Playing for Pride

The Colts and Rams are each in the running for the first round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. If they both lose than the Colts will end up with technically the worst record in the league even though they'll both be 2-14. Here's the catch, the Rams are playing the 49ers who still have something to play for and the Colts are playing the Jaguars who are in complete disarray. The 49ers are going to keep their starters in the entire game to ensure the first round bye in the playoffs and that will make it very unlikely for the Rams to pull out the victory even if they wanted it. This leaves the question up to the Colts: do you play to win the game or do you try to lose the game to guarantee the first pick in the draft? The Colts who are on a two game win streak could very well beat Jacksonville and beat them badly. Do they want to do that? It all depends on what they plan to do with Peyton Manning next season. I think this injury is a lot worse than they are making it sound. I personally believe he never puts on an NFL uniform again. Even if he does he won't be the same player especially if he is not with the Colts anymore.  Do the Colts go out and play how they are capable of or should they lay an egg against a division rival and swallow their pride? So with everything that is going on it will be interesting to see how this all pans out.

Playofffs? Why Should We Talk About Playoffs?

College football has been plagued for the past few years by computer rankings. Don't get me wrong there is a lot more anticipation and heartbreak letting a computer choose who should play in the big games but shouldn't we let the players choose that? The word playoffs has been thrown around for the past few years in division one college football but no one has seriously considered them yet. I am about to propose a plan that might work and that could eliminate any of the smaller teams concerns they might have about a playoff bracket.
First let us start with the actual playoff bracket. There are eleven conferences and four independent teams in the nation. This means we could set up a sixteen seed bracket. Each conference will have a champion which is the team with the best record. They will all have a seed in the playoffs. A seed will come from an independent team as well. Two more teams will be selected from any conference. They will need to have the next best record and voted on by coaches, analysts, and fans as the best teams. As for the last two seed there will be a play-in game for a chance for the last seeds and to play the number one team on that side of the bracket. These four teams have a choice which I will get to later. The season will be about the same length as it is right now possibly even shorter. Instead of waiting two weeks for the conference championships and the bye week before the bowl games to begin, we could already be into the second round of the playoffs. Now I realize that finals week is during this time. The mid playoff bye could be during this week. Even with that the season would end in the first week of January just like it does right now. Instead of having a computer generated winner we could an actual champion.
Now for the teams that did not make the playoffs. We still have the bowl games!! It is a great tradition in college football but the champion should not hinge on them. Now the teams that are eligible to be in the play-in games have a choice. If they believe they can run the table, than they can choose to play in the playoffs. If not, than they can decline the invite and be eligible for a bowl game. Either way the school decides where they think they belong and where they can do the best. The season is still the same length. The bowl games go on like they usually would. Playoffs on the weekends and bowl games prime time week nights.
 Now what about the money issue? Teams are more likely to be in a post season games.The sponsors don't lose any money either that's the great part. They might even make more. The bowl games plus the playoffs create even more opportunities to be noticed. Who doesn't want more football? The better match ups create more exciting games for the fans to watch. As well as more games for the fans to watch they can have the peace of mind that the team that does won the championship defiantly has proven they deserve it.

New Kid on the Block

Good bye Lakers, here come the Clippers, the new face of basketball in L.A. You have had your reign of power and now the tables have turned. Quite literally the Lakers went from being possibly unstoppable to mediocre in less than a week. With the trade of Chris Paul being rejected the Clippers quickly jumped on him. Granted the young talent of Blake Griffin helped Paul decide he wanted to play in L.A but that's not important anymore because they have him now. Not to mention the addition of Chauncey Billups ,a proven veteran than has great leadership qualities, will give instant satisfaction to Clippers fans. This is exactly what this young Clippers team needs at a time like this. The talent is there and it is limitless if they keep their heads right and do what needs to be done. Since the lockout cut out a good portion of the games, that means there will be a lot of back to back nights where they have to play good to great teams. Chauncey gives them a fresh set of legs that you can trust to get the job done so Chris Paul doesn't have to kill himself every night. I'm sorry Lakers but your just too old and beat up. Kobe is out only for a few games but a wrist injury like that just does not go away. It will linger throughout the entire year possibly throwing off his shot. Bynum has yet to complete a year in the NBA without missing measurable time. Fisher is eligible for the senior citizens discounts at the local restaurants now. With all due respect these players I have named are super stars but their light and window of opportunity is dimming fast. The Lakers are considerably the greatest team of this generation but I believe it's just about time for someone new to run the show in L.A. Give it a few months before the Clippers fully develop potential and than we will see who really runs L.A.

Most Dangerous Team in Football Right Now?

Eagles hands down. No one wants them to back their way into the playoffs because the Giants and Cowboys could not get it done! The match up problems they create are endless. Two weeks ago they were 4-8 in a helpless spiral to the bottom. Since then they look like the hottest team in the league and they have the weapons to make a run for the Super Bowl. That's right i said Super Bowl. Just like the Packers last year they are catching fire just at the perfect time to create upsets that will be remembered forever. You don't think the Eagles haven't forgotten what happened last January do you? Knocked out first round by a team that supposedly backed their way into the playoffs. With all the hype coming into the year they would love to prove everyone wrong who wrote them off in Week 4. The speed of this team is what is most frightening. At every position on offense they have the capability to break off big gains and score touch downs just by running past people. You can't teach speed like this. This is for you Giants and Cowboys, do something right for a change and do your job! Why waste a year where your biggest rival is having a melt down after being chosen to win it all. Both of these teams let the Eagles regain momentum to put themselves in the position they are to back into the playoffs looking strong. Yet New York and Dallas have a chance to prevent this.They have a chance to redeem themselves. Only question is will they?

Perfect Pack?

Many have asked the question will the Packers capture the "perfect" season by going 16-0 than following that with three straight wins to improve to 19-0 and win back to back Super Bowls. It is quite possible that this could happen the way they are playing yet, they are far from perfection. There are gaps in the team that could be improved upon in the next 3 weeks and the bye that comes after that. Here is what i think can be improved upon: the running game, the defense, converting on third down conversions on offense and defense, stupid penalties, starters returning from injury, and keeping Aaron Rodgers from hitting the turf. The big problem is the defense. It has not been exposed  as much as it should have been because no one can keep up with the Packers offense. It is the second worst passing defense in the league. The one bright spot is that they create the most turnovers in the league. It is a bend but don't break style of play. It is a perfect style for the way the Packers offense has been dominating games for the past year but wouldn't  it be even better of the opposing team could not even move the ball? This could be a problem in their next game against the Chiefs. A team with nothing to lose after firing their head coach this last week they are not playing for much and would love nothing more that to destroy this goal of breaking history. If the Packers are not careful this could end up as a loss on the record but more importantly a loss in confidence. If the Packers do defeat Kansas City which they should with ease, I believe they will accomplish the goal of going 16-0. The last two games are at home against division rivals. The last thing you want to do is allow your division foes to back their way into the playoffs because you sat your starters and didn't do anything about it. The Packers will not let off the gas and stay focused through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Teams Green Bay could potentially have problems with: Saints, Falcons,Steelers, Giants, and the 49ers.
The Saints have enough fire power to keep up with Aaron Rodgers in a shoot up if it were to come to that. The Falcons, Steelers, and 49ers all have ball control style of play which would keep the offense for the Packers off the field. They all also have the potential big play threat at anytime from fast receivers on the edge to big strong running backs that could rip off big gains on the ground. The Giants are the odd ball of the bunch so you may be wondering why I threw them in there. New York has the ability to put pressure on Aaron Rodgers with only four down linemen. This means there are 7 defenders to cover the five maximum possible receivers. When you have to keep a running back in the back field and have a tight end chip a defender before he gets out to his route to help with protection, this means there are only three receivers out to be thrown to. As they showed earlier in the season they can over come these problems but it is something to keep in mind down the stretch.
With everything said, this team has the potential to be the greatest team of all time. Green Bay is still young with plenty of new rising stars. With great coaches and a quarterback willing to do everything possible to win they are going to be great not just this year but for the next decade. Now that the Patriots are starting to lose their touch they could very well be the next dynasty of the NFL.

Tebow Mania

Ever since Tim Tebow has entered the NFL he has made his presence felt in one way or another. Whether it was early on by lining up for one play as a wide receiver or in recent weeks leading the Denver Broncos to the top of the AFC West he has dominated the headlines. Lately many fans have thought of him as a savior. I however, have not jumped on the band wagon yet. I've never been one to jump on them anyway I usually stick to my roots. I personally believe that he has not proven himself yet to the point where he should be considered great. Nothing against the man, he's a great athlete and a very thankful person I just can't justify him being a quarterback let alone the face of a franchise for the next decade. Here are  just a few reasons why I am not convinced of the Tebow mania that has swept the nation.
First off, the defense is a huge reason why the Broncos have had so much success. Keeping games close and coming up big at crucial times have allowed Tim to shine so to say. Without this luxury the team would be playing catch up and he would be forced to throw more often which everyone and their dog knows that is not his strong point.
 Second he has yet to win a game that has been against a worthy opponent. He came in at the end of the San Diego game where he had a chance to win on the last play of the game. That's understandable. It was a tough position to be in and I give him props for even being in the game at the end. The next few games are where I make my point. Tim beat the Dolphins(who had yet to win a game at that time) in OT. Next week they lost bad to the Lions 45-10 who were on a hot streak at the time. Than they came back and beat the Raiders, keep in mind they were 4-4 at the time. After that they barley pulled out the win against Kansas city who is in last place of the AFC. When they beat the Jets the week after that was really when Tebow mania took off. What people yet to realize was that New York was in a free fall at 5-5 and dropped below .500 after the loss to Denver. The next two games against San Diego and Minnesota were close as well coming down to the wire and the last possessions to win the game. Both of these teams have losing records and the Vikings are looking at the second round pick if things stay the way they are. The most recent win against the Bears was given to the Broncos single handily by Marion Barber. A run that went out of bounds as Chicago was trying to run the clock out and a fumble in overtime gave the ball right back to Tebow. Not to mention that the Bears were missing Jay Cutler, their staring QB, and had no pressure giving up the underneath routes didn't help their cause at all. This week is the week i believe Tebow can prove himself to me. Even though the Patriots have the worst passing defense in the league you always have to be careful of Bill Belichick and the problems he can create. This will be the first time Tim Tebow has gone up against a team with a winning record that has all their weapons. The game is at home and he will have the crowd behind him to help him.
Lastly he needs to have a complete game. He needs to prove it with his arm that he can beat a quality team. Not just a fourth quarter surge, because the defense is not going to be able to keep the Patriots offense and Tom Brady down for long. If he can do this i will step down and pay him the respect he rightfully deserves. The opposing team has a QB who has proven himself over and over again in clinch situations that has made him one of the greatest ever. Maybe we'll be saying the same about Tim Tebow one day?