NFL Week 2 Review

Chicago @ Green Bay- Green Bay looked much better, Chicago took a step back. Cutler isn't very calm under pressure.

Better right now: Green Bay

Better at the end of the season: Green Bay

Kansas City @ Buffalo- Buffalo bounces back from a bad week one, while KC continues to try and find its stride.

Better right now: Buffalo

Better at the end of the season: Buffalo

Oakland @ Miami- Tannehill has a much better second game, while Oakland's season looks already to be over.

Better right now: Miami

Better at the end of the season: Miami

Baltimore @ Philadelphia- A great game, Philadelphia did what they needed to do to win, Baltimore still looks really good. Philly needs to tighten up and not turn over the ball.

Better right now: Baltimore

Better at the end of the season: Baltimore (though Philadelphia will be pretty good)

Tampa Bay @ N.Y. Giants- Giants passed all over Tampa, since when does Eli Manning pass for over 350 yards, let alone 500?

Better right now: Giants

Better at the end of the season: Giants

Arizona @ New England- Zona manages to steal one in the Northeast. Nothing really to worry about for the Patriots

Better right now: Patriots

Better at the end of the season: Patriots

Houston @ Jacksonville- Jacksonville's season was done far before week one or two.

Better right now: Houston

Better at the end of the season: Houston

New Orleans @ Carolina- Saints need help on defense...A LOT OF HELP. Carolina looking good.

Better right now: Carolina

Better at the end of the season: Draw (New Orleans will get it together)

Cleveland @ Cincinnati- Dalton and Weeden both had pretty good games, and the Battle of Ohio was quite entertaining.

Better right now: Cincinnati

Better at the end of the season: Cincinnati

Minnesota @ Indianapolis- Rookies are getting their legs under center in week two. Luck much better this time around.

Better right now: Draw

Better at the end of the season: Draw (both aren't making the playoffs)

Washington @ St. Louis- Back and forth they go, RGIII and Bradford, with the veteran winning the duel. Josh Morgan lets Cortland Finnegan get under his skin, while Amendola makes up for lost time with 15 receptions for 160 yards.

Better right now: Redskins

Better at the end of the season: Redskins

Dallas @ Seattle- Russell Wilson looking good again, big win against Dallas.

Better right now: Seattle

Better at the end of the season: Draw (Dallas will come on, Seattle will fade)

N.Y. Jets @ Pittsburgh- Jets didn't look that great when playing a team that isn't rebuilding. If these performances continue, Tebow will be starting.

Better right now: Pittsburgh

Better at the end of the season: Pittsburgh

Tennessee @ San Diego- Tennessee is another team whose season is almost done in week two. Can't throw, can't run, no defense, all problems. Rivers throws three touchdowns, Chargers run it 39 times among the team, get Ronnie Brown more carries (he had four) and they will be looking good.

Better right now: San Diego

Better at the end of the season: San Diego

Detroit @ San Francisco- 49ers hold Stafford under 250 yards, Lions lack a running game to fall back on, 49ers get the win.

Better right now: San Francisco

Better at the end of the season: San Francisco

Denver @ Atlanta- Horrible 1^st Quarter for Denver, but it's Payton Manning at QB, you're always in it. Great game, Willis McGahee being a work horse. Matt Ryan leads his team when Atlanta's running game couldn't do much.

Better right now: Atlanta

Better at the end of the season: Draw (going out on a limb and saying Denver will be that good)

The End Of An Era

I was shocked to hear that Jim Calhoun will be retiring Thursday from the game of college basketball. Health problems through the last decade have dogged him, causing him to miss 27 games. This wasn't going to be the greatest season for the Huskies, nor the most meaningful, but it was important in their growth as a team. Calhoun won three national titles (1999, 2004, 2011) while at Connecticut. 873 wins in 40 seasons (625 at UConn), and four Final 4 appearances. He is the sixth winningest coach in D-1 history, and fourth in NCAA Tournament wins (49).He is in the Hall of Fame.

What does this mean for the Huskies?: Kevin Ollie will take over as head coach. He played from 1991-1995 for Calhoun at UConn, and has been the assistant coach for the last two seasons. He played in the NBA for 13 seasons, he is a basketball player, he has the knowledge and charisma to coach, and now basketball head coach at a name university. It's unclear what George Blaney's role with the team will be now with Calhoun gone, we will have to wait and see (he is staying with the team though). The season is now in full rebuilding mode. Husky fans shouldn't expect much to begin with, and should expect possibly less. I'm not saying the Huskies can't have a winning record, it just got tougher.

Calhoun wasn't ever the most liked coach, nor the best at being humble when in defeat, but sometimes you want that in your coach. You don't want a guy who is okay with losing, you want a coach that is passionate, energized, and above all else, a winner. Coach Calhoun is a winner, and one of the best.

Pictures from

Courant.com

Nola.com

Sports.sbc.yahoo.com

NFL Week 1 Review

Giants @ Cowboys-Cowboys win, but both teams were boring and need improvement. Giants didn't make moves to fill the voids in their offense (Manningham and Jacobs), Cowboys don't use Felix Jones and DeMarco Murray like they should (in tandem)

Better right now: Cowboys

Better through the season: Giants

49ers @ Packers-49ers showed their defense is #1 in the NFC (maybe NFL), and their moves in the off-season were the right ones. Packers defense is still suspect, didn't make enough moves in off-season. Unlike last year, when their defense failed, their offense couldn't bail them out.

Better right now: 49ers

Better through the season: Both (Both teams are great, and will prove it)

Redskins @ Saints- Saints miss their coaches very much, Robert Griffin III stepped up in his regular-season debut, beating a defense that is good, but struggling to find themselves. Still, Washington gave up 32 points, showing their defense is suspect.

Better right now: Saints

Better through the season: Saints

Colts @ Bears- Andrew Luck has a character-building experience in his debut, while the Bears showed their defense can still play. Jay Cutler played good, this is his time if he chooses to make it his time.  
Better right now: Bears

Better through the season: Bears

Patriots @ Titans- Pats are the same Pats: dominant. Titans have a quarterback that needs to grow into his own, and an overrated running back who, at the moment, looks to be wasting his talent. Titans need to solidify their running game, so Locker can grow.

Better right now: Patriots

Better through the season: Patriots

Rams @ Lions- Neither team played great, Lions have more talent on their team, as well as experience and leadership.

Better right now: Lions

Better through the season: Lions

Dolphins @ Texans- Texans are the best in the AFC South, it's their division to lose. Tannehill had a rough debut, Dolphins have more question marks than just at QB.

Better right now: Texans

Better through the season: Texans

Eagles @ Browns- Eagles didn't play the best they could, but still pulled out a win. Their defense made sure Brandon Weeden had possibly the worst debut a QB could ever have. Eagles will have to play better if they want to hang around in the NFC East.

Better right now: Eagles

Better through the season: Eagles

Falcons @ Chiefs- Matt Ryan played the way he should (and is expected to play). Chiefs struggled, but everyone is healthy, they will straighten themselves out. Jamal Charles needs to get into game form.

Better right now: Falcons

Better through the season: Falcons

Bills @ Jets- Jets come out strong, showing Buffalo's defense is much like last years defense. That being said, don't expect the Jets to do this all season, Buffalo is progressively building a team.

Better right now: Jets

Better through the season: Jets

Jaguars @ Vikings- Both teams rebuilding, Vikings in better shape. MJD may have to carry the Jags (again). Adrian Peterson is an absolute BEAST! Christmas Eve, he tears his ACL & MCL, and said he'd be ready for the opener. No one believed him (myself included) and there he is, the same “A.P.”, great for Peterson.

Better right now: Vikings

Better through the season: Vikings (by a small margin)

Seahawks @ Cardinals- Cardinals lose their starting QB, but have another starting QB as their backup. Kolb carries them to a win, while Russell Wilson with a decent debut, Lynch still a great RB.

Better right now: Seahawks (they know who their QB is)

Better through the season: Both (both teams will draw even with each other)

Panthers @ Buccaneers- Another case of both teams not playing their best. Cam Newton will lead the Panthers all year, their hopes reside with him. Tampa should try a combination of Martin/Blount in the backfield.

Better right now: Carolina

Better through the season: Carolina (by a small margin)

Steelers @ Broncos- Steelers have question marks, and they were brought to life by a QB that hadn't played in a whole year. Sunday night was Peyton Manning's night. He proved he still can play, can take a hit, and can lead a team to victory.

Better right now: Broncos

Better through the season: Broncos

Bengals @ Ravens- Ravens did everything right. Their offense was great, using a balanced pass-run style, while their defense was suffocating (as always). Cincinnati couldn't do anything, and though they will have a good season, this was a very rough way to start it.

Better right now: Ravens

Better through the season: Ravens

Chargers @ Raiders-Neither team could mount much offense, both kicking games were on. Chargers pounced on key special teams mistakes and their kicker made up for lost time from last year (was out the entire season).

Better right now: Chargers

Better through the season: Chargers

A Mess In The UFC

      The Light-Heavyweight division in UFC has had its moments where it seems like it is something out of the Twilight Zone. After Quinton Jackson lost the title to Forest Griffin, Griffin lost the belt in his first defense to Rashad Evans, who lost it in his first defense to Lyoto Machida, who should have lost it to Mauricio Rua in his first defense (terrible judging), but did lost it in the rematch, then finally Rua losing the title to Jon Jones in his first defense. Until Jon Jones, there hasn't been a credible defense of the Light-Heavyweight Title in a little over four years.

      Jon Jones is a phenomenal talent, so I was surprised when he rejected Chael Sonnen as his replacement opponent for UFC 151. Dan Henderson suffered an injury three weeks before the event, and, much like “Hendo”, tried to tough it out, before finally being told he wouldn't be medically cleared to fight. On a weeks notice, it's a mystery why Jones (who has been jawing back and forth with Sonnen) wouldn't want to fight a fighter that is a lesser copy of the man he'd been training to fight. Chael Sonnen is a lesser Dan Henderson: they both wrestle, they both are on the same team and train together, but Dan Henderson has knockout power, Sonnen doesn't (not to mention that this would be Sonnen's first fight at Light-Heavyweight in seven years). Sonnen is a non-stop mouthpiece, which is good for promoting fights, and even offered to give Jones his purse for the fight to keep the event from getting canceled. Jones of course declined and the event has been canceled, hurting many of the undercard fighters depending on this payday. Jones has trash-talked Sonnen, but has refused to back it up. He is hurting his image being what my friend has deemed him a “mental midget”. He should shut his mouth and do what he has been fantastic at: fighting.

      When Sonnen was dismissed as the opponent for Jones, Lyoto Machida was scheduled to be the opponent then. This made sense: Machida is the only fighter to score a winning round against Jones, fought him better than most have in their previous fight (before losing via guillotine choke), and had earned the shot after beating Ryan Bader. He backed out because he felt he needed more time to prepare, I respect his decision. He fought decently against Jones, and, essentially had another shot signed, sealed, and delivered (White has said he may need to win again to keep his shot, Danna doesn't like having to work to find a challenger for the title). Machida will most likely have to win another fight to remain the #1 contender for the Light-Heavyweight Title.

      That leaves Vitor Belfort. Moving up to fight for the title, Belfort is a 13-1 underdog, and rightfully so. Don't get me wrong, I hope he knocks Jones out (I will be placing a bet on Belfort), but it's not logical. Jones will knock him out or submit him. If the fight goes the distance, Jones should be fined because I can't see Belfort being competitive with Jones for five full rounds when no one but Machida has (and that was for one round). Belfort has knockout power, but not the skill to defeat Jones, Jones matches up too well against most of the fighters he fights against.

      UFC 151 is gone, UFC 152 is upon us. Looking past it, I could see a few things happening: Sonnen beats Griffen and gets a title shot right away for the awesome pay day and hyped fight against Jon Jones, Sonnen fights Machida for the number one contender spot to fight Jones, Machida fights Rua and gets a title shot against the winner of Jones and Sonnen. Dan Henderson (if he doesn't retire) will get a Light-Heavyweight Title shot when he is healthy. Any of the three fighters mentioned (Jones, Sonnen, Machida) would be an excellent opponent (Sonnen because they train together). The Light-Heavyweight division is a mess at the moment, but it will become suited out. Until then, UFC fans should try to enjoy the ride and hope for the best, and, try not to listen to much to Jon Jones, it's harmful to your ears.

4 Team Trade: “Howard-gate” Is Finally Over

                                                          Will this work?


It took months, dragged on forever (or what felt like it), and kept reappearing over and over on ESPN like “The Big 3” scoring update for every game they've played. “Howard-gate” is finally over though, and in blockbuster fashion. Orlando, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Denver all involved.

Here's how it boils down:

Denver get- Andre Iguodala from the 76ers

Philadelphia get- Andrew Bynum from LA, Jason Richardson from Orlando

Orlando get- Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington (both from Denver), Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia, 3 first-round picks (one from each team involved, picks are protected), and Moe Harkless from Philadelphia

Los Angeles get- Dwight Howard

Winners:Orlando, Los Angeles

Orlando is a huge winner in all of this. They get something for a guy that was going to cause them grief all season, a season already lost because of the decisions made to try and appease Howard. Draft picks for the future, players for this season (if not for the future), and no realistic expectations from critics, analyst, fans or the main office. A 500. season for the Magic is like the NBA championship in 2013.

Los Angles is a winner at the moment because they kept Pau Gasol. Originally they were set to lose both Gasol and Bynum, but only lost one, that's big. Will Dwight fit in LA? Only time will tell. My brother (die-hard Lakers fan for as long as we can remember), hopes Kobe doesn't have to take Dwight aside and slap him around to remind him who the Lakers belong to. It's Kobe's team, and will be until he retires. If Howard goes into the next season wanting an NBA title and only that, the Lakers may find themselves playing in the finals once more. 

Dwight Picture

Penn State

The decision and future of Penn State football has been decided and I want to weigh in as briefly as possible. I won't talk about the scandal, who hid what from whom, or who got hurt, this is about the football team.

The penalties are as follows for the Penn State football program:

Probation for five years
$60 million sanction
Four-year bowl ban
Vacates all wins from 1998-2011 of former coach Joe Paterno
Loss of 10 scholarships per year for four years (40 total)

Rodney Erickson has shown that he is the wrong man for the job at Penn State. I understand that the position he is in is a terrible one, but not an impossible one to make decisions for both sides. He, as the university president, must look out for the image of the college, as well as the faculty, students, and culture of the college (football is Penn State). When these sanctions were slid across the table for him to sign off on, he couldn't wait to sign off and start making this go away. Had the NCAA asked him to abolish football all-together he would've did a little jig on the top of the table if they'd asked. He could've asked, pleaded, begged, for the “death penalty” and gotten it, and Penn State football would've been better off. Bottom Line: He made a bad decision, he had room to maneuver, he could've at least tried.

Now onto the penalties...

Probation for 5 years- this is accurate, and acceptable.

$60 million in sanctions- this money will be donated at some time to charities dealing with the scandal. Universities like Penn State won't sweat $60 million.

Vacate all wins from 98-11 of Joe Paterno- This does nothing but infuriate the students, Paterno family, and Paterno fans and friends. It doesn't erase his legacy, but it's just rubbing salt in the wound. The man is dead, and this entire scandal probably helped accelerate his passing. He made bad choices, everyone does. What he did on the field has nothing to do with his mistakes off-field.

Four-year bowl ban- This hurts the players already at the college. The seniors looking to play out their entire career at Penn State.

Loss of 10 scholarships per year for four years (40 total)- This sets the football program back at least four years, but surely more. I think this was pretty harsh despite the chain of deception and everything involved with the scandal. I believe five scholarships per year for four years (20 total) would've sent a strong message.

Players on the team can transfer and become eligible immediately to play- Stick a knife in them, they're done. There isn't any reason for any senior that has aspirations for NFL Sundays to stay at Penn State. The university is a mess, the chain of command is a mess, and if you can leave and play immediately, why stay? The football program is set back probably a decade now because of the sanctions, if not more.

Bottom Line: Penn State football is dead for at least a decade. Players around the country who would've played for them, won't. They've lost recruits, will lose current players, fans, money, and anything else that can be taken.

The NCAA flexed their muscles in the wrong way here, but that's what the NCAA does: make mistakes. It doesn't matter the sport, but in the past seven months in basketball and football, it has shown that they have made mistakes in how they handle business. The NCAA needs an overhaul in the way they handle things. The NCAA needs someone to balance them.

Ducks Off-Season

                                                 Keep this "Big 3" together

The Anaheim Ducks have had a lot of positives this off-season, but one very bad negative still lingers.

The Ducks have signed free agents Bryan Allen and Sheldon Souray, both defenders, both to three-year deals. Allen will earn 10.5 million while Souray will earn 11 million. While I'm not a fan of the Ducks burning roughly 6 million of their cap for this year, they needed defenseman to compliment Cam Fowler, and they got it. Both Allen and Souray are ranked in the top 30 of CBS Sportsline.com 2012 NHL Free Agents (Allen #16, Souray #27). The Ducks were looking at Suter, but weren't as committed as Minnesota was to paying him. Other top defenseman were signed up before the Ducks had a chance, and both Allen and Souray are veteran at the D position and will compliment Fowler well. With the promised return of points leader Teemu Selanne, the Ducks have one less worry about filling an offensive and scoring hole on their team.

The one cloud hanging over the Ducks since the draft has been Bobby Ryan. Visibly upset with the team, and was someone who was a hot trade talk subject on draft day, Ryan stayed with the Ducks, but isn't very happy. He isn't pleased with how the team has been progressing, and wishes to be a greater part of the team, otherwise he wants out. The Ottawa Senators, along with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning are thought to have interest in Bobby Ryan. Any of these teams could use the young forward, but it would take an even trade of talent or prospects for the Ducks to part with one of the “Big 3” (Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan). Ducks need to clear cap to sign Perry and Getzlaf, and this year would be better than next when they become free agents.

The Ducks have many holes sown up from their team last year. The goalie position has been fortified with Viktor Fasth backing up Jonas Hiller. Teemu is back for most likely his last season, Koivu is back for the same as Selanne, Cam Fowler has seasoned help in the back of the rink, the only problem is Bobby Ryan. Trade for Rick Nash? Trade him to any of the teams listed above? Hang onto him until the trade deadline and trade him then? Or maybe Ryan can become a more critical part of the offense and he can once again be happy to be in California? 

I'm hoping for the last one. I want this Ducks team ready for a new-looking NHL in 2012-2013 as we begin Conference play and not Division play.

pic found here Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/players/playerpage/20378/bryan-allen

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/players/playerpage/19489/sheldon-souray

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/players/playerpage/19377/teemu-selanne

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/teams/page/ANA/anaheim-ducks