The Greatest Haircuts in Sports

       J.R. Smith, a seven year veteran in the NBA, was signed by the New York Knicks in the past week to put another scoring option into the mix with Jeremy Lin, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony. Smith signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association during the NBA lockout and failed to put an opt-out clause in his contract, which meant that he would have to play for the entire Chinese season before he could come back to the United States and the NBA. J.R. Smith was an All-Star in the CBA, with his best performance coming against the Qingdao DoubleStar, in which he scored 60 points in a Zhejiang victory.
       Smith is back playing basketball in the Western Hemisphere and ironically, is playing with one of China's favorite players in Lin. In his return, J.R. Smith received a lot of attention from both his 15-point performance and ridiculous haricut.

Courtesy of http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/j-r-smith-crazy-haricut-pictures/117871

       Smith's new hairdo prompted me to think of some of the other unusual and unique haircuts in professional sports.

• Troy Polamalu--Pittsburgh Steelers Safety

       Polamalu has one of the most reocognizable and marketable hair styles in all of professional sports. He's not too shabby of a defensive back either with over six-hundred career tackles, seven Pro Bowl selections, five All-Pro selections, and two Super Bowl rings to weigh down his fingers. He only lets his hair out for NFL games and yes, he has been tackled by his hair before.

Courtesy of http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/08/31/troy-polamalu-hair/

• Tim Tebow--Denver Broncos Quarterback

       This catastrophe took rookie hazing to a whole new level. Take a former Heisman Trophy winner, National Champion, first round draft pick, and one of the most beloved sports figures of modern times and turn him into a monk, which is very fitting when you consider his religious beliefs. Tebow accepted his fate and set the new standard for rookie hazing.

Courtesy of http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/index?id=5446619

• Julius Erving--Virginia Squires/New York Nets/Philadelphia 76'ers Shooting Guard

Courtesy of http://www.eanext.com/hairstyles/tag/2009-men-hairstyle

       Dr. J was one of the few players to be a star in both the ABA and NBA. He sported an inconic 'fro and was an innovative dunker, as he was one of the first players to attempt dunks from the free throw line.

• Brandon Jennings--Milwaukee Bucks Point Guard

Courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Worth-a-second-look-Brandon-Jennings-Kid-N-Pl?urn=nba-212074

Courtesy of http://niketalk.yuku.com/topic/236171

Courtesy of http://dardamedia.com

        A former McDonald's All-American, Brandon Jennings was the first American player to play in the NBA without going to college since the league enforced its new policy. Instead of playing at the University of Southern California or the University of Arizona, Jennings headed to Italy to play for Lottomatica Roma. After one season overseas, Brandon Jennings came back to the United States and was drafted by the Bucks. His hair style has changed frequently in his short career and each one is completely different from its predecessor.

• Chris "Birdman" Andersen--Denver Nuggets Forward

Courtesy of http://bleacherreport.com/articles/783355-20-most-ridiculous-haircuts-in-sports

         Not only does the "Birdman" have one of the most unique haircuts in sports, he has one of the most unusual overall appearances as well. Andersen was undrafted out of Blinn College, but was able to build enough of a reputation overseas to make it to the NBA D-Leauge. He started with the Nuggets, jumped from team to team and ended up back in Denver. Andersen has dealt with substance abuse, but has overcome them to remain in the NBA.

• Latrell Sprewell--Minnesota Timberwolves Shooting Guard

Courtesy of http://izismile.com/2012/01/10/laughable_haircuts_of_athletes_25_pics-12.html

       While Sprewell is best known for choking his coach P.J. Carlesimo and various other altercations with teammates, he did have one of the most embarassing haircuts for a professional athlete. Latrell Sprewell was an excellent scorer, but his hairdo was not intimidating anyone.

•  Dennis Rodman--Chicago Bulls Forward

Courtesy of http://sigalonoddities.soup.io/tag/Fail

       Dennis Rodman was a key contributor for the Chicago Bulls during their NBA Championships in the 90's and was one of the best defenders in the league at the time, as well as an all-time great rebounder. He had serious mood swings and his hair often portrayed his emotions at the time.

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

What's Wrong with the Pro Bowl?

       When you hear the phrase "All-Star Game" what comes to mind? Let's say you were one of the last people on Earth such as Will Smith in "I am Legend" or Denzel Washington in "The Book of Elk" and you decided to write your own dictionary. Your entry for "All-Star Game" would probably be along the lines of "The best athletes in a league getting together for a fun, made-for-TV event featuring magnanimous egos, trick plays, and a ridiculously high-scoring matchup for the ages."

       The MLB All-Star Game and NBA All-Star Weekend satisfy this reputation in ways that the NFL Pro Bowl in no way, shape, or form can live up to. In mid-July, Major League Baseball gives fans a game that brings both flair and significance. The winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series and each at-bat is an ace battling against a big-time slugger. Each All-Star Game is almost guaranteed to be a competitive matchup--in the past ten years there has been one tie, five one-run games, two two-run games, and a three-run game. Not only does professional baseball create a popular product with the All-Star Game, but it draws nationwide attention on consecutive nights with the Home Run Derby. I would be just as eager to buy a ticket to watch sixty or seventy homeruns as I would to attend the actual game. I would  argue that the NBA All-Star Game is not quite on the same level as its baseball counterpart but still lightyears ahead of the Pro Bowl. Who wouldn't want to watch a starting five of Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard take on Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Andrew Bynum? The All-Star Game conveys our image of the NBA on a much smaller sclae. The NBA is a star-driven league that is loved for its high-flying offenses and lack of defense (even if a lack of defense doesn't win championships). That's exactly what the All-Star Game offers--all of the stars on the same court and the total number of points is often on the doorstep of 290. While the Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Contest, and Rookie vs. Sophomore Game don't deserve to be in the same sentence as the Home Run Derby, at least the NBA All-Star Weekend has something else to offer besides the featured game.

       We took the scenic route but still got to the point--that the Pro Bowl may have hit rock bottom with its latest game. I give the NFL credit for trying to make the game relevant by scheduling it for the week before the Super Bowl and organizing "tweeting stations" for the players, but the product on the field in Hawaii wasn't football. I only needed to turn the TV on for four plays in the second quarter to know that the Pro Bowl wasn't football. It seemed very similar to the games I would play at the village green in sixth grade. No linemen. Pass the ball on 75% of your plays. Never punt the ball. Trick plays once per possession.

       It was obviously bad if one of the premier Pro Bowlers criticized his teammates for "embarrassing themselves" and "lacking pride." One would think Aaron Rodgers, reigning Super Bowl champion would love airing the ball out twenty times to the elite wide receivers in the NFC and not have 300 lb. linemen gunning for him, yet something didn't "click" for him. If one of the participants in the Pro Bowl (and assumedly more but some players probably decided to hold their tongue before ripping the exhibition game in Hawaii) complained about it, it's no wonder that so many fans expressed their frustration throughout social media sites that Sunday night.

       Of course the die-hard football fans enjoyed the 100 combined points and ridiculous numbers that some of the offensive players put up, such as the game's MVP Brandon Marshall--6 catches, 176 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns. I admit that it was good to hear that the hometown Cincinnati players--Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Jermaine Gresham, and Geno Atkins--played well but it was like watching pain dry for the majority of the two minutes I tuned into the game. The linemen were the worst players to watch on the field. The game would have been the same had there been only a center and a nose tackle because no one in the trenches was going more than half-speed.

       I understand the players' rationale for going 70% in the Pro Bowl. Their seasons are over and no one wants to get injured. The game is held in Hawaii and Pro Bowlers can fly in their eighth cousins, five times removed (who they have surprisingly never contacted before). Even if they are on the losing team, players are guaranteed 25K. Sure if they win, the money doubles, but an extra $25,000 is chump change for elite athletes who make millions of dollars per season. The pass rushers would give a half-hearted attempt at a spin move, then take the next four plays off and waddle into the offensive linemen blocking them. The game was essentially seven-on-seven. A quarterback, a center, a few running backs, and a handful of wide receivers. And since football is such a physical sport and the championship game is just that, a game not a series, it is impossible to "bribe" the players with "the winning league gets home-field advantage for the Super Bowl."

       The bottom line is that the quality of the Pro Bowl is laughable, yet fans will still watch it. Despite arguably being the worst all-star game of any professional sport, millions of Americans still turn on the TV and waste three hours of their day on the couch watching ninety-eight pass attempts. When you understand what the game is and what it isn't, then there is nothing wrong with the Pro Bowl. But when I compare the success that the MLB All-Star weekend has every July, I wonder why the Pro Bowl falls so much short of excellence.

I've been brainstorming and have done my best to create some innovative improvements to the Pro Bowl:
Realistic

• Field Goal Kicking Competition
• Punt/Pass/Kick Competition
• Take the best two QB's, three WR's, and three DB's from each league and have them go against each other

Unrealistic

• Eating Contest
• Poker Game
• Wiffleball
• Basketball

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

The NFL Has Forced Pittsburgh's Harrison's Hand

            It seems like James Harrison is fined by the NFL every other week for some form of illegal contact, whether it's roughing the passer, leading with his helmet on a tackle, or coming in late on a play. He's paid literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for numberous hits, including ones on Drew Brees, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Colt McCoy, Mohamed Massaqoui, and Josh Cribbs. I don't know if Harrison has a personal vendetta against the Browns or simply elevates his game to the next level against a division rival, but he seems to run into the most trouble when Pittsburgh plays Cleveland. The NFL has even gone as far as suspending him for future games.

          Courtesy of http://www.visualcrack.info/league-is-selling-photos-of-james-harrisons-illegal-hit-on-mohamed-massaquoi.html

            Let me make this clear, the NFL has made the right decisions by enforcing its rules that protect quarterbacks and helpless receivers coming across the middle. There have been far too many concussion-related incidents that can not only end a player's career but cause serious psychological issues in the player's future off the field.

   Courtesy of http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/james-harrisons-hit-on-colt-mccoy-draws-attention/2011/12/09/gIQAz539hO_blog.html

            In typical James Harrison fashion, the Steelers linebacker was involved in a play that would make a weak-stomached fan squeamish. In the first half, Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker, Tim Tebow's favorite target this season (which means the Decker is targeted about three times per game), caught a pass from Tebow that sent him straight into a death trap. Decker was sandwiched between two Pittsburgh defenders, one of whom was Harrison. Roger Goodell and the NFL can pat themselves on their collective back--Harrison seems to have finally learned his lesson. He could have hit Decker high, sending the wide receiver spiralling up in the air, and he would have regained consciousness two weeks later in a hospital bed. However, the NFL has an equally dangerous situation on its hands--hitting players low. Harrison went low, deciding that he had written enough checks to the league, and hit the outside of Eric Decker's knee with his helmet and shoulder. Decker dropped the would-be completion and was visibly in serious pain. He was helped off the field and taken straight to the locker room. The Broncos announced that Decker has a sprained MCL and will be out for the rest of the playoffs.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/01/08/broncos.eric.decker.ap/index.html

            I guess risking injury to the knee is the lesser of two evils when compared to risking injury to the head and neck, but it is still a scary predicament that the NFL is in. I wouldn't be surprised if Decker is not back to being completely healthy by next season. But under the current rules, this is the type of injury that will become much more prevalent as the league cracks down on hits to the upper half of the body. The NFL has limited options to protect players from bad hits to their legs--fining hits to the knee will start to ruin the game that so many players and fans love if linebackers can only aim for opposing players' shoelaces and belly buttons to avoid penalties, fines, and suspensions. I'm not sure what the next step is to keep players healthy and not handcuff defenses too much, but there will be more Eirc Decker-like injuries if the NFL doesn't find a solution soon.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans: 3 Plays That Changed the Outcome of the Game

          After the Cincinnati Bengals got embarrassed by the Houston Texans by a score of 31-10 at Reliant Stadium, many Cincinnati fans are livid.

                “Why didn’t our team show up? We are so much better than this!”

First off, let’s take a step back. The Bengals had a good season by all accounts this season—they drafted a franchise quarterback in Andy Dalton as well as A.J. Green, a Pro Bowl wide receiver who is virtually impossible to cover; The Bengals made the playoffs despite being in a division with two of the best teams in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who both finished 12-4. Marvin Lewis has secured at least a few more years in Cincy by having his young team buy into his system. Even Mike Brown showed promise for the future by permitting a buy one, get one free deal for the final regular season game.

However, we need a reality check. The Bengals finished the regular season 9-7, only one win away from being an average team. If Cincinnati was 8-8, the Bengals’ season would have been considered very mediocre. The Bengals only beat one team with a winning record. While Cincinnati was competitive in all but one of its regular season games, a brutal 35-7 loss at Pittsburgh, the Bengals’ only win against a team that finished above .500 came against San Francisco early in the season. Two losses to Baltimore. Two losses to Pittsburgh. Let’s not get carried away with ourselves—Houston beat Cincinnati in Cincinnati without Andre Johnson. So considering that Saturday’s loss was in Houston, it was the franchise’s first playoff berth, and Andre Johnson was in the lineup, it is not surprising that the Texans won by a much larger margin in their second meeting with Cincy. The Bengals had their opportunities to win the game but three plays in the middle of the game decided the outcome.

 Mike Nugent’s 50-yard field goal miss. Great teams take advantage of every opportunity, especially scoring opportunities. Trust me, I know 50 yards is a long way. I would be lucky to make a PAT. Reliant Stadium had a closed roof, so there was no wind. It would have given the Bengals the lead. Missed field goals have a similar effect as turnovers. It keeps point off the board for the offensive team and gives the team on defense a chance to have good field position to start their own scoring drive.

Courtesy of http://bleacherreport.com/articles/997209-cardinals-vs-bengals-things-we-learned-from-cincys-christmas-eve-victory

            J.J.Watt’s pick six. To clarify for everyone, this interception was 99% a great play by Watt and 1% Andy Dalton’s fault. I would say 110% and -10%, but that is absurd, negative numbers wouldn’t make sense in this context. There might be five players of any position that would have caught that pass. Watt is a former tight end so he has better hands that most defensive ends. He has some serious cat-like reflexes. Watching the play on TV, the camera man had started panning the camera twenty yards downfield only to find out that the ball was actually moving in the opposite direction, in Watt’s hands. That was simply a great play by a talented rookie who you could make a case for an All-Pro bid.

Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/kerry_byrne/01/07/bengals.texans.grades/index.html

  Chris Crocker’s dropped interception. The Bengals were down 17-10 at halftime and were forced to punt on their first drive of the second half. Crocker completely fooled rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and jumped the wide receivers route. There was no Texan within ten yards of him. He would have caught the ball around Cincinnati’s 45 yard line with room to run. But in usual Bengals fashion, Crocker decided to wear his sandpaper gloves to the game and ended up deciding that the turf would rather have the ball than him. Pacman Jones was injured a few plays later and the Texans immediately took advantage of the injured corner by going deep to Andre Johnson for an easy touchdown. Even though Johnson was not playing 100% due to a hamstring injury, he made a fantastic double move that left Jones in the dust and the safety covering over top had no chance at breaking up the play.

Courtesy of http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120107/SPT02/301070096/Bengals-best-hope-falls-ground?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CSports%7Cs

 The Bengals were not able to step up to the playoffs. The Texans made exceptional plays and Cincinnati made mistakes. If these three plays had gone the other way, the Bengals would have been up 13-10 instead of being down 24-10. Once Houston had a two touchdown lead at home, the game was over for Cincinnati. They had too many blows to their morale and weren’t making the big plays that the Texans were. Stay positive Bengals Nation. Cincinnati made the playoffs with a rookie quarterback in one of the toughest divisions. The team is young and has two first round draft picks in the upcoming draft. Andy Dalton has postseason experience and look for the Bengals to be a favorite in the AFC for years to come.

NFL Wild Card Weekend Predictions: Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati's 20-19 loss to the Texans at the hands of rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, who put together an eighty yard drive in the final minutes of the game to get the win on the road.  Even though that matchup was only four weeks ago, much has changed since then:

• Andre Johnson is healthy enough to play after missing the last meeting against the Bengals with a hamstring injury and will give Yates a threat downfield that the Texans lacked in Cincinnati.
• Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton missed practice on Thursday and spent the day in the hospital recovering from the flu. He is expected to start on Saturday but who knows how he actually feels.
• Yates is listed as probable after suffering from a separated shoulder
• Houston will have home-field advantage and has a season's worth of experience practicing on a turf field, while the Bengals have practiced outdoors all week
• The Bengals have more playoff experience than the Texans; this is Cincinnati's third playoff berth in the past seven years while Houston is in the postseason for the first time in franchise history

The Benglas dominated the Week 14 meeting for the first fifty-five minutes, going into halftime with a 16-3 and were up 19-10 to start the fourth quarter. Cincinnati forced four turnovers and held Arian Foster, the league's fifth leading rusher, to 41 yards on 15 carries. However, the Texans outgained the Bengals by 130 yards, lead by T.J. Yates' 300 yard performance. Houston, with the second best rushing attack in the NFL, combined for nearly 150 yards on the ground between Foster, Yates, and Ben Tate. Owen Daniels broke the 100 yard mark in the game, showing the Bengals' liability in stopping tight ends.

Keys for the Houston Texans

• Run the ball early and often--The Texans have one of the best backfields with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Being a run-first offense will increase their time of possession and keep Andy Dalton sidelined. With the return over Andre Johnson, an All-Pro wide receiver when healthy, will give the Texans big play potential once the Bengals start expecting the run on over play.
• Hold onto the ball--Houston fumbled four times and threw one interception in the last matchup against the Bengals so quite honestly, they were lucky to win. Good teams don't commit turnovers in the playoffs. The teams that lose are the ones who make the small  and preventable mistakes.
• Put pressure on Andy Dalton--The casual NFL fan wouldn't be able to tell that Dalton was a rookie. He is the first rookie to start every game and lead his team to the playoffs. The Red Rifle has also been able to achieve individual glory with his 3,400 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns. Sports Science found that Dalton was the most accurate quarterback in last year's draft class and can make opposing teams pay if he has enough time in the pocket. Fellow rookie teammate A.J. Green made the Pro Bowl after setting the Bengals' record for receiving yards in a season by a rookie (surpassed Chris Collinsworth). Jerome Simpson, most well known for his endzone acrobatics a few weeks ago, is also closing in on 1,000 yards and Jermaine Gresham is a great threat in the red zone.

Courtesy of http://www.statesman.com/sports/rookie-yates-leading-texans-into-playoffs-2078039.html

Keys for the Cincinnati Bengals

• Take an early lead--Houston will be completely behind their team in the Texans' first playoff berth in their short history. The only way to defeat home-field advantage is to put points on the board. An early lead will quiet a noisy stadium and shift the momentum in favor of the Bengals.
• Stop the run--Cincinnati shut down Arian Foster in the previous game against Houston, but Tate and Yates still managed to run for a combined 100 yards. If the Bengals can limit the Texans' ground game, that will put pressure on T.J. Yates, a rookie quarterback with only six games under his belt, to run the offense.

Courtesy of http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1011302-bengals-vs-texans-andy-dalton-hospitalized-with-flu-like-symptoms

This Wild Card matchup is a toss-up. Both teams are entering the playoffs on losing streaks and the game will be decided by which rookie quarterback plays better under pressure and which team protects the football. Cincinnati has been competitive in fifteen of sixteen games this season and Andy Dalton is a much better quaterback than T.J. Yates. The Bengals were dominant for three and a half quarters in Week 14 but gave it away at the end. Cincinnati still has some magic left in its tank, Andy Dalton is 3-0 in his career at Reliant Stadium, and the Bengals get their first playoff win since 1991, ironically against Houston (except they were the Oilers, not the Texans). Cincinnati wins 24-21 in a very close game in Houston.

Andy Dalton's Illness Raises Questions

            As the Cincinnati Bengals prepared for the Houston Texans today for Saturday's matchup in the Wild Card round, their first playoff matchup since 2009, they were without rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. Dalton is likely on his way to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, to go along with being selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and becomine the first rookie quarterback to start every game and take his team to the playoffs. Andy Dalton was out with the flu today and is expected to be back on the practice field tomorrow. And note that I said the practice field, not their indoor facility because, in fact, the Cincinnati Bengals don't have one. Cincinnati practiced outside for the second straight day in temperatures that hovered in the mid-20's. Temperature is one of the rare scenarios where someone can complain about something or someone being in their twenties. The wind chill was brutal but the Bengals decided there was no reason to practice indoors.

Courtesy of http://www.cincyjungle.com/2011/9/11/2418635/dalton-leaves-game-to-get-x-ray-on-wrist-of-throwing-arm

         
             However, two things are incredibly wrong with that statement: (1) Mike Brown needs to provide greater personal and financial support of the team and build an indoor practice facility. The Bengals finally found a franchise quarterback in Dalton who, in his rookie season, would have made everyone in Cincinnati forget who Carson Palmer was if it weren't for all the Oakland highlights each week that featured about three Palmer interceptions. You want to know the biggest difference between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The owners. Dan Rooney has already been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has made numerous significant contributions to the game such as the "Rooney Rule," which requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority coach for every vacant position. Oh, did I mention in his free time he is the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland? He and the rest of the Rooney family provide the Steelers with all of the support they need, which is a major reason why Pittsburgh has made it to the Super Bowl three times in the last six years. I don't see Mike Brown making a name for himself in the football or international world, other than being stingy with his money. The Bengals have to overcome Brown to win the games that they do and make it to the playoffs. Seriously, Mike Brown, your gesture to have a buy one, get one free deal was uncharacteristically generous to the city of Cincinnati and is hopefully a sign for what is to come in the future. Let's double the number of good things you have done for the Bengals recently by paying for an indoor practice facility out of your own pocket this offseason. (2) Who knows what caused Red's illness, but playing in freezing temperatures definitely didn't help, if it wasn't the main cause. I'm not sure what the line is on the Bengals-Texans matchup but it has to be seven points or less. The Bengals only lost by one point, 20-19, at Paul Brown Stadium in Week 14. Cincinnati has a legitimate shot to pull off the upset this week, that's assuming that Andy Dalton is healthy and plays four quarters against Houston. How perfect would that be for the reputation of Mike Brown--the Cincinnati Bengals make it to the playoffs, led by a rookie quarterback, but their lack of outdoor stadium causes him to catch the flu and the Bengals lose a winnable game as a result. You need to take every precaution to keep your star players healthy. Check that. You need to take every precaution to keep all of your players healthy.

Courtesy of http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2009/08/cincinnati_bengals_owner_mike.html

            Even though the Bengals do not have an indoor practice facility, the University of Cincinnati has a bubble field only a few miles away. Oh wait, that would Mike Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals would have to pay $5,000 per day to use it. Nevermind, a playoff win isn't worth $15,000. Remember, we're just happy to be in the playoffs no matter what.

Week 17 NFL Predictions

Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions

           Sitting at 14-1 as the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers have little motivation to play their starters for the entire game. The Packers are not willing to risk an injury to Aaron Rodgers just so they can finish 15-1 and keep Detroit out of the playoffs. The Packers know they can beat Detroit, as they did on the road on Thanksgiving, so they have nothing to prove and nothing to fear about facing the Lions in the playoffs. The Lions on the other hand, have a reason to win on Sunday. They have clinched a playoff berth for the first time in twelve years and a win against the Packers will make them the number five seed, as opposed to being number six with a loss to Green Bay. The Lions can win against the bottom half of the Packers' depth chart in Week 17 and then play the winner of the NFC East. The Lions have a much better chance of winning against the Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants than they would in a matchup against the New Orleans Saints or San Francisco 49'ers. In a game where Green Bay's starters shouldn't see the field past halftime and Detroit exponentially increasing its chances of advancing to the second round of the playoffs with a win, the Lions will win 31-27 on the road in Green Bay.

 

San Francisco 49'ers vs. St. Louis Rams

            These two teams are on complete opposite ends of the NFL spectrum. The 49'ers have a new identity of lockdown defense and run-down-your-throat offense under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. The 49'ers are 12-3 with a chance to be the number two seed in the NFC and secure a first round bye with a win over the Rams. Thanks to Indianapolis' two-game win streak, St. Louis might be the worst team in the NFL. Injuries have limited Sam Bradford this season and despite his urge to play against San Francisco, St. Louis will keep him on a short leash in a meaningless game for the Rams. San Francisco will play their starters long enough to guarantee the win, which may only be a quarter or two. In all seriousness, there is something wrong with San Francisco if they don't win in St. Louis. Even if the first round bye wasn't on the line for the 49'ers, they would still win easily, and the number two seed is enough motivation for Frank Gore and the 49'ers defense to perform well on Sunday. San Francisco wins 38-14.

New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins

            The Jets need a miracle bigger than Rex Ryan's stomach to make it to the playoffs. Not only does New York need to win, but the Jets need Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Denver/Oakland to lose as well. The second best team in the Big Apple only has control over one of those outcomes-a win against the 5-10 Miami Dolphins and I don't think the Jets can leave Miami victorious. Mark Sanchez has struggled lately, most notably in the Battle of New York where he threw nearly sixty times, completed half of them, and had three fourth quarter turnovers. Sanchez has only broken the two-hundred yard mark in half of his games and has too many giveaways this season. The Dolphins were very impressive in their first half against the New England last week, leading 17-0 at halftime. While the second half was embarrassing as they gave up the lead in the second half, Miami showed how good they can be when they play well. The Dolphins have their first pair of a 1,000 yard rusher and receiver with Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall. Quarterback Matt Moore has almost a 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio in his last six games, with his only two interceptions in that span coming against New England. This will be a very close game, but I think the Miami Dolphins will win 27-24.

 

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

           A battle of NFC North teams that are crashing and burning. The Chicago Bears, once playoff hopefuls, have lost five straight games after injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. They have fallen to 7-8 after unsuccessful starts by Caleb Hanie and Josh McCown. The Bears' D has kept them in most of their games in their stretch of losses, but Chicago can't count on the offense to put up big numbers no matter who they're playing. Minnesota's woeful 3-12 season surprisingly managed to take a turn for the worse when running back Adrian Peterson suffered a terrible knee injury. Week 17 in Minnesota will determine which team has better backups at quarterback and running back. Chicago will probably start McCown to decide if he has a future in a Bears uniform and may let rookie Nathan Enderle take his first NFL snaps. With an injury to backup running back Marion Barber, third-string running back Khalil Bell had his first career start and opened eyes with his 121 yard performance against the Packers, averaging over five yards per carry. For the Vikings, rookie Christian Ponder out of Florida State has been impressive in his first season and will most likely start against the Bears after being knocked out of the game with a concussion. In limited snaps, backup QB Joe Webb accounted for three scores and over 100 all-purpose yards. Toby Gerhart put up career best numbers last week when he ran for 109 yards on 11 carries. Another close matchup, the game will be decided by a small margin. If the Bears score on defense or special teams, I give Chicago the edge, but a non-offensive TD can never be guaranteed, so Minnesota wins 20-17.

 

New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills

           The Patriots are looking for revenge from their loss to the Bills early in the season and will continue their dominance over Buffalo at home. The Pats will be the number one seed in the AFC with a victory and there's no reason why Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will not win in Foxborough. Brady has been overshadowed by Drew Brees this season, but amazingly the Patriots quarterback is on pace to break Dan Marino's previous single-season passing yardage record. Even if Brady only plays the first half of Sunday's game, he still has a shot at eclipsing the 5,084 mark. Ryan Fiztpatrick has tanked just as Buffalo has as the season has progressed. New England wins decisively 37-21.

 

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

            This NFC South matchup has little impact on the playoff picture. New Orleans has secured the number three seed and can only make the jump to No. 2 if for some unthinkable reason San Francisco loses to St. Louis and the Saints win. I think Sean Peyton will play his starters for the first half to give New Orleans a sizeable lead in case the Rams do upset the 49'ers. Additionally, Drew Brees does have to finish the season as the single-season passing leader of all-time. Peyton and Brees would both deny it if they were asked by the media, but if Brees were to sit out the entire game and Tom Brady were to play three quarters, then Brady would surpass Brees. Seeing the kind of figure Brees is for the city of New Orleans and the leader he is for the Saints, no one in Louisiana is going to let that happen. Even if Cam Newton puts up huge numbers, the Saints can still outscore the Panthers. The Saints win a high-scoring game 42-34.

 

Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles

             With Michael Vick back on the field for the Eagles, Philly has put together a win streak late in the season, although it is too little, too late. Both of these teams have been NFC East disappointments this season. Nothing spectacular was expected from the Redskins but the Eagles appeared to be favored to make it to the NFC Championship Game. Despite Philly signing a handful of Pro Bowlers-Jason Babin, Nnamdi Asomugha, Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie, Cullen Jenkins, and Vince Young-the Eagles sit at 7-8 and two wins away from the playoffs. With one of the best running backs in the NFL and the total touchdown leader, LeSean McCoy, the Eagles have a strong weapon on offense to complement their physical defense. Philadelphia wins 28-20.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

              First of all, I'm not sure who would want to watch this game. A 2-win team against a 4-win team and they will both try their hardest to lose the game. The Colts avoided the shame of finishing 0-16 by winning the past two games, but the only way that Indy can guarantee drafting Andrew Luck is to lose this game. For the same reason, Jacksonville will hope that the Colts win. If the Colts get the number one overall draft pick, the Jaguars will have to face Andrew Luck for twice a year for at least ten years. Both teams are pretty miserable in all areas except for the Jaguars at running back. The Jaguars have the worst offense in the league despite having Maurice Jones-Drew, the NFL's leading rusher. Blaine Gabbert is not playing well in his rookie season and lacks a good receiving core. Indianapolis has used three quarterbacks this season and even though Dan Orlovsky has two wins under his belt, he is not the future for the Colts. This game will be very ugly but Jacksonville wins the game 21-17.

Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans

                 The Texans have locked up the number three seed in the playoffs and the Titans are fighting for the final Wild Card spot. This game will be decided by a touchdown or less. The Texans are the better team with one of the league's best defenses, rushing attacks, and wide receiver's. However, Houston has secured its first playoff berth and as many other teams in similar positions, will probably rest or limit its starting players. Tennessee has more to play for and will leave everything on the field on Sunday. Chris Johnson is an elite running back and Matt Hasselbeck, assuming he is healthy enough to play, can provide leadership that only a veteran quarterback with playoff experience can. I think the Tennessee Titans pull out the win in Texas 34-28.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons

           When the NFL team schedules were released in the offseason, this game was potentially the deciding factor for the NFC South title or a Wild Card spot, but it turns out it's neither. Josh Freeman and the Bucs turned heads last season with a 10-6 record. Freeman was very impressive in his sophomore year and Tampa Bay appeared to be on an upward trend. However, the Buccaneers were a disappointment in 2011, entering Week 17 with a 4-11 record. After last week's Monday Night Football matchup at the Superdome, it is apparent that New Orleans, not Atlanta, is the best team in the division. The Saints blew out the Falcons 45-16 in a game highlighted by Drew Brees breaking the single-season passing yards record. The Falcons have locked up a Wild Card spot and are guaranteed to be on the road against a tough opponent in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons want to redeem themselves after getting embarrassed on the national stage last week and need to make adjustments before entering the playoffs. Atlanta wins 35-24.

 

Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals

           Both teams have reasons to play well on Sunday. With a win, the Ravens will finish the season 12-4 and win the AFC North over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With a win, the Bengals can make the playoffs for the first time since 2005. The game will be incredibly competitive as the AFC North is one of the most physical divisions in football and this is a must-win game for both teams. With a win, the Ravens would get a first round bye and home field advantage and the Bengals would get a playoff berth. The Bengals sold two-thirds of the seats available in Paul Brown Stadium last week alone and the city of Cincinnati is completely behind its team. Andy Dalton has had a phenomenal rookie season, making a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year, was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate, and is ready to lead his team to the playoffs. He has faced tough competition by playing the Steelers twice, the Ravens once already, San Francisco, as well as Houston, and Dalton is going to start his great NFL career by making it to the playoffs as a rookie. The Bengals come from behind in the fourth quarter to win 27-24.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns

           Big Ben is a very tough quarterback and will play Sunday against the Browns. Roethlisberger looked horrible in the Steelers' Monday Night Football loss to San Francisco and is currently battling an ankle injury. Despite how much his leg may hurt, a first round bye is on the line. The Steelers can even choose to give him an occasional series off by letting backup Charlie Batch take over. Batch beat St. Louis in his first start of the season last week. The Browns will have difficulty without quarterback Colt McCoy, who is still out after a brutal hit from James Harrison the last time the Browns faced the Steelers. Peyton Hillis is back in the lineup for the Browns but the Madden Curse has had its way with Hillis this season between injuries and contract disputes. Pittsburgh wins 31-24.

Kansas City Cheifs vs. Denver Broncos

           Tim Tebow's magic may be running out as Denver has lost its past two games by huge margins to the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. There are two big story lines in the final game of the season as Denver can make the playoffs with a win and Kyle Orton returns to play his former team to try to prevent them from making the playoffs. However, the Denver Broncos win 21-17.

 

New York Giants vs. Dallad Cowboys

 

           This is arguably the most important and most influential matchup of Week 17. Both the Giants and Cowboys are 8-7. The winner moves on to the playoffs, while the losing team's season is done. Tony Romo suffered an injury that knocked him out of the game last week, so there's no telling how healthy he is for this week. Plus, the Giants D-Line with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning has had a very good season and the Giants will win 27-21.

 

San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders

 

           With a win and a loss from Denver or a win and losses from New York and Cincinnati, Oakland has an outside chance to make the playoffs. However, San Diego is known for how well they play late in the season, especially December (January 1 is close enough to December). The Chargers are very good on offense between Philip Rivers, Ryan Matthews, and Vincent Jackson, while for the Raiders, Carson Palmer can be a major liability. San Diego wins 24-13. 

 

Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals

             Both teams are out of the playoffs no matter what, but this is still a divisional rivalry. Both teams enter the game at 7-8, with only the winning team making it to .500. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and John Skelton has been alright for a young quaterback. Marshawn Lynch is a powerful running back, but the Seahawks will need more than their rushing game to win this one. Cardinals win 17-14.

 

Play of the Year in the Final Days of 2011

            Before last Saturday, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson was infamously best known for police catching him receiving a two pound shipment of marijuana at his home, in addition to finding drug paraphernalia and another stash of marijuana inside. Simpson managed to avoid suspension and arrest, soon making the national spotlight for a much more comical reason. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, at the end of a play, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita bumped into Simpson and Simpson jumped up in the air and fell on his back. The referees saw the Bengals wide receiver go flying down to the ground out of the corner of their eyes and threw a penalty flag without realizing what had actually happened.

Courtesy of http://blacksportsonline.com/home/2011/11/bengals-wr-jerome-simpson-with-greatest-flop-of-all-time-video/

            This weekend, Jerome Simpson managed to one-up all of his on and off the field antics with front flip over an Arizona Cardinals defender into the endzone, landing on both feet. The Bengals were on the Cardinals twenty yard line when Simpson ran across the field on a crossing route, Andy Dalton hit the wide-open receiver, and Simpson flipped over linebacker Daryl Washington, and almost stuck the landing perfectly.

Courtesy of http://losthatsportsblog.com/tag/jerome-simpson-td-flip/

Christmas Day NFL Sunday Night Football Preview

            After suffering their first loss of the season last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers face the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Chicago announced this week that backup quarterback Josh McCown will start for the first time this season. For the Packers, tonight's game is about how the defending Super Bowl Champions will respond after losing their first game in their last twenty. They have secured the number one seed in the playoffs in the NFC, which means that the next two weeks are opportunities for the Packers to fine-tune their offense for when it really matters--the post-season. For the Chicago Bears, they are trying to stop their four-game losing streak with a win against their division rivals. In their first matchup of the season, the Bears played the Packers close, losing 27-17. The second time around, however, the game will be much different. The Bears will be without three of their biggest offensive weapons--quarterback Jay Cutler and running backs Matt Forte and Marion Barber. Instead, Chicago will have to rely on McCown and third-year running back Kahlil Bell. Bell has had limited snaps inthe NFL, with only 79 carries for 382 yards rushing.

Courtesy of http://www.yoursportsfan.com/index.php/sports/nfl

            Being a Chicago Bears fan, I wish I could sugar-coat this game and talk about how great the Bears defense is but it's impossible. I can't talk about the Bears losing by less than two touchdowns with a good conscience. Aaron Rodgers is a contender for MVP with 4,360 passing yards, 40 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions, and he's ocmpleted nearly 70% of his passes. The state of Wisconsin has forgotten about Brett Favre. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are loaded with offensive weapons. Being a pass-first offense, Green Bay doesn't need much of a rushing attack but between James Starks, Ryan Grant, and Rodgers, they can count on 100 yards per game. While the Packers do not have a player with over 1,000 receiving yards, they do have seven with over 200 yards this season. It's hard for a defense to to pick out one wide receiver or tight end and say "We're going to shut him down," because any player that is an eligible receiver can beat any defense in the league.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bryan_armen_graham/01/09/packers.eagles.grades/index.html

            The Bears will be lucky to rush for more than 100 yards and throw for more than 150. They're relying on third-string players at quarterback and running back. While Green Bay's defense is second to last in passing yards allowed per game, they played against the likes of Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, and Eli Manning, to name a few opposing quarterbacks. They have not been playing against Josh McCowns all season, but rather elite quarterbacks in half of their games. McCown has not started since 2007 and will struggle tonight. Green Bay is excellent at stopping the run, so Kahlil Bell will likely have a rough first start. Chicago's defense have better luck in stopping Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense than most of Green Bay's opponents this season, but the Bears have no way of scoring. The combination of the game being at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers coming off of their first loss of the season, and the Bears having arguably the worst offense in the league playing tonight, I predict the Packers win 31-10.

Indianapolis Colts May Have Won Their Way out of Andrew Luck

            Just seven days ago, the Indianapolis Colts were 0-13 and many believed Indy was on its way to a 0-16 record. The Colts would then get the number one overall pick, draft Andrew Luck, let Luck learn from Peyton Manning, and then dominate the AFC South for the next ten to fifteen years with another great franchise quarterback. However, Indianapolis managed to pull themselves together with a 27-13 win against the Tennessee Titans thanks to a huge rushing performance by Donald Brown. Then they had to turn around and face the division-leading Houston Texans on a short week. No one expected the Colts to win against one of the top defenses and rushing attacks in the league. With late game heroics from Dan Orlovsky and Reggie Wayne, the Colts pulled off the upset in the final minute to win consecutive games for the first time all season. While the Colts organization and all of Indy's fans must be thrilled that they finished the season strong, the team may have played its way out of Andrew Luck.

Courtesy of http://everyjoe.com/sports/andrew-luck-is-stupid/

             The Indianapolis Colts never would have expected that they would have to "compete" for the number one pick. The Colts are 2-13 with the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams also having two wins on the season. It is very unlikely that the Vikings would draft Andrew Luck since they selected quarterback Christian Ponder with their first round pick last year and he has had a lot of experience from this season. Plus, Minnesota has two winnable games left--at the Washington Redskins and at home against the Chicago Bears. The Rams, on the other hand, could really use Andrew Luck. Sam Bradford is struggling in his second year in the NFL, completing just over 50% of his passes, barely broke the 2,000 yard mark this season, has had twice as many turnovers as touchdown passes, and is too prone to injury. The Rams have also tested A.J. Feely and Kellen Clemens at quarterback but neither one is a long-term solution to their quarterback problems. St. Louis plays the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49'ers, both playoff-bound teams, in their final two games, which are almost guaranteed losses. If the Rams finish the year 2-14 then they have a shot at drafting Luck. The Indianapolis Colts have one game left in Jacksonville against the Jaguars, which will decide the future of Andrew Luck as well as the AFC South and NFC West for the next fifteen years. The only way the Colts can guarantee the #1 overall pick is to lose on New Year's Day. If I were Jim Caldwell, I would tell the defensive coordinator to draw up new schemes that the Colts players have no experience with and try them against the Jags. Then, "accidentally" punt the ball on third down because you "thought" it was fourth down. Maybe they should play very conservative and run on 3rd & 11 to not run the risk of throwing an interception. Whatever the in-game solution is, Indy needs to lose on purpose but disguise it very well so that there is not serious backlash. The best case scenario for the Colts is for Jacksonville to come out strong so that Indianapolis could not win the game even if they tried their hardest. But then, why should the Jaguars try at all? They know if the Colts lose, then they have to face Andrew Luck twice a year until the mid-2020's and I doubt they want that. I'm not sure who would want to watch Indianapolis play at Jacksonville in the first place, but I would strongly recommend against watching them in Week 17, because it will be a game with both teams trying their hardest to lose.
            The Indianapolis Colts need Andrew Luck. Peyton Manning is 35 and his best years are behind him. The owner of the Colts, Jim Irsay, said that Manning would play next season if he's healthy, but what if he's not. Or even if he is, there is no guarantee that he will throw for 4,000+ yards and 30+ touchdowns. The Colts have a solid receiving core, their backfield is above average, and they drafted offensive linemen with their first two picks in last year's draft. Now all Indy needs is a quarterback to lead them back to the Super Bowl. Andrew Luck has gone to Peyton Manning's football camps and they have had interactions in the past, so it would be ideal for Manning to teach Luck the in's and out's of the NFL so that Andrew Luck is the next Peyton Manning. The Indianapolis Colts are in a very rare situation where they can have two All-Pro, franchise quarterbacks and draft the second when the first's career is winding down. They need Andrew Luck, which means they need to lose at all costs against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even if the St. Louis Rams and the Minnesota Vikings finish 2-14, the Colts have a statistically easier schedule, so they will have the advantage and get the number one draft pick.