First off, for the record, I have wanted and waited and been willing to pick the Vikings to win this game all week long. I don't like the fact that Sydney Rice is going to miss the first half of the season, but before last year, nobody even though Rice was that good. Brett Farve is known for making mediocre or slightly above average receivers look much better than their talent level. Everyone knows that the Vikings have an insane pass rush/D-line and their secondary isn't bad either. Adrian Peterson has had fumbling issues, but he always puts up huge stats, and he's especially dangerous with fresh legs in the beginning of the season. I feel like white guys in general have not been given a chance as rbs in the league very much anymore (as with black quarterbacks), but that Stanford's standout Toby Gerhart is going to be great as the change of pace back and/or goal line type of back. Minnesota's offensive line, lead by Steve Hutchinson has to play extremely well in the beginning of the season while Brett Farve tries to work his way back into football player shape. There is so much surrounding talent, but more than that, I'm sure the Vikings organization thought they were the most talented team last year, as did I. They will be looking to get revenge on a team that tried to destroy Brett Farve and got every lucky break last year in the NFC championship game.
With the will, and the talent, and this last paragraph I've written, you would think I would think that the Vikings are going to win this season opener. I want the Vikings to win, I'm a fan of certain players on the team, they will be determined, angry, and focused, and in my opinion, the Vikings definitely have the better defense. They even have an edge in terms of my evaluation of each team's overall talent. However, the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl last year, and be it dumb luck or divine intervention, they're still a hell of a football team. I thought the Colts were better too, but the Saints are so good at creating turnovers and they have a quarterback who has a knack for pulling off the big play. The Saints have so many weapons on offense, but their defense will be missing a critical piece in Darren Sharper (who's injured) who was so strong as the leader of that much improved defensive effort. The SuperBowl winner has won next season's opening game for nine straight seasons but will it continue? I dont like picking the favorite, or going with the popular team... and as much as I know the Vikings REALLY want this game, and Farve really wants to assure his team that they will be as good as last year... The Vikings defense can't play as well as last year, Brett Farve has never had as good a year as last, and never will again. Brett Farve is finally going to feel his age throughout the season and I foresee some rough patches, although they are still going to vy for a playoff spot. AP has to step up and be what he was to the Vikings just two years ago. He has to be the prominent part of the offense, the juggernaut, the best player on the team, all things that people forget he may in fact still be capable of. I predict this game will be ridiculous to the maximum. and that my friend, is that.
Saints are going to take this one though. The New Orleans Saints will defeat the Minnesota Vikings. Hallelujah for a new NFL season!!!!!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Today - Welcome back to Revis Island ... Tonight - Boise St. Vs. Virginia Tech ... And my triumphant & bold prediction!!
Darelle Revis + The Jets = $32 million gauranteed
Darelle Revis finally ended his hold out. He was looking for somewhere in the neighborhood of 14-16 million dollars per year and he settled for 11 1/2 million per... Does that mean Darelle Revis was just wasting everybody's time? Not exactly. Guaranteed dollars is what every NFL player wants, seeing as how most of them can be cut at any time, after one bad performance, with no contractual assurances. The Jets were originally offering somewhere around $20 million guaranteed and $120 mil over 10 years. Although Darelle Revis technically now makes less money per year than he would've if he initally accepted the offer, He gets the guaranteed money he wanted, and with a shorter contract, 46 mil per 4 years, he can expect another big pay-day at the age of 28 if he continues to be half as good as he was last year.
Most fans, be it due to the HBO program "Hard Knocks", the Jets coach Rex Ryan's arrogance, or the undeserved attention the team has brought upon itself, Many sports experts and analysts as with Jet fans and a few bandwagon jumpers thought the Jets were already a SuperBowl contender and having Revis back just puts icing on the championship cake. While a majority of fans have become less than joyed by the team's shennanigans, the Cowboy's may or may not still be America's team, but the Jets are absolutely America's most hated team. The worst thing is though, that even most of the haters still view the New York Jets as at least a playoff team. It seems that Revis has become much less relevant to the sports media's actual opinion of the team's talent, and it's now more of a final chapter, a happy ending for a television program. So many people are already so high on the Jets that Darelle Revis just might put them through the roof. The truth is their cornerback position was already fairly talented without him, the overall defense already had good players, depth, and is well-coached. ( damn you, Rex)
They are now definitely a top 5 defensive unit and quite possibly even the best in the NFL. Guess what fanboy, bandwagon, Rex Ryan jiggling, Revis-island vacationing, Pretty boy quarterback worshipping, LT whining, JET lovers!!! Their offense still sucks, Qbs take a step back in their sophmore year usually and Sanchez can't get much worse. They had such a mediocre regular season in 2009 that their own coach (Yes, Rex) said they weren't going to make the playoffs, they won two games against two teams not playing hard or using their starters, while other wildcard hopefuls failed miserably and handed the Jets a chance to make a post-season they had no business getting into. It is FACT, that Mark Sanchez played above average in the 3 playoff games, he didn't even choke too bad against the likes of Peyton Manning, so it is quite possible Mark Sanchez has been blessed with the ability or capability of being clutch. In the end, the New York Jets didn't make it to the Super Bowl because of their strength, the defense. It turns out that when a team finally learns how to handle some of those blitz packages, and has a QB with the intelligence of Peyton, that Jets defense doesn't look so impenetrable. More importantly than that, Mark Sanchez isn't going to transform into a Superstar quarterback overnight, I actually think that he'll take a step forward this year, throw 15 tds, and 15 ints...with an 82.0 qb rating. He'll have average stats, coupled with some big moments. Like I said, the defense will be great. With a depleted offensive line, an unproven running game, wide receivers with attitudes, issues, and too many dropped passes, and a young, mistake-prone Quarterback, The jets can still be a good team, but not a great team, and I dont think they're a playoff team for that matter. The Patriots offense is more incredible than the Jets defense...
Darelle Revis is insane, he became the best cornerback in the game, in one season. He will take the opponent's best receiver completely out of the game. Unfortunately, most of the great teams in the NFL these days are like the Saints, Colts, Packers, or Patriots, they have Great Qbs who have plenty of receiving options. Tom Brady will be back for real this year, and every opponent's defense will be taking the Jets offense (because of the defense) much more seriously ( not that they were necessarily taken lightly) There will be more game planning for that agressive defense, more 3 and 5-step drop back and quick passes. (Dink N' Dunk, hit n' run, west coast style offense) Revis matters, he allows more blitzing, he acts as a double-team by himself, and quarterbacks don't even want to look in his direction, but does he matter enough to get the Jets to the playoffs and/or Super Bowl? Quite frankly the answer to that question is.....probably not....and....definitely not.
Revis + The Jets = more hype, more hope, no chance.
Predicters and Prognosticaters Behold!!! I was an insane 50% correct with my college picks for saturday. However, I failed to mention I am a fan of both Uconn & Notre Dame football and unlike professional sports, my lack of knowledge in terms of the talent both they had and that of their opponents was apparent. Thusly I had no idea Rich Rodriguez was in the midst of making Michigan a respectable football school yet again. I should've recognized that no matter how badly I want my local school (Uconn) to succeed, and no matter how many analysts predicted them to win the Big East Conference this season, schools with the legacy and prestige of Michigan will more often than not tend to acquire superior talent than schools that have yet to make a name for themselves in the sport. One solid thing we have learned is that of honesty, I will always accept responsibilty for my failure to be psychic at times. However, I am still a sports genius (a mastermind, if you will) and more often that not, I will know the outcome of seasons and individual games because of my vast knowledge of so many aspects involved!! Try finding that declaration by any sane sports writer. You won't be able to. Uconn had some untimely turnovers, and the refs had some trouble spotting the ball correctly throughout the game. However, Michigan deserved to win, and it is such a shame that defeating Connecticut will be the highlight of their slightly better than mediocre season.
Adam Schefter of ESPN NFL draft expertise fame, was on Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN radio (free advertising for ESPN all the time) as a guest host. Normally this would not be very exciting news, as he had already announced Darelle Revis was ending his holdout with the Jets. Doesn't he normally just update us on contract negotiations and find out which player an NFL team is actually picking, moments before they actually pick them, a thrilling prospect. Granted, I know it requires long hours, finding and establishing connections with general managers and coaches, and finding sources and believing in them enough to put your reputation on the line. He is one of the few personalties on ESPN with an individual perspective, not only did he go on a tour bus to many NFL training camps this summer, but he has access to all sorts of inside access and information. So it was interesting to note that his predictions were bizarrely similiar to mine, although I became frightened people would think I was stealing ideas from him and putting my own twist on them. He is the only person I've seen to also state the Jets are not a playoff team, and the Giants are, that was my original bold claim for gosh sakes!!! I like the Texans...the Bengals...as does he, he's unsure of the Saints and Vikings playoff chances, as am I.
Fortunately for me, he befuddled me by saying the Dallas Cowboys were NOT a playoff team. For a team with such a strong defense, with a superstar linebacker in Demarcus Ware, enough good running backs to control the clock and a potentially great Quarterback and recieving corps, a team that has essentially kept the same personnel from last season, a season in which they won the division, not to mention Romo and Wade phillips won their first playoff game against a tough Philadelphia team. To think Philadelphia and Washington will make the playoffs ahead of the Cowboys is absurd to me. Schefter's inability to decide between the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens in the AFC north and calling that possibly the best division in the NFL was his other mistake. The Steelers defense has good-great players returning from injury (Troy Palamalu, Ziggy Hood) but people under-estimating how important it is for Ben to have a number one reciever. Santonio Holmes finally began to claim that spot, and helped the steelers win a Super Bowl, he's gone (traded to those mighty JETS) Ben likes a big target that he has chemistry with. Heinz Ward continues to get older and plays too hard at his age for us not to expect nagging smaller injuries or worse. Willie Parker is no longer on the team and Mendenhall isn't going to be able to handle too many carries. Their offensive line still has question marks, the Steelers remind me of the Jets, not enough offense. At least they'll be getting their franchise quarterback back in time for game 5, but it might already be too late. The Ravens defense isn't the same as it has been, Ray Lewis is bound to lose a step each year, and even when Ed Reed comes back, he won't be the turnover machine he has been. Their secondary is one of the worst in the league. I don't even trust Joe Flacco and those washed up receivers at all, and Ray Rice can't win the division by himself. To me, that makes the Bengals, behind the underrated, consistent Carson Palmer, the up and coming Cedric Benson, and the new toy at tight end, Jermaine Grisham, the easy favorite and winner of the AFC north division. Of course, those two loud-mouth wide-outs will annoy so many defenders with their collective lunacy, and unexpected play... The Bengals were a top 10 defense last year, they don't allow big plays, they can make turnovers, they dont have big names, but they have good team chemistry and a great coach in Dom Capers. Beyond that, I have previously stated, with four 500. and above teams, three serious playoff contenders, two championship hopefuls and one super power in Indianapolis, the AFC north is the ultimate division. Even Adam Schefter is picking the Texans and Colts to be post-season bound... So schefty, don't get it twisted, you were so close to knowing what you were talking about, but I am still 100% right in my beliefs according to myself!
Also it has come to my attention, according to multiple sources, as to not give ESPN one more mention in this blog (damn it) that every year for the last fourteen years there have been at least FIVE new playoff teams, in other words, FIVE different playoff teams from the previous season. There were six last year and it means that pretty much undoubtedly, inevitably there will be at least a few teams that YOU or THEY weren't expecting to make it into the post-season, that will. I did not know this, or run across this fact during my evalutating research before determining my NFL playoff predicitions, and yet my predictions perfectly fit under those guidelines. I have five new teams in this year, the Giants, Texans, Dolphins, 49ers, and as of now I'm leaning towards putting the skins in ahead of the Vikings. Although with the eagles still being a decent team, it seems unlikely that two NFC east teams would get in. The Falcons, on the other hand, be it as division winners in front of New Orleans, or as one of the wildcard teams are starting to swing me their way. Screw that, Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson are not going to let it happen, I dont care if Brett Farve gets hurt in week ONE and Tavaris Jackson becomes the starter, the Vikings will get that sixth seed. So. With that thought. My thought is that either...only four new teams get in this year, or I have to change my mind. The Falcons and Redskins are the two teams that could throw off the bold prediction I'm about to make, I dont believe in the Steelers or Ravens, so believe it or not, The Jets and Titans are the two new teams that mess things up in the AFC... but... I dont see it. The NFL has so much parody and so many teams with losing records can turn it around at any moment. But this year, teams like the Lions, Bears, Rams, Seahawks, Browns, Jaguars, Bills, Chiefs and Raiders are STILL, absolutley, 1000% not good enough in my opinion. And when 8 or 9 or 10 teams are DEFINITELY not going to make the playoffs AGAIN, even though there will still be so many changes in division winners and seeding, I must do this...
Bold Prediction #1 : There will NOT be FIVE new (teams that didnt make it last year) teams to make the playoffs this year. There may in fact only be, and I predict that there will be, four.
Boiste State is from the WAC ( not wack) They have been uber impressive in the BCS Bowl games over the last several seasons. They don't always face the most exciting, established, powerhouse, big name competition that the big schools in the big conferences do, but they are one of the best programs in the Nation. Their head coach and scouting is exceptional, and I'm almost positive they're able to recruit top-notch talent just by showing off their pretty blue field. Virginia Tech is always a contender in the ACC and usually in the top 10 for most, if not some of the season, in recent years. Tonight's matchup is HUGE, because a team from a smaller conference, from nowheresville, Idaho... Boise St. could be on there way to becoming the first team from a non-BCS conference to play for a national championship. It all starts tonight and they will not let their fans down, Virginia Tech is always ready for a good opponent, but for once, I think the smaller school has the edge in talent, on both sides of the football. Look for Virginia Tech sophmores and freshman to be nervous in the first half....
Bold Prediction #2: Boise St defeats Virginia Tech
Darelle Revis finally ended his hold out. He was looking for somewhere in the neighborhood of 14-16 million dollars per year and he settled for 11 1/2 million per... Does that mean Darelle Revis was just wasting everybody's time? Not exactly. Guaranteed dollars is what every NFL player wants, seeing as how most of them can be cut at any time, after one bad performance, with no contractual assurances. The Jets were originally offering somewhere around $20 million guaranteed and $120 mil over 10 years. Although Darelle Revis technically now makes less money per year than he would've if he initally accepted the offer, He gets the guaranteed money he wanted, and with a shorter contract, 46 mil per 4 years, he can expect another big pay-day at the age of 28 if he continues to be half as good as he was last year.
Most fans, be it due to the HBO program "Hard Knocks", the Jets coach Rex Ryan's arrogance, or the undeserved attention the team has brought upon itself, Many sports experts and analysts as with Jet fans and a few bandwagon jumpers thought the Jets were already a SuperBowl contender and having Revis back just puts icing on the championship cake. While a majority of fans have become less than joyed by the team's shennanigans, the Cowboy's may or may not still be America's team, but the Jets are absolutely America's most hated team. The worst thing is though, that even most of the haters still view the New York Jets as at least a playoff team. It seems that Revis has become much less relevant to the sports media's actual opinion of the team's talent, and it's now more of a final chapter, a happy ending for a television program. So many people are already so high on the Jets that Darelle Revis just might put them through the roof. The truth is their cornerback position was already fairly talented without him, the overall defense already had good players, depth, and is well-coached. ( damn you, Rex)
They are now definitely a top 5 defensive unit and quite possibly even the best in the NFL. Guess what fanboy, bandwagon, Rex Ryan jiggling, Revis-island vacationing, Pretty boy quarterback worshipping, LT whining, JET lovers!!! Their offense still sucks, Qbs take a step back in their sophmore year usually and Sanchez can't get much worse. They had such a mediocre regular season in 2009 that their own coach (Yes, Rex) said they weren't going to make the playoffs, they won two games against two teams not playing hard or using their starters, while other wildcard hopefuls failed miserably and handed the Jets a chance to make a post-season they had no business getting into. It is FACT, that Mark Sanchez played above average in the 3 playoff games, he didn't even choke too bad against the likes of Peyton Manning, so it is quite possible Mark Sanchez has been blessed with the ability or capability of being clutch. In the end, the New York Jets didn't make it to the Super Bowl because of their strength, the defense. It turns out that when a team finally learns how to handle some of those blitz packages, and has a QB with the intelligence of Peyton, that Jets defense doesn't look so impenetrable. More importantly than that, Mark Sanchez isn't going to transform into a Superstar quarterback overnight, I actually think that he'll take a step forward this year, throw 15 tds, and 15 ints...with an 82.0 qb rating. He'll have average stats, coupled with some big moments. Like I said, the defense will be great. With a depleted offensive line, an unproven running game, wide receivers with attitudes, issues, and too many dropped passes, and a young, mistake-prone Quarterback, The jets can still be a good team, but not a great team, and I dont think they're a playoff team for that matter. The Patriots offense is more incredible than the Jets defense...
Darelle Revis is insane, he became the best cornerback in the game, in one season. He will take the opponent's best receiver completely out of the game. Unfortunately, most of the great teams in the NFL these days are like the Saints, Colts, Packers, or Patriots, they have Great Qbs who have plenty of receiving options. Tom Brady will be back for real this year, and every opponent's defense will be taking the Jets offense (because of the defense) much more seriously ( not that they were necessarily taken lightly) There will be more game planning for that agressive defense, more 3 and 5-step drop back and quick passes. (Dink N' Dunk, hit n' run, west coast style offense) Revis matters, he allows more blitzing, he acts as a double-team by himself, and quarterbacks don't even want to look in his direction, but does he matter enough to get the Jets to the playoffs and/or Super Bowl? Quite frankly the answer to that question is.....probably not....and....definitely not.
Revis + The Jets = more hype, more hope, no chance.
Predicters and Prognosticaters Behold!!! I was an insane 50% correct with my college picks for saturday. However, I failed to mention I am a fan of both Uconn & Notre Dame football and unlike professional sports, my lack of knowledge in terms of the talent both they had and that of their opponents was apparent. Thusly I had no idea Rich Rodriguez was in the midst of making Michigan a respectable football school yet again. I should've recognized that no matter how badly I want my local school (Uconn) to succeed, and no matter how many analysts predicted them to win the Big East Conference this season, schools with the legacy and prestige of Michigan will more often than not tend to acquire superior talent than schools that have yet to make a name for themselves in the sport. One solid thing we have learned is that of honesty, I will always accept responsibilty for my failure to be psychic at times. However, I am still a sports genius (a mastermind, if you will) and more often that not, I will know the outcome of seasons and individual games because of my vast knowledge of so many aspects involved!! Try finding that declaration by any sane sports writer. You won't be able to. Uconn had some untimely turnovers, and the refs had some trouble spotting the ball correctly throughout the game. However, Michigan deserved to win, and it is such a shame that defeating Connecticut will be the highlight of their slightly better than mediocre season.
Adam Schefter of ESPN NFL draft expertise fame, was on Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPN radio (free advertising for ESPN all the time) as a guest host. Normally this would not be very exciting news, as he had already announced Darelle Revis was ending his holdout with the Jets. Doesn't he normally just update us on contract negotiations and find out which player an NFL team is actually picking, moments before they actually pick them, a thrilling prospect. Granted, I know it requires long hours, finding and establishing connections with general managers and coaches, and finding sources and believing in them enough to put your reputation on the line. He is one of the few personalties on ESPN with an individual perspective, not only did he go on a tour bus to many NFL training camps this summer, but he has access to all sorts of inside access and information. So it was interesting to note that his predictions were bizarrely similiar to mine, although I became frightened people would think I was stealing ideas from him and putting my own twist on them. He is the only person I've seen to also state the Jets are not a playoff team, and the Giants are, that was my original bold claim for gosh sakes!!! I like the Texans...the Bengals...as does he, he's unsure of the Saints and Vikings playoff chances, as am I.
Fortunately for me, he befuddled me by saying the Dallas Cowboys were NOT a playoff team. For a team with such a strong defense, with a superstar linebacker in Demarcus Ware, enough good running backs to control the clock and a potentially great Quarterback and recieving corps, a team that has essentially kept the same personnel from last season, a season in which they won the division, not to mention Romo and Wade phillips won their first playoff game against a tough Philadelphia team. To think Philadelphia and Washington will make the playoffs ahead of the Cowboys is absurd to me. Schefter's inability to decide between the Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens in the AFC north and calling that possibly the best division in the NFL was his other mistake. The Steelers defense has good-great players returning from injury (Troy Palamalu, Ziggy Hood) but people under-estimating how important it is for Ben to have a number one reciever. Santonio Holmes finally began to claim that spot, and helped the steelers win a Super Bowl, he's gone (traded to those mighty JETS) Ben likes a big target that he has chemistry with. Heinz Ward continues to get older and plays too hard at his age for us not to expect nagging smaller injuries or worse. Willie Parker is no longer on the team and Mendenhall isn't going to be able to handle too many carries. Their offensive line still has question marks, the Steelers remind me of the Jets, not enough offense. At least they'll be getting their franchise quarterback back in time for game 5, but it might already be too late. The Ravens defense isn't the same as it has been, Ray Lewis is bound to lose a step each year, and even when Ed Reed comes back, he won't be the turnover machine he has been. Their secondary is one of the worst in the league. I don't even trust Joe Flacco and those washed up receivers at all, and Ray Rice can't win the division by himself. To me, that makes the Bengals, behind the underrated, consistent Carson Palmer, the up and coming Cedric Benson, and the new toy at tight end, Jermaine Grisham, the easy favorite and winner of the AFC north division. Of course, those two loud-mouth wide-outs will annoy so many defenders with their collective lunacy, and unexpected play... The Bengals were a top 10 defense last year, they don't allow big plays, they can make turnovers, they dont have big names, but they have good team chemistry and a great coach in Dom Capers. Beyond that, I have previously stated, with four 500. and above teams, three serious playoff contenders, two championship hopefuls and one super power in Indianapolis, the AFC north is the ultimate division. Even Adam Schefter is picking the Texans and Colts to be post-season bound... So schefty, don't get it twisted, you were so close to knowing what you were talking about, but I am still 100% right in my beliefs according to myself!
Also it has come to my attention, according to multiple sources, as to not give ESPN one more mention in this blog (damn it) that every year for the last fourteen years there have been at least FIVE new playoff teams, in other words, FIVE different playoff teams from the previous season. There were six last year and it means that pretty much undoubtedly, inevitably there will be at least a few teams that YOU or THEY weren't expecting to make it into the post-season, that will. I did not know this, or run across this fact during my evalutating research before determining my NFL playoff predicitions, and yet my predictions perfectly fit under those guidelines. I have five new teams in this year, the Giants, Texans, Dolphins, 49ers, and as of now I'm leaning towards putting the skins in ahead of the Vikings. Although with the eagles still being a decent team, it seems unlikely that two NFC east teams would get in. The Falcons, on the other hand, be it as division winners in front of New Orleans, or as one of the wildcard teams are starting to swing me their way. Screw that, Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson are not going to let it happen, I dont care if Brett Farve gets hurt in week ONE and Tavaris Jackson becomes the starter, the Vikings will get that sixth seed. So. With that thought. My thought is that either...only four new teams get in this year, or I have to change my mind. The Falcons and Redskins are the two teams that could throw off the bold prediction I'm about to make, I dont believe in the Steelers or Ravens, so believe it or not, The Jets and Titans are the two new teams that mess things up in the AFC... but... I dont see it. The NFL has so much parody and so many teams with losing records can turn it around at any moment. But this year, teams like the Lions, Bears, Rams, Seahawks, Browns, Jaguars, Bills, Chiefs and Raiders are STILL, absolutley, 1000% not good enough in my opinion. And when 8 or 9 or 10 teams are DEFINITELY not going to make the playoffs AGAIN, even though there will still be so many changes in division winners and seeding, I must do this...
Bold Prediction #1 : There will NOT be FIVE new (teams that didnt make it last year) teams to make the playoffs this year. There may in fact only be, and I predict that there will be, four.
Boiste State is from the WAC ( not wack) They have been uber impressive in the BCS Bowl games over the last several seasons. They don't always face the most exciting, established, powerhouse, big name competition that the big schools in the big conferences do, but they are one of the best programs in the Nation. Their head coach and scouting is exceptional, and I'm almost positive they're able to recruit top-notch talent just by showing off their pretty blue field. Virginia Tech is always a contender in the ACC and usually in the top 10 for most, if not some of the season, in recent years. Tonight's matchup is HUGE, because a team from a smaller conference, from nowheresville, Idaho... Boise St. could be on there way to becoming the first team from a non-BCS conference to play for a national championship. It all starts tonight and they will not let their fans down, Virginia Tech is always ready for a good opponent, but for once, I think the smaller school has the edge in talent, on both sides of the football. Look for Virginia Tech sophmores and freshman to be nervous in the first half....
Bold Prediction #2: Boise St defeats Virginia Tech
Saturday, September 4, 2010
College football is back!!! But the NFL is better!!!
Uconn & Notre Dame will win today against Michigan & Purdue respectively. I guarantee it!! And if I'm wrong, well then its because the NFL is so much more interesting to me. I know the crowds, the bands, and the college atmosphere for a big time college football game is unlike anything else, and I would certainly rather go to and participate in a college game than a pro game... But the level of talent and sophistication in the NFL can not be matched. The defensive schemes and strategies are so complicated and challenging. Everything is at a different level of intensity each week, even more so in rivarly and playoff games. College football is fun, its exciting to root for or against guys like Tim Tebow who seem like their bigger than life in their uniforms. Also the level of fan dedication can be so high for even the smaller schools. However, nothing beats what the NFL has to offer, the personalties, the strategy, the violent hits and the video game and fantasy teams to make you feel more apart of the experience. This weekend, college football provides the appetizer for us, as we await the spectacle they call the National Football League.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Quick Hits!
- I love watching and following sports. I love ESPN and local networks. And even though I disagree with so many things that have recently gone on. My anger is all in jest, and my opinion is fun for everyone. (except people who take sports too seriously)
- The afc east is vastly overrated. The nfc east is superbly underrated.
- Along with ESPN's ridiculous power rankings, ESPN's Jon Ritchie implied that every nfc east team has gotten worse this morning on ESPN's First Take. So the redskins got Donovan and Shannahan, Haynesworth is mad as hell and clintin portis is fighting for the starting job, and the redskins aren't as good as they were with Jason Campbell? Are you KIDDING me?
- Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds belong in the hall of fame. Put an asterik or explain how they cheated if you want. With spitballs, spiked slides, corked bats, and various cheating scandals, Major League Baseball has never been 100% clean, and like the rest of society, never will be. The media shouldn't be covering these boring, irrelevant (to those of us who don't care if a moron wants to go to prison to defend his lies) sports stars off-field battles with arrogance and ignorance. If the majority of MLB players decide former players who have cheated should not go to the HOF, that's a different story...but baseball writers across the country shouldn't even have a vote.
- The Minnesota Vikings are a questionable contender. And I dont mean a Super Bowl contender. Even the lowliest of fools can agree the packers look to be awesome this year. Farve is old, Farve is hurt, Farve will never be able to repeat the insanely incredible career year stats he put up last year. Hopefully for them, the Giants, Redskins, or Falcons don't steal those two wildcard playoff spots.
- The Jets have no offense. Mark Sanchez wasn't good last year, how do people not get this? The Patriots have no defense. There pass rush looks to be even worse without Ty Warren (starting DE) and the corners are all young'ns who have yet to prove anything. The Dolphins are too young and inexperienced, and their overall talent is undetermined. So does that mean I'm picking the Bills to win the division? pfft.... I've flopped back and forth on this for weeks in my own head and with my friends...so I pick the Pats....no wait, the Dolphins....hmm...
- The dolphins will win the AFC east... The Pats will win the wildcard because the jets lose to both teams twice. That is four wins right there. I figure if I say both teams make the playoffs, I have a cop out
- The AFC south is the greatest division I've seen in years, every team is competitive. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars (who have no fans) are always a 500. team who competes hard against teams with superior talent. I like the Titans and Texans for the other wild card spot, but they're all so good that I dont think there's any way the colts will win 12 games again. give um 10 or 11 and a playoff spot.
- The colts have proven time and time again through performance and record that they don't need Bob Sanders. I have no idea if that makes him overrated, but I do know that Troy Polamalu is 10x more important to the Steelers.
- C.J. Spiller, Thomas Jones, Ahmad Bradshaw, Johnny Knox, and Hakeem Nicks, these are my sleeper picks for fantasy football.
- Speaking of which, this year your strategy should be this: Unless you have the first two picks and can select Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson, do not take a running back until the 5th or 6th round. While everyone is else is scrambling to try and put together a great running back core, you can get a great qb in the first or second round and a great te in the 4th or 5th round. Even two of the better running backs in fantasy, Jonathon Stewart and Deangelo Williams, play on the same team. Split carries mean less yards and you'll never know which guy will score the tds on any given sunday. So pick a good solid running back when you can, but be cautious, pick a guy who will get carries, and if there's any doubt, pick a WR.
- Jacoby Ellsbury really was hurt, you insensitive Red Sox fans!!!
- Now Pedroia needs surgery because of the doctors... the Red Sox should've realized they were out of it the moment Youklis was out for the year. Sometimes you try to do whatever you can to get into the playoffs because you know your pitching staff can win you a world series, and sometimes you know when to fold them. If Boston doesn't make some signifigant off-season moves and/or at least hold onto the free agent players they're about to lose, then I dont care how good their pitching might be, they will finish third again.
- UFC and MMA is exciting, it gets more and more popular each year, but noone wants to see two dudes on the ground wrestling each other...remove that from the equation and then we're talking violent mayhem.
- Skip Bayless of ESPN has always said Lebron James should never shoot the ball and that Tiger Woods has no competition. So let's clear up the facts. Lebron James has a decent mid-range to close-range game and shot. Lebron is capable of making 3-pointers and seems to get more consistent each season. If Lebron took it to the basket on every play, defenders wouldn't need to respect his shot, and he would wear himself out in the first half. Phil Mickelson has finished second too many times to say that Tiger has no competition. Way more importantly than that, you can't compare two different eras, noone has any idea how Jack Nicklaus would've matched up with today's golfers. Jack Nicklaus may have been as good as Phil or Vijay Singh...its impossible to know, so based on statistics and facts (winning percentage, top ten finishes, age, grand slam events) , Tiger woods is the best golfer of all time, the end.
- I've thought about how good Michael Jordan would be in today's NBA world because of nba2k11's upcoming NBA game that focuses on the superstar. Michael Jordan is considered better at his sport than Babe Ruth was at his. (which I find ridiculous, the Babe was even a spectacular pitcher) Even so, and even though Michael Jordan only played 10-20 years ago... you STILL can't compare eras. Players today are bigger, faster and stronger. I would never say that Lebron James is better than Michael Jordan (especially at this point in his career) but Michael Jordan never faced a player like Lebron. Jordan didnt have to face the faster 6'8 defensive specialists that exist today. Michael Jordan could still be the best today, but I'm sure his numbers would diminish, his championship runs would be as challenging if not more so and everything would be different. Team basketball is obviously a world-wide phenomenon and every player today in the U.S.A. plays in a one on one NBA universe. Michael Jordan is still probably the best NBA player in history ( not in general sports, think Gretzsky, Ruth, Federer, Woods) but possibly not (think Kobe, Shaq (no?) hmm... Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain) You can't argue the past when you never saw what happened, so we'll never know the true scale of sports legends, but it's fun to speculate.
- Now that Lebron has joined the dark side... (I still think the Dallas Mavericks should've beat D-wade, Shaq and the Heat in the '06 NBA finals, stupid refs) and now that Lebron has become almost as universally despised as Kobe Bryant once was. I think most of America is rooting for the Celtics, but those of us realists who foresee a Heat vs. Lakers 2011 NBA finals... it's time to root for Kobe's team.
- The Bulls needed shooters and an inside scorer/rebounder to become a championship contender again. With the acquistions of Boozer, Korver, Watson, Brewer and others, the Bulls have reached the level of the Atlanta Hawks. I only say this, thinking the Hawks will finally get better this year in the playoffs, because their inside guys, Horford and Smith, will keep getting better. The Celtics are still a fifth playoff seed at best even with the signings of Jermaine Oneal, Shaq and Delonte West (shout out to Lebron's mother), they are not built for the regular season. But I haven't seen a team with so much heart, pride and determination in such a long time. They had no business even taking the Lakers to a game seven... so you can never count them out.
- NBA playoff seeds for the 10-11 season, predictions of Troy G. Lightner...
EAST
1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Boston Celtics
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. New York Knicks (hehe)
8. Charlotte Bobcats
WEST
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Portland Blazers
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Houston Rockets
7. Phoenix Suns
8. Dallas Mavericks / New Orleans Hornets (cop out)
- Ben Rothleisberger did not deserve to be suspended at all. There were two incidents, The first one was extremely questionable, while the second one proved that the girl was intoxicated and there was at least initial consent. Along with the fact that there was no DNA evidence in either case, and the charges against Big Ben were dropped. I understand the commisioner's policy, and Adam "Pacman" Jones got suspended because he was questioned by police over 10 times in 3 years and had a prior record. Pacman Jones almost undoubtedly was involved in some shady ongoings and illegal activities while noone is even 50% positive that Ben Rothliesberger did anything illegal or "wrong". I don't like Ben's attitude when it comes to women or the way he was choosing to live his life but the commisioner had no right to punish Ben further for crimes he may not have committed. It shouldn't be about race under any circumstances, but I think Ben was punished because he was white, and the commisioner did not want to offend the black community by going too "easy" on him after the severe punishments he has handed down to black NFL players for off-field issues. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers don't seem to be nearly as much of a playoff contender, the commisioner has made a very popular NFL franchise and community pay the price. More importantly, unless a player is proven guilty in a court of law, the NFL should have no right to suspend or ban anyone from their league. Perhaps, it's simply my wishful thinking.
- The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears are going to be better than you think, I think.
- The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays or Philadelphia Phillies will win the world series this year. Look at how talented those teams are with their pitching and offense. Noone else will have a chance.
- With Andy Pettite and A-rod's health in question, A.J. burnett's awful and inconsistent year, Javier Vasquez in the bullpen for some reason even though he's at least been better than A.J. and Phil Hughes lack of experience and possible tired arm.... I'm crossing the Yankees off my list.
- The Rays are as fast as lightning on those base paths, and although they aren't the most powerful line up, they are clutch and consistent, whilst their starting pitching is superior. The Phillies may have Halladay, Hammels and Oswalt now, but Halladay won't be as good as Cliff Lee was last year, Cole Hammels has a great playoff record but he's been inconsistent for the last couple of years and he didnt help them win the world series last year. And finally, Roy Oswalt loved pitching in a small town with low to no expectations, his playoff inexperience and his questionable ability to be clutch could be big factors in the post-season. The phillies bats weren't very good against a solid yankees starting rotation in last year's world series, so we can only imagine how bad they'll do against Tampa Bay's starters.
- The Tampa Bay Rays will win the 2010 world series. 5 years ago, the Devil Rays were still a joke in MLB, its amazing how things change so quickly. (especially in the sports world, in particularly in a sport like baseball where a small market team isn't supposed to be capable of contending.)
- Lastly, I leave you with my 2010 NFL playoff predictions...
AFC
1. Cincinnati Bengals ( In spite of Terrell Owens locker room antics)
2. Houston Texans (we've been waiting...)
3. New England Patriots (I changed my mind again)
4. San Diego Chargers (by default, and no the raiders are not going to be great this year. nor the chiefs)
5. Indianapolis Colts (10 wins this year, I'm tellin ya.)
6. Miami Dolphins ( who doesn't love Chad Henne?)
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (ask anyone.)
2. Dallas Cowboys (lets be real, Dez was a steal. They're going to lose in the division round anyway)
3. New Orleans Saints ( I dont know if I like this choice)
4. San Francisco 49ers (They almost have to win the division title.)
5. New York Giants (I'm a fan, I may be biased.)
6. Minnesota Vikings / Washington Redskins (Let's say they're tied...you be the tie-breaker!)
And now that my opinions and predictions are online, we can all look back and see how wrong I've been about everything. Sounds like fun, can't wait, agree to disagree? FIGHT BACK for YOUR team. E-mail me at tgl4093@yahoo.com or send TrizzSports a message here on http://www.blogspot.com/ or even just post a comment below. Good night everyone!!!
- The afc east is vastly overrated. The nfc east is superbly underrated.
- Along with ESPN's ridiculous power rankings, ESPN's Jon Ritchie implied that every nfc east team has gotten worse this morning on ESPN's First Take. So the redskins got Donovan and Shannahan, Haynesworth is mad as hell and clintin portis is fighting for the starting job, and the redskins aren't as good as they were with Jason Campbell? Are you KIDDING me?
- Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds belong in the hall of fame. Put an asterik or explain how they cheated if you want. With spitballs, spiked slides, corked bats, and various cheating scandals, Major League Baseball has never been 100% clean, and like the rest of society, never will be. The media shouldn't be covering these boring, irrelevant (to those of us who don't care if a moron wants to go to prison to defend his lies) sports stars off-field battles with arrogance and ignorance. If the majority of MLB players decide former players who have cheated should not go to the HOF, that's a different story...but baseball writers across the country shouldn't even have a vote.
- The Minnesota Vikings are a questionable contender. And I dont mean a Super Bowl contender. Even the lowliest of fools can agree the packers look to be awesome this year. Farve is old, Farve is hurt, Farve will never be able to repeat the insanely incredible career year stats he put up last year. Hopefully for them, the Giants, Redskins, or Falcons don't steal those two wildcard playoff spots.
- The Jets have no offense. Mark Sanchez wasn't good last year, how do people not get this? The Patriots have no defense. There pass rush looks to be even worse without Ty Warren (starting DE) and the corners are all young'ns who have yet to prove anything. The Dolphins are too young and inexperienced, and their overall talent is undetermined. So does that mean I'm picking the Bills to win the division? pfft.... I've flopped back and forth on this for weeks in my own head and with my friends...so I pick the Pats....no wait, the Dolphins....hmm...
- The dolphins will win the AFC east... The Pats will win the wildcard because the jets lose to both teams twice. That is four wins right there. I figure if I say both teams make the playoffs, I have a cop out
- The AFC south is the greatest division I've seen in years, every team is competitive. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars (who have no fans) are always a 500. team who competes hard against teams with superior talent. I like the Titans and Texans for the other wild card spot, but they're all so good that I dont think there's any way the colts will win 12 games again. give um 10 or 11 and a playoff spot.
- The colts have proven time and time again through performance and record that they don't need Bob Sanders. I have no idea if that makes him overrated, but I do know that Troy Polamalu is 10x more important to the Steelers.
- C.J. Spiller, Thomas Jones, Ahmad Bradshaw, Johnny Knox, and Hakeem Nicks, these are my sleeper picks for fantasy football.
- Speaking of which, this year your strategy should be this: Unless you have the first two picks and can select Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson, do not take a running back until the 5th or 6th round. While everyone is else is scrambling to try and put together a great running back core, you can get a great qb in the first or second round and a great te in the 4th or 5th round. Even two of the better running backs in fantasy, Jonathon Stewart and Deangelo Williams, play on the same team. Split carries mean less yards and you'll never know which guy will score the tds on any given sunday. So pick a good solid running back when you can, but be cautious, pick a guy who will get carries, and if there's any doubt, pick a WR.
- Jacoby Ellsbury really was hurt, you insensitive Red Sox fans!!!
- Now Pedroia needs surgery because of the doctors... the Red Sox should've realized they were out of it the moment Youklis was out for the year. Sometimes you try to do whatever you can to get into the playoffs because you know your pitching staff can win you a world series, and sometimes you know when to fold them. If Boston doesn't make some signifigant off-season moves and/or at least hold onto the free agent players they're about to lose, then I dont care how good their pitching might be, they will finish third again.
- UFC and MMA is exciting, it gets more and more popular each year, but noone wants to see two dudes on the ground wrestling each other...remove that from the equation and then we're talking violent mayhem.
- Skip Bayless of ESPN has always said Lebron James should never shoot the ball and that Tiger Woods has no competition. So let's clear up the facts. Lebron James has a decent mid-range to close-range game and shot. Lebron is capable of making 3-pointers and seems to get more consistent each season. If Lebron took it to the basket on every play, defenders wouldn't need to respect his shot, and he would wear himself out in the first half. Phil Mickelson has finished second too many times to say that Tiger has no competition. Way more importantly than that, you can't compare two different eras, noone has any idea how Jack Nicklaus would've matched up with today's golfers. Jack Nicklaus may have been as good as Phil or Vijay Singh...its impossible to know, so based on statistics and facts (winning percentage, top ten finishes, age, grand slam events) , Tiger woods is the best golfer of all time, the end.
- I've thought about how good Michael Jordan would be in today's NBA world because of nba2k11's upcoming NBA game that focuses on the superstar. Michael Jordan is considered better at his sport than Babe Ruth was at his. (which I find ridiculous, the Babe was even a spectacular pitcher) Even so, and even though Michael Jordan only played 10-20 years ago... you STILL can't compare eras. Players today are bigger, faster and stronger. I would never say that Lebron James is better than Michael Jordan (especially at this point in his career) but Michael Jordan never faced a player like Lebron. Jordan didnt have to face the faster 6'8 defensive specialists that exist today. Michael Jordan could still be the best today, but I'm sure his numbers would diminish, his championship runs would be as challenging if not more so and everything would be different. Team basketball is obviously a world-wide phenomenon and every player today in the U.S.A. plays in a one on one NBA universe. Michael Jordan is still probably the best NBA player in history ( not in general sports, think Gretzsky, Ruth, Federer, Woods) but possibly not (think Kobe, Shaq (no?) hmm... Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain) You can't argue the past when you never saw what happened, so we'll never know the true scale of sports legends, but it's fun to speculate.
- Now that Lebron has joined the dark side... (I still think the Dallas Mavericks should've beat D-wade, Shaq and the Heat in the '06 NBA finals, stupid refs) and now that Lebron has become almost as universally despised as Kobe Bryant once was. I think most of America is rooting for the Celtics, but those of us realists who foresee a Heat vs. Lakers 2011 NBA finals... it's time to root for Kobe's team.
- The Bulls needed shooters and an inside scorer/rebounder to become a championship contender again. With the acquistions of Boozer, Korver, Watson, Brewer and others, the Bulls have reached the level of the Atlanta Hawks. I only say this, thinking the Hawks will finally get better this year in the playoffs, because their inside guys, Horford and Smith, will keep getting better. The Celtics are still a fifth playoff seed at best even with the signings of Jermaine Oneal, Shaq and Delonte West (shout out to Lebron's mother), they are not built for the regular season. But I haven't seen a team with so much heart, pride and determination in such a long time. They had no business even taking the Lakers to a game seven... so you can never count them out.
- NBA playoff seeds for the 10-11 season, predictions of Troy G. Lightner...
EAST
1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Boston Celtics
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. New York Knicks (hehe)
8. Charlotte Bobcats
WEST
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Denver Nuggets
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Portland Blazers
5. San Antonio Spurs
6. Houston Rockets
7. Phoenix Suns
8. Dallas Mavericks / New Orleans Hornets (cop out)
- Ben Rothleisberger did not deserve to be suspended at all. There were two incidents, The first one was extremely questionable, while the second one proved that the girl was intoxicated and there was at least initial consent. Along with the fact that there was no DNA evidence in either case, and the charges against Big Ben were dropped. I understand the commisioner's policy, and Adam "Pacman" Jones got suspended because he was questioned by police over 10 times in 3 years and had a prior record. Pacman Jones almost undoubtedly was involved in some shady ongoings and illegal activities while noone is even 50% positive that Ben Rothliesberger did anything illegal or "wrong". I don't like Ben's attitude when it comes to women or the way he was choosing to live his life but the commisioner had no right to punish Ben further for crimes he may not have committed. It shouldn't be about race under any circumstances, but I think Ben was punished because he was white, and the commisioner did not want to offend the black community by going too "easy" on him after the severe punishments he has handed down to black NFL players for off-field issues. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers don't seem to be nearly as much of a playoff contender, the commisioner has made a very popular NFL franchise and community pay the price. More importantly, unless a player is proven guilty in a court of law, the NFL should have no right to suspend or ban anyone from their league. Perhaps, it's simply my wishful thinking.
- The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears are going to be better than you think, I think.
- The New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays or Philadelphia Phillies will win the world series this year. Look at how talented those teams are with their pitching and offense. Noone else will have a chance.
- With Andy Pettite and A-rod's health in question, A.J. burnett's awful and inconsistent year, Javier Vasquez in the bullpen for some reason even though he's at least been better than A.J. and Phil Hughes lack of experience and possible tired arm.... I'm crossing the Yankees off my list.
- The Rays are as fast as lightning on those base paths, and although they aren't the most powerful line up, they are clutch and consistent, whilst their starting pitching is superior. The Phillies may have Halladay, Hammels and Oswalt now, but Halladay won't be as good as Cliff Lee was last year, Cole Hammels has a great playoff record but he's been inconsistent for the last couple of years and he didnt help them win the world series last year. And finally, Roy Oswalt loved pitching in a small town with low to no expectations, his playoff inexperience and his questionable ability to be clutch could be big factors in the post-season. The phillies bats weren't very good against a solid yankees starting rotation in last year's world series, so we can only imagine how bad they'll do against Tampa Bay's starters.
- The Tampa Bay Rays will win the 2010 world series. 5 years ago, the Devil Rays were still a joke in MLB, its amazing how things change so quickly. (especially in the sports world, in particularly in a sport like baseball where a small market team isn't supposed to be capable of contending.)
- Lastly, I leave you with my 2010 NFL playoff predictions...
AFC
1. Cincinnati Bengals ( In spite of Terrell Owens locker room antics)
2. Houston Texans (we've been waiting...)
3. New England Patriots (I changed my mind again)
4. San Diego Chargers (by default, and no the raiders are not going to be great this year. nor the chiefs)
5. Indianapolis Colts (10 wins this year, I'm tellin ya.)
6. Miami Dolphins ( who doesn't love Chad Henne?)
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers (ask anyone.)
2. Dallas Cowboys (lets be real, Dez was a steal. They're going to lose in the division round anyway)
3. New Orleans Saints ( I dont know if I like this choice)
4. San Francisco 49ers (They almost have to win the division title.)
5. New York Giants (I'm a fan, I may be biased.)
6. Minnesota Vikings / Washington Redskins (Let's say they're tied...you be the tie-breaker!)
And now that my opinions and predictions are online, we can all look back and see how wrong I've been about everything. Sounds like fun, can't wait, agree to disagree? FIGHT BACK for YOUR team. E-mail me at tgl4093@yahoo.com or send TrizzSports a message here on http://www.blogspot.com/ or even just post a comment below. Good night everyone!!!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Melissa Gorga join 'Real Housewives NJ' ?
Welcome Melissa Gorga to the new Real Housewives of New Jersey neighborhood! Yes, we are going to get blessed with another drama maker to add to the mix of diverse women making up the cast
Melissa Gorga, the sister-in-law of current Housewife Teresa Giudice, is rumored to be the newest addition to the show. Sure not all the original cast mates will be returning to this new season (we’re thinking due to money issues), Gorga should add plenty of drama to the mix. Considering Gorga is Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law, that is enough to keep us all entertained.
According to a "Giudice family friend" who spoke to Radar, Gorga initially approached producers to be a part of season 2. Judging from the source's information about Gorga, she seems like she'd be a great fit. "Their house is actually twice the size as Joe and Teresa's," the source said. "It's enormous! She has two live-in nannies and lives in a $4 million mansion on an exclusive lot in Montville. Teresa and Joe's house looks like a garage compared to theirs."
While there has not been an official cast announcement, we should find out real soon! What do you think? Will Melissa Gorga, Teresa Guidice’s sister-in-law be a good addition?
More Hot Stories :
t.i. and tiny arrested
anna paquin wedding
Jason Toohey: Jenny McCarthy’s Boyfriend!!!
george steinbrenner dead
tiger woods divorce
Vince Young Assault
gary coleman deathbed photo
baby gaga video
rush limbaugh wedding
dario franchitti ashley judd
megan fox no clothes
megan fox leaked photos
rima fakih pole dancing pictures
rima fakih pole dancing
brooks and dunn break up
Melissa Gorga, the sister-in-law of current Housewife Teresa Giudice, is rumored to be the newest addition to the show. Sure not all the original cast mates will be returning to this new season (we’re thinking due to money issues), Gorga should add plenty of drama to the mix. Considering Gorga is Teresa Giudice’s sister-in-law, that is enough to keep us all entertained.
According to a "Giudice family friend" who spoke to Radar, Gorga initially approached producers to be a part of season 2. Judging from the source's information about Gorga, she seems like she'd be a great fit. "Their house is actually twice the size as Joe and Teresa's," the source said. "It's enormous! She has two live-in nannies and lives in a $4 million mansion on an exclusive lot in Montville. Teresa and Joe's house looks like a garage compared to theirs."
While there has not been an official cast announcement, we should find out real soon! What do you think? Will Melissa Gorga, Teresa Guidice’s sister-in-law be a good addition?
More Hot Stories :
t.i. and tiny arrested
anna paquin wedding
Jason Toohey: Jenny McCarthy’s Boyfriend!!!
george steinbrenner dead
tiger woods divorce
Vince Young Assault
gary coleman deathbed photo
baby gaga video
rush limbaugh wedding
dario franchitti ashley judd
megan fox no clothes
megan fox leaked photos
rima fakih pole dancing pictures
rima fakih pole dancing
brooks and dunn break up
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
ESPN's hype machine pt 3/ the decision about the decision
I feel like Stephen A Smith was an employee of ESPN just a few months ago, perhaps he's made guest appearances since his contract expired and he became a free agent analyst over a year ago (he has since joined http://www.foxsports.com/, which continues to become a more respectable sports news organization. Much more respectable than ESPN, and here's one reason why...) As with Lebron James feeling the need to steal D-wade's thunder by creating his own one hour special, Chris Broussard is the ESPN analyst who has been given all of the credit for finally determining where Lebron James would play basketball for the 2010-11 NBA regular season. Just a few problems with that, seeing as how a majority of the public are not aware that Stephen A Smith first reported that Lebron James would be signing with the Miami Heat along with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade on June 28th, ten days earlier. Chris Broussard orignially scoffed at the idea of Lebron James and D-wade ever joining the same NBA franchise. ESPN with Broussard as it's leading reporter seemed to feed us a stream of misinformation leading up to the day before the one hour special. Throughout the month of may Chris Broussard said it was between Chicago, New York and heading back to Cleveland, changing which one Lebron was leaning towards on a daily basis. It was ridiculous speculative reporting, and when he finally got it right, he took credit for the information without naming a source, while Stephen A Smith had named a source from the beginning. The lesson being, just because most casual fans get their sports news from ESPN, doesn't mean they report the biggest breaking sports news stories first, and it doesn't mean they deserve all, if any of the credit.
Monday, August 23, 2010
ESPN's hype machine Pt. 2 / One big, fat, obnoxious foul-mouthed problem: Rex Ryan and the Jets
ESPN and I still have some beefs to settle, so before I move on to bigger and better and more relevant things involving sports, like the actual sports, themselves. ESPN has four types of on-air personalties, "Analysts", "Anchors", "Commentators" and "Reporters". The commentators comment on the analysis of the analysts who are analyzing the reports that the reporters report to the anchors, got it? The anchors (most of which can be seen on "SportsCenter") tend to make snide, sarcastic comments throughout the highlights that have been put together by the technical side of the whole operation. Then the analysts and/or commentators are to expand or provide more evidence supporting their co-workers' sarcastic opinions. The smallest number of personalties can be found reporting as reporters, who essentially do a majority of the work providing inside access that goes beyond the facts (or not), seem to have the most knowledge, and yet get the least recognition. The reporters who actually comprehend the details of each story they report, rarely give more than a comment or two regarding their own opinion, while the analysts, commentators and anchors sit at a desk and all happen to share similiar sports theories. Sometimes it almost seems as if all the other on-air "talents" ignore the actual factual reporting from events such as NFL training camp, and instead, ESPN comes up with a general consensus that most of the personalties agree with. Confused? Me too. ESPN is all about power rankings and letter grades, be it by committee, or individual analyst. The ESPN NFL Pre-season Power Rankings, put together by their leading commentators, analysts, journalists and senior staff members emphasizes my points. Not only do they like to rank teams' seasons before training camp is even over (they are that obsessed with numerically or alphabetically ordering their own predictions), but as soon as ESPN sets these pre-season "power rankings", the rest of ESPN's personalties appearing on each and every ESPN television program follow suit. Mike and Mike of ESPN's morning show, will tell you that the pittsburgh steelers are going to be crappy, and that the Jets are SuperBowl contenders because that is what ESPN told them. It's like a cycle, the analysts and commentators watch each other on television and see these rankings and ultimately their opinions end up being eerily similiar. ESPN figured this out a little more than 5 years ago, and so now they've brought in a few personalties such as Skip Bayless, who is a ridiculous independant journalist who doesn't follow the ESPN way of thinking, but instead incites riotous outrage with his sensationalism. He disagrees with most of the general opinion ESPN promotes, (you would think that would be a good thing.) unfortunately, he disagrees with rational and reasonable facts, and has no evidence to back up his own opinions. By the end of his insane desk-pounding rants about how overrated Tiger Woods and Lebron James are (on ESPN First Take), viewers and readers are left thinking they have no choice but to side with ESPN's general views because they certainly don't want to agree with skip bayless's idiocy. Thusly, once again, ESPN wins, so many journalists are so intent on giving you an alternative view that they don't realize ESPN is partially right most of the time. Therefore ESPN can promote the teams and players that give them the most access and provide the most controversy, but they still have enough integrity and factual support that challenging them by trying to discredit them altogether only leads to failure and irrelevancy. And of course, the truth gets lost in this epic battle between ESPN and everyone else.
That's why I'm here.... What I'm trying to say is that the New York Jets are ranked #7 in ESPN's pre-season "Power Rankings" because Rex Ryan has a big mouth, Mark Sanchez has a pretty boy image, They're on HBO's "Hard Knocks", and ESPN needs ratings. Big city teams bring more ratings in general, and the Jets are full of personality and drama. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"... thats how I feel. But as usual, most of the "Power Rankings" are seemingly fairly reasonable and if you're to disagree with them entirely, it only hurts your own credibility as a journalist. On the other hand, here's what I think I know, The New York Giants are a better team than the New York Jets. The NFC East has been one of the best and most powerful divisions for years and it's better than having three teams ranked #16-20. Of course, ESPN will slowly adapt to the actual NFL climate, and the NFC East teams will slowly and subtely climb up the charts as the Jets slip into oblivion this season. The eagles don't suck just because they lost Donovan Mcnabb, they would've never traded him if they didnt have the utmost confidence in Kevin Kolb, and they were a playoff team just last year. The Redskins have a new coach and a new quarterback named Donovan Mcnabb, and even though making very few changes like that doesn't usually propel a team to greatness....they are going to be pretty damn good, especially since they've had one of the best defenses in the league for years now. None of that matters, because in my heart and in my head, even in my subconscious, or in my stats, facts, and hopes... The #16 ranked New York Giants are going to be a better team than the #7 New York Jets this year. That doesn't mean the Giants are truly the seventh best team as the Jets fall to number eight...its probably more like the giants are #13 or 14 and the jets are #15 or 16. In other words, since I feel as though the New York Giants are just slightly underrated (being that they're above average as opposed to below average), this is really all about the New York Jets being over-hyped, overrated, over-analyzed, and inferior.
First of all, everyone agrees that the patriots and dolphins also have a shot to win the AFC East. How are the Jets a top ten team when they might not even win their own division? Forget last post-season's first round blow-out loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots have acquired tons of young talent in the draft, Tom Brady is not coming off of an injury, the team chemistry is better, the ground game and secondary have improved mildly, and Bill Belichick knows how to coach and win football games. Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby provide legitimate superstars to an already impressive young Miama Dolphins roster. Chad Henne will finally have a big, talented target to throw to and he will be twice as good as Mark Sanchez on a bad day. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl three years ago and were 13-3 in the regular season two years ago. Last year, the offensive line, running backs, and defense all did worse than expected while the Giants stayed competetive late into the season as Eli Manning and Steve Smith had their best seasons respectively. The giants were also plagued with injuries throughout the defense. The Giants still have that talented defensive line that lead the league in sacks in 2008, Justin Tuck is a superstar type talent who was hobbled with a leg injury for most of last season. Osi Umenyora played badly, everyone is entitled to a poor season. More importantly, the giants have now added two new free agents, defensive leaders Keith Bullock and Antrell Rolle, while their extremely talented young safety Kenny Phillips has also returned from a career threatening injury, making their linebacker core and secondary much improved. Eli continues to become a consistent qb, while Steve Smith has established himself as a #1 possesion receiver. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are both looking to have bounce back seasons in the running game. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have alot of potential at the wid receiver spot. With all that said, even if a few of the Giants players on offense and defense turn out to be busts, the fact that their roster is similiar yet arguably better than the team that went 13-3 just two seasons ago make the New York Giants a formidable playoff contender. Which brings us to the green team that doesn't even have their own stadium. Last season Mark Sanchez threw 12 td passes and 20 interceptions during the regular season, not to mention that his accuracy was deplorable. He threw 5 interceptions to the Buffalo Bills and virtually did everything he could to ensure that his team lost a critical game to a pathetic opponent. He didn't just have a bad rookie season, he was a bad NFL rookie. Then the 7-7 New York Jets faced two straight opponents (Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals) that were either resting their starters for a majority of the game, or giving a terrible effort because they (the bengals) WANTED to face the dismal New York Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Mark Sanchez played well in one of the three playoff games, and wasn't too bad in the other two, which leads me to believe he really does have some potential. But the fact is, good young quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did worse in their sophmore seasons than in their rookie seasons. Mark Sanchez set the bar so low for himself that it seems as though he can play quite average this year, and it would be a signifigant improvement over last year. Sanchez is a question mark, but I think everyone can agree that he probably won't be that good, and he certainly won't be a great difference-making type of quarterback. He's supposed to have an unbelievable offensive line and great running back core to take much of the pressure off which brings me to my most important point about the Jets. The jets released their best offensive lineman, Alan Faneca, as well as a vocal team leader. Who knows how that will affect the chemistry of the offensive line. They also got rid of their starting running back of the last few years, Thomas Jones, who was one of the best backs in the league last year, along with their most explosive play-making runningback in Leon Washington. Therefore, there offense looks questionable at best, but at least they still have that great defense right? Not exactly, the Jets were so good on defense because they blitzed often and they disguised the blitz so well, and they were able to pressure the quarterback better than any other team. However, the defense was great because the secondary covering the receivers and tight ends were so great, because Darelle Revis, (the best defensive player who) took the best receiving option and/or reciever on the opponent's offense completely out of the game. Darelle Revis is continuing to demand more money and isn't expected to join the team in time for the start of the regular season as of yet. The Jets may have the support and the hype and the talk asking to bring on the expectations, but I don't think they have the talent or the team. LaDainian Thomlinson is old, in case I forgot to mention that? Shonn Greene, like Sanchez, has potential, but a young unproven running back isn't going to be able to carry the team on his back. Even if the defense stays solid in the absence of their best player and cornerback, is there really enough here to believe this is a team on its way back to the playoffs? They wouldn't have made the playoffs last year if not for luck and fluke scheduling. The running game and secondary, the strengths of this team last year, are the two areas of the roster that the Jets have changed the most. Their lack of sense in the front office and their lack of talent on the field combined will make this one dissappointing seasons for all of those delusional New York Jets fans.
That's why I'm here.... What I'm trying to say is that the New York Jets are ranked #7 in ESPN's pre-season "Power Rankings" because Rex Ryan has a big mouth, Mark Sanchez has a pretty boy image, They're on HBO's "Hard Knocks", and ESPN needs ratings. Big city teams bring more ratings in general, and the Jets are full of personality and drama. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"... thats how I feel. But as usual, most of the "Power Rankings" are seemingly fairly reasonable and if you're to disagree with them entirely, it only hurts your own credibility as a journalist. On the other hand, here's what I think I know, The New York Giants are a better team than the New York Jets. The NFC East has been one of the best and most powerful divisions for years and it's better than having three teams ranked #16-20. Of course, ESPN will slowly adapt to the actual NFL climate, and the NFC East teams will slowly and subtely climb up the charts as the Jets slip into oblivion this season. The eagles don't suck just because they lost Donovan Mcnabb, they would've never traded him if they didnt have the utmost confidence in Kevin Kolb, and they were a playoff team just last year. The Redskins have a new coach and a new quarterback named Donovan Mcnabb, and even though making very few changes like that doesn't usually propel a team to greatness....they are going to be pretty damn good, especially since they've had one of the best defenses in the league for years now. None of that matters, because in my heart and in my head, even in my subconscious, or in my stats, facts, and hopes... The #16 ranked New York Giants are going to be a better team than the #7 New York Jets this year. That doesn't mean the Giants are truly the seventh best team as the Jets fall to number eight...its probably more like the giants are #13 or 14 and the jets are #15 or 16. In other words, since I feel as though the New York Giants are just slightly underrated (being that they're above average as opposed to below average), this is really all about the New York Jets being over-hyped, overrated, over-analyzed, and inferior.
First of all, everyone agrees that the patriots and dolphins also have a shot to win the AFC East. How are the Jets a top ten team when they might not even win their own division? Forget last post-season's first round blow-out loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots have acquired tons of young talent in the draft, Tom Brady is not coming off of an injury, the team chemistry is better, the ground game and secondary have improved mildly, and Bill Belichick knows how to coach and win football games. Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby provide legitimate superstars to an already impressive young Miama Dolphins roster. Chad Henne will finally have a big, talented target to throw to and he will be twice as good as Mark Sanchez on a bad day. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl three years ago and were 13-3 in the regular season two years ago. Last year, the offensive line, running backs, and defense all did worse than expected while the Giants stayed competetive late into the season as Eli Manning and Steve Smith had their best seasons respectively. The giants were also plagued with injuries throughout the defense. The Giants still have that talented defensive line that lead the league in sacks in 2008, Justin Tuck is a superstar type talent who was hobbled with a leg injury for most of last season. Osi Umenyora played badly, everyone is entitled to a poor season. More importantly, the giants have now added two new free agents, defensive leaders Keith Bullock and Antrell Rolle, while their extremely talented young safety Kenny Phillips has also returned from a career threatening injury, making their linebacker core and secondary much improved. Eli continues to become a consistent qb, while Steve Smith has established himself as a #1 possesion receiver. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are both looking to have bounce back seasons in the running game. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham have alot of potential at the wid receiver spot. With all that said, even if a few of the Giants players on offense and defense turn out to be busts, the fact that their roster is similiar yet arguably better than the team that went 13-3 just two seasons ago make the New York Giants a formidable playoff contender. Which brings us to the green team that doesn't even have their own stadium. Last season Mark Sanchez threw 12 td passes and 20 interceptions during the regular season, not to mention that his accuracy was deplorable. He threw 5 interceptions to the Buffalo Bills and virtually did everything he could to ensure that his team lost a critical game to a pathetic opponent. He didn't just have a bad rookie season, he was a bad NFL rookie. Then the 7-7 New York Jets faced two straight opponents (Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals) that were either resting their starters for a majority of the game, or giving a terrible effort because they (the bengals) WANTED to face the dismal New York Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Mark Sanchez played well in one of the three playoff games, and wasn't too bad in the other two, which leads me to believe he really does have some potential. But the fact is, good young quarterbacks like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did worse in their sophmore seasons than in their rookie seasons. Mark Sanchez set the bar so low for himself that it seems as though he can play quite average this year, and it would be a signifigant improvement over last year. Sanchez is a question mark, but I think everyone can agree that he probably won't be that good, and he certainly won't be a great difference-making type of quarterback. He's supposed to have an unbelievable offensive line and great running back core to take much of the pressure off which brings me to my most important point about the Jets. The jets released their best offensive lineman, Alan Faneca, as well as a vocal team leader. Who knows how that will affect the chemistry of the offensive line. They also got rid of their starting running back of the last few years, Thomas Jones, who was one of the best backs in the league last year, along with their most explosive play-making runningback in Leon Washington. Therefore, there offense looks questionable at best, but at least they still have that great defense right? Not exactly, the Jets were so good on defense because they blitzed often and they disguised the blitz so well, and they were able to pressure the quarterback better than any other team. However, the defense was great because the secondary covering the receivers and tight ends were so great, because Darelle Revis, (the best defensive player who) took the best receiving option and/or reciever on the opponent's offense completely out of the game. Darelle Revis is continuing to demand more money and isn't expected to join the team in time for the start of the regular season as of yet. The Jets may have the support and the hype and the talk asking to bring on the expectations, but I don't think they have the talent or the team. LaDainian Thomlinson is old, in case I forgot to mention that? Shonn Greene, like Sanchez, has potential, but a young unproven running back isn't going to be able to carry the team on his back. Even if the defense stays solid in the absence of their best player and cornerback, is there really enough here to believe this is a team on its way back to the playoffs? They wouldn't have made the playoffs last year if not for luck and fluke scheduling. The running game and secondary, the strengths of this team last year, are the two areas of the roster that the Jets have changed the most. Their lack of sense in the front office and their lack of talent on the field combined will make this one dissappointing seasons for all of those delusional New York Jets fans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)