three of which came from former Hawk Anthony Johnson.

In its first big test of the season, Atlanta failed miserably. It was a poor shooting night for the Hawks, as they shot 38.8 percent from the field, just 7-of-19 from the three-point line, and an embarrassing 3-for-7 from the foul line, finishing well below the team’s 78.6 percent season average and 23.3 attempts per game.

Joe Johnson finished the night with 22 points and seven boards while Josh Smith had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Both Johnson and Smith played over 40 minutes, but it was not enough to keep the Hawks perfect at home.

Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford each played a little over 31 minutes and scored 10 points apiece. They also shot a combined 8-for-24 from the field.

Marvin Williams did little in his 28 minutes of action while Al Horford was a complete zero on the offensive end. He took only three shots to finish with a season-low two points.

The Hawks, who are off to the one of the best starts in franchise history, had been looking almost unstoppable up until tonight’s debacle.

The 17-point loss is their worst defeat of the season. And to have it come on such a big stage is unnerving.

A loss like this one could lead to a disastrous slide. The Hawks were up by 14 points at one point and had a 12-point, 51-39 lead at halftime. They even held the Magic to just 16 points in the second quarter.

However, in basketball there are two halfs, and the Hawks might as well have stayed in the locker room for the second of them. They scored only 14 points in the third quarter and just 25 points in the entire half.

That’s right, 25 points.

Was Atlanta’s practice squad playing the second half? It sure didn’t look like the team that was 11-3, perfect at home, and one of the NBA’s elite through the earlygoing this year.

It is a long season and there will be games like this where it just isn’t your night. But why did the Hawks have to let it be this game?

Perhaps Atlanta was still thinking about its eight-point loss to the New Orleans Hornets five days earlier.

Judging from the way they played, it looked like the Hawks were waiting to get back in control of the game against the Magic, as if they just expected Orlando to play nice and let them come back and win the game.

Hello? This is the Orlando Magic. The defending Eastern Conference champion, a division rivalry where the winner takes over the top spot in the East.

There is hope, though; Atlanta can rebound quickly following the setback. The Hawks’ next two opponents, the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons, have combined for 10-straight losses.

Following those two games, the Hawks return home to play the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, both of which are below .500.

Atlanta still has three games against the Magic this season, but they will have to wait until January for a chance to avenge this Thanksgiving Day Massacre.

What Is the Tipping Point for the Edmonton Falcons... Er... Oilers?

Antony Ta — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:42:23 -0500

News came in today that the Los Angeles Kings, hit with a mere 39 man games lost to injury this season, called up Brayden Schenn on an emergency basis after Andrei Loktionov injured his shoulder in the Wednesday match against the Oilers.

Now I understand it's a matter of perspective, but with the Oilers losing 146 man games to injury this season, it's interesting that the Oilers wouldn't have tried anything similar by giving some guys one-game tryouts with the kind of injuries we have seen.

If anybody qualified for this kind of thing, I would think it would be the Oilers.

Think of all the unsigned prospects in the Oilers system that we can finally test out with such an opportunity.

Sure, there was the Torrie Jung emergency scare against the Blackhawks. But with three days between the Kings game and the time the San Jose Sharks came to town, the Oilers had more options than more Falcons callups.

We could pull Linus Omark over for a one-game tryout. Yeah he's under contract to the Moscow Dynamo, but it's just one game and I'm sure the IIHF wouldn't fret over that.

How about Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson? Just to see him in one game would help Oilers fans forget how bad of a losing funk we're mired in. Would the Timra Eagles care?

Now I realize it's unrealistic to expect a bunch of professional European leagues to loan the Oilers their top players even for a couple of games, so I can forget about the Anton Landers and the Teemu Hartikainens, even if it is for one game only .

There are also more options in North American, though:

We could get a few games out of Jordan Eberle, Toni Rajala, or even Riley Nash.

Perhaps we could give Chris Vandevelde, Milan Kytnar, or even Jeff Petry a spin.

I believe the main reason the Oilers have neglected to go the route of calling guys up on an emergency basis (nine games is the limit for guys playing in junior) is that they finally have a way of evaluating some of their enigmatic AHL contract-holders in Ryan Potulny, Ryan O'Marra, and Colin McDonald.

I remember when the Oilers first drafted McDonald and the first thing I noticed was his wicked wristshot.

But he, O'Marra, and a few others haven't quite developed according to plan, though O'Marra and McDonald are starting to come around this season under new leadership in Springfield.

It's good from an organizational standpoint to get all this experimentation in now (surely we're all wondering about the progress of William Quist, Alexei Miknov or Alexander Bumagin by now... or are we?).

But how much sleep is Pat Quinn and Tom Renney losing from having half a team here and half a team there? The playoffs are looking more and more like a distant dream and lottery contention a more tangible reality—and that's a scary realization in November of any season.

I just wonder how long before the Oilers clue in that the fans need something to cheer about?

Yeah, super-hockey-nerds (such as myself) will appreciate a chance to see O'Marra and McDonald in action.

But your average Joe would LOVE to see Eberle or Rajala in action, especially when Eberle is touted to be the next Devin Setoguchi and Rajala is supposed to be the next Pavel Bure.

The fans need something to believe in right now.

It's just good P.R.

Black Friday Game Plan: Watching Temple-Ohio for the Mac East Title

Mike Gibson — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:40:19 -0500

There are three ways to watch the Temple at Ohio game for the MAC East title on Friday (nationally televised at 11 a.m. on ESPU).

One—the most preferable from my point of view—is to be there in Athens, Ohio, giving support the Temple team playing perhaps the most important game in school history.
That might prove problematic for a great majority of Owl fans who have neither the cash nor the time to get there and back. For example, the cheapest fare we could find was $577 round-trip.

You have to have some pretty steep pockets for that kind of coin.

I don't count myself among that group, unfortunately, and that leaves options Nos. 2 and 3.

So I have to settle for a different Black Friday Game Plan.

(All I'll say about Temple's game plan is this: Rush the quarterback relentlessly on defense to force turnovers and use the run to set up the play-action pass on offense, spreading the big plays around evenly to Delano Green, Evan Rodriguez, Joey Jones, Matt Brown, Michael Campbell, James Nixon and Jason Harper.

Do that and Ohio coach's Frank Solich's head will be spinning like Linda Blair's in the Exorcist. It's that simple, but I trust Temple coach Al Golden and assistants Matt Rhule and Mark D'Onofrio have already figured that out.)

So that's the game plan for the team in a neat Temple nutshell. I'll continue to expand on the game plan for us fans below.

Two, I thought about watching from home, but pacing the floor and screaming at the television alone is not my idea of having fun.

Going to a department store and fighting the Black Friday crowds for a spot in front of the TV in the Electronics Department is also out.

So I'm leaning toward a third option: Finding a place to hopefully celebrate the Owls' first football championship of any kind in my lifetime with my fellow Owl fans. Ideally, the best place would be on campus but that's shut down tighter than a drum when the kids are on break.

Fortunately, there are plenty of Temple-friendly establishments around where you can find Temple people at 11 a.m. on a Friday morning.

Forget shopping on Black Friday—I'm spending a large chunk of it bird-watching.

Birds, as in Temple Owls.

I imagine a lot of men in the Philadelphia area will be doing the same thing, saying, "Honey, I'd love to be shopping with you, but Temple is on a nine-game winning streak and I'm going to watch the game with the buds."

And the Millers and the Coorses as well.

Bears-Vikings Week 12 Preview

Nathan Venegas — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:36:34 -0500

The Bears play for pride against the high powered Vikings.

Jay Cutler played a conservative game against the Eagles last week but missed key opportunities to score. If the Bears have any hope to beat the Vikings that cannot happen.

The Vikings boast a stiff defensive line that elevates the entire defensive squad. Minnesota is going to get pressure on your quarterback so don’t bother trying to stop it; instead try to counter it with quick passes and misdirection.

The middle of the Vikings defense is anchored by the Williams Wall, Kevin Williams, and Pat Williams, all of whom are stout against the run and surprisingly fast early in games.

Misdirection can wear the Vikings out. The Bears may gas them out early with stretch plays and open up opportunities later in the game. Utilizing a no-huddle is an easy way to prohibit the Vikings from making defensive substitutions and tiring their big men early.

Brett Favre is playing disciplined ball and with the help of Adrian Peterson, he doesn’t have to shoulder the offensive load and force passes into tight spots. Farve still shows some of that old magic when he’s called upon, but he has always been most dangerous when he eases off the trigger and takes what the defense gives him.

Favre has a plethora of young talent that the Bears will have a hard time covering. Chicago cannot allow Favre to sit in the pocket to pick and choose which young player he wants to throw to next.

Chicago has never been able to stop Adrian Peterson, and I don’t see any way they will this season without Urlacher. Peterson seems to have a pattern of pounding inside the tackles for the first half or so and then start hitting the cut back lanes in the second half.

Regardless of how the Bears plan to attack Peterson, the defense will have to be quick to tackle him if they hope to limit his yards and scores. The Bears have to find some consistency on both sides of the ball not only for pride this season, but to have confidence going into next season.

Players to Watch

Orlando Pace: The Viking defensive ends are fast and physical. Whether it's Ray Edwards or Jared Allen, Pace and Chris Williams will need all the help they can get keeping them in check. The Bear running backs will have to chip block them to take the pressure off Jay Cutler.

Brett Favre: Lovie Smith has a good record against Favre, but without Brian Urlacher in the middle Favre will have free reign to expose the center of the field. Favre has shown discipline and patience this season and has distributed the ball freely to his young receivers. If the Bears allow Favre to get in a rhythm the game will be over in the first half.

Charles Tillman: Peanut looks to be feeling good and has been forcing fumbles left and right. If the young Viking players like Harvin and Rice aren’t careful, Tillman can help shake their confidence.

Key to the Game: Pass rush. The Bears cannot stop Adrian Peterson, so the next best thing is put pressure on Favre and make him force the ball into coverage.

Stars Set To Shine When Barcelona Faces Real Madrid

Jack — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:29:22 -0500

As soon as Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid over the summer, neutrals and fans of both teams were ecstatic at the prospect of watching Ronaldo and Messi, the two best players in the world, go head to head twice a season.

As of the weekend, the dream match up appeared to be in doubt, but it now appears that both Messi and Ronaldo will be fit in time for the game even if they start the game on the bench.

2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo has been out for well over a month and was involved in a severe club versus country row after aggravating his injury playing for Portugal in World Cup Qualifier against Hungary.

Despite playing in only seven games thus far, Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s top scorer with nine goals in all competitions. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have actually been able to overtake Barcelona in the league table, but the recent run of matches has been unconvincing.

Barcelona has not been clicking on all cylinders yet this season either but put in a superfluous performance against Inter in the Champions League without Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Should both players be fit in time for El Gran Clasico , it will be a massive boost for Barcelona.

In his short but dazzling career, Messi has often been at his best against Los Merengues . In the 2006-2007 season, La Pulga scored a remarkable hat trick at the Camp Nou to salvage a three-three draw for Barcelona.

Last year, Messi was on target to seal victory in Camp Nou before running rampant last spring when Barcelona beat Real Madrid and the Santiago Bernabeu six-to-two.

Messi and Ronaldo are sure to be the main attractions Sunday, but there will be a plethora of stars on display for both teams.

Pep Guardiola will call on the dynamic duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, both of whom were at their best in ravaging Inter Tuesday. For Barcelona to win again, the two Spanish internationals will need to put in another solid shift.

At the back, left back Eric Abidal—who signed a contract extension with club Wednesday—will be joined by iconic captain Carles Puyol and the young Gerard Pique.

Pique, widely considered the best young defender in Europe, is hoping to see Ronaldo suit up saying, “Everybody, not just we players, wants to see the best players. Cristiano is one of the best and I’m sure he’ll play".

The former Manchester United man helped shut down Ronaldo in last season's Champions League Final.

Up front, Guardiola will have difficult decisions to make. If Messi and Ibrahimovic are unable to play from the start, Thierry Henry could be handed a starting role. Although the France captain has only scored once this season, his class and experience would benefit Barcelona’s side.

For Real Madrid, 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka is finally settling into his new role at the Bernabeu, but the Madrid’s hero this season has been Gonzalo Higuain.

El Pipita rescued Real Madrid numerous times last season, netting 22 times in La Liga, but Florentino Perez was set on spending money and brought in Karim Benzema from Lyon. After being shelved on the bench at the beginning of the season, Pellegrini finally gave in and began starting Higuain, and his decision, as obvious as it may have been, has paid off.

With so many stars on the pitch, El Gran Clasico will surely produce another epic match.

Saskatchewan-Montral: Betting On The CFL's Grey Cup

steve tisch — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:14:49 -0500

The Super Bowl is in February and the BCS title game in January but you can satisfy your championship football cravings this Sunday with the Grey Cup.

The CFL championship game will see the Saskatchewan Roughriders play the Montreal Alouettes in Calgary this Sunday. The Als are 9.5-point favorites with a Total of 55.5.

It’s easy to see why Montreal is favored too, given its8-1 SU 7-2 ATS in its last nine overall and 9-3 ATS in its last 12 November games.

However, Saskatchewan is 15-5 ATS in its last 20 when an underdog of more than eight points and has covered its last nine straight games in that situation.

The ‘Riders have taken 10 Unders, 2 Overs and a Push in their last 13 games with a posted Total in the month of November.

Hawks Taking Flight Vs. Magic?

steve tisch — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:56:24 -0500

With an 11-3 record both against the spread and straight up, good enough for tops in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta has a lot to be thankful for.

The Hawks can tie the Phoenix Suns for the best record in the league (12-3) if they defeat the Orlando Magic tonight—Atlanta is a 3.5-point home fave with a Total of 198.

In the last nine games where the Hawks are favored by 4-points or less, they are 7-2 ATS and have taken six Overs in a row with the same spread range.

Atlanta is 7-1 ATS in its last eight home games and in that time, has cashed on the Over six times.

Report: Jimmy Clausen To Enter NFL Draft

Christopher Chavez — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:44:19 -0500

Jimmy Clausen, the lone bright spot in a dark year at Notre Dame, has reportedly decided to enter the NFL Draft. According to the often unreliable, Rotoworld.com, Clausen will not be returning for another fall in South Bend.

Rotoworld is citing ESPN's Joe Schad who says that Clausen made up his mind as the Fighting Irish enter their final regular season game at Stanford. Many football scouts and analysts believe now is a great time for the junior to enter the draft because of his high stock right now.

As a third-year quarterback for Notre Dame, Clausen has shown improved footwork and has great accuracy when he throws. In his three years at Notre Dame, he has shown an ability to get out of jams in the pocket and release the ball quickly.

Many have said that Clausen could be one of the first quarterbacks off the board come April.

Tim Tebow could have a position change in the NFL and might not be drafted too high because the way he dominate the college game, might be different than how most NFL teams operate.

Colt McCoy is one guy that could be picked higher than Clausen because of the fact he is a great player and is always in Heisman consideration.

Jevan Snead is another good guy but, like Clausen, is a junior and Ole Miss will be waiting for his decision whether to enter the draft or not.

Before Sam Bradford was injured he was in consideration for being the No. 1 overall pick. After that shoulder injury, things could have changed.

The release of the Rotoworld report comes after Clausen’s family’s decision to sell their South Bend home. Jimmy Clausen's days at Notre Dame could be numbered as the Redskins have decided to send scouts this weekend to South Bend.

Jimmy Clausen might not be the only guy leaving Notre Dame after this season. Charlie Weis has been on the hot seat and will most likely get the ax after the Stanford game this weekend.

Standout receiver Golden Tate also faces the difficult decision to declare or not.

Notre Dame might have to start from scratch next year. They could be breaking in a new coach, quarterback, and go-to receiver all in one season.

Irish fans can only hope that any moves are for the better and they’ll have until next autumn to dream of the days when the dominant program of the land hailed from Indiana.

Sacramento Kings Breakdown: Kings Are No Longer Court Jesters

Erick Blasco — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:07:05 -0500

In the midst of a total youth movement, the Sacramento Kings are playing their best ball in over a year. Their 111-97 drubbing over the Knicks was partially due to New York’s incompetence, but also to the young talent the Kings are beginning to acquire. Let’s look at the individuals:

Tyreke Evans is Sacramento’s prized rookie, and while he’s an uneven talent, he’s a talent nonetheless. He has the handle and the speed to get into the paint and displayed a nifty left-to-right spinning banker among his more impressive finishes. He also forced numerous drives and passes, particularly in garbage time, when his streak of 20-point games was in jeopardy. Hopefully he isn’t displaying a tendency to value his own numbers over team play.

His jump shot is maddeningly inconsistent. He cocks the ball behind his head as he shoots, creating an awkward follow-through. Of his three misses, two were airballs.

However, Evans used his uncanny size and strength to post up the Knicks and make timely passes when double teamed.

Defensively, Evans was usually hidden with Chris Duhon and Toney Douglas shooting poorly.

Evans needs a thorough ironing to smooth out all the wrinkles in his game. But he can create his own shot, make plays for others, and against the Knicks, rebound the basketball (11 REB). He has the talent, the strength, and the creativity to be the big-time athlete the Kings definitely need.

If Evans is Sacramento’s prized possession, Donta Green was its best player against the Knicks.

Exploding to the hoop, and splashing in triples, Green dominated New York from near and far—9-13 FG, 6-7 3FG, 24 PTS.

Green also ran side screen/rolls expertly, made extra passes, made a veteran high-post flash and pass to a fronted Evans in the low box, terrorized the Knicks with his prime-time shot blocking (6 BLK), and played with jubilation not seen by Sacramento’s opponents.

As extraordinary a game as Green had, he was confused on several rotations and committed almost as many turnovers as assists (5 TO, 6 AST). Also, he had difficulty shooting and creating when the Knicks crowded him.

Still, Green is a remarkable athlete who can boost the Kings through whatever doldrums they may experience. A definite keeper.

Spencer Hawes showed a soft touch on several right hooks, plus he drained a triple. However, he plays below the rim, doesn’t move or jump quickly, and isn’t overly strong. While he showed nice touch, at least a pair of his hooks had the benefit of dancing around every possibly inch of the rim before crawling in.

Hawes can be a useful rotation player, but if Sacramento becomes a good team, it won’t be with Hawes starting for them.

Jason Thompson can hit mid-range springers and face-and-go, but he has no back-to-the-basket game, isn’t an effective defender, and is toothpick thin. He too looks like a useful athlete off the bench, but ultimately, a backup.

Andres Nocioni and Ime Udoka are short-term stopgaps, but each played hard-nosed defense that would be wise to emulate. If Nocioni was overaggressive at times, his activity on defense is a valuable lesson for his teammates to follow. He also splashed in a pair of threes in seven attempts. And when Danillo Gallinari briefly heated up in the second half, Udoka put a clamp on his early-offense step-in-rhythm triples.

Sergio Rodriguez is a third-stringer and nothing more. If he consistently got to the rim, it was the product of horrendous Nate Robinson defense as opposed to his own offensive creativity. He overpenetrated, forced several ill-advised shots and drives, and played no defense on Robinson.

Omar Casspi is frail, shoots jumpers from his hip, has too much arm movement in his free throw routine, and is another poor defender. However, he cuts hard off the ball, is always moving, and has a number of tricky release points, as evidenced by an impressive lefty drive, righty floater, plus a foul.

Jon Brockman is too undersized and underathletic to be a valuable player. However, his smarts and energy will always find him on a roster as a practice player.

Defensively the Kings packed the paint, sagged off, and relied on their length to close out shooters. Their defensive rotations sometimes had nobody covering a shooter, and sometimes had three players running at one guy. In short, the Kings players sloppy, inexperienced defense.

Offensively, the Knicks offered no resistance, so the energetic Kings took everything that was given to them.

All in all, the Kings are starting to develop a backcourt that can provide enough punch to lead to wins. Evans provides muscle in the backcourt to offset Kevin Martin’s flimsines, and is a better passer. Ultimately, Evans may prove to be more of a shooting guard than a point guard though, which may facilitate trading the fragile Martin.

As constructed, the Kings need an athletic low post scorer, better point guards, more practice time for Evans to hone his game, and a total frontcourt upgrade. However, considering how the only thing they appeared to have last season was Kevin Martin, they’re already making progress.

Also, Paul Westphal appears to have the Kings well-coached on offense, and his strategy of selling out to protect the paint at the expense of jump shots is probably best for the Kings.

While they’re still many players and several seasons away from becoming a playoff team, after two years of listless mediocrity and last season’s disaster, the Kings finally have a light at the end of their tunnel. And they don’t need K-Mart to provide it.

Nashville Predators: One of the Hottest Teams In The NHL

Mark Willoughby — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:06:36 -0500

A team that had once been written off, the Nashville Predators came back to defeat Colorado 4-2 in overtime in the Pepsi Center for their seventh consecutive victory and 12th win in their last 15 games. A team that was dead last in the NHL after a 3-6-1 start is now sixth in the Western Conference on the strength of this run, and now are 7-2 in the month of November.

This streak has occurred because the team has bought in to the philosophy of Head Coach Barry Trotz. Being well-prepared to play is a trait that Trotz and his staff have executed well over the years and have emphasized this season. Not having marquee talent means that this team has to be well prepared each night to be competitive.

He has set this team up to play to its strengths—tough defense, solid goal tending, and opportunistic scoring. Shoot the puck, crash the net, create opportunities—nothing fancy, but when played as coached will lead to wins. And this team is winning because they are executing this strategy to perfection.

This team is winning because the power play is starting to click. The Predators are 12-0 when they score a PP goal. After a pathetic start, the power play is getting traffic in front of the net, good movement, and good shots. Last night, J. P. Dumont put the Predators on the board first after driving the net and taking a nice feed from Shea Weber to beat a defenseless Craig Anderson.

This team is winning because players that were counted on to produce are starting to consistently do so. Marcel Goc scored the Predators' second goal when Martin Erat drove the net and drew the defense to him. Anderson was forced to play Erat's drive to the net, and he slid a pass to Goc, who fired it in to an open net.

This team is winning because the big guns on the team are producing. Shea Weber tied the game at three in the third with another blast from the blue line that beat Anderson for his sixth goal of the season. Weber has a booming shot, and when he puts it on net, he creates havoc for the opponent. Jason Arnott had two assists for the night for his fifth point in four games, and the Captain continues to be a force on the ice for the Predators.

The guys that were expected to produce offensively are producing—consistently—and this is leading to goals and wins.

This team is winning because of heart. David Legwand, he of the invisible start this season, has arrived with a vengeance and scored the game winner last night. Legwand has bounced back from a horrific start to the season and has played like he is capable.

It would have been easy for him to hang his head and call the season a bust, but he didn't. He fought through his slump and has been arguably the best player on the ice over the last five games. His defensive play has been stellar, and now his offensive play has caught up to the rest of his game.

This team is winning because they are resilient. Resiliency is a quality that Trotz and his coaching staff constantly preach. There will be times when what happens on the ice doesn't go your way, but it is imperative to believe in your system, believe in your team mates, and believe you can win the game.

The Predators fell behind the Avalanche 3-2 in the second period after beginning the period up 2-0. They never wavered in their effort and tied the game late in the third. They stormed the Avalanche net in overtime, and the effort resulted in a win. This team believes that whatever happens, they can win the game. That is a great attitude that has translated in to confident play on the ice.

This is not the most talented team in the NHL by any stretch. This is, however, a team that believes in itself as a whole; that believes in each man wearing the Predator sweater that takes the ice; and believes in the coaches that have prepared them for each game.

This team is now coming to the ice confident and ready to play every night, believing they can win against anyone. And that belief is translating in to wins.

Don't Sleep on The Rider Broncs Despite Rough Stretch

Ari Kramer — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:57:14 -0500

In the eyes of the college basketball world, a 14-point opening night upset of the No. 19 Mississippi State Bulldogs transformed the Rider Broncs into a team that could legitimately threaten Siena's pursuit of a MAAC three-peat.

Five games later, the Broncs post a 3-3 record with embarrassing blowout losses at Virginia and No. 5 Kentucky, and, as a result, the win in Mississippi has been titled as a fluke by many.

It's very likely that Rider won't match up against another top 25 team this year—unless, of course, Siena cracks the poll or the Broncs upset the Saints in the MAAC tournament—so the Broncs might not earn a chance to prove doubters wrong. However, I'm not quitting on Rider and you shouldn't either.

Ryan Thompson is the most consummate player in the MAAC. He scores, he shoots for high percentages from all over the floor—his 43.8 percent field-goal percentage is a result of a 1-10 shooting night at Kentucky but will rise to its 2008-09 level—he distributes, and he rebounds. Capable of playing three positions, his versatility is a nightmare for opposing coaches.

Although the graduation of sharp-shooting Harris Mansell detracts from Rider's perimeter game, the immense development of junior Mike Ringgold and sophomore Novar Gadson improve the Broncs' overall attack. Rider has a balanced inside game between Ringgold and Gadson, who can also play the perimeter and slash to the hoop.

Justin Robinson hasn't been the best point guard, but he has averaged 12.2 points per game and has added to Rider's offensive potency. Ask Siena coach Fran McCaffery about the point guard from London, and he'll tell you about the offensive numbers he can post.

In comparison to Siena, Rider lacks depth. However, the Saints out-manned the Broncs last year but fell in a last-second thriller at Alumni Gymnasium.

The duo of Ringgold and Gadson could potentially lead the Broncs past Niagara, who lacks an inside presence.

Rider is a tough team and, although the chances are slim because of conference competition, it has the pieces to bring a MAAC championship back to Lawrenceville, NJ. Don't let this early rough stretch make you sleep on the Broncs.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Does Anyone Want To Win The 2009 Heisman Trophy?

James Walker — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:42:38 -0500

As we come to the end of the 2009 college football season, it seems that no one is talking about this year's Heisman Trophy race. Usually this late in the season there is one or two candidates that are the true front-runners for the award. That is not the case this season. Regardless, the award will be given on December 12, 2009. Tim Tebow started the season as the front runner with Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy rounding out the top three candidates. However, Sam Bradford's shoulder injury ended his season and collegiate career, and Tim Tebow has not been as productive this season as predicted. Colt McCoy remains a viable candidate, and others have caught the eyes of the college football world. Here is my list of the Top Five candidates for the 2009 Heisman Trophy. These candidates are presented in no particular order especially since the rivalry and conference championship games have yet to be played.

Begin Slideshow

Drew Brees Finally Gets a Shot at Tom Brady: No Pressure, The World Is Watching

Randy Savoie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:36:29 -0500

Thanksgiving Day 2009 (Panama City Beach, Florida)

It's twenty years later, and team owner Tom Benson no longer dances in the end zone. Yet Saints fans still dance Sunday nights away at the Famous Door on Bourbon Street.

A live wire, barely a beginner
But just watch that lady go
She's on fire, 'cause dancin' gets her higher than-uh
Anything else she knows

Dance (Dance) the night away
Oh-oh-oh (Ah) Come on g-girl, dance the night away

Yeah, there's no shortage of hysteria in New Orleans these days. It's Mardi Gras in November in The City That Care Forgot.

Just ask no less an authority than the city's best artisan of fine cuisine—Chef Emeril.

They're the best. They're the best. Absolutely the best. What do you guys think? Are they the best or wwwwwwhat?

As tasty as the good Chef's finest dish, the Saints' Cat 10 offense is as smooth and pleasurable as the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra or one of those French Quarter Jazz bands.

And it's such a night, it's such a night
Sweet confusion under the moonlight
It's such a night, such a night
To steal away, the time is right

It's amazing what can happen under a voodoo moon in New Orleans.

These Saints are off to a 10-0 start: best in franchise history.

Some would say they have taken the road less traveled.

New Orleans has thrown the knockout punch from a variety of angles.

Drew Brees is tossing TD passes with ease. One week it's Reggie Bush. The next week it's Mike Bell. The defense has scored seven times. Two weeks ago, they got a kickoff return for six. Last week, it was former first-round draft pick Robert Meachem, once labeled a bust, with two touchdown catches.

Brees from the shotgun, play action, rolls to his right, pumps, throws into the end zone......caught by Meachem for the TD!!!!!!!!

Meachem says he's just learning to chill in this laid-back town, havin' fun:

"As a first-round draft pick, people were saying, 'He's not out there. Why did we draft him? He's a bust.' So, I just learned to try to use that as a positive, and I replayed that in my head, "HE'S A BUST," and it makes me go out there and play better."

Many in the national media believe in their most private moments that New Orleans is more bust than boom.

ESPN's Mike Greenberg said this week the Saints have to be the most unheralded 10-0 team in NFL history. On Monday mornings, the national media gives an obligatory mention of the Saints' latest win before quickly shifting gears to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings or Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

Even the lowly Cleveland Browns and New York Jets garnered more talk time on a recent edition of ESPN's Mike & Mike.

Rarely is the immortal Brees—the man who came within one mid-range completion of breaking Dan' Marino's single season passing yardage record one year ago—mentioned in the discussion of the NFL's greatest quarterback.

That topic is reserved for Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

Alas, sometimes Cinderella is late. Better late than never.

Finally, Brees gets his chance to silence the experts on Monday Night Football as the entire nation watches what is easily the best matchup of the NFL season down in New Orleans.

Brees says he relishes the chance to face Brady.

"I'm excited for the opportunity because you like to share the field with guys like that—guys that are considered the best—and get an opportunity to compete. "

Hey, my offense is trying to score more points than your offense, pretty boy!

Although his goal is to score 40 points every game, Brees realizes that this week less may be better:

"Everytime we touch the ball our goal is to get points, but you understand in a game like this, going up against a quality opponent, that at times you may have to play the field position game a little bit."

Brady sounds confident as he returns to the Superdome for the first time since winning Super Bowl XXXVI, over the St. Louis Rams—the original Greatest Show on Turf.

"It's always good this part of the year for a quarterback and a head coach, when you can evaluate another team based on 10 games and over 500 or 600 plays, can evaluate their players and their coaching, what makes their team go, and how to eliminate some of their strengths," says Brady.

One strength the Patriots will have to eliminate is the Saints' absolute mastery of the fourth quarter this season. New Orleans has scored 338 fourth quarter points through ten games—best in the NFL in 2009.

New Orleans radio commentator Bobby Hebert was the first quarterback to lead the Saints to a winning season back in 1987 when the owner was still doing something called the Benson Boogie, and head coach Jim Mora was ranting, "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda."

Hebert says that given the Saints penchant for creating turnovers and scoring points in bunches in the fourth quarter, it may not take a hex from one of those Bourbon Street witch doctors to beat the Patriots.

"It's going to be a battle from kickoff to the last whistle. If we (the Saints) win the fourth quarter like we've been winning it this year, we're going to beat the Patriots."

Rebounding From The Cal Loss

Zach Lantz — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:30:49 -0500

As the Rascal Flatts song goes, “what hurts the most, is being so close.”

That is what Stanford is feeling after its gut-wrenching loss to those annoying little Golden Bears, losing out on a possible Rose Bowl trip.

That is why Toby Gerhart was emotional leaving the field.

“It hurts, it hurts a lot,” was all he could muster.

That almost goes without saying. All the nationwide coverage, all the media attention, gave Cardinal fans something they haven’t had since before Tyrone Willingham left:

Hope.

Andrew Luck’s perfect spirals hitting Chris Owusu and Ryan Whalen in between the numbers. Gerhart showing Oregon how to play a man’s game by making the first four guys miss and then making the fifth guy pay for their mistakes. Owen Maricec and his straight craziness. Richard Sherman finally putting it all together and letting Matt Barkley know that he’s not the best freshman quarterback in the country.

This whole season was a coming-out party for Harbaugh’s troops, and as the season went on, the team and the fans experienced something they’ve never had before:

Expectations.

Yeah this loss stings; it stings a lot. I think we can agree that Gerhart summed it up best. The fact that it was to Cal made me want to hurl after the game, so I can just imagine what it did to the players.

"When all is said and done, there's an empty pit in your stomach. We didn't get the Axe back. We let it slip away,” Gerhart said.

However let’s take time to rewind to the beginning of the season. Stanford was predicted to finish no better than seventh in the conference by most media publications. This past week those same news outlets were calling Stanford the hottest team in the nation.

Watching Stanford hand it to Oregon and cream USC filled me with such a satisfactory feeling, I felt like I was watching Troy Walters run up and down the field again.

While the Rose Bowl is now out of reach, a probable Holiday Bowl berth for Stanford will still be a darn good bowl. And on top of that the foundation has been laid for future success. At the beginning of this season my excitement was minimal at best. This all changed on the second game of the season when Stanford lined up for a third and seven at Wake Forest’s 26 yard line.

What ensued was a perfect, NFL caliber pass that was so on the money that Ryan Whalen couldn’t have not scored a touchdown even if he wanted to. No offense to Tavita Pritchard, but the quarterback play this season was absolutely remarkable. Having Luck under center is a feeling that really can’t be put into words. Whether or not that was a season-changing play is irrelevant; but every game after Stanford’s offense and its play calling were not limited by its lack of ability, specifically in the passing game.

The fact that he had a bad game and Stanford still had a chance to win it is a testament to the team and to their belief in each other and in Luck.

Having a quarterback deliver in the marquee games each year is so crucial. An impressive game at Oregon was followed up by a monstrous performance at USC. His future and the future of this team is brighter than any other team in the conference, and one fluke loss to Cal can’t change that.

So to Harbaugh and company: Thank you for the memorable season, but we got two more games to go.

To Bob Bowlsby: Please! Please! Please sign Harbaugh to an extension before we lose him like we did Willingham.

To the team that stole Willingham from us and then later disgraced him: I wouldn’t be surprised if Gerhart came out Saturday with his eyes ablaze and Luck with his arm blessed by the football Gods. I can’t wait to see Jimmy Clausen’s face after he realizes that he’s not even the best quarterback on the field.

Gerhart for Heisman.

Why I Support Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Cable

David Xaviel is the Real Mr. X — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:22:58 -0500

So far this NFL season, Raiders fans have seen much of the same old same old.

But what has been different, it seems, is that the players are starting to care when they lose, rather than brushing it off carelessly because they get paid either way.

Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about my frustration with the three weeks of blowouts, claiming that either the Raiders hire Bill Cowher or Raider fans boycott.

I no longer think that is necessary.

The performances have still been erratic, but that is somewhat excusable as many of their players have less than three seasons' worth of experience.

In previous seasons, the Raiders roster seemed scotch-taped together, while this team in 2009 is filled with draft-picks and free-agency revelations.

Many have called for the firing or suspension of Coach Tom Cable amidst tabloid reports of a mistake he made 20 years ago; but I think Cable has this team on the right track, even if we aren't seeing the Raiders win. There seems to be a new energy in Oakland that would defuse if Al Davis tried to find another coach.

Cable admits that he slapped his then wife 20 years ago, which I don't condone and in fact condemn, but I do believe that it was an isolated act which he regrets. And paid the price for when she divorced him.

Nevertheless, the Pavlovian shills at ESPN saw another story to sell and tried to get Cable suspeneded with incendiary accusations by questionable people.

Another solid draft day, which the Raiders have improved at since firing personnel director Michael Lombardi, and the Raiders could be a wild card contender at worst. As for this season, the Raiders need to focus on making plays, understanding situations, and eliminating mistakes.

We need to see something for them to build on.

I think the best move to be made for the offense is to find a full-time offensive coordinator rather than a different coach. Moreover, the Raiders should consider hiring a General Manager to "assist" Davis in creating a modern vision for this team with many talented players.

My wish would be for Al Davis to hire Mike Holmgren as the General Manager. One connection between the current Raiders and Holmgren is Raiders defensive-coordinator John Marshall.

Holmgren, from what I've heard, is living in the South Bay (Santa Cruz) and is interested in a front office position. His presence would bring immediate respect back to the Raiders and give the team a mind to work with either quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski or JaMarcus Russell.

If Davis is willing to make an offer that Holmgren can't refuse (which I suggested is probably wishful thinking), then the Raiders would have the potential to turnaround before Davis kicks the bucket.

Another year of work and the receivers and quarterback should be ready to make a functional offense.

The Raiders need a better vision of how to use their running backs. I get the sense that they just call a runner and see what works. We have seen Justin Fargas gain yards but struggle in the red zone, where Michael Bush and Darren McFadden can succeed.

McFadden is an "upright runner" who doesn't run well against the line of scrimmage, but I would like to see what he can do in space (meaning, catching the ball with some room to run) or quick tosses from the quarterback in a modified running game the way Charlie Garner used to do for the Raiders.

Michael Bush meanwhile has shown that he is a more physical runner, like Tyrone Wheatley was for the Raiders. Thus, I do think that the Raiders need to rotate Fargas and Bush running inside and use McFadden as a short-yardage receiver, like Reggie Bush in New Orleans.

As for the defense, I think the Raiders have the right personnel for the 3-4 and should target a nose tackle in the off-season to switch from the 4-3. The front seven has been better with Richard Seymour, but they still lack a pure run-stuffer and outside linebacker; which could be resolved with the 3-4 by making Trevor Scott an outside rusher in the 3-4, and acquiring a nose-tackle.

Bottom line, however, is that we Raider Nation must resist the temptation to change horses in mid-stream. The Raiders still have work to do, but I have the sense that the team is truly in rebuilding mode rather than treading water.

Giving Paulo Thiago His Due

Darren Wong — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:17:58 -0500

After UFC 106, I've got to say that I'm just a little bit of a Paulo Thiago fan. Sometimes I think that I'm the only one, and that is a tragedy.

For the many of you who have never heard of Paulo Thiago before (and I'm sure that's a lot), let me start off by introducing him.

Paulo Thiago made his UFC debut against Josh Koscheck at UFC 95. Despite sporting a 10-0 record, it seemed as though Thiago was tailor-made to be a nice tune-up fight for Koscheck. Thiago was known for his submission skills, but not the kind of wrestling necessary to take down an NCAA champion like Koscheck. In terms of striking, it looked like Koscheck had a serious advantage.

And up until the final few seconds, Paulo Thiago's striking against Kosheck didn't look all that good. He was dropping his hands after throwing punches, and was getting hit repeatedly by Koscheck's powerful right hand.

Koscheck made a mistake, and out of nowhere, Thiago clocked him with a big uppercut hook combination for the knockout win.

Thiago's reward for the win was a matchup with the equally tough Jon Fitch.

Fitch used his physical strength and wrestling to really grind down Paulo Thiago en-route to a unanimous decision victory. Nevertheless, Thiago acquitted himself quite well in the loss.

Sometimes after this type of defeat, the UFC will give a fighter a weaker opponent and a chance to get a rebound victory. The UFC didn't see it that way for Thiago, and instead matched him up with the welterweight destroyer, Thiago Alves. Game fighter that he is, Paulo Thiago accepted the fight.

The fight got scratched when the UFC tried to set up a match between Fitch and Alves, giving the UFC another chance to give Thiago an easier opponent.

Instead, the UFC went ahead and gave Paulo a match against another highly-decorated wrestler and submission grappler. Jacob Volkmann is a former All-American wrestler with grappling tournament victories over greats like Dennis Hallman.

Once again, Paulo Thiago proved himself up to the task.

At present, people are calling for another matchup of Thiago and Koscheck. While I can understand the desire to give Koscheck a chance to avenge his loss, I truly hope that Thiago's path gets a little bit easier.

Paulo Thiago already looks like a much better fighter than the one who fought Koscheck the first time, just one year ago.

Since he fought Koscheck in February, Thiago has improved his striking quite dramatically, and also looks like he has become much stronger physically.

Such dramatic improvements over such a short period tell me that Paulo Thiago has only started to train full-time, and is still improving rapidly as a fighter.

While he may not have the physical gifts of a GSP, I think that Thiago has some serious talent deserving of a little bit of patience and development. He might not get that kind of development if he keeps on getting thrown to the wolves.

If he can string together some victories, he might be able to quit his job in the Brazilian special police force, and start training full-time, and then we'll get to see his full potential.

According to the NSAC reports, Thiago was paid $16,000 for his win over Volkmann, and a mere $8,000 for his loss to Jon Fitch. Compare that to Amir's $30,000 for disposing of a broken down Phil Baroni, or George Sotriopoulos's $20,000 for beating the over-matched Jason Dent. It should be clear that when Paulo Thiago is fighting Koscheck for maybe $8,000, he's fighting way over his pay scale.

Fighter salaries aren't always fully represented by the NSAC reports, but in this case, I'm guessing they are accurate.

I have no problem with the way the UFC pays it's fighters. But I do hope that Thiago gets his fair shake, and isn't thrown to the wolves simply because he's already achieved more than the UFC ever initially thought he would.

Oakland Raiders Get Embarrassed On National TV On Thanksgiving By Dallas

SR — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:48:59 -0500

On a day were we as people, we are reminded of things we are thankful for, the Oakland Raiders yet again remind us why there is no need to thank them for this season.

This was supposed to be a chance for us to show the nation some, or any progress we have made through the first 11 weeks of the 2009-2010 season, yet once again we were let down by the team we support.

It's not that we expect championship performances (rolls eyes) each week from the Raiders but just show us that...

1) The players are getting better and we are improving, coaching staff etc..and...

2) Although it's bad now we can at least have hope for the future.

However, what we are left with as Raiders fans is a whole lot of unknown.

Our 32 million dollar guaranteed "franchise" QB JaMarcus Russell sits on the bench and gets out played by Bruce Gradkowski. Sad.

Our franchise RB Darren Mcfadden had six rushes for 23 yards on Thanksgiving, nothing great, not even average. Sad.

In the end, we are left with a 3-8 record and a trip to Pittsburgh next week. Who thinks we will win this one? Raise your hand.

Now I don't want you to get the wrong idea over this article, I don't like to focus on negatives, but when you get beat like you did today there is no need to even discuss the positives in a lost, because there aren't any when you lose.

What could you say? Heyward-Bey had a TD catch? Great.

Bruce didn't throw any interceptions? Great.

Truth is, the Raiders aren't a good enough team to go into that 80,000 seat sold-out stadium and beat the Cowboys, shoot the Raiders barley play in front of 30,000 fans at home.

With each loss we are only reminded how bad this season has gone for us, we as fans had much higher expectations, there is no need to single out one person, there is enough blame to go around for many players and coaches on this team.

Games now are pointless, there will be no playoff hunt this season.

All we have to look forward to is the future, but just what is our future? JaMarcus Russell? Darren Mcfadden? Darrius Heyward-Bey? Tom Cable? John Marshall? Nobody knows. Each season we are left with the same results

As for the Dallas game, it was ugly, if you are reading this article them im sure you must seen the game for yourself.

There is no need to go over stats and all of that.

The defense couldn't stop the Cowboys offense, and the offense couldn't score on the Cowboys defense, simple as that.

Having to sit and listen to these broadcasters who don't even watch the Raiders every week to try to discuss Raiders football is a joke, all they do is poke and make fun of the Raiders.

I'd rather have us get beat in dirty old grimey Oakland Coliseum in front of 30,000 fans and a blackout on TV then for us to go on the National stage and show the nation what we as Raiders fans see each week.

Raiders fans have been left in the dark for years, we have ZERO clue what to expect from our squad, all we can do is "hope" not to lose instead of "expect" to win. However, all I ask from you is to just understand that I'm not some Raiders hater who only talks bad on the Raiders. The Raiders are my favorite team in all of professional sports, I haven't missed a home game since 2005, week after week I support these guys, but I'm just tired of being in the unknown.

When you see teams like the Colts, Saints, Vikings etc...They known whats going to happen each week, they known who there coach will be in the future, they known who there QB will be for the next few years, they expect to win each week.

All of these traits is what used to be of the Oakland Raiders, yet now a days we as fans can only lie to ourselves, the Raiders are just a mess, weather we like to accept it or not.

P.S.

Johnnie Lee Higgins...Where have you been this season man? You have DONE NOTHING for us, expect get knocked out by Eric Weddle in the opening game of the season. That was your best highlight so far this season.

Also that flat-top and rat tail looks stupid, you need to cut that off.

In Your Dishonor: 13 Biggest Turkeys Of The NFL Draft Since 2000.

Antwan Fields — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:43:12 -0500

In honor of the resoundingly awful Gerard Warren, who was forced upon the NFL by the equally awful Cleveland Browns, I choose the 13 biggest turkeys of the NFL draft since the year 2000 (FIRST ROUND ONLY). This means no Ryan Leaf, no Tim Couch, no Akili Smith, no easy ones. Except one. Number 13 is:

13: Courtney Brown, Cleveland Browns. 1st overall, 2000 NFL Draft

Players of note taken behind him: Brian Urlacher, Chris Samuels, Thomas Jones.

Synopsis: This pick was regularly derided in the days up to and following the draft. An outcry of rage from Browns fans was muted in his first season, and then the injury bug bit him. Hard. 8 sacks in three seasons meant he was done in Cleveland. But Cleveland's trainers are notorious in their suckitude, as are their coaches and their players and...well, you get the point. The snakebit Browns are known for bad drafting; but the Washington Redskins, the longtime paper champions of the NFL, had the next two picks. They took LaVar Arrington, Brown's teammate, the prototype for many of my created linebackers (well, him and Urlacher) who was on pace to be absolutely excellent until an unfortunate meeting with a motorcycle. And they took Chris Samuels, who is still a top fifteen tackle, injury or no injury. Brown finished with 19.5 sacks, 156 tackles and 6 forced fumbles. Not a first overall performance for a first overall pick.

12:David Terrell, Chicago Bears, 8th pick, 2001 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken behind him: Steve Hutchinson, Nate Clements, Casey Hampton.

Talented. That was the word for Terrell when the Bears were able to snag him at 8th overall. Terrell, however, didn't reckon on being stuck with Jim Miller at QB, and Terrell was unable to turn that into anything worth thinking about. At 6'3, Terrell was supposed to be the big wideout the Bears needed. He turned into something, but not what the Bears needed. In the end, Terrell finished with 128 catches and 9TD's. All because he couldn't make his talent work for him when he most needed it to.

11: Troy Williamson, Minnesota Vikings, 7th Pick, 2005 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken behind him: DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Aaron Rodgers

Mr. Hard Hands was the pick from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Randy Moss. He claimed he had bad vision, which kind of directly indicts the Minnesota Vikings front office for taking him 7th overall, since the Falcons got the awesome Roddy White later in the first round, and San Diego took Vincent Jackson in the second. Currently Mr. Hard Hands is in Jacksonville, which explains why they've gone with MJD and a cloud of dust. Seriously, Chester Bennington could probably be a better NFL WR than Williamson, yet Williamson continues the tradition of blaming everyone but himself for his problems, saying he'd like to fight Brad Childress. Here's a thought: YOU SUCKED! YOU STILL SUCK! 84 catches for barely 1000 yards and four TD's? Marvin Harrison usually had those before week five!

10:Joey Harrington, Detroit Lions, 3rd overall pick, 2002 NFL Draft.

Players of Note taken behind him: Dwight Freeney, Ed Reed, Bryant McKinnie.

Yes, Harrington could be higher. Harrington also SHOULD be higher. But I place him at ten for one reason: it's Detroit. There was never any chance he would succeed. Technically, he was supposed to, but really, it's the franchise that drove Barry Sanders into retirement and went 0-16; was it really surprising that this turned out the way it did?

9:William Green, Cleveland Browns, 16th pick, 2002 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken behind him: Lito Sheppard, Bart Scott, (undrafted) Charles Grant.

William Green had a hard life coming up. I understand that. But you can do one of two things: you can try to beat it back or you can let it consume you. Green took door number two. After an ok rookie season, he then proceeded to send his career down the toilet with the help of a plunger. Numerous off-field incidents and awful performances on the field pretty much turned him into a failed first round pick. Green was not a particularly nice guy; not that many football players are, but his idiocy qualified him for the number nine slot more than anything else. How hard is it to hold on to a starting job with the Cleveland Browns?

8:Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers, first pick overall, 2005 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken behind him: Ronnie Brown, Jammal Brown, Logan Mankins

Smith is here under protest. No, not because he's played well (he hasn't) but because a 49ers fan friend of mine threatened to kill me and commit harakiri if I didn't find a spot for him. Seriously, Smith deserves this spot, make no mistake. Smith opened his rookie season with one touchdown pass against 11 interceptions. 11 interceptions. Nowhere to go but up, right? Uh, no. Nothing is this bad, you can't blame the coordinators for this one. Or the receivers, they got him Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie when Lelie wasn't an empty jersey; and that didn't help. Smith's awfulness is legendary, but when you lose a QB battle with SHAWN HILL you deserve whatever spot you get in this list. And the reason he's not higher has to leave you wondering who's next...you won't be surprised by this one.

7:Mike Williams, Detroit Lions, 10th pick, 2005 NFL Draft.

Players of Note taken behind him: Derrick Johnson, Frank Gore, Justin Tuck

Mike Williams. At USC, he was THE target for Matt Leinart. He was the third leg of the triumvirate of destruction, my unofficial, too long, uncool name for Leinart, Bush and Williams. Then he made a fatal error: following the error of the somewhat insane Maurice Clarett, Williams declared for the draft despite being only two years removed from H.S. (NFL rules state you must be THREE years removed from high school, and the federal judge who told Clarett differently should be ashamed). This wouldn't have been so bad if Williams had not hired an agent. IN ALL SPORTS, once you hire an agent you and the NCAA part ways. Williams did not play football in the interim; instead he was supposedly working out, and was selected by the Detroit Lions. And then he allowed the drudgery of playing, living, and actually knowing that Detroit exists to weigh him down, and he got fat and bad. A sad end, but not one totally unexpected, especially when he left before he was supposed to. Before Pete Carroll could impart how to actually play the game to him.

6:Gerard Warren, Cleveland Browns, 3rd pick overall, 2001 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken after him: LaDanian Tomlinson, Richard Seymour, Chad Johnson-Ochocinco (2nd round)

My god, he's bad. Fat, bad, ridiculously awful. How this goof was the third overall pick is still beyond me. This guy calls himself "Big Money." Would that be the money he stole from the Cleveland Browns? 30 sacks and 260 tackles, and that was worth that much money, huh? And since I can't seem to impart how bad the Cleveland Browns are at drafting, how about the Browns themselves? Since they came back from the dead, Art Modell, and now Steve Bisciotti, have made the Ravens one of the elite teams in the NFL. The Browns seem to fail miserably in the first round, except for Joe Thomas, who I'm sure is questioning his decision to play football. He probably wishes he had done something more productive with his life, like act with Dane Cook or appear in porn movies. If you're the first-round pick of the Browns, retire now. You'll save yourself a world of heartache. Thankfully, we're done with the Browns. Or are we?

5: Mike Williams, Buffalo Bills, 4th pick, 2002 NFL Draft

Players of Note taken after him:Quentin Jammer, Albert Haynesworth, Phillip Buchanon.

The Buffalo Bills have never been able to live down the four consecutive Super Bowl losses. Every opportunity they've gotten to try to rejoin the ranks of the AFC elite has blown up in their faces. (The Drew Bledsoe Era is best forgotten.) So when Mike Williams was drafted by the Bills at 4, they envisioned a franchise tackle, a guy who would protect the blind side of their QB's for years. Williams had protected his QB's for his career at Texas, how much more difficult could it be to do so in the NFL?

Plenty.

See, at 360 pounds, not too many people in college football can get around you to the QB. But in the NFL, in the AFC East in particular, at tackle you're usually matched up with fast D-ends and sometimes powerful ends who drive you back, sometimes right into the guy you're supposed to protect. And when you're 360 pounds, you're not going to catch up with guys like Richard Seymour. Then, you're much more susceptible to injury. And Williams just couldn't get the job done in the end, because his size was an impediment. When was the last time a 350+ pound O-tackle was successful?

4: Erasmus James, Minnesota Vikings, 18th pick, 2005 NFL Draft

Notable Players drafted after him: Roddy White, Nick Collins (2nd round), Marion Barber (4th round)

James' flameout doesn't compare to that of Smith; neither Williams' nor Harrington's. So why is he ranked higher on this list than any of them?

Because James was a defensive end, the first taken in the draft. Not enough of a reason? Then I'll give you another: James was the defensive end the Vikings needed when their defensive front four was beginning to falter. He should have teamed with Kevin Williams and Pat Williams to terrorize and decimate the NFC North's QB's. Instead he got hurt and got in a bar fight. He earned the nickname 'The Eraser' because of his ability to get to the QB. After a 28 tackle, four-sack rookie season, he then got injured. Repeatedly. He finished his career with 37 tackles and five sacks. And so his sad career came to a depressing end; but it did indirectly allow the Vikings to grab Jared Allen three years later, so that's something.

3: Robert Gallery, Oakland Raiders, 2nd Overall Pick, 2004 NFL Draft.

Notable Players taken behind him:Larry Fitzgerald, the late Sean Taylor, Phillip Rivers.

Ugh. A three-letter response is all that is required, but I'll give you more.

Gallery has ideal size. By that, I mean he's in the JonOg (for my money, the best OT in the past twenty years)/Orlando Pace category. The Raiders envisioned him as the cornerstone in a powerful blocking attack that would lead them back into the top of the heap. Something was powerful, and they were at the top of the heap...if the heap was a heap of dung. Gallery, as so many high picks are, was held responsible for the failure of his unit, but think about this: in 2006, at LT, he was part of one of the worst performances by an NFL OL in history: a 9-sack performance by Shawne Merriman and the San Diego Chargers. That year, Gallery gave up an unreal 10.5 sacks in 10 games. In that regard, Gallery is a failure despite his move to LG, which has helped his career and kept him from being referred to as a Hiroshima-level failure. Unlike the next guy.

2: Charles Rogers, Detroit Lions, 2nd overall pick, 2003 NFL Draft.

Rogers had ideal size. He was fast, he was strong, he drew comparisions to Randy Moss. That's a good thing, but, uhhhhhh...as it turned out, he was similar to Moss in more ways than anyone, including the Detroit Lions, would like to admit.

Rogers got off to a roaring start in his rookie season, making 22 catches and scoring three times in his first five games. But when doing a speed drill with Dre Bly, Rogers broke his collarbone, the fourth worst injury a WR can have after a broken hand, arm, or leg. Gone for the season. Rogers tried agan in 2004, but on the third play of the 2004 season Rogers broke his collarbone again. Gone for the season. Then the problems REALLY began when Rogers violated the drug policy for the third time, being suspended for four games. Because of this, the Lions demanded the money he'd been paid in his signing bonus back, eventually getting a judgment of $8 million dollars. Also it came out that Rogers had failed drug tests every year at MSU. More likely to appear on the cover of High Times then on the cover of the Lions Media Guide, Rod Marinelli derricked the wayward WR, and ended what probably should have been a hall of fame career quickly. Summary: Charles Rogers is an idiot.

12 down, one left. And since number 1 isn't Rogers, well, who could it be? (Cue Colin Hay singing "Who Can It Be Now?")

Ready?

1: JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders, 1st overall pick, 2007 NFL Draft.

Notable players drafted after him: Calvin Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis.

There aren't enough curse words in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or Cantonese to express the dismay and contempt I, and other Raiders fans, hold him in.

Russell held out all throughout training camp while the Raiders took it in the shorts throughout the 2007 season. Finally Russell got Al Davis to give him 68 million dollars, 31.5 million of it guaranteed. For this, Russell and his agent should have been jailed for abuse of the elderly. To put it in perspective, Russell's performance resembles that of Akili Smith's. Only worse. His season to date: 96-205, for 1,064 yards, sacked TWENTY-FOUR times for 142 yards of loss, two touchdowns, NINE interceptions, SIX fumbles, FIVE lost. A 47.7 QB rating. I assume I could stick Mike Shinoda out there with the members of koRn and Scott Stapp blocking for him running a triple option on every godforsaken play and they could pull off a 47.7. Benched by the should-never-have-been-hired-Tom Cable, woman beater extrordinaire, for Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski had an awful game today and Russell wasn't even a thought for that fat tub of frog slobber. So...lol raiders?

No, it doesn't get to end that way. The sad part is, Russell still has a chance to be average. And that's all. But getting paid Tom Brady/Peyton Manning money for 1/19th of the performance...I may have a stroke just thinking about it. How come I can't root for a GOOD team?

Thanksgiving Football Becoming a Joke

Danny Vohden — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:39:44 -0500

I love tradition just a much as the next guy, and nothing quite goes with Thanksgiving like football.

But can we please get some better match ups?

The tryptophan and wine are enough to make people sleepy, we don't need to watch the Lions and Raiders on top of it.

I understand it's tradition for the Lions to play at home, but they are, and have been, terrible for quite some time now.

They are not entertaining to watch, and I really don't enjoy watching an NFL game when I know one team has basically no chance of winning.

Enough is enough, lets bump the Lions out of this spot. Would Lions fans even really care? They know their team's awful, and we know there team is awful. Must we both be forced to watch them at least once every year.

Since 2001, the Lions have lost by a total of 157 points on Thanksgiving, which includes the latest 34-12 shellacking to the Packers. They haven't won since 2003, and they've won just twice this decade.

Let's just cut our losses and move on.

And as for the Cowboys, great. Keep them there, they're America's team. But the Raiders, really?

We can't get a better match up?

How great would a Cowboys-Giants match up be, or Cowboys-Eagles?

With the inception of the NFL Networks game in 2006, we have started to see some better match ups, but by that time at night, after watching the Lions all day, who's got the energy to sit there and watch it.

I propose we get rid of the automatic Lions home game, and lets put the best match up on that we can.

How about this: Colts vs. Patriots, Packers vs. Vikings, Giants vs. Cowboys. Other teams that would be more fun to watch: Ravens, Steelers, Saints, Cardinals, and Chargers.

Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special is looking better and better every year.

Who You Will See In the NFL Playoffs! Early Edition

thomas moreland — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:36:54 -0500

You will see Tony Romo attempt to win a playof game this season. What fun! The Cowboys are 8-3 now and should challenge to at least clinch a wild card soon.

The Packers are at 7-4 and will challenge for a playoff spot, but may fall short. Let's check everyone else out, and see where the Packers may slip in.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a clear path to the AFC North division. The pesky Steelers may have to settle for a wild card path through the playoffs.

New Orleans is in, Minnesota is in, and New England is in.

Two NFC spots left and three AFC.

Arizona gets in winning that division, most likely.

Indianapolis is in.

San Diego wins that division.

The Steelers bang out a wild card, and in the NFC the last team that makes it is the...Giants.

The last AFC team to squeak in will be the Houston Texans.

Yes, Packer fans, you barely beat out Philly and Atlanta and you make the playoffs.

Next stop, the Purgatory of Brett Favre never leaving you alone.

Thomas[ NFL Mikee ]Moreland.

Driver, Woodson Two Players to Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Mark Strotman — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:27:41 -0500

No one knows what head coach Mike McCarthy will say at his Thanksgiving Day dinner table, but you can bet that Charles Woodson and Donald Driver will be on his short list. The two veterans feasted on the young Detroit Lions Thursday as the Packers won their third straight game, 34-12 at Ford Field.

It was the same story for the Packers once again, who used Driver and Woodson on both ends of the field to lead their team to victory.

For Woodson, the task of shutting down Calvin Johnson was not going to be an easy one and looked to be a problem after Johnson scored from one yard out on a back shoulder route from quarterback Matthew Stafford. However, Johnson caught just one other pass for nine yards, finishing the game as a non-factor on offense.

Shutting down Johnson did not show in the box score for Woodson, but what did show up were Woodson’s seven tackles, two interceptions, forced fumble, fumble recovery, sack, and touchdown. It was a great performance for the 12-year veteran who now finds his name in serious contention for Defensive Player of the Year.

What made the performance even more impressive was the fact that Woodson was playing without his cornerback counterpart Al Harris, who was lost to a torn ACL the week before against San Francisco. The thought was that the Lions would stay away from Woodson and pick on Tramon Williams on the other side, but Johnson was targeted 12 times on offense and Woodson limited him to just the two catches.

On the season, Woodson has recorded 54 tackles, ranked third on the team, forced a team-high four fumbles and six interceptions, and also has two touchdowns to his name. A trip to Canton might be in the future for the former Heisman Trophy winner, but a DPOY trophy would sure help the resume.

Someone who might not make it to Canton but is a shoo-in for the Packers Hall of Fame is Donald Driver, who made the most of his Thanksgiving with a seven-catch, 142 yard performance that included a touchdown catch as well. Awarded the Golden Gobbler by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, the 11-year veteran continued his outstanding season that has him leading the seventh-ranked passing offense in all major receiving categories.

It was Greg Jennings who received a major payday in the offseason and while some of Driver’s success can be attributed to the double teams and attention other teams pay to Jennings, Driver has made things happen on his own and has created his own success.

Known as one of the toughest players in the league, Driver ranks sixth in the NFC in receiving yards at 34 years old. The five players in front of Driver average 24.6 years in age, and as Driver put it, “I may be old, but I play young”.

The win put the Packers at 7-4 and on top of the NFC Wildcard, but the road does not get any easier from here on out. The last five games for the Packers include matchups against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Arizona with an NFC North rivalry game against Chicago in the Windy City.

General Manager Ted Thompson might live and die with building through the draft and having young players grow during the year to contribute, but this year has been the story of Woodson and Driver, two veterans doing everything they can to ensure the Packers play in January.