Team Canada

Here is the last of the big names to reveal their Olympic Hockey Tournament Roster, and definitely one of the biggest, Team Canada.

Goalies:
Martin Brodeur (Devils), Marc-André Fleury (Penguins), Roberto Luongo (Canucks)

This is probably the best collection of goalies in the tournament. Russia has some darn good ones, but how can you get much better than this collection of 3? 55 total wins this season between the 3. Combined average of 2.30 GA. Averaged save percentage of .916. Total of 5 shutouts between the 3. By number, the Russians have better GAA, and more shutouts, but the Canadian goalies have more total wins than the Russians, and the wins are the things that matter the most. All 3 of these guys are more than stout in the crease, are able to play the puck, and move it a lot like a third defensemen. They are also not reckless with the puck. They don't make stupid decisions, so that is a good thing! I figure the 2 that will see that most time will be Brodeur and Fleury. Luongo has had some injury problems this year, and Fleury is coming off a Stanley Cup Championship and is just overflowing with confidence. You really can't go wrong with any of these 3 goalies.

Defense:
Dan Boyle (Sharks), Drew Doughty (Kings), Duncan Keith (Blackhawks), Scott Niedermayer (Ducks), Chris Pronger (Flyers), Brent Seabrook (Blackhawks), Shea Weber (Predators).

A very solid set of defensemen here. There are a couple of names I'm not totally familiar with, Doughty and Keith, but the rest are all selections that I recognize. Dan Boyle is a good one to have on the power play and 5 on 5. He moves the puck and leads a great break-in. Pronger and Nidermayer both have great experience and are so smart at both ends of the ice. Pronger is also a punishing presence down low and right in front of the net. So far, so good for the selections with Canada!

Forwards:
Patrice Bergeron (Bruins), Sidney Crosby (Penguins), Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks), Dany Heatley (Sharks), Jarome Iginla (Flames), Patrick Marleau (Sharks), Brenden Morrow (Stars), Rick Nash (Blue Jackets), Corey Perry (Ducks), Mike Richards (Flyers), Eric Staal (Hurricanes), Joe Thornton (Sharks), Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks).

One word to describe this set of forwads. LOADED. This is an amazing collection of forwards. What a combination of players with finesse, skill, power, and size. I imagine you will probably see Geztlaf and Perry remain on a line together. And just imagine the possibility of seeing Sidney Crosby playing on a line with Jarome Iginla. Who can keep up with that? I mean, putting any kind of stats next to these names is basically meaningless because you just have no idea what they are going to do when they get to play together!! Just crazy.

Team grade: A+

If there is another team that is at this level, it is team Russia. I would count on seeing those two teams be seeded 1 and 2 when they get into the quarterfinals, with an epic clash of the titans in the gold medal game. Honestly, there is no reason that we shouldn't see, aside from scheduling that would put them against each other earlier, a gold medal match between Russian and Canada. I cannot wait!

Well, the last team that we will wait for is that of team USA, which we will get during the winter classic in Boston on New Years Day!

I hope that you all had amazing 2009's, and that you all have amazing 2010's!

Team Czech Republic

Back, after feeding and changing my daughter! We are here to present the Czech Republic's team for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics!

Goalies:
Ondrej Pavelec (Thrashers), Jakub Stepanek (Vitkovice Ostrava), Tomas Vokoun (Panthers)

I am honestly not certain which one to go with when it comes to being the #1 goalie in this one. It will probably be Vokoun, although he has kind of shrunk into mediocrity since joining the Panthers. He is the one who has had, however, the most success with his career. I would expect a split in time between him and Pavelec, who is playing decently for the Thrashers this year. I'd have to say that this is definitely the weak link for the Czech team, which is a really bad place to have your weakness.

Defense:
Miroslav Blatak (KHL), Jan Hejda (Blue Jackets), Tomas Kaberle (Maple Leafs), Filip Kuba (Senators), Pavel Kubina (Thrashers), Zbynek Michalek (Coyotes), Roman Polak (Blues), Marek Zidlicky (Wild)

A pretty solid defensive unit here, led by Pavel Kubina who is among the NHL leaders in scoring among defensemen. He is a great weapon on the power play with a big shot that seems to have eyes. He passes well, also, and makes smart decisions. He is also an awesome +15. Which means that he will not be giving up goals while he is on the ice. Kaberle is another offensive weapon. He has 32 assists on the year for the Maple Leafs. Look for him to help create some offense both 5 on 5 and with the man advantage. As a whole the unit is +6, which isn't bad, but isn't great. Especially when you look at the fact that some of them are either very +, or they are very -. Hopefully, for them, they will be able to balance that out in time for the tournament.

Forwards:
Petr Cajanek (KHL), Roman Cervenka (Slavia Prague), Patrik Elias (Devils), Martin Erat (Predators), Tomas Fleischmann (Capitals), Martin Havlat (Wild), Jaromir Jagr (KHL), David Krejci (Bruins), Milan Michalek (Senators), Tomas Plekanec (Canadiens), Tomas Rolinek (KHL), Josef Vasicek (KHL)

A lot of familiar names on this list, and a lot of names that are in Russia, but have also had a decent amount of playing time in the NHL. Vasicek, Cajanek have both played decent amounts of time in the NHL. Firstly, I have to say that I am somewhat shocked by a name that is not on the list. The Czechs have left out Milan Hejduk, of the Colorado Avalanche, who has played the last 3 Olympics with the Czechs and is having a darn good season with the Avs this year. I think that will hurt them. However, inclusions of sure scorers like Elias, Havlat, and Jagr, should hopefully keep them scoring. Plus, Martin Erat is having an amazing year in Nashville this year, and should be able to chip in with some decent scoring. Milan Michalek is also scoring a good amount for the Senators and will be a good second or third line scoring threat. All in all, a pretty strong team.

Team grade: B/B+. I didn't bump them up to an A simply because of the place where they have their biggest weakness. Their goaltending is the thing that is the biggest question mark for them, and when you're trying to win a gold medal against the best competition in the world for 2 weeks, you're going to have a hard time. I think that this team will make the Quarterfinals, and probably the Semis, depending on their draw, but I don't think that they will win a medal this year, to be honest.

Coming right up next, TEAM CANADA!

Team Finland

Today is a big day for Olympic team roster announcements and there are a lot of things going on where I am currently located, so I'll be tackling these one at a time. First I will take on the defending Olympic Silver Medalists, Finland.

Goalies.
Niklas Bäckström (Wild), Miikka Kiprusoff (Flames), Antero Niittymäki (Lightning). 44 combined wins this season in the NHL for these 3. Averaging a 2.49 GAA. .919 save % between these 3. 4 shut outs between the three of these goalies.

This is definitely one of the best goaltending teams in the tournament. Kiprusoff is always one of the years most amazingly consistent goalies. He's one of the biggest reasons that Calgary is always in it at the end of the season. Backstrom is starting to come into his own, but probably won't be considered THE guy. Niitymaki had a pretty good run while he was with the Flyers, but hasn't been all that noticeable since, but Kipper and Backstrom make a pretty solid 1, 2 punch if you ask pretty much anybody that plays them. Kipper will be the number 1 guy, almost assuredly.

Defense:
Lasse Kukkonen (KHL), Sami Lepistö (Coyotes), Toni Lydman (Sabres), Janne Niskala (SEL), Joni Pitkänen (Hurricanes), Sami Salo (Canucks), Kimmo Timonen (Flyers)

A pretty solid group here. Admittedly, I am not terribly familiar with each of these players. The ones that I know the most are Sami Salo, big and strong. Very tough defensemen with a great shot. And the other one being Kimmo Tomonen who moves very smoothly and has great passing ability. If there's a knock on this group, it is that they aren't very active offensively. The top 2 are Pitkanen and Timonen, points wise. The downside for those 2 is that, even though they have 17 & 20 points respectively, they are also out for a lot of goals. Timonen is only +1, and Pitkanen is a frightening -13. Salo leads the group in +/- with a +8. On the other side of it, I suppose it's pretty alright to have defensemen that stress defense.

Forwards:
Valtteri Filppula (Red Wings), Niklas Hagman (Maple Leafs), Jarkko Immonen (KHL), Olli Jokinen (Flames), Niko Kapanen (KHL), Mikko Koivu (Wild), Saku Koivu (Ducks), Jere Lehtinen (Stars), Antti Miettinen (Wild), Ville Peltonen (KHL), Jarkko Ruutu (Senators), Tuomo Ruutu (Hurricanes), Teemu Selanne (Ducks).

This group has a lot of well rounded players. Great scoring from people like Selanne, Saku Koivu, Olli Jokinen. Good discipline from Filppula, Mikko Koivu, Lehtinen. And a few agitators, like the Ruutu's. This team is fast, skilled, and will make you take penalties that you shouldn't. There are 14 players that are returning from 2006, hoping to take the gold this time around.

As skilled as many of these players are, they probably won't be taking the gold, however, you never really know. I can definitely see Finland taking Sweden for a good run, and possibly even beating them. The question is, can they stay with team Canada and team Russia? Kipper is a fantastic goalie, and he will need to be amazing in order to do that, and he is capable of being that amazing. But you can't really rely fully on the goalie to win the tournament for you. At some point you need to definitely score. Finland is good, but I think that they lack the game changing potential of offensive defensemen. They will go far, but we may see a rematch of the gold medal game, in the bronze medal round. Hard to tell.

Team grade: B+/A-. There is a lot working for this team, but I don't think enough to quite put them back into the gold medal round.

I will be back in a few hours to touch on the Czech Republic and Team Canada! Let me know your thoughts on Team Finland in the meantime!

Team Slovakia

Today we saw 3 teams post their Olympic Hockey Rosters: Norway, Latvia, and Slovakia. I will address Norway and Latvia in a later post, and I'm going to talk about Slovakia this time around.

Slovakia is a team that I don't think really turns a lot of people's heads at first glance. But if you take a really good look at this team, there could be a lot of possibilities from this squad. If you're looking for your Olympic dark-horse, I don't think that you need to look any farther than Slovakia.

In goal we have:
Peter Budaj (Avalanche), Jaroslov Halak (Canadiens), Rastislav Stana (Russian league). 23 wins combined. Avg. GA is 2.51. Avg. Save % is .916. And their shut out total is 2. As I said, nothing flashy. I would wager that we will see a pretty even split between Halak and Budaj. Budaj has been the back-up for Colorado this year as he was never able to solidfy himself as the definite starter. For all his inconsistency, however, he shows flashes of utter brilliance! His last game against Dallas was enough to show that as he stopped 39 shots, and allowed only 1 goal against the Stars. And he does better, or has done better, when he shares the load and is not the main guy. Enter Halak, who has had a very impressive year in his role with Montreal this year. Thought to be mostly the backup, he has played quite well in his 16 games. Stana is having a pretty mediocre year in the KHL thus far. He is the only of the 3 current goalies to have a save percentage less than .900. I would not plan on seeing too much action from him, unless the other 2 guys are clearly not getting it done.

Defense:
Zdeno Chara (Bruins), Milan Jurcina (Capitals), Richard Lintner (KHL), Andrej Meszaros (Lightning), Andrej Sekera (Sabres), Martin Strbak (KHL), Lubomir Visnovsky (Oilers).

A stout and sturdy group. This group will be very clearly led by the 6'9 Zdeno Chara who is one of the top defensemen in the NHL. Size, impressive speed and movement for a big man, great in his own end, and what a huge shot to set up the power play! This guy could be serious, serious trouble on the play and 5 on 5. A good mix on defense. Meszaros is another player who is a good defenseman that also likes to be involved offensively. A knock on this group is that they are a combined -9, meaning they are on the ice for a lot of goals. So if they don't manage to fix that up at all, then they could be missing out on the medal rounds.

Forwards:
Lubos Bartecko (Suisse Elite League), Martin Cibak (KHL), Pavol Demitra (Canucks), Marian Gaborik (Rangers), Michal Handzus (Kings), Marcel Hossa (KHL), Marian Hossa (Blackhawks), Tomas Kopecky (Blackhawks), Zigmund Palffy (Slovak elite league), Branko Radivojevic (KHL), Miroslav Satan (Free Agent), Jozef Stümpel (KHL), Richard Zednik (KHL).

There are a lot of names here from the KHL or other elite leagues. However, many of those names (Ziggy Palffy, Radivojevic, Stumpel, Zednik, Marcel Hossa) have all played in the NHL and chose to go back to the other side of the pond. This team has a lot of offensive power. Both Hossa's, Gaborik (current NHL goal scoring leader). Pavol Demitra is a great set-up and defensive center. They are very deceptive in their ability. This time around they are missing Peter Bondra, who was one of the great Slovak hockey players of all time, and they have left off Marek Svatos. Svatos is currently having a less than average year with the Avs, and has been injury plagued as of late. So, as talented as he is, I can understand why he got the snub in this particular case. This team got 5th in the 2006 Olympic games, and I think they can very easily get at least that again. They may even surprise a team or 2, depending on who they draw once they reach the quarterfinals and such.

Overall team grade: B+, maybe a B. They are very deceptive, but may also underachieve. A lot will depend on how their goalies and defense play. If they play to their potential, you could even see a bronze for the Slovaks.

Let me know what your thoughts are!

Team Sweden

First of all, allow me to apologize for making an error in my last post. Technically, Belarus was the first country to unveil their Olympic roster for the hockey competition, not Russia. I have not done anything for them because I did not know they had announced. I will do another section, later, on the teams that are still in the tournament that are not expected to do much. Doesn't mean they won't, but I will make mention of them later.

At any rate, today we got a look at Team Sweden, who are the defending gold medalists from the 2006 games in Torino. Quite a good team.

Jonas Gustavsson (Toronto), Stefan Liv (HV71 Swedish Elite League), Henrik Lundqvist (NY Rangers). They have a total of 23 wins this season, between all 3 and Liv apparently hasn't really played for his swedish team this year, most of the wins coming from Lundqvist. GAA of 2.64 between Gustavsson and Lundqvist. Save percentage of .913 and 2 shutouts. The starter will be Lundqvist, I think that is safe to say. Gustavsson was quite sought after as an undrafted free agent this year, but Lundqvist is a proven starter in the NHL, and can definitely handle the pressure of major international competition. He will probably play the majority of the games for Sweden.

On defense, Sweden is very solid. This group will not break easily:
Tobias Enstrom (Thrashers), Magnus Johansson (Swedish Elite League), Niklas Kronwall (Red Wings), Nicklas Lidstrom (Red Wings), Douglas Murray (Sharks), Johnny Oduya (Devils), Mattias Ohlund (Lightning), Henrik Tallinder (Sabres).

This group is led by 6 time Norris Trophy winner (the NHL award for the league's best defenseman) who just always makes the right decisions. He jumps in when he should, and falls back when he should. You will almost never find him out of position, and he is a valuable asset for his team. He kills penalties, is more than solid 5 on 5, and quarterbacks the power plays with smart passing, and accurate shooting. He is getting up there in age, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the NHL and world's best D-men every year. Ohlund is another weapon. As an Avalanche fan, I am familiar with him from his time with the Vancouver Canucks. He is big and tough, and is a force on the power play because he has a HUGE shot. I would plan to see him and Lidstrom on the first PP line. This group, as a whole, doesn't make mistakes often. They are a combined +25, with only 2 players that are currently minus for the season. They just make smart plays and keep the puck out of their net.

Now on to the forwards:
Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa), Nicklas Backstrom (Capitals), Loui Eriksson (Stars), Peter Forsberg (Modo - SEL), Tomas Holmstrom (Red Wings), Patric Hornqvist (Predators), Fredrik Modin (Blue Jackets), Samuel Pahlsson (Blue Jackets), Daniel Sedin (Canucks), Henrik Sedin (Canucks), Mattias Weinhandl (KHL - Dynamo Moscow), Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings)

The name that jumps out the most, to me anyways, is Peter Forsberg. He has a severe history of injury, but is actually playing decently for Modo this year with 8 goals and 7 assists in 9 games. As injured as he has been in the past, he was absolutely crucial to the success of the 2006 gold medal team, and will probably still be crucial to the success of this Olympic team.

Again, there is a lot of talent up front. The Sedin twins will obviously play on a line together, probably with Zetterberg or Forsberg. 3 big, strong players with unbelievable hands. They can power through you, or dance around you. Could be really tough to beat these guys. As talented as they are, however, they are also suffering a lot of injuries at the moment. Forsberg, Alfredsson, Zetterberg, Kronwall, all currently injured. There is a lot of time between now and the Olympics, but it can have an effect on the team.

As good as this team is, there are a few names that aren't around this time that were around in 2006 that may have an even larger effect on the team's success this time around. There is no Mats Sundin. There is no Markus Naslund. Missing those 2 guys could keep them down. I do see the Swedes getting into the medal round, even possibly as far as the Gold Medal round, but I'm not certain they stand a chance against a team like Russia.

Team grade: B+

Again, they should be able to make it to the Quarterfinals round with ease, but I am going to doubt that we'll see a repeat of the Swedish Gold Medal this time around. Let me know what you think! We'll be back on the 29th with brief mentions of Latvia, Norway, and Slovakia. The 30th will be a big day, when Canada, Finland, and the Czech Republic will all announce their teams.

Our First Olympic Roster

Well, in this season of giving, we were presented with a gift that many in the country of Russia are ecstatic to receive. We were given the roster for the 2010 Russian Olympic Hockey team. And wow, what a group of players it is.

In goal there is Evegeni Nabokov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Semyon Varlamov. These goalies have a combined total of 52 wins thus far this season. Their average GAA is 2.19, with an average save percentage of .925. They also have a grand total of 9 shut-outs between the 3 of them. Now, the Olympic tournament is one where you probably won't have time to have 3 goalies play, so who is the starter? Well, we can probably safely rule out Varlamov for a few reasons. Firstly, he's been on IR for the Caps for a most of this month and, talented though he is, he is a rookie in the NHL this year and gives up a lot of experience, especially Olympic experience, to the other 2 goalies. My money would be on Nabokov to be the #1, but not by much. In fact, I think that it is quite possible that you may see a pretty decent split in time between Nabokov and Bryzgalov. While Nabokov has more experience in the olympics, Bryzgalov has had, in my opinion, the more impressive year. 21 wins, and 5 shutouts the Coyotes who have impressed thus far while their management has been a huge question and source of contraversy thus far in the year. At any rate, whomever starts for this team will provide quite a test for any and all opposition.

On Defense:
Sergei Gonchar (Penguins), Fedor Tyutin (Columbus), Dmitry Kalinin (from the Russian KHL league), Denis Grebeshkov (Edmonton), Anton Volchenkov (Ottowa), Andrei Markov (Montreal), Konstantin Korenyev (KHL), Ilya Nikulin (KHL).

Many of these players we know, and many of them we probably are hearing for the first time since we, in North America, don't have a lot of access to the KHL. That being said, people following hockey in the last few years are aware that the European Elite Leagues have begun to compete financially, especially the KHL, with the NHL and have taken some of the biggest names in the sport across the pond. So simply because they are not players in the NHL is no reason to assume they won't provide heavy, HEAVY challenges. The Russian definitely have a solid defense, anchored by Sergei Gonchar, the immensely talented Penguin blueliner who loves to chip in offensively, and is the quarterback for the powerplay.

Things only get better for the Russians as we move up to the forwards. Here is what will no doubt be an incredibly deadly set of forwards for the Russian Offense.

Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals), Ilya Kovalchuk (Thrashers), Evgeni Malkin (Penguins), Maxim Afinigenov (Thrashers), Alex Semin (Capitals), Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings), Alexei Morozov (KHL), Viktor Kozlov (KHL), Alexander Radulov (KHL), Danis Zarapov (KHL), Sergei Zinoviev (KHL), Sergei Fedorov (KHL).

Now, if you ask me, the Russians have done an amazing job with these picks. Not just because each of these players are immensely talented, which you know they are. But the thing that most people probably overlook about these picks is the fact that these 12 forwards come from a total of 8 teams. Might seem like a lot, especially since many of them are spread through the KHL, but look at this. Fedorov played with Semin and Ovechkin in Washington. Kozlov played with Afinigenov and Kovalchuk in Atlanta. If you look at it that way, it's essentailly 12 forwards from 6 teams. Plus, Ovechkin played on Russian National Junior teams with Malkin. These guys have history with each other and already have a built up chemistry that you need to be able to have with these kind of teams that is sometimes lacking from these kind of all-star national teams.

If you ask me, and I know that they didn't but still, this is what I would make my first line.
Datsyuk centering Ovechkin and Semin. Datsyuk is just so natural at the center position, and Ovi and Semin can work their wings amazingly. Follow that up with Malkin between Kovalchuk and Afinigenov. Same story with that. And just imagine the power play on this team! Datsyuk with Ovechkin and Semin, with Gonchar and Fedorov on the points. It's really almost automatic.

Overall team grade: Well, since I'm not totally familiar with all of the players, seeing as I can't watch the KHL, I can't go all thet way, but I definitely can't give them less than an A. So they get an A.

So, there's a look at the first Olympic squad to be announced. It's always hard to pick a favorite in these tournaments now, since the pros have been allowed to play and almost all the teams are so stacked, but what a start to what we know will be some amazing hockey. I will be back with Canada, USA, Czech, Sweden, Finland, and other rosters for the Olympics. So see ya soon!

Picks for wk 16

San Diego @ Tennessee: This could be a pretty good game, but since San Diego already has the division, I think they may be resting a few people. Tennessee is much improved, and have played really well down the stretch. I'm not totally sure how this one will play out. I'm going to assume they won't rest a lot of folks, so I will take San Diego in a close game.

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans: The Saints finally got caught not playing as hard as they should, and they lost. They still need a win to lock up the conference, so hopefully they will come to play for the whole game in this one. I'll go with the Saints, simply because Tampa is just so sad.

Buffalo @ Atlanta: A game of get ready for next year. Falcons have been on the down slide, whereas Buffalo has been playing a lot better in the last few weeks. I think that Buffalo will continue to move in the right direction as they prepare for next year and win this game.

Houston @ Miami: Should be a good game, but I think Miami will probably take this one. Gary Kubiak may have seen his last days as head coach of Houston as they have underachieved a lot. But who knows. Miami.

Seattle @ Green Bay: Green Bay will destroy the hawks in this one.

Carolina @ NY Giants: I keep thinking that the Giants are much better than they have been this year, and I just still can't figure why they aren't anywhere near as good. Carolina has played better of late, beating the Vikes. I still have a hard time picking the Panthers in this one, but I'm really not convinced that the Giants are really capable of coming out and dominating the way that they have in the past. I think I'll take that Panthers in this one.

Oakland @ Cleveland: Cleveland has had a couple epic games against some bad teams. The Lions and then the Chiefs. Two really entertaining and high scoring games. The Raiders have shown some moxy of late, and I think that they'll be able to beat this Browns team. Raiders.

Jacksonville @ New England: I bet that there is some serious weather during this one. Nobody plays in the snow as well as the Pats do. I think that they'll beat up the Jags on this one.

Kansas City @ Cincinnati: Cinci has let some teams surprise them this year, but they really can't do that in this one. They should be able to close out the AFC North in this one, I'll take the Bengals.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh hasn't been the same all year, no matter where they've played. That won't change very much this time around either. Baltimore wins and moves up in the playoff hunt.

St. Louis @ Arizona: Rams stink, Cards win.

Detroit @ San Francisco: The niners have been darn respectable this year, and I expect to see a lot more from them in the coming years. Mike Singletary has done a great job with this team. I'll take San Fran.

Denver @ Philadelphia: Why can the Broncos never manage to win when it matters? It bugs me like nothing else. Another game that they absolutely have to win, after they managed to choke away a game that they absolutely should have won against the Raiders. The Eagles are playing really well this year, and I just don't see the Broncos holding on to this, or their playoff spot, now that they absolutely have to win. The process repeats itself, and the Broncos will blow another fairly sure playoff spot. Eagles.

NY Jets @ Indianapolis: Colts win, even missing a few starters.

Dallas @ Washington: Cowboys need a win to keep pace, but you never know how Washington will play. This may be upset central, and I will finally give the skins some love. This will be a close game, but the Cowboys will blow it in December, again. Skins.

Minnesota @ Chicago: I will predict about 3 more interceptions from The Diapered Wonder, Jay Cutler, and a big win for the Vikes. Even with Favre throwing a couple of his own. Vikes just have a more complete team.

The Trade of the Last Year

Now that the NFL regular season is drawing to a close, I want to take a quick look back at the trade that made the most headlines over this past off-season. The one that has forever dubbed Jay Cutler Captain Crybaby, Crybaby Cutler, Captain Pampers, and various other colorful names that the Bronco faithful came up with.

Now that things have been said and done? How is everybody doing? Well, let's look at the numbers.

Jay Cutler: 284 for 457. 62.1 % complete, 3023 yards 19TDs and 22 INTS. QB rating of 75.2

Kyle Orton: 258 for 410. 62.9% complete, 2904 yards 16 TDs and 8 INTs. QB rating of 88.9

The numbers really aren't that terribly different. Completion percentage about the same. Cutler has thrown the ball 47 more times than Orton, and has also completed 26 more passes. Yards not that far apart, and TDs are even pretty close. The big number difference is in the interceptions. A whole 14 more interceptions for Cutler than for Orton. 15, if you remember that the first interception of the year for Orton was a hail mary pass that was thrown at the end of the first half against New England earlier in the season. This brings to light the big thing that most people, myself included, really missed during this whole trade fiasco. Jay Cutler isn't really all that good.

Or at least not quite for what they traded for him. The Broncos got Kyle Orton, a first and third round draft pick in the 09 draft, and another first round pick (which they later traded away) in the '10 draft. 2 first round draft picks. Now, draft picks at that level are players that you quite literally expect to come in and make an impact on your team pretty immediately. What did the Bears get? Jay Cutler and a 5th round draft pick. Then, Jay Cutler was hailed as the savior of the Bears, the missing piece to their puzzle, the best thing since sliced bread and a Blackhawks team that was actually worth watching! Where are they now? 5-9, better than only the lowly Lions. What happened?

Well, as I mentioned, Jay Cutler just isn't what he was advertised. He's not the franchise quarterback that will make your team an instant contender. Sure, he's got a rocket arm, and can make plays with his feet. But the place where he is lacking, and where Orton is quite adept, is the mental part of the game. Orton has been praised all year long for taking care of the ball. 16 TDs isn't spectacular, but 8 INTs compared to 22 is incredibly significant. Cutler makes bad decisions. His interception numbers have gone up every year since he came into the league. From 14, to 18, and now to 22. The worst part about it is that he makes the bad decisions, a lot of the time, in the worst areas on the field. In the red zone, or deep enough in his own zone that points are almost guaranteed. So why haven't we really noticed it until this year's dismal display?

I have a theory. Mike Shannahan. Now, remember that Cutler was Mike Shannahan's baby. He quite literally babied this kid and gave him anything he wanted. Cutler liked a play, they called it all the time. Think about the system, the West Coast Offense. Shannahan perfected this when he was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers when they were winning all those Super Bowls. That offense uses a lot of short passing to keep the chains moving. Add in that the Broncos have always had a pretty strong running game. Now you have a ton of possibilities. The 18 interceptions that Cutler threw last year was monstrous for a Mike Shannhan offense, but isn't really huge to the casual observer. Plus, Cutler threw for 4500 yards last year. People were far more interested in that than the 18 interceptions. Why else didn't we notice this?

Personel! The Broncos offensive line is definitely one of the best in the league. Cutler had time to look, survey, figure out, possibly make a salad, and allow receivers to get open, or for him to realize there is nothing and try to run. This great offensive line let things develop with the receiving core that might not have developed had he been pressured sooner. In addition to the offensive line, the receivers are also immensely talented. Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, Tony Sheffler. These guys are all immensely talented people in their positions. One weapon right after another. All of these guys were able to make plays that most players really can't, which would bail Cutler out at times. Combine all of these things with a quarterback like Cutler, who does have a lot of talent, and you get a guy who throws for a ton of yards, a bunch of TDs, and a healthy amount of picks as well. Take those away from him and move him to a team that has always really relied on their defense to win games, and what do you get?

You get Jay Cutler. A lot of raw talent; big arm, great athletic ability to move around. Combine that with the babying that he received at the hands of Mike Shannahan where he now believes any throw he makes is the right one, and you get a guy who throws tons of interceptions because he is just too sure of himself. At this point, I don't really know of anybody who believes that Cutler was worth all of the things that they traded to get him. I don't think most Bear fans would say that they wouldn't be happier with Kyle Orton back. And I am almost positive that you won't find a Bronco fan that would want Cutler back.

Once you look at everything with 2 games left in the season, I think it is clear to say that the Broncos got the better side of the deal, and that Jay Cutler is going to have to do a lot more work if he actually wants to be a real franchise quarterback. I'd start with fixing the attitude.

College Bowl Picks.

It's that time of the year again! Where kids get that loved 2 weeks off of school. People make their lists, check it twice, and then shamelessly trample each other for the best prices at Wal-Mart. And we see the college bowl season begin.

Now, I'm noy much of a college football officianado, by my own admission; so, I came up with a couple ways to make my picks for this celebrated time of year. First, there were a few, maybe 3 games that I picked on my own. After that, I allowed my video games to play it out and determine the winners. After I ran out of time to do that, I told my wife the names of the teams playing the games, and she told me which team would win based off of the mascots.

So, you can take this to the bank if you wasnt, but I wouldn't...

New Mexico Bowl
Fresno St. vs Wyoming.
Fresno St.

St. Petersburb Bowl
UCF vs Rutgers
Central Florida

New Orleans Bowl
Southern Miss. vs Mid. Tenn State
Southern Miss

Las Vegas Bowl
Oregon St. vs BYU
The Stormin' Mormans, BYU

Poinsettia Bowl
Utah vs. Cal
Cal

Hawaii Bowl
Nevada vs. Southern Methodist Univ.
Nevada

Little Caesar's Bowl
Ohio vs. Marshall
Marshall

Meinike Bowl
Pitt vs. North Carolina
Pitt. My brother in law goes to school there

Emerald Bowl
Boston College vs. USC
USC

Music City Bowl
Kentucky vs. Clemson
Clemson

Indepenence Bowl
Texas A&M vs. Georgia
Georgia

Eagle Bank Bowl
UCLA vs. Temple
Temple

Champs Sports Bowl
Miami (FL) vs. Wisconsin
Miami

Humanitarian Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Idaho
Idaho

Holiday Bowl
Arizona vs Nebraska
Nebraska

Armed Forces Bowl
Houston vs. Air Force
Houston

Sun Bowl
Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Oklahoma

Texas Bowl
Navy vs. Missouri
Missouri

Insight Bowl
Minnesota vs. Iowa St.
Iowa St.

Chick-fil-a Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Tennessee

Outback Bowl
Northwestern vs. Auburn
Northwestern

Gator Bowl
West Virginia vs. Florida State
Florida St. send their legendary coach Bowden off into the sunset with a win.

Capital One Bowl
Penn. State vs. LSU
LSU

Rose Bowl
Ohio St. Vs. Oregon
Oregon

Sugar Bowl
Florida vs. Cincinnati
Florida

International Bowl
South Florida vs. Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois

Papa John's.com Bowl
South Carolina vs. Connecticut
South Carolina, my sister goes to school there. :-)

Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma St. vs. Ole Miss
Oklahoma St.

Liberty Bowl
Arkansas vs. East Carolina
Arkansas

Alamo Bowl
Michigan St. vs. Texas Tech
Texas Tech

Fiesta Bowl
Boise St. vs. TCU
Boise St.


Orange Bowl
Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech

GMAC Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Troy
Troy

BCS Championship
Texas vs. Alabama
This one I chose and I chose for a reason. I'm choosing Alabama. Texas has had a good season, but they struggled with Nebraska. While Nebraska is much better than they have been in the past, they are not something that sure national championship team should have trouble with. Alabama, in the SEC title game, dominated Florida, the team that everybody had pretty much given the whole thing to. Florida is much higher caliber type opponent than Nebraska. How is Texas going to be able to handle a much stronger Alabama team? I don't think that they will. I also kinda think that Alabama is going to win with relative ease. But that's why they play the game.

Hope you enjoyed my seriously scientific picks for the college football bowl season.

wk 15 picks!

Time for the next installment. I have to say, I hate having to have these in by Thursday night because of the stupid Thursday night game. Doesn't allow me to always get the full picture of things. At any rate, I had a good week last week, here's hoping there is more of the same to come!

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville: That is the game tonight. If I am hearing correctly, then I like the way Caldwell is approaching things. Has home field throughout clinched, so no worries there. But rather than just plain sit everybody and let them get rusty, he is just sitting the people who are hurt and need the rest. Otherwise, let them play and stay sharp. Because of that, I like the Colts, as we will still see Manning in the game.

Dallas @ New Orleans: Saints have said that they are gunning for the perfect record. Dallas could surprise people with this one, because the Saints have had trouble with the teams that they should easily roll over. However, I think that the Saints will be awake for this one, as they have utterly destroyed teams that have solid records. Plus we're in the dome, I can't pick against the Saints until they give me a reason to. Saints.

Cleveland @ Kansas City: Cleveland has some confidence now, and KC is WAY worse than Pittsburgh. Though that does give the possibility for a let down game, I'm still going to go with the Browns on this one, and try and get both of these team's running backs for my fantasy league, since neither defense can stop the run.

Atlanta @ NY Jets: Jets need this in order to get to the playoffs, and Atlanta is falling off pretty badly. It's really hard to pick a winner here, because they are really both in about the same place. I think that, simply since they are at home, I will take the Jets.

Miami @ Tennessee: Miami is on fire, and they need to keep winning to hope to get into the playoffs. I think they will continue their good run with the Titans. Vince Young has been exactly what was needed for this team, but I think the Fins will stay in control of this game from beginning to end. Ricky Williams is playing out of his mind right now!

San Francisco @ Philadelphia: Philly will eat up the niners, and extend their lead in the NFC East.

New England @ Buffalo: I'm loving the trend I got going with the Pats here. Let's hope that it continues. I think Buffalo will be competitive, but I don't think that they are going to beat the Pats here. Will we see more of a Randy Moss melt down? He cries almost as much as Jay Cutler! At any rate, the Pats should win this one, I'll go with them.

Arizona @ Detroit: Detroit stinks, I'll take the Cards.

Chicago @ Baltimore: I'm rotting for Jay Cutler.....(wait for it).....to break the single season interception record!! And look who he's got! The Ravens will be all over his butt, and I see at least 2-3 more picks coming their way, and a big Baltimore win.

Houston @ St. Louis: Houston, easy.

Oakland @ Denver: Denver played very well against Indy, and really could have won that game. I hope that the play calling gets better in this one, not that it should matter too much. I think that Dumervil may get a few more sacks, and the Broncos come closer to getting back into the playoffs as they beat down the Raiders.

Cincinnati @ San Diego: Sad day in Cinci. Just when it was looking like he finally was getting his life turned around, Chris Henry passed away. Thought and prayers to him and his. I think the Bengals will be playing this one for him, and they will take down the Chargers, even though they are playing really well right now.

Green Bay @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh is in shambles. Green Bay is pushing for the playoffs. I can't see what happened to Pitt? Why are they so bad this year? It's just tough. If they want to have any hopes of the playoffs they have to win this, but I don't see it happening. Packers.

Tampa Bay @ Seattle: Couple bad teams, again. I'll go against the worse won and take the Seahawks.

Minnesota @ Carolina: Minnesota will totally out class the Panthers in this one. Vikes!

NY Giants @ Washington: Skins have been playing much better of late, but I'm still not going to give them love. Eli will rip them up, and give the G-men a much needed win.

Let me know what your picks are, and tell me what you think of mine!

Stay tuned for this weekend's college bowl game picks. I've come up with a very scientific method for picking these, and I'll let you know what that is when I post! Thanks!

Halladay to the Phills!

Yes, it is a day old, but it is apparent that there is a tentative deal that would send the Toronto pitcher, Roy Halladay, to Philadelphia for prospects in what looks like it may be a three player deal. Philly appears as if they will be giving up Cliff Lee, possibly to Seattle, in this deal. We all remember the trade deadline talks last year involving Halladay, but saw nothing come to fruition.

This could be a great move for the Phillies, right after losing the World Series to the evil empire of the New York Yankees. You would now add, what many people would consider, a guy who could be viewed as the best pitcher in the majors for the last few years. True, he was 17-10 last year, and his career ERA is 3.43, but remember who he played for. For years he has been the only really positive thing going for the Toronto Blue Jays. He won the 2003 Cy Young award, and almost always seems to be on the list of potential winners. Seems like every outing, he goes at least 6 innings. The guy has good stuff and he could be a serious contributor to a Championship team.

Obviously, the Phills will need to get this whole thing finalized before we all start talking about a Phillies v. Yankees re-match in the World Series. That, and, you know, that whole 162 game season that these guys have to go through. It would, however, be very difficult not to pick the Phillies as the favorites should this whole thing go through.

The Hockey News!

One thing that I have definitely been guilty of, thus far, is focusing on one sport. Granted, it's the one that I seem to take the most interest in at the moment, and it is also the one that is the easiest to follow. But I feel as if I have been doing a disservice to my fellow hockey brethren, so I'd like to put my take on the season, thus far.

Again, as an epic homer, I have to start off with the Colorado Avalanche as being one of the most pleasant surprises in the league this year. After an absolutely dismal year, last year, finishign last in the Western Conference, not that much was expected of the Avs. Even less was expected when it seemed that the Avs were making moves to dump salary when the sent Ryan Smyth over to LA for Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing. A definite positive of the offseason was the acquisition of goalie Craig Anderson who has more than delivered. Draft pick Matt Duchene was also seen as probably the best pick of the draft, as many people viewed Duchene as one of the most complete players in the draft. Still, with all these things, nobody expected anything, including myself. Now we're into December and the Avs sit atop the Northwest division standings and have many people turning their heads. Now, whether the Avs have the consistency to keep this up until the end of the year, I don't know. But I definitely think that John Buccigross really needs to change his pick, as the ESPN NHL "expert", at putting the Avs last in the Western Coneference. I don't know that they'll win the division, but I think that they should still make the playoffs.

After a break out year, last year, which included a Vezina Trophy, Tim Thomas has been down right mediocre. Hard to believe how average he has been after how amazing he was all of last year. 36 wins last year, and only 114 goals against in 54 starts. After 18 starts this year, he's 7-7-4, and already has 45 goals against. Definitely not the start that he was hoping for. Plus, he's been injured as of late. Fortunately, his back up has been absolutely amazing and still has the Bruins 2nd in their division. Thomas has proven that he is an exceptional goalie, and this will hopefully just be a bump in the road for him.

What is going on with the LA Kings? After years of mediocrity, they suddenly have appeared at the top of the conference standings. They are tied with San Jose, point wise, at this juncture of the season, but have more wins and, therefore, a better standing. Apparently Ryan Smyth was just the thing that they needed to get them on a role. He definitely provides that kind of veteran leadership that can ground the younger guys and help them have somebody to emulate.

Also, why is Gary Bettman still commissioner? Why is he railing so hard against moving the Coyotes to a place where they might actually have a strong, passionate, and loyal following? Because they don't have a large TV market? Well, Phoenix is playing better this year, but they would still be better served in Canada where the team itself, not just Bettman, could make some revenue.

I have to say that I am looking forward to the Olympics this year. Should make some for some very interesting hockey!

Wk 14 Biggest Moments

I don't have quite as many for this particular time around, but there are still some pretty darn noteworthy things that happened this week.

We still have 2 undefeated teams. The Colts started out on absolute fire against the Broncos, and that was enough to keep them on top, and the Saints managed to squeak one out against another team that they probably should have wiped the floor with. Either way, wins are wins. The question is which teams are actually going to go for the whole 16-0 part. I have a feeling that both are. I'm pretty sure the Saint's coach has said that he wants it, and I think that's the right thing. The Saints have always been best known for how bad they have been. Now, they have a chance to be immortalized as one of the select few that have gone through a whole regular season without losing a game. I think Peyton Manning may do it simply because of his desire to make certain that he has done things that Brady hasn't. Either way, I support them both completely, and hope that they both do go undefeated if for no other reason than it will make what the Patriots did in '07 mean less; and that is always a good thing in my book.

Speaking of the Pats, we now have another word of Randy Moss and his quitting habits. According to a few of the Carolina Panters, during the game, he stopped on many of his routes. He did only catch one ball, which he fumbled. Bellichick is coming to his aide, but this is one of the instances where Moss's past doesn't do him any favors. Games with the Vikings where he walked off of the field before the game was actually over. Seasons with the Raiders where he literally refused to play all out in hopes that he would get traded. When things go badly against this guy, he quits. I remember talking with a lot of people online about how they think that he deserves to win a ring. My response is always the same. No man who quits on his team deserves to win a championship. Is he talented enough to win a title? Sure. But I hope that he never does, because he is not a team player. He is always most concerned with himself.

Brandon Marshall had an amazing game against the Colts. One that, frankly, should have brought a victory with his team. Unfortunately for Marshall, his NFL record of 21 catches in one game (for 200 yards and 2 TDs) was the only really relevant thing that happened for the Bronco offense against the Colts. That defense played more than well enough for them to win the game, and set them up quite well multiple times, but the Broncos were ultimately done in by bad play calling and poor execution. I agree with the concept that, as a team, you should be able to run for 3rd and 1 and get it. I agree with that. But when it isn't working, as terribly as it wasn't working for the Broncos, at some point you should realize what isn't working and adjust. It kind of surprises me that the adjustment was never made, as McDaniels was so praised for the adjustments during the first 6 wins of the season. At any rate, a spectacular game by Marshall was made to waste. I do have to say that, even after his little hissy fit this summer, Marshall has been all business and all class ever since. At this point, pay the man. He's done what people needed him to do to prove he was about this team, it's time to reward him.

I have to say that I'm incredibly excited for the last 3 weeks of the regular season. There is just so much that can happen, with so many teams still in the picture! Will the Broncos hold on and get in after a 3 year absence? Will we have 2 unbeaten teams in the playoffs for the first time ever? Who's going to win the NFC East? Once again, the NFL has a regular season that has really delivered to the fan. I hope everybody enjoys the last couple weeks of the season as much as I will.

Wk 14 picks

The end of the regular season is coming up, and the playoff race is heating up for some. Others have already won their division, and others are playing for draft picks. Here we go for week 14.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland: Pittsburgh is just not what they used to be, but they are still better than the lowly Browns.

New Orleans @ Atlanta: Already division champs, I think that the Saints may possibly fall victim to a let down here. If they're smart, they'll play it out until they have clinched the conference. They're good enough to pull it out whenever they need to, can't bet against them. I'll take the Saints.

Denver @ Indianapolis: Indy has the same possibility as the Saints. Already won their division, and pretty much the only people who have a shot at winning the conference. It is possible that they could rest some folks, but you never really know. Still, Denver seems to be back on course, and Manning has had trouble with 3-4 defenses in the past. This could be a really good game, but, once again, as much of a homer as I am, I just can't bet against the Colts.

Seattle @ Houston: Houston needs this one if they want to have any shot at all at a Wild Card. I'll take Houston in this one.

Carolina @ New England: Carolina has played better, but not well enough to beat the Pats. Though I do love to see Tom Brady sulking on the sideline and walking off the field with his tail between his legs and not bothering to say good game to anybody. What a little whiner. I really do wish people would make a bigger deal about what a sore loser he is.

Buffalo @ Kansas City: Kansas City had been playing better until that utter beat down that the Broncos gave them. They need a short memory, and a better defense. Too bad they don't really have that great of a defense. I'm going to take Buffalo in this one.

Detroit @ Baltimore: Baltimore, Detroit stinks.

Cincinnati @ Minnesota: Now this is a good game. Minnesota is hurting defensively, though, which could cause some serious problems. Even though it is in Minnesota, we've seen that Cinci doesn't have a problem going into hostile environments (Pittsburgh and Baltimore anybody?) and winning. They absolutely have to pressure Palmer, or they have no chance. I'm going to take Cinci.

NY Jets @ Tampa Bay: Jets don't want to be giving anything up to the Bucs. Though Sanchez has been very inconsistent. I don't foresee them dropping this one though. I'll take the Jets.

Miami @ Jacksonville: So tough, Jacksonville just never does what I think they will. At home again, though the Fins are coming off a big win. I think if they could stop the Pats, they can stop the Jags. I'll take Miami on the road. Which now, of course, means that Jacksonville will actually win because I've picked against them. :-)

Green Bay @ Chicago: Green Bay. Chicago is just a demoralized team with a very not good Quarterback. Jay Cutler is showing his true colors in Chicago. Packers.

St. Louis @ Tennessee: Tennessee in a run away.

Washington @ Oakland: 2 teams playing much better than their records indicate. This could actually be a pretty darn good game. Oakland has been the team with more follow through, so I'll take the Raiders at home in this one.

San Diego @ Dallas: Another really good game here. Chargers are just playing really well, and Dallas desperately needs a win to try and stay ahead of the Eagles. The better defense will prevail in this one, and it is hard to tell which one will. I'll hitch my wagon to the Cowboys for this one. One of the rare times I'll hope for a Cowboy victory, so that my Broncos still have a shot at the AFC West.

Philadelphia @ NY Giants: Philly beat them down last time, and I think we may see a similar result here. Maybe not quite as extreme, as I hope the G-men have made some corrections. But the Giants just aren't fearsome anymore. Eagles.

Arizona @ San Francisco: Arizona made the Vikings look confused. Seriously confused. Don't look past the Cards, anybody! They are still playing very well, and should be able to beat the 49ers without much ado.

Tell me what your picks are and we'll see how we do!

Wk. 13 Big Moments!

Once again, it's tough to pick out the biggest and best moments of a Sunday filled with pretty amazing football action, but so many people try and do it, so here we go!

Like the homer I am, allow me to begin with the Denver Broncos! Coming into today's game, the Broncos were a dismal 1-15 against the Chiefs in Kansas City, in the month of December. Well, not only has that record improved, this Bronco team scored more point in Arrowhead Stadium than any other Bronco team that has ever played in KC. 44, to be exact. After a 4 game losing streak, where they looked so very bad, the Broncos have played 2 very impressive games that have resulted in pretty lopsided victories. Have the righted their ship? The Giants, as much as they have struggled this year, are still a pretty good team, and KC had been playing with a lot of spirit, even though that really didn't show up today. I suppose we will see what they are made of when they play the unbeaten Colts next week.

Pittsburgh is continuing to fall. I have no idea what happened to these Steelers this year, but they have now lost 4 games in a row, and are in immense danger of missing the playoffs. Now, I'm not exactly a historian of the NFL, but I do know that it has been incredibly rare for the defending Super Bowl champs to miss the playoffs entirely the following season. Has it happened? Sure, just not very often. Did they really lose that many key players during this past off-season? Or did they just drink to much Kool-Aid and figured they'd get back into the playoffs no sweat? I don't think they, or anybody, really expected the Bengals to be as good as they've been. As it stands, there doesn't seem to be much hope of a run at a repeat for the Steelers.

Again, I'm not a league historian, but I'm pretty sure that there haven't been many, if any, seasons where 2 teams have gotten to the record of 12-0, but that's what we have! This is pretty remarkable, because there is an actual possibility that we could end up with 2 teams playing each other in the Super Bowl, with the same record of 18-0. How would the '72 Dolphins like that one? The Colts have been incredibly impressive and will, I believe, beat the Patriot's consecutive win streak of regular season games this year. Manning has just managed to win, no matter what. That game against the Dolphins where the Colts had the ball for about 15 minutes, yet still managed to win late. That amazing come back against the Patriots in Indy. How can you bet against them? The same can be said for the Saints. In my eyes, Drew Brees almost has to be the MVP. They've been down, late, in a bunch of games this year and he rallies them every single time. Plus, he's put together amazing performances against 2 teams that most people had as preseason Super Bowl picks when he demolished both the Giants and the Patriots. The Saints, I think, have more to worry about because they will get caught, one of these days, in that little mode of playing only the second half against teams they should have beaten by the end of the first half. But who knows? Great performances by each of these teams, though. Truly amazing.

Michael Vick returned to Atlanta today, and got 2 TDs, one running and one passing. Anybody care? Nope, because Atlanta barely even showed up. I'm sure he still wants to be something other than a wildcat quarterback, but a guy who got convicted for running a dog fighting ring shouldn't exactly be choosy, in my humble opinion.

Finally, Chad "Ochocinco" just can't stop, can he? Now, I am pretty certain that I am in the minority here, but I just can't stand it how this guy has all these pre-planned touchdown celebrations. Today he brought out a sombrero in Bengals colors, and a pancho. And the best part about it was that he knows that he's going to get fined for it, but does it anyways. The thing that bugs me the most is how too many people let this go. They say that it's all fun and games, and that he should be allowed to have fun. Okay, fine, but what about this professionalism that so many people are dying for when we have other people like Pacman Jones or Michael Vick that get caught doing other stupid things. Yes, dogfighting and gangbanging are not endzone celebrations, but why is it okay for people to say that they need to behave more like grown men and be proud of the position they're in for one, and with the other you're creating "the No Fun League"? I find it a slight double standard. Secondly, this is the only thing that Chad "Ochocinco" has done, to this point, in his career. If you added up the amount of times he's been fined by the NFL for some stupid, egocentric, prop infested gag versus how many playoff games he's won, which do you think is more? Exactly right. Now, if he's ok with being remembered as a receiver who does stupid dances and gets fined all the time, then fine, that's his choice. But I think most players want to be remembered as professionals who played the game well, and who won. Right now, he sure as hell isn't going to be remembered as the second.

Those are my big moments from week 13 in the NFL! I have to do some research for my College Bowl picks!

Week 13 picks

While I'm home from teaching today, I've decided to make some positive use of my time and make my picks for this weekend! I haven't kept up with my grand total as of late, but I know my last couple of weeks have been pretty good! So I'm hoping to keep my positive streak going!

NY Jets @ Buffalo: These 2 teams have been enigmas to themselves all year long. Buffalo, however, seems to be finding a bit of a stride. Not a huge one, but I think that they are able to take care of the Jets here, even though the Jets really should win. I'll take the Bills.

St. Louis @ Chicago: Cutler finally has a team that probably won't pressure him all that much. So he may only throw 1 INT. But I made sure to add Johnny Knox to my fantasy team this week specifically because they are playing the Rams who have no secondary what-so-ever! Da BEARS!

Tampa Bay @ Carolina: Carolina is the team that is less bad, so they will beat the oh so very sorry Bucs.

Houston @ Jacksonville: Jacksonville is really 2 different teams, and they can't decide which they are. They played a hard fought game against the Bills a couple weeks back, bent but didn't break, and then get completely undone by the 49ers. It's always hard to tell which will show up. They tend to play better at home, but Houston is showing a lot of people a big time competitive nature this year. All the same, I think Jacksonville will take it at home.

Denver @ Kansas City: Well, the Broncos sure played like they wanted to go to the playoffs against the G-men, and they're going to have to play that way against the Chiefs. I don't really get why, even when the Chiefs are really bad, the Broncos always have trouble doing anything in KC. Makes no sense. As long as they keep the same mentality and put in the same effort they did against the Giants, then they will probably have a win in this game, but I know the Broncos, and they always tend to play down to their opponents. I'll go ahead and pick them this week, because they should handle the Chiefs, but I won't be surprised if they blow it.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis: Vince Young is doing a lot, but can he match Peyton Manning? I don't think so. Great run for the Titans, but I'll take the Colts in this one.

Philadelphia @ Atlanta: Atlanta has sunk into mediocrity for the season, and Philly is fighting to get into the playoffs, and possibly win the division. I'll take Philly, even if Jackson can't play.

New Orleans @ Washington: Until somebody comes in and proves that they can beat the Saints, I'll just keep picking them. Saints in a ROUTE. Hope Brees gives my fantasy team another display like he did against the Pats.

Oakland @ Pittsburgh: Well, the Steelers should be able to win this one easy, especially at home. They did blow it to the Chiefs, though. At any rate, the Raiders are pathetic. Steelers.

Detroit @ Cincinnati: Cinci really blew it when they let Oakland beat them. They cannot let that happen again. Cincinnati should take this one easily.

New England @ Miami: Is there a better sight in the world than watching Tom Brady walk off the field with his head hung low, and then not bother to stick around for the post game interviews so he can sulk in his locker? **sigh** Not so much. At any rate, this should be a pretty good game between these two, but I think that the Pats will be too much.

San Diego @ Cleveland: San Diego, easily.

Dallas @ NY Giants: Giants are wavering and about to crash. This may be the one that completely ends their season. I think they fight hard, but I think Dallas is going to beat them in this one.

San Francisco @ Seattle: If San Francisco wants to be a team to beat in the coming years, that means that need to learn how to win the games that they really should win. Here's the start, niners will take out Seattle.

Minnesota @ Arizona: Minnesota is just rolling, and Arizona may not have their gun slinger as QB. Even if Warner is in the line-up here, that Viking defense is still going to be too much. I'll take the Vikes.

Baltimore @ Green Bay: This could be a really good game. Both these teams really need the win to keep their wild card hopes alive. I think that consistency is going to be the key here for both teams, but I think that Baltimore is more complete, as a team, and may take this one. This is one of those ones where it's hard to pick because I wouldn't be surprised either way, but I guess I'm going to take Baltimore on this one.

When the Saints go Marching In!

I am right along with everybody else in the country in being just really impressed by the Saints. Now, where I am different than a lot of the big-time sports writers is that this win didn't come as a huge surprise to me. At any rate, this win, 11 in a row, definitely solidifies New Orleans as the #1 team in the league. Not that I'm saying that they had to prove themselves to me by beating the Patriots like all the other Patriot loving writers that follow the NFL, but because their win over that Pats was far more convincing, and far more impressive than the Colts. The Patriots are obviously, to anybody that isn't blinded by their golden Bellichick idol that they keep on their mantle, just pretty good this year. They aren't the dominant, unbeatable Pats they used to be. Why that is, I'm not entirely sure, but it is there.

At any rate, before I get caught up in my futile effort to show the Patriots for what they are, let me remember what I'm writing about, the Saints. Now that the Saints have reached 11-0, the question we all begin to have is, can they go undefeated? Well, as Woody Paige would say, let's look at the schedule. The remaining games they have are @Washington, @Atlanta, vs. Dallas, vs. Tampa Bay, and @Carolina. I am definitely of the belief that, at this moment, there isn't a team in the league that can beat the Saints, they are playing that well. And, of all of these games, about the only one you think might give them any type of issue would be against Dallas. Atlanta stated out looking better than they ended up being. I mean, with a win this weekend, New Orleans clinches their Division title. Plus, we also have to consider whether or not they want to rest their starters. Now, if this is me, I want home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and the next closest team is Minnesota, at 10-1. As long as the Vikes continue to win and play their starters, so should the Saints. Minnesota could possibly drop another one to the very strong Bengals, but they may end up at 14-2, which would make the Saints want to play out the season with their starters more, to ensure either a 15-1 or 16-0 record.

Just all over, the Saints are the team to beat. The most impressive thing about this team is not their vaunted offense, we all know how explosive they are, but rather their incredibly stingy defense! They create turn-overs in numerous fashion, and they make teams pay for it. Why it has taken this long for people to give the Saints the respect that they deserve is completely beyond me. It is time to recognize them for the dominant team that they are. Is this the year for Drew Brees to finally break through and make it to the Super Bowl, and possibly win one? Well, with the way that they are playing right now, it's hard to bet against them.

Rating League Commissioners

The commissioner of a league obviously holds a very important role in the success, or failure, of the league that they run. Over the years we have seen many decisions made that have affected the various leagues in many ways. Rules to help with player safety, changes in how money is handled, expanding leagues, rules to make the games more exciting, etc... Some commissioners have done their job better than others. I would like to take some time to explore some of the successes and failures of the many commissioners and determine the best of them! So here we go!

NFL - I'm going to deal with two guys in talking about the NFL since the current Commish hasn't really been in control all that long. Highly respected by both owners and players, Paul Tagliabue is one of the best commissioners in the modern eras of professional sports. He retired Sept. 1, 2006. Probably his greatest success was the last collective bargaining agreement that he managed to get completed. I believe it was in that same year, but it guaranteed that there would be no labor disputes through 2011. That's a huge deal, because you never know how those things are going to play out. Not to mention, there were no labor disputes, period, during his time as commish. Tagliabue also instilled one of the strcitest drug testing policies in professional sports, one that is still looked at as the best model on the subject.

There are a few things that haven't been so great in his time, or at least thought to be rather controversial by some folks. There used to be 2 teams in LA , for instance. One moved back to Oakland, and the other went out to St. Louis. Now, that isn't exactly his fault, but there were many people that weren't happy about it. Cleveland moving out to Baltimore was thought to be disgraceful, and though we do now have a team back in Cleveland, they haven't really been competitive yet. Same with the Houston teams. Though the Texans have begun to show a bit of competitiveness. Under his tenure, most people also began to refer to the NFL as the "No Fun League" because of his cracking down on showboating. Now, I happen to agree with him on the issue of excessive celebrating. I'm not watching a football to see a guy dance when he scores. I'm watching for the hard nosed competition. So, by and large, I would consider Tagliabue an overwhelming success.

Roger Goodell hasn't had to make a huge decision in the league just yet, but he has managed to show that he's not going to take any crap from the players. Hard line stances against punks like Pacman Jones and Michael Vick are very good things in my eyes. It will be very interesting to see what happens in 2011, when he has his first run at a CBA.

NBA - David Stern is another commissioner that has hide a very successful run. 1998 was his biggest downfall when there was a lockout in the NBA. However, something that he managed to do very well, that many other leagues haven't had a ton of great success with, was expansion. He added 7 teams, many of which have become quite competitive! One of my favorite things that he instituted was the player dress code. I LOVE this, and think it is something that more leagues should consider. Make the players put their best face forward. They are representing the league, and the league wants to look good! I know a lot of the players think that it's silly, but I would much rather see the players in suits than in baggy pants and ridiculous amounts of bling. Another pretty popular commish, I can't count him as successful as the NFL because there was a work stoppage on his watch.

The last 2 I think are both disgraceful, but 1 slightly moreso than the other.

MLB - Bud Selig. A lot of people believe a lot of things about Bud Selig. He has done some good things for baseball. I have loved the instalation of inter-league play. He has introduced stronger punsihments for players who are caught using banned substances. While many people still argue over its worth, I have always liked the introduction of the wild-card into the playoffs.

His downfalls are many, however. Trying to change the postseason so that it will last longer and go into November. It's just plain unnecessary. And pretty much all of baseball looks forward to October, not November. Come on, what reason is there? The player strike in the early 90s is always something that will be a black eye on the league. Making the All Star Game decide who has home field advantage in the World Series is something that I find to be completely and totally stupid! It had always been an exhibition game, I don't see why the game needs to matter. It's supposed to be the best of the AL and NL coming together and having a little bit of fun. Why does it need to determine anything? Because Peter Gammons thinks that certain players shouldn't be on the field during the All Star Game? I remember watching him pout on the air because a player that he didn't like was in the game in the 4th inning. IT'S AN EXHIBITION!!

The last thing that has been the biggest black eye on Major League Baseball has been the rampant use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball. It is something that baseball should have taken a strong stand against a long time ago, but because people just turned a blind eye as Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa had amazing home run races year after year. There is now at least a policy about punishment once you're caught, but there are still an amazing amount of Performance Enhancing Drugs that are not tested for. It is because of this that baseball's very intergity has been shattered, and people's faith in the league no longer exhists. Baseball is no longer America's pasttime, football is.

As disgraceful as the actions of Bud Selig have been, he has still had far more successes than the final commish I will discuss.

NHL - Gary Bettman. I am listing Gary Bettman as the worst of the commissioners for many reasons. In recent years, after the lockout, there have been a lot of successes and smart decisions made. Unfortunately, it seems as though there are many other decisions that he made before the lockout that have doomed the NHL to second rate coverage. They NHL has gone from one of the most respected leagues, to the one that the least people know about. Decisions such as not negotiating a reasonable contract with ESPN and jumping over to OLN/Versus (something that only 65 % of houses that have ESPN have) has lessened the exposure of the NHL to the country.

One of the other things that has hurt the NHL is the ridiculous amount of expansion that has happened over the years. We went from a league with 28 teams to 32 teams, in a league that was already hurting financially. Not only did they expand the league, they expanded it to markets that, with the exception of the Wild, don't support hockey. Let's look at this; Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Florida Panthers, Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville, and Minnesota. These are places that care fare more about sports like football, and the activity, yes activity not sport, of NASCAR. Hockey has fallen far behind NASCAR, which is an absolute disgrace. Anaheim has had a few years of success, even winning a Stanley Cup, but when they aren't winning, there is no attendance at their games.

Many teams have also been relocated, for a variety of reasons. Winnipeg went to Phoenix, Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, Hartford Whalers went to North Carolina, and the Nordiques have moved to Denver. Strangely enough, each of these teams, except for the Coyotes, have won a Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, some of the more unsuccessful teams are being forced to stay where they are instead of given the possibility to move to a stronger market. Case and point, Phoenix Coyotes. This is a team that is on the verge of financial meltdown, and we have a Canadian owner ready to move them to a town that is hungry for a team, that would support them no matter how good or bad they were, and Bettman is FIGHTING to keep them there. Why?

Lastly, he has no respect for the history of the game. For years he has been giving the Canadian TV stations the snuff for playoff coverage. He changed the conferences and division names from their historically meaningful names to Western vs. Eastern yadda yadda. Many long time hockey fans were made very unhappy with these motions.

Plus, Gary Bettman has had 2 labor issues in his tenure. 1 shortened season, from 82 games to 48 games, and one entirely cancelled season. He's the most embattled commissioner in sports today, and he's the one that has had the most issues. He has alienated the fans, made it harder for all of them to see the games, turned his back on the traditions of the game, and had major labor disputes. For all of these reasons, I rate him as the worst commissioner in sports.

Wk 12 picks! Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey all, and happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Things have already started this morning, and I'm a bit late, but things aren't out of hand in any way, so I feel like I can still pick for everything, so here we go!

Green Bay @ Detroit: Green Bay, that one's happening right now, and it's 7-7, so I'm picking Green Bay.

Oakland @ Dallas: Oakland had a big win against Cinci, but I don't see them doing anything decent 2 weeks in a row. They made the right decision, however, going away from Russel. That guy has been a huge bust, and they definitely should not stay with him.

NY Giants @ Denver: Man oh man, this could be seriously ugly for the Broncos. There was a time in the year when the Giants were looking weak and the Broncos were looking unstoppable. I'm not going to say that the G-men are looking unbeatable, but they are definitely looking quite pathetic. G-men, big time.

Miami @ Buffalo: Well, Buffalo looked pretty decent against Jacksonville, but weren't able to pull it out. I think that if they continue to involve TO, things will work out pretty well for him. Their defense, however, is where the issues lie. I just think that the Miami attack will be too much for them, yet again.

Seattle @ St. Louis: A couple of not very good teams, again. A battle for divisional mediocrity. I'll give it to the better Quarterback, so Seattle.

Washington @ Philadelphia: Washington has played very well in the last couple of weeks. Only allowing one TD to Dallas, in Dallas. Not half bad. But, they still only scored 6 points. They won't do much better against Philly. I'll take the Eagles.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: No brainer, go with the Falcons.

Indianapolis @ Houston: Again, same comment I had earlier. Somehow, the Colts just always seem to be able to beat Houston, even when Houston really should have won many of their recent games. Can't bet against the Colts.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati: Cincinnati needs to bounce back after blowing it against the Raiders. Lucky them, they get the Browns. Should be a serious beat down. Bengals.

Carolina @ NY Jets: Jets are so inconsistent. This is a game that they really should win, but Sanchez is definitely showing exactly how much of a rookie he really is. I'm going to take Carolina in this one.

Kansas City @ San Diego: Big win last week for KC, they have to have a lot of confidence. This could be a pretty good game, but I'm going to have to give it to the hotter team, and San Diego is definitely the hot team. They extend their divisional lead in this game.

Jacksonville @ San Francisco: Jacksonville is on a roll, and I think they will continue to roll into the playoff picture this week against San Fran.

Arizona @ Tennessee: Young is going to have to keep his defense in this game, and I don't know if he'll be able to do that. I'll take Arizona.

Chicago @ Minnesota: Cutler will throw a few more INTs this game, I think. Minnesota takes another one.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore: Tough game here. I think Baltimore has been more consistent, all in all, so I will go with them. Pittsburgh may have a tough time getting into the playoffs this year.

New England @ New Orleans: The Saints will have to play a complete game in order to win this one. I definitely think this is going to be a hell of a game. New England hasn't been consistent all year long, but they are still formidable. The Saints are far better on defense then anybody gives them credit for. I think that they will continue to impress and may be able to confuse Brady. I will take the Saints in this one in what could be a shoot out.

Happy Thanksgiving all!!

Wk 11 Biggest Moments

This was a big week for the NFL, and these kinds of weekends definitely make it tough for people to choose some of the biggest moments of the week, but I'll give it a try.

All is not well in the state of the Denver Broncos. Rewind 5 weeks, before that dreaded bye week, and you've got a team that basically nobody wants to play. A team that shuts teams down in the second half of games, barely even surrendering a first down. A commanding 3 1/2 game lead in their division after knocking off their primary rival in their own building. Now bring us back up to regular time, and what do we have? We have a team that looks beaten, that seems to have quit, and a whole lot of questions to answer. How does one focus on anything positive after this team has scored a grand total of 3 touchdowns on offense in the last 4 games? I really don't know the answer to that question, maybe it's just the whole we've seen you guys score like crazy, we know that you can do it. At any rate, the Broncos seem to have lost all hopes of getting themselves a playoff spot with a very tough finishing schedule. At this point, games against the sorry Chiefs and Raiders, which should be no brainers, aren't a guarantee. McD better think of something quick!

TO! Just wow, what a huge day! 197 yards is not usually a receiving stat that you see from any receiver. Yet TO has had these kinds of days in each of the last couple of years. It seems that Buffalo is finally figuring out how to use him! Need 98 yards? Well, you've got a guy who can give that to you. I don't know why they hadn't been trying to use him more. This guy is a beast! The bigger moment of that game happened when Mike Simms-Walker caught the game winning TD, 91 yards of his own in this game. He proceeded to salute TO, not in a mocking way at all, with his celebration, and asked him for his jersey after the game. Definitely good to see that kind of respect. This guy knows that TO is the type of receiver that changes the way people play the game, and he is showing him the proper respect for his ability. TO's personality has always left something to desire, but nobody can argue with his on-field ability.

Couple of big upsets! KC took down the Steelers. Pittsburgh really needs to have a look at their special teams, because there is something seriously wrong there. I think most coaches would agree that there is never a reason that any kickoff should be run back for a touchdown. Punts you can see more, but kickoffs? You're literally running downfield with a wall of people from your team against a team that is backpedaling. It really just shouldn't ever happen; yet it has happened to Pittsburgh two weeks in a row. The worst of the upsets comes from the Bengals. They didn't only lose to the Raiders, they let the Raiders come back and beat them. I suppose they must have figured the game was over after taking a 14-0 lead. The fact that they lost isn't such a bad thing, in and of itself, losses happen, we know that. The bad part about it was that Cincinnati knew that both their chief rivals had also lost before their game even started. 7-3 is not a bad record, but they could have been 8-2, with Baltimore at 5-5, and Pittsburgh at 6-4, having swept the season matches with both of these teams! That would have put both teams in dire straights. Now, Cinci is just one 2 game losing streak away from possibly letting the division slip from their hands, they need to come to play every single game now.

Vince Young has been quite a catalyst for the Titans. I was talking about him with one of my students this week, and we both agreed that he's not a very good quarterback. He showed that when he was replaced by Kerry Collins last year after his poor display of off the field attitude. Your QB has to be your rock, no matter what situation he finds himself in, and Young is far from that. At any rate, he still gives you a chance to win games simply because the guy is impossible to tackle. You might say, run the wildcat with him, but why bother? Just have him drop back to pass and take off. He does have a big, albeit not very accurate, arm, so the defense has to respect a pass. Plus, they have to dedicate at least one guy to spy him in case he decides to take off! So that's one less guy that can cover. Plus, Young versus most individuals in a 1-on-1 situation, Young will win that. Titans are far from a contender anymore, but they are at least winning a few games again.

Who'd have thought the best game of the day would have come from the Lions and the Browns. I mean, epic quarterback duel between....wait, is this right? Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford? I'm older than both these guys, and I'm only 27! In all seriousness, though, this was an amazing game. You'd expect the Lions to just roll over after allowing 24 points in the first quarter, while scoring only 3 of their own, but they fought back. What an ending sequence, also. The unfortunate part about this is what happened after the game. Instead of railing against his own team for blowing a 21 point lead, Browns coach, Eric Mangini, came out and accused the Lions of faking injuries so they could slow the game down. Then said that the pass interference call, in the endzone, shouldn't have been called because Stafford was "out of the pocket." Ok, firstly, you guys had a 21 point lead. If you can't keep your team motivated to play after you have amassed that kind of lead, no matter how fast you did it, then you're not a very good coach. Don't accuse the other coach of cheating, accuse your players of lolligagging. Then, the only penalty that I know of that is negated by leaving the pocket, is intentional grounding. So because the QB moves out of the pocket, all members of the secondary should immediately try and tackle their receivers no matter where they are on the field? Seriously Mangini? I urge everybody to go look at the replay. Yes, it was a hail mary, and some incidental contact is expected during this; but the Browns player literally shoved his man out of the endzone as the ball was coming down. I'm sorry, that is pass interference. Physically preventing a receiver from getting into a position where he could make a play, that is the textbook definition of pass interference, and it doesn't matter where the QB is. So please, Mangini, hold your players accountable, not the other team's.

Wk 11 picks

Another kinda average week. I'm going to just wait it out and things will get better!! So here we go for wk. 11!

Miami @ Carolina: Thursday night game! So not a fan, honestly, stop with the Thursday games other than Thanksgiving! Wrong post, sorry. Anywho, Carolina has show more spine in the last few games, and no Ronnie Brown in for Miami! That could make things really tough for the Wildcat offense. I think this will probably be a week for Carolina to win, take the Panthers.

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City: KC stinks, Pittsburgh in a laugher.

Indianapolis @ Baltimore: I refuse to pick against Peyton Manning after what he did last week. Baltimore is always strong at home, but Manning is just money. I will take the Colts.

San Francisco @ Green Bay: San Fran is heading in the right direction, but I just don't see them going into Lambeau and winning quite yet. Green Bay definitely fixed a lot of things last week, and if they get rolling can even start thinking about the playoffs. Packers.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville: Kind of tough here, but it looks like Jacksonville could be starting to roll a bit. Bills aren't as good as the Jets, and the Jags are always better at home this year. I'll take the Jags.

Atlanta @ NY Giants: Giants had their bye week, and I think that the things will have been worked out for this week, at any rate. I'll take the Giants at home.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay: New Orleans is doing this thing where they don't really play hard through the first half, and then realize the game has started and start playing in the second half. Eventually, there will be a team that makes them pay for that, but it won't be the Bucs. Saints.

Cleveland @ Detroit: Detroit has the homefield advantage, so I'll give them the edge, but this game could very well end in a 0-0 tie. Lions.

Washington @ Dallas: Dallas is up and down, and could be on a down swing right now. I don't, however, think that they are down enough to lose to the Skins. I'll take the Cowboys at home.

Seattle @ Minnesota: Minnesota will run right through Seattle. Favre, Peterson, and the D should all have pretty big days against a not really good Seattle team.

Arizona @ St. Louis: Happy Birthday to Kurt Warner. The Cards have had a tendency to play to the level of their opponents, but I don't see this receiving core letting the Rams get the best of them, especially when Beanie Wells and the running game is starting to come up. Long day for the Rams....again.

NY Jets @ New England: Jets have fallen far from the start of the year, if they can keep things simple, and reproduce that pressure that they had on Brady earlier in the year, then they could win this game. That being said, I still think that Pats will take it at home, though I'd love to see them lose another one.

San Diego @ Denver: As big of a believer as I was after the first 6 weeks, the Broncos have nearly made me do a complete 180. 3 really pathetic showings. If they prepare, play hard, and don't be afraid of the other team, like they pretty much were in each of the 3 other games, then they can come out and beat San Diego again. Unfortunately, I've seen this ship sail before, and I think the bottom may be falling out. Such a waste of a good start, and I hate to do it, but I'm taking San Diego.

Cincinnati @ Oakland: Oakland will be lucky to cross mid-field in this game. Bengals.

Philadelphia @ Chicago: How many INTs will he throw this week? We know he doesn't do well against pressure, and here comes one of the most high pressure teams in the leagure! Plus, when Cutler has a game that he absolutely needs to win, he doesn't do it. I'm definitely starting to see what people were talking about when he started whining and wanted to be traded. I like the Eagles.

Tennessee @ Houston: Could be a good one, but I'm thinking that if Tennessee couldn't beat them when they had a 200 yard rusher, they probably won't be able to beat them any other time either. I'll take the Texans.

Let me know your picks! Happy week 11!

Give Me A Break

Ok, I've read a lot of the sports sites today, and I have to say that I am just plain sick at what I've seen. I will tell you, and you can take this to the bank, if this was Jim Caldwell, Josh McDaniels, or any other coach in the NFL that had decided to go for it on 4th and 2 with a 6 point lead over the Colts from their own 30 yard line and missed it, people would crucify that guy. Not only would they nail him to the wall, they would question whether or not he should even be a head coach in the NFL.

So why is everybody so quick to make certain we all know why Bellichick was right to make the call that he made? I can't stand this whole, "well the statistics say that he made the right call." "The pros outweighed the cons." Blah, blah, blah. To me, this is all the same ridiculous Patriot worship that is so blatantly obvious from all corners of the sports writing world. These writers, and especially the fans that all come in and say that they would have done the exact same thing because who can question the Fuhrer in his all brilliant decision making capabilities which are clearly never ever wrong, need to just bite their tongue on this one.

While the pros may have, technically, outweighed the cons, one of those cons that you list is that you're giving a red hot Peyton Manning the ball at your 29 yard line with 2 full minutes left on the clock. Now, I don't care if it's 4th down and 1/4 of an inch, I play the numbers game. The game that says that it's more difficult for you to go 70 yards in 2 minutes than 30 yards in 2 minutes. Plus, Manning had thrown 2 interceptions in that game that were really poorly thrown balls, and he had been pressured pretty consistently through the evening. Your chances of winning are a hell of a lot better giving them the ball back on their own 25 yard line, as opposed to on your 30 yard line.

Now here is probably the least educated argument that I have ever heard. Reading shutdown corner (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Counterpoint-Pros-outweighed-the-cons-on-Belich?urn=nfl,202797&post_comment=1&success=1) on yahoo sports, the author made a comment about the defense. "What, are we worried about hurting the defense's feelings? Awwww. If they don't like it, they can feel free to get better. Maybe there would be more faith in them in they didn't give up, oh, I don't know, just as an example ... 327 yards and four touchdowns to Manning." Wow. Let's take this apart a little bit at a time. As a head coach, you should absolutely be worried about whether or not your defense believes that you have faith in them. If they don't think that you believe in them, they won't play quite as hard for you, knowing that they always have your faith and trust. That should be something to consider in making a coaching decision. They can feel free to get better? Now there's an educated comment. They had Manning off-kilter all game. It was literally the last 6 minutes of the game when Manning started to dominate. Usually, you get a D that keeps him off his game for that long, you're supremely happy with it. And as for the whole we'd have more faith in you if you didn't allow so many yards, then by that logic, the Colts should have kicked the onside kick instead of booting it deep because they had given up more yardage to Brady, and 3TD. But they not only stopped them on 3rd down, they stopped them on 4th down. Was that misplaced faith as well? Give me a break.

Lastly, I just want to say to all the people who are so dead set on making certain that we all know how right Bellichick always is, get over it. Don't get me wrong here, I hate the man and believe that he has disgraced his whole career by cheating and just by beaing an overall classless jerk, but he is undeniably a very good coach. 3 SBs as a head coach is evidence enough to prove that to anybody. But as good of a coach as he is, he is still human. Just because he says that he'd do the same thing again doesn't mean that that was the right thing to do. Bottom line, it was a bad decision, and the end result of the game shows that. But you know what? It's okay. People are allowed to be wrong, so please, give me a break and just get over it.

A Brief Word on Class

It has been a long time since I've played a sport in any sort of competitive fashion. The closest that I've gotten is the night roller hockey league that I played on a few years back when I was in grad school and had to drive 50 minutes from Salem to Corvalis in Oregon to play some late night hockey. Nevertheless, I still remember some of the valuable lessons that I was taught from when I was a kid playing little league baseball and basketball. You know, the lessons like you'll only get out as much as you put into something, hard work leads to success, give things your best effort and you'll never be ashamed of the end result. The most important lesson learned by most all kids should be a lesson in class, it was for me.

I had a great coach for all of the sports that I participated in as a youngster. And something that always stuck with me had absolutely no outcome on any of the games that we played because it took place immediately after. Whether we won, or whether we lost, we gathered up as a team and we gave a team chant that basically carried the message of "Good game, thanks for playing us." Things that still show up in a lot of sports. Hockey players line up at the end of some brutal playoff series to shake hands with each other and say good match up. Tennis players shake hands at the end of each match. Golfers shake hands at the end of each round. Most basketball players stick around to shake hands and give hugs and say good game, and it usually happens in football as well.

I save football for last because this is what I want to address. There are many teams that are revered in the NFL for various reasons. Supreme ability, world class speed, stifling defense, the ability to throw the ball 80 yards, etc... But one thing that people are praised for, but rarely chastised for, is their class. Class is something that is usually learned from a young age, and should stick with you, but it seems to have eluded 2 people in the league that are almost always looked at as the prime example of exellence in the NFL. By a strange coincidence, they are also part of the same team, the New England Patriots. Yes, I hear the groans of people who are so willing to jump on the Patriot band wagon, people who love to talk about how good their team is, but are also unwilling to admit when another team outplayed you.

At any rate, Bill Bellichik and Tom Brady are constantly praised for their game smarts, as well they should be. Yet, it's never more than a casual joke on Sportscenter when we see a clip of Bellichik barely acknowledging the head coach of the other team, if bothering to shake hands at all, and then running off of the field. Same with Tom Brady who always leaves straight off when beaten, never bothers to shake hands with anybody. Why does nobody comment on this? Do you remember how fast people jumped on Lebron James when he left the floor without shaking hands after this last NBA post season? He is the golden boy of the NBA! So why nothing for Brady and Bellichik? Now, I expect Bellichik to have a little less class than most as he is one who was caught cheating in the middle of a game and made no bones about what he had done. Brady, however, loves to feign class. My favorite Tom Brady moment came after a loss to the Broncos this year in week 5. He had made a comment, at the press conference, about how with a game like this, the only thing that you can do with your former QB coach and O-Coordinator is go up to him, shake his hand, and say congratulations. The reporter quickly followed up with the question, "Did you get a chance to shake Josh's hand and congratulate him?" Brady tried to stifle a little smirk and just said, "No." Nice one, Tom. Very nice.

Why does this matter? To any of you who have kids, or have any respect for the sports that you love, this should be obvious. This inherent lack of class and obvious disdain for anybody who has the audacity to play the game better than you did on a given day is something that should disturb us. This should disturb us because who do you think our kids look up to? Kids look up to Tom Brady because of his fame and ability to throw the ball with the same velocity that a cannon might produce. He is looked at as golden, and when something like that is allowed to pass without any kind of reprimand, those kids now are told that that is an okay thing to do. That's what leads to things like kids in the Little League World Series that his a home run and then hot dog around the bases. That's what leads to 15 year old kids expecting some kind of special treatment at school because he plays sports instead of actually trying in class. That kid may then become a coach and tell a kid that it's okay to lie about his age so that his team has a better shot at winning because they have a 14 year old playing in a league of 11-12 year olds.

Is this a little over dramatic? Possibly, but don't, for one second, pretend that I'm wrong about the key arguement here. There are many things about the world that aren't as nice as when I, and many other people, were younger. Remember the places that your kids learn their lessons. The next time you see that Patriots lose and Brady just skulk off the field, remind them that he's being a sore loser and that's not right. Next time you hear of a baseball player being busted for steroids, tell them that that person is a cheater and that cheating to get ahead is wrong. Those are the types of moments, however small, that teach lessons that will stick with kids for a lifetime. They have with me.

I'll close with a personal story. One of the greatest moments I have witnessed, but also a very quick and little one. It was while I lived in Alaska, and my friends had my wife and I over for our weekly Monday Night Football get together. At half time, a story flashed on about Barry Bonds, and their son, a little over 2 at the time, made a great comment. "I don't like Barry Bonds." "Why not?" I asked. "He's a bad man!" His mom said, "That's right, and why is he a bad man?" "Because he cheated, and that's wrong!" Logic so simple that even a 2 year old can grasp it, so why has this eluded our "sharpest minds in sports?" Class in important, and it should never be forgotten.

**off my soap box**