The Super Bowl in Review

          I don't think football fans could have asked for a better Super Bowl. Now the commercials, that's a different story. Between the story lines of Eli Manning playing in the "House that Peyton Built," Eli potentially being a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback if he wins, Brady and Belichick losing back-to-back Super Bowls to the same team, the impact Rob Gronkowski's injured ankle would have on the game, Julian Edelman playing as New England's "shutdown" corner, the list goes on and on.
          On a side note, the NFL finally picked someone who can sing an appropriate National Anthem with Kelly Clarkson. It wasn't too long, it wasn't too dramatic, there were no wardrobe malfunctions, and it wasn't self-centered. Now to the actual game....
           The consensus of most of the talking heads, "know-it-all" fans, and everyone else in the United States with the exception of Boston residents and the direct family members of the New England Patriots seemed to be that the New York Giants were going to win. Some predicted NYG by a field goal, while others thought it would be a blowout in their favor, but the point is the same--that Eli would lead the Giants to victory over Tom Brady and the Pats in their second meeting in the Super Bowl. All things considered, I don't think anyone expected the Giants to start the game as strong as they did. When the first quarter ended at 9-0 in favor of the Giants, I thought the game would be over by halftime because New York would be winning by such a large margin. Seeomg Tom Brady commit an intentional grounding penalty resulting in a safety shocked me. While it may not have been Brady's fault, that's not something we've grown to expect from the Patriots or their franchise player. One of the keys to a New York win was for its front four to put pressure on Brady and to see Justin Tuck force two quick points by forcing him to throw a pass deep downfield to no one seemed ominous for the Pats. At the end of the first, Eli capped off a seventy-eight yard drive with a short touchdown pass to Victor Cruz. I'm not sure if the pass was skill or luck but Eli fit the pass in right behind Brandon Spikes,who was dropping back into coverage and never saw the ball. Cruz bobbled the catch a few times but there were no defenders around to knock it out of his hands.
          The Patriots responded in the second quarter and took the lead 10-9 going into halftime. Brady led New England on two long scoring drives of sixty and ninety-six yards, the second of which resulted in Danny Woodhead scoring on his first receiving touchdown of the season. Brady was lights out on offense in the second quarter and at one point he completed fourteen straight passes. With Gronkowski limited due to his injury, Aaron Hernandez, New England's lesser-known but equally-talented tight end, was Tom Brady's favorite target. Hernandez had eight receptions for sixty-seven yards and one touchdown.
          The halftime show was a huge improvement from the Black Eyed Peas' performance acoustic nightmare last year. I didn't think Madonna was amazing because, frankly, I think it is impossible to have an A+ performance at the Super Bowl, where artists are forced to recreate a multiple-hour concert in twelve minutes inside a dome filled with judgmental fans, half of which probably doesn't like that artist's music. The incorporation of younger, more modern artists made the show much more exciting, with LMFAO, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj, and M.I.A. It's sad that M.I.A. had to flip off the camera, but we've grown to almost expect something scandalous from the halftime show.  While it was incredibly innappropriate, in the scheme of things, it was not nearly as bad as Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction," which is still fresh in our memory.
          The Patriots continued their scoring in the second half, when they received the opening kickoff of the third quarter and drove seventy-nine yards down the field for a touchdown as they extended their lead to 17-9. Lawrence Tynes hit a pair of field goals in the third quarter to bring the Giants' deficit to only two points entering the fourth quarter.
          Both teams exchanged punts before New York started its game-winning drive with 3:46 remaining in the game. Eli Manning had been fantastic in the fourth quarter all season long, and his late-game heroics continued when he connected with Mario Manningham on their first play for thirty-eight yards down the sideline, bringing the Giants to midfield. In the 2008 Super Bowl, the play that is still played over and over again is David Tyree's catch against his helmet over Rodney Harrison that led to New York beating New England at the end of the game. Different wide receiver. Different defensive back. Same team. Same game. Same result. Eli Manning made the pass of his life by fitting the ball in the narrowest of spaces to Manningham's outside shoulder, where he was able to catch the ball in double coverage and drag both feet on the ground before being forced out by Patrick Chung. The Patriots challenged the ruling on the field and lost, which also hurt them because they lost a timeout. With a few more short pass plays and a run by Ahmad Bradshaw, the New York Giants were at the Patriots goal line with roughly one minute left in the game. The Patriots decided to let the Giants score in order to give Brady a chance for a game-winning drive of his own, so Ahmad Bradshaw had a gaping hole to run through and tried to fall on the one-yardline, but ended up stumbling and squatting backwards into the endzone.
          Brady and the rest of the offense hustled onto the field to try to regain the lead, but dropped passes killed the Patriots. Both Wes Welker and Deion Branch dropped passes, but despite their shortcomings, Brady was able to launch the ball into the endzone on the last play of the game but it was batted down and the Giants won.
         
          That win did not guarantee Eli a spot in the Hall of Fame, but as Mike & Mike said on their radio show today, he is on the trajectory of his career to someday be a Hall of Famer. While Eli played very well in the Super Bowl, I don't think he outplayed Brady. Their numbers were very similar and Eli has a much better receiving core. Gronk was out for the Pats, Ochocinco and Branch are old, so Welker and Hernandez were Brady's only two legitimate options. Plus, the game may have had a different ending if the Patriots' receivers were able to hold onto the ball on their final drive. Even though New England lost, the season was by no means a failure. They overachieved if anything. They went 13-3 in the regular season and still made it to the Super Bowl with a sub-par defense, especially in the secondary, and Tom Brady ran the entire offense with virtually one threat alongside him. And don't forget that they only beat one team with a winning record all season long, so it's very impressive that they made it that far by beating teams that were .500 or worse. They shouldn't have drafted Ryan Mallet in the third round of the draft last year when they knew he won't play for at least five or six years. They need to make some major improvements  on defense, the offensive line, and with their wide receivers for next season if they want to capitalize on the Brady-Belichick Era before Brady starts his decline. Their schedule next season lacks any elite quarterbacks on the opposing teams, so the Patriots will most likely host a playoff game again next season.

Super Bowl Preview 2012

From the Press Box 1.26.12

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

"I think Joe was kind of rattled a bit."

"I think a couple times he needed to get rid of the ball. It just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense."

"He can't play like that."

Ed Reed earned his pay last week by getting under the skin of his quarterback Joe Flacco and can arguably add the titles of head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach to his resumé in doing so. At the time it seemed reckless, deserving a Caution: Highly Flammable label for criticizing the most important player on the field before the biggest game of the year. Did the long-time standout safety on defense take one too many hits to the head? What was he thinking?

Not only did Flacco show up to play in Foxboro against the Patriots, he did something that was thought to be unthinkable--outperform Tom Brady in the NFC Championship (a.k.a. "Uggs vs. Suggs"). The mustache-growing, illegally skateboard-riding Flacco was 22-36 for 306 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He counterpart for the Pats was 22-36 for 239 yards with two picks. In a season where Ray Rice put the Ravens' offense on his back game after game, it was Joe Flacco who carried Baltimore to a near victory. Had Lee Evans held onto the game-winning touchdown pass with twenty seconds remaining in the game, Flacco would have been paraded out of the stadium on his teammates shoulders and hailed in the state of Maryland as the hero who took them to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000. Give Flacco credit, he set his team up to advance to the Super Bowl and his teammates couldn't finish it for him. The players I do feel bad for are Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The former "The U" defensive stars are both growing old in terms of football years and probably have less than four years combined left in the NFL. They carried the Ravens for years and finally were set to make it back to a Super Bowl and their offense let them down. That would have been one hell of a way for them to go out-win their second championship after shutting down Brady and Manning, and then retire.

Speaking of the defense, the Ravens had two of the most acrobatic interceptions of the season. Ladarius Webb caught one diving backwards, followed by a deep pass to the endzone that was tipped to Jimmy Smith and returned for 39 yards.

                                                                                   Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIb1kgqJ_vA

San Francisco 49'ers vs. New York Giants
The other conference had an equally thrilling matchup, that sadly, was won off of mistakes. Who would have ever thought that Ted Ginn Jr. would be such an important player in the NFL. Ginn, one of the most electric special teams players in the league, did not play in the NFC Championship Game due to an injury. His backup, Kyle Williams was sent deep to field punts for the 49'ers on Sunday. Williams didn't turnover the football once, but twice against the Giants. In the fourth quarter, he let a bouncing ball scrape his knee deep in San Francisco's territory and it was recovered by New York. Even though the game was one of the best playoff matchups I've ever watched, I hated to see it be decided by mistakes as opposed to phenomenal plays.

Give Mike Singletary some credit. Even though the former Bears linebacker was fired after a 5-10 season coaching the Niners, he deserves some praise for San Francisco's success this year. Singletary lit a fire under Vernon Davis, going as far as sending him to the locker room after a personal foul penalty after a touchdown. Davis was a young, cocky player and Singletary was trying to tame a wild horse. Harbaugh showed faith in Daivs and has developed into an All-Pro Tight End.

3 receptions, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns. To prove that's not a fluke performance, the game prior he set the record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 180 on 7 receptions for 2 touchdowns.

Other than Rob Gronkowski, Davis is the best tight end in the NFL. I would argue that if Davis was on the Patriots, where Tom Brady was targeting him ten times a game, he would be a better receiver than Gronk.

We can all settle down on Alex Smith, including myself, because I know as a reactionary NFL fan, I thought the number one pick in 2005 was the greatest thing since Sony TV, which I got the week previously. However, the real Alex Smith showed up on Sunday--an above average quarterback, but one who is nowhere near elite or skilled enough to reach the Super Bowl. Completed less than half of his pass attempts for under two-hundred yards. Smith can work as Harbaugh's QB in a rushing offense in a weak division but as long as he stays in San Francisco, the 49'ers will remain on the verge of the Super Bowl.

Time to sign or trade for Peyton Manning? I think so. Jim Harbaugh, Peyton Manning, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, the 49'ers defense. Give Peyton one legitimate threat at wide receiver and I think you can pencil in San Francisco in the Super Bowl representing the NFC next season.

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Syracuse Orange

I turned on the TV Monday night believing that UC would win. I wasn't being optimistic, I wasn't being irrational, but I was being realistic. The Bearcats beat #22 Pittsburgh, #11 Georgetown, and #11 UConn all on the road. Cincy developed a new identity ever since the Crosstown Shootout--a guard-heavy team with center Yancy Gates down low. Syracuse was coming off of their first loss of the season against Notre Dame, which I think gave them the motivation to not double their losing streak at Fifth Third Bank Arena.

The game seemed to be a perfect opportunity for UC. Syracuse was at their weakest point of the season after dropping three spots to #4 in the country (which seems ridiculous to me since they only lost one game, on the road, in the Big East), as well as the Orange were without seven-foot center Fab Melo (possibly one of the greatest sports names ever, especially with the combination of the Fab Five and Carmelo Anthony) due to academic reasons. Melo, whose head is only five feet below the basket and weighs nearly 250 pounds would have been a huge difference maker in the game against Yancy Gates. 'Cuse lacked a big body in the paint to slow down Gates.

I would put my money on the line saying that UC's fans have never been as excited for a game as they were for the Syracuse game. The arena was sold out nad the student section did an amazing job whiting out the stands. I doubt there were any fans sitting in their seats during the first ten minutes of the game. Cincinnati started out looking like they were going to beat the Orange by double digits. Their first trip down the floor resulted in a deep three from Sean Kilpatrick. Cashmere Wright decided to play horse with his teammate on the Bearcat's next possession and swished an even deeper three. Cincinnati started the game on a 13-6 after two more threes from Wright. However, UC lives and dies by the three. They cooled down after their initial lead and finished shooting 32% from behind the arc and 34% overall as Syracuse's zone defense expanded beyond their typical positions.

Cincinnati's guards besides Cashmere Wright cooled down and the lack of height on the court hurt them in the battle of the boards. Their only rebounds that were grabbed by Gates were mostly from tips to open teammates. The Orange  picked up their defense and forced turnover after turnover, causing eleven total. The Bearcats had been extremely protective of the ball in the games leading up to  Monday and they picked the wrong game to be loose with the ball. Syracuse finally reached their first lead in three halves and went into halftime up 28-25.

UC started the second half with a driving floater from Cashmere Wright. Justin Jackson showed his potential to develop into a heads-up passer with a handful of no-luck and behind-the-back passes but they were too out of control for his teammates to handle. Yancy started wandering outside of the paint occasionally on offense and defense, which was highly questionable since Syracuse clearly lacked a defender to cover him. The crowd was at its peak when Jackson blocked Rakeem Christmas from behind on a lay-up and the arena erupted. As the game approached its end, the Orange were dominating off of the dribble-drive offense and led by eleven with two minutes remaining. UC dropped the deficit to six with twenty-six seconds left and had the opportunity to make the game closer but Yancy Gates failed to grab a rebound after a missed Syracuse free throw. Syracuse ended up winning 60-53 as UC fans walked away downtrodden. Kris Joseph finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds for the Orange and Scoop Jardine has 13 and 6 assists. Cashmere Wright scored 17 (5-9 for three) and Gates had the only double-double with 16 and 10.

While Cincinnati blew a major opportunity to be tied for the lead in the Big East. The Bearcats look to be in good position to make the tournament and have shocked the basketball world with their wins on the road against ranked teams so far this season and no one can fault them for losing to one of the best teams in the country.

Full-Court Shot at the Buzzer

Even though North Carolina is leading their in-state rival NC State 72-49 and there has been no reason to watch the game because of the blowout, Wildcat guard Lorenzo Brown made a shot from behind his own free throw line at the buzzer for halftime. While the shot had absolutely no significane, I've never seen a longer shot made in college basketball.

                                                      Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TygnoaW2hs

From the Press Box 1.16.12

5 Takeaways from the Weekend

1. The Packers affirmed what we learned from the '07 Patriots. It's not about being the best team during the regular season in the NFL, it's about being the best team at the end of the season. I would go so far as to say that the Giants are the best team in the league right now. They're playing and winning very similarly to when they won the Super Bowl, so I wouldn't be surprised if they make it back there again.

2.  There's this really good quarterback named Tom Brady. I don't know if many of you have heard about him because of the never-ending Tebow hype, but Brady was the real quarterback in Foxboro. I'm not anti-Tim Tebow. I admire his leadership as a young player, his religious faith, and ability to respond to adversity, but I think he has a limited future in the NFL. In case anyone forgot, this was his first full season in the league, which means that opposing teams had extremely little film to study and absolutely no experience with his play style. This game was over within the first ten minutes, 14-0. Brady tied the playoff record for most passing touchdowns in a game by halftime. If Bill Belichick had Brady go 100% in the second half, he could have doubled the record! Tebow got his playoff win over the Steelers at home, but that was against a banged up Ben Roethlisberger and a Pittsburgh defensive coaching staff that decided they wouldn't change their approach despite Tim Tebow's long pass completions.

The New England Patriots were in the bottom two defenses in the league during the regular season, so one would think that Tebow would have increased chances of putting up big numbers on Saturday. Well that was a whiff of a prediciton if there ever was one. 9-26, 136 yards with no touchdowns passing and five rushes for thirteen yards with his longest run being for fourteen yards.

3. The last four minutes of the 49'ers vs. Saints game may have been the most exciting four minutes ever of a football game. Luckily for me, I was only able to watch the last ten minutes of the game. I turned on the TV to San Francisco leading 20-17. It blows my mind how the teams were able to be sound defensively for most of the game and practically double the score in the final four possessions. Alex Smith matched Drew Brees throw for throw in the fourth quarter.

Guess what? Alex Smith is not a bust.

I know no one ever dreamt of speaking those words but stranger things have happened. Give the guy some credit. Seven offensive coordinators in the same number of years. All he needed was a good coach like Jim Harbaugh to put all of his eggs in the Alex Smith basket and give him the support he needed. If the 49'ers win, Smith is playing in the Super Bowl. Mark Sanchez has never done that. Joe Flacco has never done that. Philip Rivers has done that. Even if San Fran loses its next game, he will still get a multi-year contract and try to repeat this season's success in the future.

It's pretty incredible that New Orleans was able to stay competitive against such a good defense like San Francisco when they turned the ball over five times. Brees was still on the doorstep of 500 passing yards in the game but it's next to impossible to win on the road when the home team gets that many gifts. If the Saints can improve on defense while Brees is still in his prime, they can make another run at the Super Bowl.

4. I wouldn't want to face the Ravens' D. Ed Reed. Ray Lewis. Terrell Suggs. I don't know about you but typing those names is making me curl up in a ball in the corner of my room and hide under a blanket. Baltimore's defense is filled with big-time playmakers and heavy hitters that would make me not want to face them in the playoffs. Two fourth quarter interceptions, plus two forced fumbles on special teams. New England better hold onto the ball next weekend or at least score enough that turnovers don't matter.

5. As much as I like Indiana's basketball team, they are not the same team on the road. First with their loss last month on the road in East Lansing against then #17 Michigan State and then on Sunday at Ohio State. A 74-70 win at home is lightyears different from an 80-63 loss on the road. At a neutral court I would take, Ohio State by about ten. IU should be a three of four seed in the tournament unless they win the majority of their ranked opponents, in which case, they'll be a two seed. The Hoosiers are definitely a threat and I would favor them in most matchups, but I think the nation has gotten ahead of itself slightly on the Hoosiers bandwagon. We'll find out in March how good Tom Crean's squad really is and if the Assembly Hall Hoosiers can play the same way outside of their own arena.

From the Press Box 1.14.12

NFL Divisional Round of the Playoffs

San Francisco 49'ers vs. New Orleans Saints

The age-old question of what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object definitely applies to this matchup. A top five offense going on the road against a top five defense. Drew Brees takes his 5,000+ passing yards and dozen different receiving threats to San Fran against a Jim Harbaugh's physical defense. Good luck to whoever has to cover Jimmy Graham-the guy had more fouls than field goals while playing college basketball and Brees will surely target the tight end throughout the game assuming the Saints running game stalls.

Did I mention the 49'ers have only given up one rushing touchdown all season? My Calculus grade doesn't indicate that I'm a math expert, but that means that they played 15 games WITHOUT giving up a rushing TD. The Saints have a very underrated and unique three-pronged rushing attack but the 49'ers know how to stop opposing teams' ground games.
If you're similar to the middle school kids with ADD and short term memory loss, here are the two things to write down on your hand or forearm with your scented non-toxic purple marker (I'm personally a fan of writing on your forearm because it's less likely to get washed off and people in rough neighborhoods might mistake the writing as tattoos and be intimidated by you).

The Saints are not playing at the Superdome. It's as if the air is filled with krypton and Superman is at risk whenever he leaves his home. If the Saints played all of their game at home, they wouldn't lose more than one or two games each year. But considering the NFL is a fair league where the teams with the best records get home-field advantage in the playoffs, they have to leave the state of Louisiana after the first round. I can't explain but they're a different team when they leave the bayou.
The San Francisco 49'ers have much less playoff experience than the Saints. The 49'ers haven't played past Week 17 since 2002. That's before rookie coach Jim Harbaugh made a name for himself at Stanford. That's before Mike Singletary's fiery press conferences. That's before Alex Smith went #1 overall to the 49'ers. The Saints have had six playoff appearances in that time span, including a Super Bowl victory in the 2009-2010 season.

           San Francisco will have to keep the Saints under thirty points if they want to have any shot at winning and I can't see Alex Smith keeping up with Drew Brees offensively. Get your Mardi Gras beads, jazz music, and jumbalaya ready-Saints win 31-17.

New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos

                                                                                                                   

              Same song, just a different beat. The Broncos are a much better team a mile up in the air. Plus, playing at Foxborough is one of the worse locations because that means that they have to face the wrath of Tom "I wear Uggs but don't try making fun of me because I have a supermodel wife and three championship rings" Brady and Bill "My wardrobe consists of twelve different grey hoodies" Belichick.
Anyone who claims that Denver will win because of it's defense is either forgetting or blatantly ignoring who they're up against. The name's Brady, Tom Brady, Agent 0012. The Pats have exited the playoffs after their first game each of the past two seasons and they're definitely not going for the three-peat. Tim Tebow got his $250,000 from winning last game and the victory means that the county will get at least one more year of endless talk about him in in the media. However, he is without Eric Decker and will need more than a Hail Mary to win the game (pun intended).

The Fighting Tebow's lose 31-13.

 Jeff Fisher to the Rams

                   This is the kind of decision that makes fans question “experts” and analysts such as Adam Schefter. Now there’s no question that Schefter is good at what he does for ESPN and no bum off the street could just replace him and do the same quality of work. Miami seemed like the more favorable choice.

                   Why did the Big Three—I’m referring to the ones in Miami, not the ones in Boston, the Three Stooges, or the Three Musketeers—choose to land in Miami instead of Cleveland? 80˚ weather on a daily basis in the winter versus 20˚ weather, snow storms, and a terrible sports city.

                    Miami would have the upper hand in most comparisons between two cities. The Dolphins were 6-10 this year, which is by no means good but at least respectable compared to the St. Louis Rams’ record of 2-14. The Patriots’ days are numbered. Tom Brady has maybe four years of high-level performance but lacks excellent wide receivers, running backs, and defense. The New York Jets took a nose dive this season despite their claims to make it to the Super Bowl and whatever other ridiculous claims Rex Ryan made. The Bills started surprisingly well but in the end turned out to be the team everyone expected them to be. Miami could contend for the AFC East title by finding a quarterback to go along with Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall, who both had 1,000 yard seasons, and improving their pass defense through the draft or free agency.

                  I understand Fisher, but I don’t necessarily agree with him. The Rams at least have a quarterback, Sam Bradford, to build around for the future, but it’s a quarterback who has faced lots of issues with injuries in the past few seasons. St. Louis also has the second overall pick, which they can use on essentially any position other than quarterback or running back and their team would benefit greatly. Or, they could always go the route of trading the pick for a combination of player(s) and picks to fill more of their holes. Although, in case he has lived under the rock for the past five months, I have a wake-up call for Jeff Fisher--the San Francisco 49’ers are really good. Alex Smith is still a relatively young player, Frank Gore is a monster out of the backfield, and don’t even bother trying to run against SF because you won’t get anywhere. The ‘Niners are going to dominate this division for the next five years at least and it will be difficult to build a team quickly that can dethrone them.

                    We’ll see how Fisher feels about the decision next year around Week 8 when the Rams are 2-6 or 3-5 and the temperature in St. Louis drops to half of that in Miami.

UNC Blown Out by FSU

                    North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams has never been embarrassed this badly before in his time at Chapel Hill.

                    90-57.

                    That’s more than just a bad shooting night. Florida State almost scored as many second half points as that Tar Heels did in the game.  Two Seminoles, Deividas Dulkys and Michael Snaer, dropped nearly as many as the #3 team in the country. Florida State shot well, nothing jaw-dropping at 48.4%. The biggest differences were free throws and three-pointers.

                      UNC: 9-20 and 4-21.

                     FSU: 18-24 and 12-27.

                   Good teams make free throws, it’s as simple as that. North Carolina was caught on a bad day on the road against Florida State, who played out of their minds. Most top ranked teams slip up at some point during the season and today just happened to be that day. Had the game been played at Chapel Hill, I don’t think the result would have been worthy of the #1 story on SportsCenter as it is now.

Miami Heat Three-Game Losing Streak

                   After starting 8-1 and managing to win a game in overtime without LeBron or D-Wade playing at all, the Miami Heat have dropped three straight games, two of which were in OT. However, the worst news of last night for Miami was Wade’s ankle injury that leaves him questionable for the upcoming games. With a shortened season, the Heat are 1/5 of the way done before the start of the playoffs. They are still second in the Southeast Conference and have one of the best records in the NBA so they have nothing to worry about. For now. As long as they can pull themselves together and turn things around they are still in great position to make a deep run in the playoffs. LeBron has been scoring like crazy this season and a likely frontrunner for MVP

 Fantasy Basketball

                 I’m in my first legitimate fantasy basketball league (the one for computer lab in junior high where you “reported” your own score and the girls drafted the players with funny foreign names doesn’t county) and the draft was last night. I wasn’t able to draft my team live and I was given the last pick of the first round sadly, but here’s my team:

Rajan Rondo
Pau Gasol
DJ Augustin
Al Horford
Marcus Thornton
Wesley Matthews
Landry Fields
Boris Diaw
Nick Young
Mario Chalmers
OJ Mayo
DeAndre Jordan

NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 16

            There are only two weeks left in the regular season of the NFL and it's crunch time for teams trying to make the playoffs. Here are my power rankings going into Week 16:

1. Green Bay Packers--Their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs will only make them better. Aaron Rodgers is the best player in the league and will lead the Packers to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
2. New England Patriots--The Pats have won six straight and ended Tim Tebow's stretch of miracle fourth quarter comebacks by an impressive margin. Bill Belichick is one of the smartest head coaches in the NFL and Tom Brady is a natural winner.
3. New Orleans Saints--Drew Brees is on pace to break the single-season passing record and the Saints are an offensive juggernaut. They have the ability to outscore their opponents to make it to the NFC Championship.
4. San Francisco 49'ers--Jim Harbaugh has completely transformed the 49'ers into one of the elite teams in the NFL and is deserving of Coach of the Year. The 49'ers made their case for a top spot in the power rankings by dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
5. Baltimore Ravens--The Ravens have two favorable match-ups to close out the regular season against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals and will finish the season at 12-4 at the top of the AFC North.
6. Atlanta Falcons--Atlanta has a powerful offense with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner as well as an above-average defense. They are a close second in the NFC South behind the Saints.
7. Dallas Cowboys--Tony Romo has gone under the radar for most of the season and he has lots of offensive weapons around him between DeMarco Murray, Jason Witten, and Dez Bryant. 
8. Detroit Lions--The Lions were the hottest team at the start of the season, cooled down, and are starting to pick it back up again. Calvin Johnson is by far the best wide receiver in the league and is a favorite target for Matthew Stafford.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers--If it weren't for Ben Roethlisberger's injured ankle, they would be ranked higher, but their performance against the 49'ers was embarrassing and they are not the same team they were earlier in the season.
10. Houston Texans--The Texans have arguably the best defense in the NFL, but losing Matt Schaub for the season has hurt their playoff hopes. Between Arian Foster and Ben Tate, Houston has one of the best rushing attacks in the league.
11. Denver Broncos--The Tim Tebow experiment is working well so far, despite a bad loss to the Patriots last week, and the Broncos are in position for Tebow to work his magic in the playoffs.
12. New York Jets--Rex Ryan has been quieter than in years past and the Jets are down from previous years, but the have a chance to be a wild card team in the playoffs and Mark Sanchez is very good in the playoffs for a young QB. 
13. New York Giants--Eli Manning is making up for the Peyton Manning-less NFL by stepping up his game this season. The Ahmad Bradshaw-Brandon Jacobs split backfield seems to be working on offense.
14. Cincinnati Bengals--Andy Dalton is a front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year and A.J. Green has made a name for himself as well. If the Bengals win out, they could be the second wild card team in the AFC, and the AFC North would be sending three teams to the playoffs.
15. Seattle Seahawks--Tavaris Jackson has done surprisingly well with his new team and Marshawn Lynch is a potential Pro Bowler.
16. Arizona Cardinals--Also in the NFC West, the Cardinals are fighting for a playoff berth. Their second half of the season has helped their case.
17. Philadelphia Eagles--Getting Michael Vick back on the field will help Philly try to salvage their season, but it is too late for the "Dream Team."
18. Tennessee Titans--Injuries to Matt Hasselbeck and Chris Johnson have hurt Tennessee this season. They have played poorly despite their weak division.
19. San Diego Chargers--It is finally December and the Chargers are still in the close race commonly known as the AFC West. Philip Rivers and Ryan Matthews can still lead their team to the playoffs if they win out and Denver loses at least one game.  
20. Chicago Bears--The Bears would be a dangerous team in the playoffs if Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were healthy, but Caleb Hanie and Josh McCown will not get it done for Chicago. Their defense and special teams are their only hope left this season.
21. Oakland Raiders--The Raiders have choked down the stretch but their offense has improved with the addition of Carson Palmer and the dual-running back system is working in Oakland.
22. Carolina Panthers--Cam Newton has put up impressive numbers as a rookie and is one of the few encouraging parts of the Panthers organization.
23. Washington Redskins--The Redskins have beaten up on the Giants twice this season and have played good teams, such as the Patriots and Cowboys, very close.
24. Miami Dolphins--Miami has turned its season around after starting 0-6.
25. Buffalo Bills--Despite starting the season 4-1, the Bills have played like the team everyone expected and are at the bottom of the AFC East.
26. Kansas City Chiefs--Their biggest wins came against San Diego, Chicago, and most importantly, Green Bay.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--They started the season strong with wins against Atlanta and New Orleans, but have fallen off with eight straight losses. 
28. Cleveland Browns--It is hard to do well with potentially three divisional opponents who will make the playoffs.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars--The Jaguars are showing why they deserve to re-locate to Los Angeles after having a miserable season. Blaine Gabbert has struggled in his rookie year.
30. St. Louis Rams--The Rams knocked off the Saints earlier in the season, but losing Sam Bradford has hurt them.
31. Minnesota Vikings--Even though Donovan McNabb retired early in the season, the Vikings were able to give rookie Christian Ponder lots of game experience. Similarly to the Browns, Minnesota's division was very good this year between Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit.
32. Indianapolis Colts--There is not much to say other than that they don't have Peyton Manning and they almost went 0-16.