In A Basketball State of Mind

With College Football over, the NFL with only one game left, and pitchers and catchers not having reported, it is officially basketball season for me. Sure, I'll get into the football mood this weekend for the Super Bowl, but after that, basketball takes over.

I find myself watching more and more college basketball, such as Illinois beating Wisconsin tonight, and thinking less about things such as the NFL Draft. I'll be excited when the recruiting classes are announced, and I am always up for the NFL Draft, but in between I'm more of a basketball guy.

For example, the NCAA Tourney is probably my favorite sporting event of them all. 65 teams, anything can happen (except a 16 beating a 1), and lots and lots of basketball. The first two rounds of March Madness are probably my four favorite consecutive sporting days of the year, because it just didn't get more exciting. Same thing for picking all the games, it's an impossible task, but sometimes you get lucky, like a few years ago (the year Maryland won the Title) when I picked the Tourney the best in my hometown, got $500 and my name in the paper (a good-sized town too)!

But anyway, after the Super Bowl, my interest shifts a lot toward basketball, with exceptions for big FA signing, the NFL Draft, and the start of the baseball season.

As Bill Simmons would say, "The NBA. It's faaaaaaaaan-tastic!"

I can't disagree.

Will he or won't he?

There's been lots of talk lately about Brett Favre, who now says he is leaning towards retirement. This is the same thing he has done the past couple years. Taken a long time to decide whether or not he wants to play another year, but eventually deciding to come back.

This year, it feels different. For one, Mike Sherman is gone. Two, I just don't think the Packers have too much potential next year. Yes, it's the NFL, and teams do make drastic turnarounds, and the Packers did face a lot of injury troubles, but at this point, the best case scenario is probably 8-8 or 9-7. Three, a lot of times, it didn't look like Favre was really enjoying himself out there. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the losing, but it's still a point against him coming back.

As a Viking fan, I have interest in this, although I really can't say I'm too worried about the Packers either way. Favre still has a very strong arm, but it's not as strong as it used to be, regardless of what he seems to think with some of his throws. But the main thing about Favre last year is that he was making just awful decisions. I understand the team sucked, and he maybe had to try to force some balls to Donald Driver, but it was almost painful to watch. He was making mistakes that rookies don't even make, and it showed, with 29 INT.

And speaking of rookie mistakes, Aaron Rodgers didn't show a whole lot in his short time. I'm not saying he's a bust or anything like that, because it is far too early to say. All I'm saying is, from watching him the short time he played, he does not look like he is NFL-ready right now. But I doubt we'll find out for sure for at least a few more weeks.

Other Random Note: If you like music at all, you should check out my other blog, where I am compiling a list of my 31 favorite bands, and you can feel free to tell me my taste in music sucks.

Will Skip Bayless please shut up?

I have gone on too long, hearing about Skip Bayless, whether it's on some TV shows on ESPN (I think he's on them, I know I haven't watched any), or reading his article about how USC was just going to dominate Texas (whoops!). It's gone on too long. How he's been able to masquerade this long as a so-called sports reporter is beyond me, but he put out out yet another awful article on ESPN.

Wake Me Up When It's Over

Let's go over it here (Bayless quotes in italics):

The problem here is that, for the first time, the Super Bowl features two underdogs, two Cinderellas, two teams that came from nowhere on destiny-kissed rolls.

My bad. Here I thought Seattle was actually 13-3 and the #1 seed in the playoffs, and they were coming off a dominating performance. Regardless, apparently they were an underdog. Let's go on.

The Steelers, the first sixth seed to make it to the Super Bowl, barely made the playoffs thanks to a fairly easy closing schedule. They beat Kyle Orton's Bears in a snowstorm in Pittsburgh, then took care of Minnesota, Cleveland and Detroit.

But would they have won their first playoff game, in Cincinnati, if Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer hadn't been hurt on his second play? Doubtful.

Good to see that Skippy knows what would have happened, even though Carson got hurt almost right away in the game. Would the Bengals have had a better chance with Palmer rather than Kitna? Almost certainly. Would they have won the game? It's impossible to tell. Unless you're Skip Bayless.

Would they have finished off the season's most shocking upset, in Indianapolis, if Colts cornerback Nick Harper hadn't weaved back into a sprawling ankle tackle by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger? No.

Ok. But he did. Would New England have won the Super Bowl against Carolina if John Kasay had not kicked it out-of-bounds? Does it matter? Harper wasn't able to get by Roethlisberger, and Pittsburgh won. End of story.

No. Would the Steelers have been able to win in Foxborough if the Broncos hadn't upset the Patriots the week before in Denver? Highly doubtful.

From bad to worse. Can we get any more hypothetical? How about this? Would the Steelers have won if Ben Roethlisberger had never been born? Doubtful. That might be reason enough for Skip. And even if New England had won, Pittsburgh was coming off a road win over the team that was considered the best in the NFL. So why is it highly doutful they could beat New England?

Would the Steelers have won in Denver if an early poor pass by Roethlisberger had been picked off in the flat by Champ Bailey and returned for a stadium-rocking touchdown? Probably not.

Blah blah blah. All hypothetical junk.

Would the Seahawks have risen from 2-2 to home-field playoff advantage if Terrell Owens hadn't torn apart the Eagles? If Michael Vick hadn't regressed? If the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys hadn't been forced to do battle twice in the East and the Panthers, Bucs and Falcons hadn't beaten each other up in the South?

More hypothetical junk that has nothing to do with Seattle. The Eagles weren't doing so great even before TO got suspended. What does Michael Vick have to do with this? The Seahawks only made the Super Bowl because they were in an easier division.

Things just kept breaking right for the Seahawks. Without bye weeks, the Redskins and Panthers were banged up before playoff games in Seattle -- where the Seahawks' 12th Man gives them the NFL's loudest and strongest home-field advantage.

And here I thought these were the advantages of having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. And now I learn that it was luck for Seattle, to be able to secure the best record in the NFC so they're playing at home! Maybe they should have gone on the road just to prove themselves!

You can't wait for Sunday, can you.

No I can't. Should be a heck of a game.

Wake me up when Skip stops writing for ESPN.

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly of the Weekend

Let's take a quick look at the weekend:

The Good:
- LeBron James with 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 113-106 win over Phoenix Sunday.

- Minnesota Golden Gophers - Finally got their first Big 10 win, and they did it in a big [10] way (pun intended), playing great defense in route to a 61-42 route over #11 Indiana. The Hoosiers shot only 32%, and the lefty Vincent Grier led Minnesota with 17 points and 9 rebounds as they improved to 10-8.

- Philly beats Orlando 89-81 even without Allen Iverson. Nice defensive showing, and nice overall game for a few guys, including John Salmons (17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), C-Webb (18,5,8) and Samuel Dalembert (15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks). Sixers improve to 23-21, and now have a home game coming up against Phoenix on Tuesday.

- Dr. Z gave his annual TV Commentator Awards, which are always entertaining and fairly insightful.

The Bad:
- Mike Piazza signs with the Padres - Piazza may have a little more left in the tank, but I don't think that'll be too evident when he's playing catcher in a pitcher's ballpark. I'm not exactly anticpating great things for him in Petco Park.

- Even with Ron Artest, Sacramento loses 124-123 vs. Toronto. Yikes!

- Utah to retire Andrew Bogut's #4 jersey - 2 years and one Elite Eight appearance is all it takes to get your jersey retired?! Bogut was great last year, but he only played for 2 years!

The Ugly:
- Me I didn't post on here for like 2 days, although I do have a viable excuse. Friday night, I had a couple of friends come into town, and we went to a hockey game at The Ralph (Sioux lost 2-1), and then we went to eat, stopped at a couple other places, and I had no time for the computer. On Saturday, my sisters and a couple cousins came into town, so I was gone all day and then slept at the hotel, so I really had no time. So that's why there was a small break of time between my posts. Sorry!

- Texas A&M is unhappy that Seattle's fans are called the 12th Man - :yawn:

Until next time, you stay classy!

Roger Federer

I don't really watch much tennis, but I just have to recognize Roger Federer right now.

With his win today in the Australian Open Final, he now has 7 career Grand Slam titles, including 3 in a row. That's impressive.

Ralph Engelstad Arena

In my very biased view, the best hockey arena anywhere. This place is amazing, and I'll be there tonight!

"It's impossible to describe the new $100+ million Ralph Engelstad Arena in just a few words, but it is described by many as the "finest facility in the world." The 400,000 square foot arena is nothing but first class. All concourse floors are granite, each seat is constructed of leather and cherry wood, and there are 48 luxury suites and two enormous club rooms featuring the longest freestanding bars in the state. There is a training facility featuring a 10,000 sq. ft. weight room and underwater treadmill, fourteen locker rooms, the extra Olympic Sheet of Ice, and with the addition of the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center for the basketball and volleyball programs coming Fall 2004; what you have is more than a world-class facility; you have the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The biggest attraction though, and the reason the arena was built, is Fighting Sioux Hockey. In its inaugural season (2001-02) in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena, Fighting Sioux Hockey attendance erupted into an all time high. All of the games in this 11,500+ capacity hockey arena sold out in just 43 minutes after single game tickets went on sale. Tickets sales have even increased each season thereafter."

The Ralph

Who is the best QB in the draft?

If you ask most people, they'll say Matt Leinart or Vince Young. But is it actually Jay Cutler? Chris Mortenson thinks so.

Cutler seems to be a bit of a cross between Matt Leinart and Vince Young. He's got a little stronger arm than Leinart, but he's a little more athletic. Playing in the SEC (the best football conference in the nation), Cutler through for over 3000 yards with a 21/9 TD/INT ratio. But this is playing with Vanderbilt, a team that traditionally really doesn't have a whole lot of talent. From all accounts, he's smart with the football, mobile enough, very good arm strength, and pretty durable. He was the first-team all-SEC QB as a freshman.

Where would I rate him? Hard to say at this point. I'd definitely still put Leinart above him, but to be honest, I'd have a real hard time deciding between Cutler and Young. But luckily, I don't have to.

Jim Mora sound clip

If you ever are in need of a good chuckle, here's a link for the Jim Mora "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs?"

Always a classic.

So much for that

A few days ago, Florida was looking like one of the best teams in the nation. Now? A loss to a good Tennessee is one thing, but a loss to 11-8 South Carolina? Well, that's not so good. At this point, they've gone from looking like one of the top two nations to not even being the best team in the SEC (here's looking at you Tennessee)

Next up for Florida is a date with 12-4 Vandy.

Don't look now, but George Washington is 15-1 and ranked in the top 15. They look like the best Mid-Major team in the land, unless you still count Gonzaga as a Mid-Major.

Also, Louisville was able to take out Cincinnati, in a game that Rick Pitino called "must-win." And he was probably right. With a loss, they would have been 1-5 in the Big East, and fighting just to get in the Big East Tourney.

Also a few upsets, as Michigan took out Michigan St., Seton Hall beat NC State, in the biggest surprise of them all, Marshall beat West Virginia, a team that was looking more and more like an elite team. A great day of college basketball!

On again, off again, and back on again (for now!)

Well, in the past 2 days, here's what happened on the Artest/Stojakovic front:

- The Pacers and Kings agreed to a deal.
- Ron Artest decided he didn't want to play for the Kings.
- The Kings backed out of the trade.
- Stojakovic told the media he was upset with how he was treated.
- The Maloofs chatted with Ron Artest.
- Ron Artest decided he would play for the Kings.
- The deal is back on, and is now official.

As Bill Simmons would say, "The NBA. It's faaaaaaantastic!"

Talent-wise, the Kings win in a landslide. Artest is bar none one of the top defensive players in the NBA, and his offensive game has improved every year. Peja is a soft Euro-player with a great jumpshot that hasn't been so great this year. And the Kings weren't even going to resign him.

But as we know, Artest is the biggest enigma in the NBA. But I'll say this, if he's playing hard and his head is on straight, he's a top-20 player in the NBA.


In other news: For more proof that Billy Beane is the best GM in the MLB, look at his signing of Frank Thomas. Frank was the 2nd best hitter of the 90s, and even though he's declined, he's still a good hitter. He has above average power, and he has a great eye. If he's healthy, which is a big risk, he's a very good DH, a route that I wish the Twins would have pursued.

Kobe Bryant: Best Game Ever?

A lot of writers have brought this up today, including (but not limited to!) Marc Stein and John Hollinger of ESPN, and I think it's an interesting discussion.

Hollinger's argument that Bryant's 81 was greater than Wilt's 100 is basically the following: Bryant was more efficient in his scoring (17 less FG attempts and 12 less FT attempts... in 6 less minutes). In Wilt's game, the Warriors fouled with the game out of hand in order to get the ball back for Wilt. And last, the game was totally different. When Wilt scored 100, it was a very fast paced game (169-147 was the final score), and Wilt was playing more against short white dudes.

And what's all this I hear about Kobe being a ballhog in this game? The man shot over 60% from the floor, his teammates shot 33%. The Lakers were down by double digits at the half, until Kobe went into "screw this, I have to win this by myself" mode, scored 55 second half points, and they won the game. Awesome.

Best performance ever? I don't know that I'd disagree.

Kobe scores 81

28/46 FG, 7/13 3-Point FG, 18/20 FT, 81 points.

This just in, that Kobe guy is very, very good.

Your Super Bowl Matchup is set...

And what a yawner the Conference Title games were. In the early game, Pittsburgh jumped out early against Denver and never looked back, winning 34-17. In the late game, the story was much the same, with Seattle beating Carolina 34-14. Some thoughts:

- Well, the Jake Plummer self-destruction happened one week later than I thought. As was thought all along, if you take away the Broncos running game and make Jake "The Snake" Plummer beat you, he can't. He had 2 bad INT, and a couple of fumbles, resulting in 4 turnovers, and the Broncos never really had a consistent offense for most of the game.

- I think Ben Roethlisberger might be a top 5 QB. I know they predicate the offense on the run, and I know that they have a great defense. But the guy is 26-4 as a starter. 26-4. Last year in the conference title game against New England he absolutely laid an egg, and was one of the big reasons they lost, but throughout these playoffs, he's made good decisions and made great throws. Pittsburgh absolutely shredded a very good Denver defense, and that surprised me.

- I've never really been a huge Jerome Bettis fan, but I can't help but cheer for him and respect him, even if he's not really a very good player anymore.

- Troy Polamalu is the best safety in the NFL. That play he made today where Denver ran a screen, and he got blocked and was on the way down to the ground, but still made a tackle to stop Denver short of the first down was awesome.

- Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I think if there was a key play early on, it was when Denver ran the ball on 3rd & 10 at the 12, already down 10-0. They basically conceded for the possession to just try a FG. Again, I could be reading way too much into it, but I can't imagine that'd be a big help to Jake Plummer's confidence.

- I think Seattle played basically a perfect game, aside from the Steve Smith punt return for a TD. They controlled the ball, Matt Hasselbeck was very efficient, and they played great defense. They were able to put Jake "Daylight come and you got to" Delhomme, which forced him into some awful throws, and they had great coverage on Steve Smith. Great performance by the Seattle defense.

- For the second straight year, injuries to the RB position really hurt Carolina. With Stephen Davis and Deshaun Foster already out, they were having trouble running the ball, and then Nick Goings got hurt, and they couldn't establish any type of running game with Jamal Robertson.

- I think the Super Bowl will be better than either of these conference championship games. I mean, it can't get much worse, can it?

And then there were none

One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself
...and then there were none.

And just like, there are no undefeated teams in college basketball. Three days ago, there were three of them, they were each coming off a victory, and I was speculating about how long they'd go.

Now, #1 Duke loses to Georgetown.
#2 Florida loses to Tennessee.
#9 Pittsburgh loses to St. John's.

None of these teams were ranked, although I'm guessing Tennessee and Georgetown will be ranked now. However, the biggest surprise of the day was... that this wasn't the biggest surprise of the day. That belonged to #13 Wisconson, who lost to North Dakota State University, a provisional D-1 school that happens to be located about an hour away from me, and was coming off of a loss to Utah Valley St. The loss snapped Wisconsin's 27 game home winning streak against non-conference foes.

Let's look at Wisconsin's numbers for the game, a 62-55 loss:

16/72 FG (22.2%)
4/27 3-Point FG (a very low %)
The Badgers two leading scorers, Alando Tucker (2/18) and Kammron Taylor (6/24) shot a combined 8 for 42. 8 FOR 42!!

And that, my friends, is the rest of the story.

Conference Championship Picks; Other Football Thoughts

Broncos/Steelers: The 2 seed at home versus the 6 seed. On paper, looking at records, the Broncos have to be the favorites, and they, at -3 according to the oddsmakers. On paper, the Colts were favored by 10 points over Pittsburgh, but the Steelers came out and had their way with them. As Kenny Maybe says, “We know these games aren’t played on paper, but by little men inside our TV sets.”

And I think those little men will provide a very good game. Both teams are effective running the ball, have “efficient” quarterbacks (oh crap, I just said Jake Plummer is efficient), and very good defenses. This game, I believe, will come down to Quarterbacks and Special Teams.

For that reason, I like Pittsburgh, because I think Ben Roethlisberger is a very good QB, and Antwaan Randle El is capable of making big plays in the return game. I think both teams will be able to neutralize the other teams’ rushing attack, but Randle El will be able to help in the field position game, and Roethlisberger will make a couple of big plays, specifically to TE Heath Miller, just like last week. Because of Big Ben, my pick is with Pittsburgh in a close, relatively low-scoring game.

Steelers 20-14

Seahwaks/Panthers: The Seahawks are undefeated at home, and the Panthers will be without their top RB, and the Seahakws should have the MVP Shaun Alexander back. Seahawks win, right? As Lee Corso would say, “not so fast my friend!” The Panthers will still have the best player on the field (Steve Smith), the better defense, and the better coach.

Quarterback wise, I think it’s about a wash. Hasselbeck and Delhomme are both very solid, and both can make plays, as they showed last week. Alexander and the Seahawks O-Line gives Seattle en edge in the rushing game, but Nick Goings is no scrub. I think this one will come down to Steve Smith and Jake Delhomme making plays, and the Panthers defense coming up with a stop late in the game when they need to. The Seahawks have the home-field advantage, but the Panthers have already won on the road twice in this postseason.

Panthers 24-20

Other News: According to si.com, who quotes the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "It now seems that the Vikings will trade troubled quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the highest bidder, which could be Oakland or Baltimore, in early March."

This sucks. Daunte had one of the best years ever two years ago, and even though he had a bad year last year before he got hurt, I'm confident he will be the franchise player, especially under Brad Childress. Of course, it doesn't help when you demand a raise after throwing 6 TD and 12 INT, and then majorly hurting your knee, as Daunte has done. I'm hoping this all gets resolved and Daunte is the Minnesota Vikings opening-day starter.

Minnesota Vikings Draft; 2001-2005

I've got some time to kill, so I'll check the first three rounds and any other notable picks for the Vikings since 2001.

2001

Michael Bennett (#27 Overall) - Coming out he was known as a guy with great speed but not great vision. Which is pretty much exactly what he was. He did have one very good year where he almost made the Pro Bowl, but he has not really been the same ever since he broke his foot. Still has great speed, but the cutting ability? Not so much. Should be, and probably will be gone this offseason. B-.

Willie Howard (#57 Overall) - Played sparingly, and is no longer with the team. Pretty disappointing for a 2nd round pick. C-.

Eric Kelly (#69 Overall) - He started for a while when MIN was really desparate, but he was never really good. Not an awful pick, I suppose. C+.

Brock Howard (#89 Overall) - I can't recall him ever playing for Minnesota. F.

Other Notable Picks: None.

2002

Bryant McKinnie (#7 Overall) - He was a camp holdout that barely got signed in time, but has been the LT since day 1. He's been a little inconsistent, but he was their best OL last year. B+.

Raonall Smith (#39 Overall) - He's been fairly productive when he's played, only problem is he's had lots of trouble staying healthy. C-.

Willie Offord (#70 Overall) - He's been on-and-off. When he plays, he's fairly productive. Missed almost all of last year. B.

Other Notable Picks: Brian Williams (#105 Overall, great value for the 4th round. A)

2003

Kevin Williams (#9 Overall) - Was not that great last year, but was one of the best DT in the NFL for his first two years. A.

EJ Henderson (#40 Overall) - Was hailed as the middle LB after Greg Biekert left, but has never really fulfilled the expectations. Still was a decently productive player last year for the Vikings. B-.

Nate Burleson (#71 Overall) - Was a great #2 beside Randy Moss, but struggled through injuries last year. Good hands, runs great routes, and despite great speed, is very good after the catch. For a third rounder, I'll take it. A.

Other Notable Picks: Onterrio Smith (#105 Overall) - Proclaimed himself the S.O.D. after he was picked, and was Minnesota's best RB when they made the playoffs. Too bad playing in the NFL wasn't enough to convince him to lay off the drugs. C+)

2004

Kenechi Udeze (#20 Overall) - Has flashed some potential, but hasn't been healthy in his two years. I still think he can be a good pass rusher. B-.

DonTarrious Thomas (#48 Overall) - Very good athletic ability, but doesn't seem to 'get it' yet. Will get more chances to prove himself. B-.

Darrion Scott (#88 Overall) - Was very solid for the Vikings last year after Udeze got hurt. For a third rounder, he's had very good value. B+.

Other Notable Picks: Mewelde Moore (#119 Overall, has been the Vikings most consistent RB over the past two years. Good pass catcher, has good vision, and is also a very solid PR. A+)

Rod Davis (#155 Overall, backup MLB this year. Nice value for where he was picked. B)

Spencer Johnson (Undrafted, has played reasonably well. Can't complain for a guy that wasn't even drafted. A)

2005

Troy Williamson (#7 Overall) - Showed flashes of being very good, and showed at times he was a rookie. I AM glad we went with him over Mike Williams. B.

Erasmus James (#18 Overall) - Came to camp late, so he didn't consistently play until later in the year. But when he finally did get on the field, he showed he is capable of getting to the QB. B+.

Marcus Johnson (#49 Overall) - Started from Day 1, shuffled between LG and RT, which in hindsight, he wasn't really ready for, but they didn't have anything else. But, I think he'll wind up to be a real solid player. B+.

Dustin Fox (#80 Overall) - Was hurt all year. N/A.

Other Notable Picks: Ciatrick Fason (#112 Overall, Tice played him as a short-yardage back, which is not really his game. Though come to think of it, I'm not sure yet what his game is. We didn't see enough of him. B-)

CJ Mosley (#191 Overall, Played very well as a rookie, especially when Kevin Williams went down. Very solid 6th Rounder. A)

What does this show? I don't know exactly. But I just started typing it out, and much like Pringles, once you pop, you can't stop.

Still 3 Undefeated

With Duke beating #14 NC State, Florida handily abusing Savannah State, and Pittsburgh taking out Rutgers, there remain three undefeated teams in college basketball.

Duke has been the most impressive so far, with their total domination of then #2 Texas, and with their win tonight, they have beaten 6 teams that were ranked when they played them. Florida is the class of the SEC and they are playing very well on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh has been the least impressive, as they've had the easiest schedule (their best win was against a young Louisville team), but they are still 14-0, have a tough, well-coached team, and have good depth.

Tough games up ahead for the 3 undefeated teams:

Duke - 1/26 rematch with Va. Tech, 2/1 @ #21 BC
Florida - 1/21 @ Tennessee
Pittsburgh - 1/23 vs. #20 Syracuse, 1/31 @ #3 Connecticut

Pittsburgh has the toughest schedule of the three, and I really can't see them being undefeated after the UConn game. For Duke and Florida, however, things look very good. Duke does not play a team that is currently ranked in the top 20, and Florida does not play a team the rest of the year that is ranked right now.

Should be very interesting to see how long these teams can keep it up.

Jets Hire Mangini

ESPN Article.

Well, he doesn't exactly "look" like a head coach, but that's ok. Mangini immediately becomes the youngest head coach in the NFL, at only 34 years of age (he'll turn 35 on Thursday). As Kenny Mayne would say, terms of the deal were not disclosed but we believe it has something to do with money.

As Peter King said yesterday, "You're better off getting a good coach a year before he's ready than NOT getting him when he is ready." I can't disagree. I feel this move is infinitely better than if they had, say, hired their second choice, which was Mike Tice, who, well I feel he's not very good.

The NFL theory now seems to be that anyone connected with Bill Belicheck is going to be good, and looking at some past results, it's hard to argue right now. Charlie Weis had good success at Notre Dame, rejuventating the football team and university. The Browns look like an up-and-coming team under the tutelage of former Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Tom Brady is almost superhuman.

Sure, Mangini only has one year of coordinator experience, but given his reputation as having a very good defensive coach, as well as his time spent under Bill Belicheck, I'd be excited if I were a Jets fan.

Peyton Manning's a very good teammate.

Just ask him.

"I'm trying to be a good teammate here, but let's just say we had problems in protection." (some audio here).

He did, however, stop short of suggesting that Mike Vanderjagt, or the "Idiot Kicker" may have gotten "liquored up before the game." Thankfully.

But that doesn't reall excuse what he said, and this probably wouldn't make me feel better if I was one of his teammates. You've probably heard him say that he threw his Linemen "under the bus," and I think this is fairly accurate. Let's be honest, Pittsburgh really did put a lot of good pressure on Manning, but Manning wasn't so spectacular himself.

Not a good end to the season for Peyton Manning. Trying to dispel the notion that he's a "choker," he goes out and leads a team to one of the best starts ever (including overcoming their nemesis, the New England Patriots), goes out, gets the bye, faces the #6 seed, leads the team to only 18 points, and calls out his blockers after the game. That's a real great way to be looked at as a leader.

Other Weekend Sports News:

- "Don't Look Now" of the Week: Lost amid the football games, especially with the Steelers, is that Pittsburgh improved to 14-0 with a win over Louisville, and are now in the top 10.

- Texas also got a big win, 58-55 over formerly #3 Villanova. Looks like they have recovered nicely.

- The NY Jets interviewed Mike Tice, which I really think is an awful decision, but it looks like Mangini may be the top candidate.

- Peter King's Monday Morning QB, which is always a nice read.

- The NFL announced that the ref blew the call on Polamalu's INT. No word from the NFL, however, on the Pass Interference call in the Denver/NE game, the non false start call in that game, as well as calls in the Carolina/Chicago game. And I don't expect them to be forthcoming.

So, how'd I do?

Let's take a look at how my divisional playoff predictions went:

First, my NFC Predictions.

Seahawks/Redskins:

For a couple of reasons, I like the Seahawks in this game. While I expect the Redskins offense to be a little better (they can’t be any worse!), the Seahawks offense is far superior to the Bucs offense. The Bucs have a better big-play receiver in Joey Galloway, but the Seahawks are superior in every other way. They have the better, more experienced QB. Shaun Alexander is the MVP of the NFL. They have a great offensive line. Their receivers aren’t great, but they’re good enough. I expect the Redskins OFFENSE to score more than they did last week, but not the defense.

Well, I did pretty well here. The Redskins offense was a little better, scoring 10 points instead of basically the 3 offensive points they got against Tampa last week. And as I thought, the Seattle offense was better than Tampa's, even with Shaun Alexander going down early. Darrell Jackson was a surprise.

Seahawks 24-13.

And it ended up as 20-10. Pretty close for me, although this game wasn't that hard to call.

Bears/Panthers:

But this Panthers team looks different. Delhomme is playing well, Foster and Goings are providing a nice 1-2 punch, and Steve Smith is playing like he’s the best receiver in the NFL. At this point, they don’t even NEED any other WR to contribute, which is good, because they aren’t. The defense was fabulous as well shutting down the Giants.

Well, I look like a prophet here. Steve Smith was awesome, and the Panthers didn't really need any other WR to play a big role. Smith = very, very good is the main lesson here.

But, it is hard to pick against the Bears in January in Chicago. The defense is spectacular. They have a great defensive line that creates pressure, fast, sure-tackling linebackers, and a big-play secondary. Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman are both very good. But I just don’t like the offense to score enough on Carolina. Rex Grossman is a huge upgrade over Kyle Orton at this point, but I still wouldn’t trust Grossman if the Bears needed a late drive to win. Thomas Jones is also good, but Tiki Barber is better and the Panthers allowed him only 41 yards (albeit on 13 carries.) As hard as it is to pick against Chicago in Chicago, I’ll do it here:

The defense is still spectacular, but they were very mortal today, which was a surprise. If you would have told me before the game that Chicago would score 21 points, I'd have been pretty confident they'd win.

Panthers 16-13.

Well, I picked the winner, but was off on the 29-21 score. The number of points really surprised me here, as it did a lot of people.

Now on to the AFC Predictions, although with my [lack of] success, I don't really want to go over these. ;)

Colts/Steelers:

In their first meeting, the Colts had their way with the men from the Steel City, winning 26-7. This time, I expect the Steelers to run the ball more often and more effectively, which, combined, with the Colts’ expected ruggedness from not playing a meaningful game in 4 weeks, the Steelers should fare a little better.

Looking good so far, as the Steelers definitely fared a little better.

Better as in have a chance to win? Not quite. The Colts still have too many offensive weapons… it’s basically a pick-your-poison type situation. Defensively, the Colts are very fast, which is only helped by the turf in the RCA Dome. I think the Steelers will fare a little better than the last time, but the Colts have the ability to make this a track meet, and the Steelers can’t keep up with that.

Whoops. I underestimated just how good and fast the Steelers D was, and how effectively they would be able to blitz and get to Peyton Manning. They got just enough offense, and just enough help from Mike Vanderjagt.

Colts 31-14.

Well, uh, I was right that the Steelers wouldn't get a FG, at least! Steelers pull it out 21-18.

Broncos/Patriots:

I like Denver’s running game, their offensive line, their defense, etc. But there are two things working against them in this game: 1) they are playing New England and 2) Jake Plummer is still their Quarterback. As you can tell, I’m not overly high on Plummer. He’s not terrible, he can occasionally make some plays, and he usually won’t make mistakes. But if he is called upon to lead a critical drive, I don’t think he can do it. Earlier in the year, Denver had the ball in a tie game with about 2 minutes. Perfect time for the “Comeback Kid”, as he used to be called, right? Wrong, because Shanahan ran the clock out. Not even his coach has faith in him.

Well, looks like I was wrong on both counts. Not only did New England's "Old Reliables" make uncharacteristic mistakes, but Jake Plummer played very well. He made one mistake, and that was on Asante Samuel's INT, although even that wasn't too bad because it was just a great play by Samuel. On a day when New England did a good job against Denver's running game, Plummer played very well. As did the defense.

Meanwhile, New England is playing their best ball of the year. Brady was the MVP, in my opinion, and he’s playing great. Corey Dillon is back and healthy. The defense has been absolutely dominating the past few weeks, especially in last week’s shellacking of Jacksonville where Willie McGinest got 4.5 sacks. And they still have the two X-Factors of the playoffs: Adam Viniatieri and Bill Belicheck. Tom Brady continues his streak of undefeated playoff games, and the fans get to see the matchup that everyone wants to see in the AFC Title Game. And he better, because I have $5 on it.

Brady did play well except for the INT he threw to Bailey, and the defense did play very well. Dillon, however, was a non-factor, and the Patriots had 5 turnovers.

Patriots 27-13.

Well, I did have the score right, but it was Denver on top 27-13. While Denver played very well, they should also give much thanks to the refs, who as I wrote earlier, basically spotted Denver 10-17 points, again, depending on your view of the Champ Bailey fumble.

At the end of the day, I got the NFC picks right, and the AFC picks wrong, which is the exact opposite of what happened last weekend. This sets up next weekend's games, which are:

Pittsburgh at Denver
Carolina at Seattle

Should be another great round of games!

Patriots "Old Reliables" not so reliable.

And so it ends, for this chapter at least, in the Patriots dynasty. (2 in a row and 3 of 4 in this day in age with the parity in the NFL IS a dynasty), with the loss to Denver.

It'd be easy to blame this one on the refs, who on the surface seemed to "give" Denver as much as 17 points, but it's not that simple. Yes, the pass interference call on Asante Samuel was BS, and there probably should have been a false start penalty on Elam's FG, and a case can be made that Bailey fumbled the ball out of bounds in the endzone (My thoughts: There's a very good chance it was actually a touchback, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the call), but the fact is, the Patriots gave this game away.

The surprising part about it is, it wasn't the young, inexperienced guys that made the big errors. Tom Brady throws an INT in the endzone that leads to a TD. Adam Vinatieri botches a short FG. Troy Brown muffs a punt. These are, as Jim Nantz said, "The Old Reliables."

Now, congrats to Denver, because they really did play well, and they may in fact be the better team. But they had some help in key spots from the refs, and they had some help from Patriots miscues, and to their credit, they did a great job of capatalizing. Jake "Mountain Man" Plummer, much to my chagrin, played a whale of a game. Mike Anderson got some tough yards. They played an all-around good game.

Just a couple of other quick thoughts:

- Deion Branch is a great big-game WR. MVP of last year's Super Bowl. 8 catches for 153 yards tonight. Great performance for Deion Branch.

- How in the heck did the Redskins get this far? I realize the Seahawks defense played well, but the Skins offense is pathetic. Their best play is a WR Screen. Kudos to Joe Gibbs and that defense, because they had a great year.

- Matt Hasselback firmly established himself as a top 5 QB. Great game for him, especially after Alexander got hurt.

- Colts/Steelers and Panthers/Bears tomorrow. Be there or be square. Or be there and be square. It makes no difference to me.

The Broken Futon, Triple OT, and Bill Walton

As a Philadelphia 76ers fan living in North Dakota, I don't get to see very many of their games. Therefore, when they do play on national TV, I make every effort to watch them, and tonight, thankfully, I did. I watched, and I watched, and then I watched some more, as the game went into triple OT.

And in the end, Philly pulled it off 125-124.

But not before a long game filled with 3 quarters of awful defense, lots of time watching the worst player in the NBA (more on that later) and close to 4 hours of Bill Walton. Here's some things I learned while watching the game:

- Allen Iverson has never played better - He's 30 years old, he's 6 feet tall, 160 pounds, and he gets consistently beat up more than any player in the NBA. But he's never played better. He finishes on the break, he's nearly impossible to stop 1-on-1 (although he was far less effective driving after he hurt his ankle in the 2nd quarter), and he's setting up his teammates better than ever. I wrote yesterday that LeBron is the best player in the NBA, and I still believe that, but I think AI is a top 3 MVP candidate.

- Philadelphia has the worst bench in the NBA which makes it all the more amazing that they are .500 right now. Consider that 2/5 of the starting lineup consists of a white guy that can only shoot and a guy playing 40 minutes a night on one leg... and they have 1 (one) reliable player off the bench, and that is John Salmons. Consider that in a triple OT game where one guy fouled out in the first OT, 2 bench player played over 10 minutes, and one of them was MICHAEL BRADLEY, who played for 14 minutes. No one else played more than 9. And they won. That is remarkable. On year ago Shavlik Randolph was the most underachieving player in college basketball. Now? He's playing over 9 minutes a game in the NBA.

- Philly's defense is just awful - Don't get me wrong, Andre Iguodala is a fantastic defensive player who was awesome tonight on Paul Pierce (4/20 FG, 18 points). Pierce got about one open look all night, and that was in the 1st quarter. AI2 was great defensively. Samuel Dalembert played very well defensively with 7 blocks, and John Salmons was solid in the 4th quarter and OT's on Ricky "Maybe we shouldn't leave him wide open for another 3" Davis. Other than that, it's not good. Allen Iverson is about average, and he's not changing. He takes a lot of risks, and this gets him into trouble. It's been this way his whole career. Kyle Korver, bless his soul, can't play defense. He's too slow. Chris Webber is playing on one leg. The guy is giving great effort and has been really good this year, but he's not a good defender at this point. As a team, it's not so hot. They don't rotate well, and they allow too much penetration. The good thing is, everyone knows they suck defensively and they're going to continue working on it.

- Delonte West is a lot better than I thought he was going to be - Coming out of St. Joe's, I thought Delonte West would be a decent guy off the bench, too small to play the 2 but not a good enough ballhandler to play the 1. But he really looked good tonight. He handled it well and made good decisions (3 TO in 46 minutes while being guarded by Allen Iverson. Impressive) He played pretty solid on-the-ball defense, and can hit the open shot. I was really impressed by him tonight.

- Only 14 minutes for Al Jefferson? I don't get it. Which leads me to my next point:

- Brian Scalabrine is the worst player in the NBA - And even worse, he looks the part. He played lots of crucial minutes tonight, and he really did absolutely nothing positive. Nothing. He even commited a foul on a jump ball. In 16 minutes he had 2 points and 2 rebounds, to go along with 3 fouls. Fortunately, Bill Simmons has given me his thoughts on Brian Scalabrine time and time again, in articles such as this, this, and this. Even as a Sixers fan, I felt sorry for Celtic fans having to put up with Brian "will this cheesy mustache make me look tougher?" Scalabrine (wait, no I didn't).

- There are way too many Timeouts - Does each team get 6 per OT period? That's what it seems like. Every 3-0 run in Overtime gets a timeout called, as well as the required 2 by each team in the final minute. It was almost painful to watch.

- Much props to myself for making it through 3 OT of Bill Walton - As Bill Walton himself might say, "He is TERRIBLE!" He exaggerates everything, says absolutely nothing of value, and even called Paul Pierce's career "legendary" tonight. Now, Paul Pierce is an excellent player. But playing for a franchise with 16 NBA titles and 20 Hall-of-Famers, I think it's a wee bit of a stretch to call his career "Lengendary" after 1 Conference Finals appearance. On the other hand, Mike Breen is excellent. I love listening to games he commentates.

- There was a negative aspect to Kyle Korver's game-tying three at the end of OT #2 - And that was that I jumped off so high a bar on my futon broke. And I'm a skinny guy. What a shot!

And with that, one of the most exciting games I have seen in a long while, as well as one of the most excrutiating, having to sit through the performances of two tall redheads (yes, I'm looking at you Bill Walton and Brian Scalabrine). But in the end, it was worth it.

Too bad about the futon though.

LeBron vs. Kobe

Or King James vs. Mamba, whichever you prefer.

Er excuse me, Cavaliers vs. Lakers.

And what a game it was, and what a battle of superstars it was. The Lakers pulled out a win 99-98 because Kobe made the clutch shot, and LeBron missed a free throw and then a fadeaway jumper as time expired. Which leads me to my general thoughts on the game:

- LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. No, he doesn't play great defense yet. No, he hasn't hit game-winning, clutch shots. But he is the most explosive player, the most athletic, and maybe the fastest player in the NBA. He can get to the hoop about as well as anyone in the NBA, his jump shot is greatly improving, he can rebound the ball extremely well, he finishes on the fast break, and he has very good court vision. Even though Cleveland lost, his passing really stood out, as he had 9 assists. By the end of the year, he's going to be averaging at least 30/6/6. And that is remarkable.

- Kobe is the most clutch player in the NBA. If I had to trust my life to one guy to make a game-winning shot, it would be Kobe Bryant. Against Cleveland he was being guarded by LeBron,, he drove, LeBron got help from another defender, Kobe pulled up just inside the 3-point line and buried the shot. Remarkable. The only flaws I can see in his game is that he takes too many 3-pointers and he is not as good of a passer as LeBron.

- Has there ever been a less athletic but good player than Zydrunas Ilgauskas? - I could beat him up and down the court. I might also be able to outjump him. And he's one of the best centers in the NBA. He has excellent low-post moves, even though they seem to develop slowly, and he is a good passer. He led Cleveland with 29 and kept them in the game. Great game for him.

- Lamar Odom does not get enough credit - He is an excellent all-around player. He can score when he needs to, he's a good rebounder, and he's a great passed. He was one assist short of a triple-double tonight, and is averaging 14.7/9.4/5.4 a game. These are excellent numbers, especially when you consider that he would score more if Kobe wasn't taking such a large percentage of the Lakers shots.

- The Lakers will win a playoff series - Right now they are 19-17 and the #7 seed in the West. I think they'll eventually pass the Clippers to get the #6 seed, which would probably get them against the winner of the Northwest Division AKA the worst division in basketball. Whoever gets hot between Utah/Denver/Minnesota will take control of the division. I think Kobe is at such a high level right now, and Odom is also playing very well, that they will face one of these times (my money's on Denver), and Kobe will will them to a playoff series win. Then, they'll travel to Phoenix and get run out of the gym. But it'll be fun to watch.

The NBA. I love this game.

LenDale White declares for the draft

ESPN Article

And I can't say I'm disappointed! I'm all about having guys stay in college, because I do love college football, but as a Vikings fan, I like this. LenDale White will be anywhere from the 2nd to the 4th RB taken in the NFL Draft, after Reggie Bush.

Fighting with White are DeAngelo Williams (from Memphis) and Laurence Maroney (from Minnesota). Personally, with the Vikings needing a RB, I'll be happy if they can nab any one of these three guys.

Of course, everyone remembers White for his excellent game against Texas, but he has been consistently good all year. If he's not on the same team as Reggie Bush, he very potentially would have been a strong Heisman candidate. He has good burst through the line, good power, and a nose for the goal line, as I believe he scored about 27 TD this year. And being that rookie RB typically have good success, I think LenDale White can be a very solid back next year with the right team.

Hopefully that right team is the Vikings, if LenDale White falls to #17.

NBA Finals 2006 - Pistons/Suns?

Yes, this is a prediction.

The Pistons are the obvious pick in the Eastern Conference. Unless Ron Artest is playing and Indiana is playing well together, Miami is the only competition for the Eastern Crown (Cleveland is not up to that level yet). However, Detroit looks much better this year with the same core back and Flip Saunders at the helm, and Shaq is a year older. I like Detroit in the East.

Phoenix, however, may be a little bit of surprise. But consider that they are 22-12 after tonights Triple OT loss, which is good for 4th in the West, a half game behind Memphis. And this is without possibly their best player and most explosive scorer, Amare Stoudemire. With Stoudemire in the lineup, this Suns team is better than last year's team that had the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season.

How can this be, since they lost Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson? Well, they still have MVP Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Mike D'Antoni. But the real difference is that they are playing better defense and they have more depth, copmpared to last year when their bench was Jim Jackson and Leandro Barbosa. According to John Hollinger, Phoenix has second most efficient defense in the NBA. Let's look at their new players:

Boris Diaw - the Most Improved Player in the NBA, and maybe one of the most complete. He's 5th on the team in scoring at over 11 a game, he 3rd on the team in rebounding with about 7 a game, and he's 2nd in assists with about 6 a game. And he is solid defensively. To top it off, he can really play all 5 positions on the court (not at once)

Raja Bell/James Jones - similar players in that they can shoot the ball well and play a little defense. Excellent role players.

Kurt Thomas - excellent rebounder and post defender, even if he's not of an ideal height. Adds toughness inside.

Eddie House - averages almost 11 points per in only 18 minutes a game. Also allows for the Suns to rest Nash for.

Adding these key pieces to the best PG in the NBA, a All-Star forward, and one of the best coaches makes this team very dangerous... even without Amare Stoudemire.

Another factor working in the Suns favor is that if they win their division they will be a 2 seed in the West due to the top 3 teams right now playing in the same division. They are extremely tough at home, as evidenced by their 13-6 home mark this year.

If Amare Stoudemire can come back to a level that is anywhere close to what he played at last year, look out, because there is no one that would want to face these guys, including the Spurs. They play a unique style, they have a great blend of stars and role players, and they have a coach who knows how to use his players well. This makes them my pick to make the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons.

Tice Out, Childress In

Now I'll be the first to admit, from purely a looks standpoint, Mike Tice looks like the better head coach. He looks tougher, and he looks like a football guy. From a looks standpoint, Brad Childress looks like a real estate guy. (no offense to real estate guys!)

However, I'm very much excited by this. For one, as much as I believe that Mike Tice is a very nice guy, he was an awful coach in my opionion (more on that later). And from everything I have heard, Brad Childress is a smart guy, players like him (T.O. notwithstanding), and did I mention he's smart and pays attention to detail?

But first, let's look at Mike Tice's underachieving tenure.

1) Annoucing the "Randy Ratio", which basically said the Vikings would trow 40% of their passes to Randy Moss. While I think Moss is the best talent in the NFL, announcing your plans and putting extra pressure on the QB in not so good, I think.

2) Countless boneheaded 4th down calls as well as bad clock management.

3) More boneheaded moves, such as when to challenge plays and when not to. And then incorrectly interpretting the referee's decisions.

4) The RB Roulette. I think Tice used a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game to decide the week's starting RB. Mewelde Moore's been the most consistent RB over the past two years. But he can make one mental mistake and Tice will put him (this applies to other RB as well) in the doghouse for weeks, where he will barely if at all play them. I've seen it happen. I've also seen Mewelde Moore be healthy enough to return punts, but not healthy enough to get at least 1 carry. I wish I was lying.

5) His seeming insistence on not improving the Special Teams before this year. Gary Anderson to Aaron Elling to Morten Anderson. With Darren Bennett as the Punter, and awful coverage. Special Teams was painful to watch. This year, there's actually a decent punter and kicker, two great return men, and some solid coverage, and it has helped win ballgames, especially the NY Giant game.

6) Other stuff, especially dealing with the O-Line, and some off-the-field incidents. But they're pretty obvious.

Don't get me wrong, from everything I have seen and heard, Tice is a great guy. In time, I think he might be a decent head coach. But he was hired by Red McCombs specifically because he was cheap, and he was just not ready to be a head coach. In my opinion.

Now on to Childress, who I am very excited about. He sounds like he is very meticulous, reportedly taking lots and lots of notes about everything and keeping all of them for reference. I haven't heard a bad word from any Eagle about him (although granted it's rare for someone to actually say a bunch of bad things about a departing coach). From reading interviews, he seems to have a good idea of where to go for the staff, how to fit the personnel into his offensive scheme and adapt when necessary, and this gets me very excited. Heck, the Vikings season has only been over for a week, and I'm pumped for next year!

I predict Division Title!!

In the end, I also want to thank this man, who has been great for the Vikings.


I've also read that Mike Tice is a candidate for the New York Jets head coaching job. The only thing is that Jets GM Terry Bradway says, "The biggest thing is, I think we want to bring a football coach in here who's all about football, who's got a good technical knowledge of the game." I wonder how Mike Tice fits into that.

AFC Divisional Playoffs

And on to the AFC Playoffs, which offers some intriguing games. Once again, the 1 seed plays the 6 seed, but in the other matchup the 2 seed plays the 4 seed, and a dangerous 4 seed it is. As with the NFC, let’s start with the 1/6 game.

Colts/Steelers: The best team in the NFL playing at home in a dome against the #6 seed? This one shouldn’t even be close, right? Well, hold it a minute.

In their first meeting, the Colts had their way with the men from the Steel City, winning 26-7. This time, I expect the Steelers to run the ball more often and more effectively, which, combined, with the Colts’ expected ruggedness from not playing a meaningful game in 4 weeks, the Steelers should fare a little better.

Better as in have a chance to win? Not quite. The Colts still have too many offensive weapons… it’s basically a pick-your-poison type situation. Defensively, the Colts are very fast, which is only helped by the turf in the RCA Dome. I think the Steelers will fare a little better than the last time, but the Colts have the ability to make this a track meet, and the Steelers can’t keep up with that.

Colts 31-14.

Patriots/Broncos: The Broncos best team since John Elway retired, and they get a 2 seed, a home playoff game… and they have to play the 2-time defending champions who have won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls.

I like Denver’s running game, their offensive line, their defense, etc. But there are two things working against them in this game: 1) they are playing New England and 2) Jake Plummer is still their Quarterback. As you can tell, I’m not overly high on Plummer. He’s not terrible, he can occasionally make some plays, and he usually won’t make mistakes. But if he is called upon to lead a critical drive, I don’t think he can do it. Earlier in the year, Denver had the ball in a tie game with about 2 minutes. Perfect time for the “Comeback Kid”, as he used to be called, right? Wrong, because Shanahan ran the clock out. Not even his coach has faith in him.

Meanwhile, New England is playing their best ball of the year. Brady was the MVP, in my opinion, and he’s playing great. Corey Dillon is back and healthy. The defense has been absolutely dominating the past few weeks, especially in last week’s shellacking of Jacksonville where Willie McGinest got 4.5 sacks. And they still have the two X-Factors of the playoffs: Adam Viniatieri and Bill Belicheck. Tom Brady continues his streak of undefeated playoff games, and the fans get to see the matchup that everyone wants to see in the AFC Title Game. And he better, because I have $5 on it.

Patriots 27-13.

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Let’s start off by looking at the NFC Divisional Matchups, and how I think they’ll play out. Let’s start with the 1 vs. 6 game.

Seahawks/Redskins: The classic battle between probably the most talented team, and the team with arguably the most momentum (having won six straight.) The Redskins come off a 17-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which the Skins offense generated 120 yards, least ever for a team that won their first-round playoff game. To make matters worse, the defense scored one TD and set up the other TD with an INT. It was an anemic offensive performance saved by the defense. The Seattle Seahawks come off a bye, and they haven’t played a meaningful game in weeks. Seattle is undefeated at home.

For a couple of reasons, I like the Seahawks in this game. While I expect the Redskins offense to be a little better (they can’t be any worse!), the Seahawks offense is far superior to the Bucs offense. The Bucs have a better big-play receiver in Joey Galloway, but the Seahawks are superior in every other way. They have the better, more experienced QB. Shaun Alexander is the MVP of the NFL. They have a great offensive line. Their receivers aren’t great, but they’re good enough. I expect the Redskins OFFENSE to score more than they did last week, but not the defense.

Seahawks 24-13.

Bears/Panthers: A very intriguing matchup, especially if you like defense. The Panthers come off of a shellacking of the Giants, the Bears off a bye week. These two teams played earlier in the year with Chicago winning 13-3. Both teams have great defenses and are extremely well-coached.

But this Panthers team looks different. Delhomme is playing well, Foster and Goings are providing a nice 1-2 punch, and Steve Smith is playing like he’s the best receiver in the NFL. At this point, they don’t even NEED any other WR to contribute, which is good, because they aren’t. The defense was fabulous as well shutting down the Giants.

But, it is hard to pick against the Bears in January in Chicago. The defense is spectacular. They have a great defensive line that creates pressure, fast, sure-tackling linebackers, and a big-play secondary. Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman are both very good. But I just don’t like the offense to score enough on Carolina. Rex Grossman is a huge upgrade over Kyle Orton at this point, but I still wouldn’t trust Grossman if the Bears needed a late drive to win. Thomas Jones is also good, but Tiki Barber is better and the Panthers allowed him only 41 yards (albeit on 13 carries.) As hard as it is to pick against Chicago in Chicago, I’ll do it here:

Panthers 16-13.

Hello Sports Fans!

Some of you may kinda know me, some of you may not. (omit if no one reads this) But anyway, here I am, creating a blog. I already have one blog that I keep, which is located here, which is more about me, but this one will strictly be about sports. All of them. Hence the name Complete Sports. Anyway, I'll try to update at least once everyday, and hopefully one or two people will enjoy reading it. If not, I tried!

Mainly I'll give my opinion on certain things, predictions, etc. If you think I'm stupid, by all means feel free to say so, that's what comments are for! But for now, ciao!