NFL Picks Week

Last week's record: 10-5

New York Giants at Buffalo: winner- Buffalo
Spread: New York by 2 1/2
My Prediction: Bills 24, Giants 20
The Giants have not been playing well recently and they will make too many mistakes in this game too win it. Look for Eli Manning to have a mediocre day.

Green Bay at Chicago: winner- Green Bay
Spread: Green Bay by 8
My Prediction: Packers 31, Bears 10
The Packers strong D will hold QB Kyle Orton and the Bears offense. The Packers should win this game easy and look to take over the 1# spot in the NFC.

Cleveland at Cincinnati: winner- Cleveland
Spread: Cleveland by 2 1/2
My Prediction: Browns 42, Bengals 31
The Browns will run the ball with Jamal Lewis early in the game to open up the deep threat. The Browns will win the second game between these teams this season in another high-scoring affair.

Kansas City at Detroit: winner- Detroit
Spread: Detroit by 4 1/2
My Prediction: Lions 21, Cheifs 17
This should be a snooze-fest between two bad teams. Jon Kitna will air it out all game and while he will throw a couple interceptions, he will throw a few touchdowns also.

Houston at Indianapolis: winner- Indianapolis
Spread: Indianapolis by 7
My Prediction: Colts 28, Texans 24
This game will be more competitive than most people think as the Texans almost pull an upset of the Colts.

Philadelphia at New Orleans: winner- Philadelphia
Spread: New Orleans by 3
My Prediction: Eagles 27, Saints 24
Brian Westbrook will be the force that drives the Eagles to a victory. The Eagles D will hold up well against Drew Brees.

Oakland at Jacksonville: winner- Jacksonville
Spread: Jacksonville by 13
My Prediction: Jaguars 35, Raiders 14
The Jaguars two-back combinations will run right through the Raiders. Look for Fred Taylor to have a big game as he seeks some revenge for not being named to the Pro Bowl.

Atlanta at Arizona: winner- Arizona
Spread: Arizona by 10
My Prediction: Cardinals 24, Atlanta 10
Atlanta is a absolute mess right now and the Cardinals will handle them with ease.

Tampa Bay at San Francisco: winner- Tampa Bay
Spread: Tampa by 5 1/2
My Prediction: Bucs 27, 49ers 7
Jeff Garcia will return to his former dwelling and win in style.

Miami at New England: winner- New England
Spread: New England by 22
My Prediction: Patriots 42, Dolphins 10
So, the Dolphins finally got their first win last week and caught the Big Tina (Bill Parcells). Too bad that was the Dolphins last win.

Baltimore at Seattle: winner- Seattle
Spread: Seattle by 11
My Prediction: Seahawks 27, Baltimore 17
The Seahawks should beat the Ravens in the first half but calm it down in the second half.

Washington at Minnesota: winner- Minnesota
Spread: Minnesota by 6 1/2
My Prediction: Vikings 28, Redskins 20
The Vikings will win the game on the ground, as they always do. Look for Chester Taylor to oust his teammate Adrian Peterson on the ground.

Monday Night:

Denver at San Diego: winner- Denver
Spread: San Diego by 8 1/2
My Prediction: Broncos 28, Chargers 24
The Broncos will win this game through physical play and their ground attack. Look for the Denver D to step up and stop LT.

This Week's Game Breakers

Brian Westbrook: He will lead the Eagles to victory once again with his elusiveness and his great pass-catching ability. He will break big plays off screen passes and cross the goal line more than once.

Fred Taylor: The Jaguars veteran running back has been playing like one of the 50 best running backs ever to play the game. Oh wait, he is. He has never been named to a Pro Bowl even though he is on the list as one of the 50 best rushers ever. He is the only player not to be named to a Pro Bowl on that list. He will show the world why he should be a Pro Bowl back this Sunday.

Chester Taylor: This will be the week of the 'Taylor'. Chester will have a great day this week. Taylor is having a good year but is being overshadowed by superstar rookie Adrian Peterson. Taylor will outshine Peterson this week, however.




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For Sixers, Chance is Inevitable

As you probably already know, the Sixers fired general manager Billy King. They hired hometown man Ed Stefanski, who used to GM for the New Jersey Nets. I think Stefanski will make many changes to the make-up of this team. He will fire head coach Maurice Cheeks and make some big-time trades.
I don't think Stefanski should fire Mo Cheeks. He has made a below-average team play way above their skill level. This year and last year he has done a good job and communicates well with players. All the players love him and he seems like a great man. He gets along with almost everyone, including former star player Allen Iverson. There is a reason Ed will fire Cheeks, though. For one, Stefanski probably thinks the whole team has to be reformed, and for that to happen, you usually have to fire the coach. He probably thinks these players need a change. Another reason is that Cheeks loves selfless players and hard defense. Stefanski wants to make this team into a high-powered offense, like he did in Jersey. Stefanski will bring in star players, who aren't as selfless as Cheeks wants them to be. Star players need to be a little selfish because, they are star players, the best on the team and should be relied on to make most of the in-game decisions and shoot the ball a lot.
Stefanski wants to bring exciting basketball back to Philly and wants the team to gain respectability throughout the league. I am not saying that these Sixers lack excitement. They have been playing well recently but the attendance is down. The Sixers had exciting basketball when Iverson was here. Even though the team was losing, the fans kept on coming. The fans, including me, loved watching Iverson give his all every night. He would risk his small-for-the-NBA body every night by driving into seven foot juggernauts and getting to the line an amazing amount of time. It is fun watching somebody play their heart out and score 40 points like every other night.
Stefanski isn't just going to sit around and wait until next year to make this team better. The Sixers could have kept Billy King if that's what they thought that Stefanski would do. The let's just wait and see style isn't going to be what Stefanski does. Trust me from experience, the wait-until-next-year-and-in-the-mean-time-watch-a-below-average-team-lose doesn't work in Philadelphia. Stefanski will probably acquire a star blossoming into a super star player by trading or otherwise. There are some players that Stefanski absolutely should not trade. He definelty should not trade Andre Igoudala, who is the closest thing the Sixers have to a star but he doesn't have that much consistency. Some night he will go up and light it up and some nights he will be missing shots like crazy. Kyle Korver has been in the trade talk for quite some time now but I don't think they should trade. He is a good complementary player who can take a game over at the three point line. They shouldn't trade Louis Williams either. The second year player has showed he can lead this team.
Now, who should the Sixers trade for exactly. They will probably trade point guard Andre Miller before the trade deadline comes. Miller is playing great, and with all the teams in need of a decent point guard, he should give the Sixers some talented players. Jason Kidd from the Nets is said to be on the trading block and he is playing like a man possessed. But I don't think the Sixers should trade for him because he is getting older and probably won't get better in the future. Most players don't get better in their later years legally (consult Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens about that). Don't get me wrong, there is no way in the world that Jason Kidd is taking steroids. The Sixers should trade for young players and young players only.
Don't expect giant moves soon, however. Because Stefanski is new to the organization. He is still scouting the current players on the team and seeing their true skill level. But, believe me, change is inevitable.

Improbable Victory

The Eagles pulled off an improbable 10-6 victory over the rival Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles got revenge for a loss to Dallas earlier this season. Tony Romo, who has played almost flawlessly this season, threw three picks. It seemed as if Romo was distracted by his latest girl friend, Jessica Simpson. The Birds' D held up well against the high-powered Dallas offense. The D held the Cowboys to two field goals. The Cowboys only got thirty-some yards on the ground. The Eagles defense has made a great turnaround in the run defense. Last year they did everything but escort the other teams' running back to a first down every play. This year, they are like a brick wall. Brian Dawkins had his first interception of the year. Lito Sheppard covered T.O. well, holding him to a mediocre two catches. McNabb did okay even though he had pressure on him the whole game.
The Eagles seem to play better when their not supposed to have a chance to put up a fight. In this game nobody thought they had a chance. They played average but average was good enough to beat the best team in the NFC. Sounds familiar (the Patriots game).

The Eagles are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet. They still have a small chance at the second NFC wild card spot. They are 6-8, however, and have a very minuscule chance at the playoffs. The best record they can finish with is 8-8. They would have to beat the Buffalo and New Orleans to get to the .500 mark.

It is always a good week when the Eagles beat the 'Boys, however, especially when they are under dogs. Even though, the Eagles have been playing at a relatively low level. The Eagles can rejoice for a couple more days until they have to start to prepare for the Saints.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last Week: 10-4

Tonight's game:

Cincinnati at San Francisco: winner- Cincinnati
Spread: Cincinnati by 9
My Prediction: Bengals 35, 49ers 14
The Bengals offense is just too explosive for the 49ers to handle.

Sunday's games:

Buffalo at Cleveland: winner- Cleveland
Spread: Cleveland by 5 1/2
My Prediction: Browns 28, Bills 24
This should be a very hard-fought game by two playoff-starved teams. Derek Anderson will lead the Browns to victory on the last drive of the game.

Tennessee at Kansas City: winner- Tennessee
Spread: Tennessee by 3 1/2
My Prediction: Titans 24, Chiefs 14
Vince Young needs to step up and lead this team to victory if the Titans want any shot at the playoffs. Young will have a great game.

Green Bay at St. Louis: winner- Green Bay
Spread: Green Bay by 9
My Prediction: Packers 31, Rams 24
The Rams are starting to show some life and they will make this game fairly competitive against a good Packers team. Ryan Grant has been playing phenomenal in recent games and don't expect that to change.

Baltimore at Miami: winner- Miami
Spread: Baltimore by 3
My Prediction: Dolphins 17, Ravens 14
The Dolphins will be playing their hardest this week because this might be the only chance they have to win a game. The next two games are against New England and Cincinnati. Wouldn't it be cool if the Dolphins played the Patriots on the last week of the season. Both teams would have exact opposite records if they continued at their current pace. Back to this week's game, the Dolphins will just edge out the Ravens in a mistake-filled contest.

New York Jets at New England: winner- New England
Spread: New England by 23 1/2
My Prediction: New England 56, Jets 13
This game is a rematch of the opening game of the season in which the Jets coach, Eric Mangini, ratted the Patriots out for video taping the Jet's defensive signals. That made the Pats mad and now they have made an historical run in which they won every game and blew out most. The whole league hated the Pats for cheating after that and now the Pats want revenge. The will show no mercy in this outing.

Arizona at New Orleans: winner- New Orleans
Spread: New Orleans by 3 1/2
My Prediction: Saints 28, Cardinals 14
With Fitzgerald and Boldin not at 100% for the Cards, they will lose against a pass-happy Drew Brees. He will be pass-happy because Reggie Bush is out for the season.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh: winner- Pittsburgh
Spread: Pittsburgh by 3
My Prediction: Steelers 35, Jaguars 31
This will be a very close and high-scoring game between two 9-4 teams in the playoff hunt. Pittsburgh will just win this game on the last drive of the game. Look for Willie Parker to step it up.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay: winner- Tampa Bay
Spread: Tampa by 13 1/2
My Prediction: Bucs 35, Falcons 10
Things get even worse for the Falcons as the Bucs clinch a playoff spot.

Seattle at Carolina: winner- Seattle
Spread: Seahawks by 8
My Prediction: Seahawks 38, Panthers 13
The Seahawks are coming off a nice stretch and should blow out disappointing Carolina.

Indianapolis at Oakland: winner- Indianapolis
Spread: Indy by 11
My Prediction: Colts 34, Raiders 17
The Colts will thrash the Raiders with good running from Joseph Addai.

Philadelphia at Dallas: winner- Dallas
Spread: Dallas by 10 1/2
My Prediction: Cowboys 41, Eagles 20
I am sorry to say that T.O. and the gang will put a whipping once again on the Eagles. Tony Romo will have a great game along with Jason Witten but I don't see T.O. making too much of a splash.

Detroit at San Diego: winner- San Diego
Spread: San Diego by 10 1/2
My Prediction: San Diego 34, Lions 21
The Lions have been playing awful of late, but they will do o.k. in defeat.

Washington at New York Giants: winner- Giants
Spread: Giants by 5
My Prediction: Giants 24, Redskins 14
The Redskins might have had a chance if Jason Campbell hadn't got injured. With Todd Collins at the helm, I don't think the Redskins can overtake the Giants.

Monday Night:

Chicago at Minnesota: winner- Minnesota
Spread: Minnesota by 10
My Prediction: Vikings 31, Bears 13
The Viks running combination this season is one of the best ever. Simple as that.

My Game Breakers:

Derek Anderson: The Browns QB will have a great game against the Bills this week. I expect him to lead the Browns on some very important drives in this close game. Anderson has stepped up all year for this Browns team and has lead them into the playoffs.

Vince Young: Even though he hasn't been playing as well this year, I think Vince Young will step it up and be a leader this week for the Titans. He will use his arm and his legs to beat the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.

Ryan Grant: He has unsuspectingly stepped up in the starting roll at running back for the Green Bay Packers and has been playing very well. That won't change tommorow as he probably will approach 200 yards.

Mitchell Report Suprising

Senator George Mitchell released his findings this afternoon after 20 months of investigation of the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. The list came out today and there were about 80 players named. The list consisted of all-stars in this era and also former players. Of all the players listed, one of the most surprising was seven-time CY Young Award winner Roger Clemens. After the report was presented, Clemens attorney immediately denied any use of steroids by his client. A trainer admitted to injecting Clemens with steroids while Clemens was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and the New York Yankees in 2000. Now, the question is with Clemens, is will this tarnish his remarkable, hall shoo-in career. We'll get to that later. Among the other names listed: Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Lenny Dykstra, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knobloch, Mo Vaughn, Miguel Tejada, Paul LoDuca, Kevin Brown, Eric Gagne, David Bell, Troy Glaus, and Matt Williams were some of the notables. You have to remember that some of these players are suspected of steroid use. They do have very strong evidence pointing their way and some have even admitted to their steroid use. Baseball is finally coming clean about the steroid era. It is trying to clean up the mess it started by not acting sooner when they had the suspicions. They are making steady progress, however, in cleaning up the mess. (But who knows who is using that undetectable 'the clear' stuff.) The only current Major Leaguer to talk to Mitchell was Giambi who admitted to taking steroids. Tejada just got traded to the Astros yesterday and today he is a steroid-user. (Merry Christmas Houston, Tejada is now coming with a public relations killing disease called steroid allegations). Their are some surprises about who is not on the list. Notably Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire.

With the coming of these reports raises some questions like: Should commissioner Bud Selig punish the current players on this list based on the reports? Mitchell urged Selig not to punish these players unless it damages the integrity of Major League Baseball. Although Selig sounded as if he will punish these players and he said he will do it "swiftly".

Another question is what should the league do when some of these players get on the Hall of Fame ballot. Their are some players whose numbers predict them to be sure-fire hall of famers like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Some have said that you put and asterisk or an acknowledgement that that player had been suspected of using steroids next to their name. Some have said that they shouldn't even be considered for the Hall of Fame. Now with Bonds, I will have to wait until the results of his trial come out. With Clemens, it is too early to tell if he should deserve a plaque in the hall (hey, he's only been in the steroid talk for a matter of hours). Only time will tell if this problem ever gets out of baseball.

The MLB is finally second-guessing itself for its handling of the steroid era. They waited too long when they knew what was happening. They said,"Well, let it go. The fans are happy and if they find out, ticket sales will go way down." Well, it seems that they were wrong two times. First, they waited even though they suspected something was happening when Sosa and McGuire were knocking them out of there a little too easy. They were also wrong when they said revenue would go down once fans found out about the dirty things that were going down in their sport. The total revenue has been higher every year, breaking the old revenue record the next.

This is a overall sad day for Major League Baseball and its fans because they are realizing their faults and we are seeing the truth about our idols. But this will help the MLB in due time because steroid use will continue to decrease until it is almost not even a topic. Of course that will take many years and players will start to find other ways to cheat. It is in human nature to try to get a competitive edge by any means possible even if it means destroying yourself. Their will always be players trying to cheat and their will always be commissioners stopping them. It used to be spit balls and now it's steroids. This is the beginning of the end of the steroid era.

Tebow Takes Heisman

Tim Tebow of Florida took home the Heisman Saturday night as this years best college football player. The versatile Gators' QB scored 52 touchdowns against the tough SEC defenses. Tebow was also the first sophomore to ever take home the award. He is the third Gators' QB to win the Heisman trophy. Let's get back to his outstanding numbers. He had 22 rushing TDs and was a 6 foot 3 235 pound wrecking ball for the Gators. He is not just a throwing quarterback: He also threw for 29 touchdowns this season. He led his team to a 9-3 record. His competitors in the Heisman race were: Darren McFadden, Arkansas running back; Colt Brennan, Hawaii quarterback; and Chase Daniel, Missouri quarterback.
Tebow also surprised me with his great personality. He thanked god about a thousand times on stage. He also said that he was proud to be a Gator about thousand times also. That leads me to believe that Tim will stay at Florida until his senior year. This is how Tebow set his priorities: 1. God, 2. Family, 3. Academics, and 4. Football. Tebow sounds like a great guy and deserving of the Heisman award.
Tebow and Darren McFadden were thought to be neck and neck in the Heisman race going into Saturday. McFadden lost by less than 200 votes. I feel bad for McFadden (well not that bad: he'll be going to the NFL and be a millionaire in his early 20s) because he came in second last year and came in second again, even though he had a better year.
Well, it's almost bowl time. Their should be some very exciting games in this crazy college football season.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 8-7

Carolina at Jacksonville: winner- Jacksonville
Spread: Jacksonville by 10 1/2
My Prediction: Jaguars 31, Panthers 10
The Jags will beat up on the hapless Panthers using their dynamic rushing duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

Oakland at Green Bay: winner- Green Bay
Spread: Green Bay by 10 1/2
My Prediction: Packers 24, Oakland 10
Brett Farve or no Brett Farve, the Packers will beat the Raiders either way.

Tampa Bay at Houston: winner- Tampa Bay
Spread: Tampa by 3
My Prediction: Bucs 27, Texans 14
The Texans may not have their starting quarterback on the field and they will get outplayed by the playoff-bound Buccaneers.

Cleveland at New York Jets: winner- Cleveland
Spread: Cleveland by 3
My Prediction: Browns 38, Jets 28
This will be a high-scoring affair between two teams lead by young quarterbacks ( Browns-Derek Anderson, Jets- Kellen Clemens). Anderson will beat out Clemens in this game.

Dallas at Detroit: winner- Dallas
Spread: Dallas by 10 1/2
My Prediction: Cowboys 42, Lions 21
The Cowboys are just too good and the Lions are just too mistake-prone. Look for Jon Kitna to throw multiple interceptions.

San Diego at Tennessee: winner- San Diego
Spread: Pick
My Prediction: Chargers 28, Titans 24
This will be a game decided by the run and LT will have a monster game for the Chargers in this one.

Arizona at Seattle: winner Arizona
Spread: Seattle by 7
My Prediction: Cardinals 24, Seahawks 21
Kurt Warner will step up and have a good game, while the Cards D will handle Shaun Alexander.
I'm thinking a field goal to win in the last seconds of the game by Neil Rackers to propel the cards past the Seahawks in a thriller.

Kansas City at Denver: winner- Denver
Spread: Denver by 7
My Prediction: Broncos 14, Cheifs 10
Very low-scoring game but the Broncos will pull this one out at home.

Miami at Buffalo: winner- Buffalo
Spread: Buffalo by 7
My Prediction: Bills 24, Dolphins 14
This game will unfurl Miami's real desperation to get their first win. That desperation will force them to make mistakes late in the game.

St. Louis at Cincinnati: winner- Cincinnati
Spread: Cincinnati by 9 1/2
My Prediction: Bengals 35, Rams 28
Carson Palmer will show why he is the leader of this team but it is too late for the postseason for the struggling Bengals.

Minnesota at San Francisco: winner- Minnesota
Spread: Minnesota by 8 1/2
My Prediction: Vikings 28, 49ers 14
The 49ers have been struggling and the Vikings have been running. That pattern should not stop today.

Pittsburgh at New England: winner- Pittsburgh
Spread: New England by 10 1/2
My Prediction: Steelers 35, Patriots 31
This should be one of the best games played this year. Big Ben Roethlisberger will lead his team valiantly through the undefeated Patriots.

Indianapolis at Baltimore: winner- Indianapolis
Spread: Indianapolis by 9
My Prediction: Colts 34, Ravens 14
The Colts should handle the Ravens without breaking a sweat.

New Orleans at Atlanta: winner New Orleans
Spread: New Orleans by 3
My Prediction: Saints 24, Falcons 17
The Saints finally get a win that they should get but it may be too little too late for the playoffs.

Philadelphia at home vs. New York Giants: winner- Philadelphia
Spread: Philly by 3
My Prediction: Eagles 28, Giants 24
This will be a good game to watch as Brian Westbrook does everything but kick the field goals for the Eagles.


My Predictions for this Week's Top Performers:

LaDanian Tomlinsion- LT will run over the Titans and almost single-handily win a very important game for the Chargers and their playoff aspirations. Expect him to have a game of record proportions. Also expect him to have 3 touchdowns and over 200 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger- Big Ben will beat the Pats with his arm and his legs today. He will carry his team, the Steelers, to a upset win over the 12-0 Pats. He will take on the Pats stunning defense and come out victorious. He will also have some help from the Steelers stifling D.

Brian Westbrook- Like I said, Westbrook will do everything except kick the field goals for this Eagles team as they look to beat the rival Giants. Expect 200 or more yards rushing and, at the very least, 100 yards receiving.

Eagles-Seahawks Preview

The Eagles will play the Seahawks today at a freezing Lincoln Finacial Field this afternoon. The Eagles have a tough task in beating a hot 7-4 team with a three game winning streak. The Seahawks are also second in the league in sacks, only behind the Giants. It looks as if A.J. Feeley will get the start today and I think that is a good decsion considering the great pentration and pressure this team has on its defense. Donovan McNabb likes to hold the ball to the last minute bfore he throws but A.J. Feeley seems to throw it as soon as he sees a receveir with a inch of room. A.J.'s method will work better this afternoon, being as though the Sehawks figure not to give the quarterback that much time in the pocket. Matt Hasslebeck will be the starter for the Seahawks. He will be tough to handle but if you get good pressure on him, he will make mistakes. Shaun Alexander will play today after missing the last three games, but he has not played like his former self this year. Needless to say, Brian Westbrook has to have a good game this week for the Eagles to win, almost like he does every week.

BCS All Screwed Up

This college football season has been something to watch. The number 1 and 2 teams were beat last night (Missouri and West Virginia). So, who will play in the BCS Championship? No one is really sure, but Ohio State will most likely play the game. They are 11-1 and currently ranked number 3. They didn't even play in their conference championship game and they could be ranked number one after the new rankings are releashed. The other team playing in the championship could be Georgia, Kansas, maybe even West Virginia, Virginia Tech, LSU, USC, Oklahoma; Florida, Boston College and Hawaii also have a slight chance of making it to the big game.

The Georgia Bull Dogs are 10-2 but both their losses have come against unranked teams (South Carolina and Tennessee). They also beat 4 ranked teams including Florida by 12 points.

Kansas also has a chance to be in this championship game. They were ranked number one a few weeks ago and their record this year is 11-1. Their only loss came at the hands of Missouri.

West Virginia may have a chance even though they lost last night to Pitt. Their record is 10-2 with their two losses coming against Southern Florida and Pittsburgh. I don't think they will make it into the big game because they lost to Pitt when they were favored by four touchdowns.

Virginia Tech is 11-2 this season and they are right in the mix when it comes to championship talk. They beat Boston college to win the ACC crown. Their two losses came against LSU and Boston College (both teams were ranked number 2 in the country at the time.) I think they have a very good chance at playing Ohio State in the championship game.

LSU won the SEC Championship against Tennessee yesterday. They are 10-2 on the year, with their two losses coming at the hands of Kentucky and Arkansas. They are right in the thick of BCS talk these days

USC, always in the running for a championship birth, has a chance this year but that loss against Stanford might just kill their hopes.

Oklahoma has a decent argument themselves. They are 11-2 and just beat the Missouri Tigers to win the Big 12 title. The beat Missouri twice and Texas once but lost at unranked Colorado and Texas Tech. They have one of the best teams in the country and they took out the number 1 team with ease last night.

Hawaii is the only team in the conversation without a loss but the only ranked team they played was Boise State but was that their fault? No, but that might be the determining factor on whether they play in the big one or not. They did blow out most of their schedule, however.

This may be the year that ruins the BCS bowl system. There are just two many teams at the same level as each other and they all have the right to play for the championship. You could pick anyone to play: Ohio State, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, etc., but there will still be those teams that say, "Why not us!" I think that a playoff system will solve this pressing issue. This will be interesting to watch.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last Week: 10-6

Atlanta at St. Louis: winner- Atlanta Spread: Rams by 3 1/2
My Prediction:Falcons 13, Rams 10
The Rams haven't won a game at home all year and they will be edged out by the Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
Buffalo at Washington: winner- Washington
Spread: Redskins by 5 1/2
My Prediction: Washington 20, Buffalo 14
The Redskins are a better team than they have shown and Jason Campbell will step up in this one.
Detroit at Minnesota: winner- Minnesota
Spread: Vikings by 4
My Prediction: Minnesota 24, Detroit 21
The Lions are on a three game losing streak and the Vikings running backs (Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor) are the best in the league by far.
Houston at Tennessee: winner- Tennessee
Spread: Titans by 4
My Prediction: Tennessee 21, Texans 14
Both teams badly need to win this game to heighten their playoff hopes. Vince Young is a leader and will show that in this game.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis: winner- Indianapolis
Spread: Colts by 7
My Prediction: Indianapolis 35, Jacksonville 14
Very important game for both teams. The Jaguars are a good team but this game won't be as close as it seems to be. The Colts have struggled with the Jags in recent history. This game is the game that might decide the AFC South.
New York Jets at Miami: winner- New York Jets
Spread: Dolphins by 1
My Prediction: Jets 14, Dolphins 13
This game may be Miami's best chance to win a game. Both quarterbacks are playing well considering these teams combined record this year is 2-20.
San Diego at Kansas City: winner- San Diego
Spread: Chargers by 6
My Prediction: Chargers 32-23 Chiefs
The Chargers have been playing well recently and LT will have a good game. Phillip Rivers will also play well.
Seattle at Philadelphia: winner- Philadelphia
Spread: Eagles by 3
My Prediction: Eagles 24, Seahawks 21
The Eagles have the momentum after almost pulling the upset of the millennium against the Patriots. A.J. Feeley will play well again, churning up the QB situation in Philly even more than before.
San Francisco at Carolina: winner- San Francisco
Spread: Panthers by 3
My Prediction: 49ers 24, Panthers 20
The 49ers finally came alive last week with a big win. Frank Gore has to have another good game for the 49ers to succeed.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans: winner- New Orleans
Spread: Saints by 3
My Prediction: Saints 28, Buccaneers 14
This is a very important game for the Saints and I think that they won't waste this chance against a division rival.
Cleveland at Arizona: winner- Cleveland
Spread: even
My Prediction: Browns 35, Cardinals 33
This will be a very good game between two teams looking for a playoff spot.
Denver at Oakland: winner- Denver
Spread: Denver by 3
My Prediction: Broncos 14, Raiders 10
This will be a game where both offenses will struggle.
New York Giants at Chicago: winner- Giants
Spread: Giants by 1 1/2
My Prediction: Giants 23, Bears 20
Eli Manning threw for four touchdowns last week, but who cares if three of them were to the other team. Even with that said, this will be a close game but the Giants will win it by running.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: winner- Pittsburgh
Spread: Pittsburgh by 7
My Prediction: Steelers 28, Bengals 24
This will be a closer games than most people may think but Big Ben Roethlisberger will lead his team to a win down the stretch.
New England at Baltimore: winner- New England
Spread: Patriots by 20
My Prediction: Patriots 46, Ravens 13
The Pats are disappointed with their win last week against the Eagles and they will voice their anger at the Ravens.

My Game Breakers

Ben Roethlisberger: He will be the key for the Pittsburgh Steelers in winning their game against the Bengals. He has shown that he can lead this offense on by carrying it on his back through even the most treacherous situations. He will take over the game this week.

Frank Gore: He has to have a good game if the 49ers even think about winning against the Panthers. It is as simple as that. He is coming off a good week last week and should continue that this week.

A. J. Feeley: If Andy Reid starts Donovan McNabb over Feeley the Eagles won't win their game against the Seahawks.

Eagles Almost Bring Down the Patriots

The Eagles almost defeated one of the best teams in the history of football last night in New England. The Patriots were favored by 24 or 26 points, but the Eagles covered the spread as they lost by three stinkin' points. The final score was 31 to 28, Pats. The Eagles did not win the game but they got some momentum going into next week's game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Pats were supposed to wipe the floor with the Eagles, especially with the Eagles' franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb, recovering from two injuries back in Philly. A.J. Feeley stepped up and made a Brady-like performance against one of the best defences in the league. Greg Lewis also was a unlikely hero as he caught two touchdown passes for the Birds. The Eagles' defense was like a brick wall in the red zone against a prolific Patroits' offense. Westbrook played well but not great in this game.
The receivers made plays and the quarterback was accurate. This Eagles team looked like a well-oiled-machine that has been playing together for years. That is funny, considering A.J. Feeley made his first start this season. Feeley threw for three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Their is yet another quarterback controversy brewing in Philly. But this time it does not involve rookie Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb. It involves A.J. Feeley and McNabb. From what I saw last night and what I saw from McNabb earlier this season, I think it is not even a controversy. McNabb should not start next week against the Seahawks. With McNabb at the helm, the Eagles offense looks awkward, unorganized, and too mistake-prone. Feeley thrives in the west-coast offense and showed that last night. McNabb left early in the Dolphins game after the first half in which he threw two interceptions and left the Birds losing to an 0-9 team (the Dolphins record at the time). Andy Reid says McNabb will start if he is ready and he most likely is. Reid is way too loyal to McNabb. If he wants to win and do what's right for the team, Feeley would start the next game. McNabb's career is over as far as I'm concerned, he is a good quarterback but he is just too injury-prone.
It seems as if the whole Eagles' offense was playing with more heart than they did with McNabb.
I guess they are just happy that their quarterback doesn't get injured almost every play and that the balls are coming for their hands, not their feet.

Is the Impossible Possible?

We will certainly see the answer to that question tonight at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. The Eagles will visit the undefeated New England Patriots on national television. If you ask the guys from Los Vegas the Pats are favored by 24 points. But, hey, anything could happen, right? The Eagles starting quarterback for this game will be A.J. Feely. Donavan McNabb is out for this one.
The Eagles are trying to take down an opponent who averages 41 points a game and is set to break more records than previously thought possible. They have all time great quarterback in Tom Brady, who didn't have a single defender's hand touch him in the Patriots game last week against the Bills. The Eagles will have to put pressure on Brady if they hope to even stay competitive in this match up. Brady is spoiled in having receivers like Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker catching his passes. The Patriots also have a premium running game led by Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk.
Let's not forget about the Patriots veteran defense. The linebackers consist of veteran names such as Mike Vrabel, Teddy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Rodney Harrison, and Adalius Thomas. The also have big free agent pick up Asante Samuel.
The Pats have slaughtered every team, except the Colts, in this season. Their is a chance the Eagles could pull out the improbable against the all-powerful, juggernaut Patriots. Now mind you, that is a very small chance, but a chance nonetheless. I would be proud if the Eagles did not get totally embarassed this game. Hey, anything could happen once the players suit up and take the field. Nothing is impossible.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 10-6

Green Bay Detroit: winner-Green Bay
Green Bay has shown it is a solid team going 9-1 in the first 10 games.
New York Jets at Dallas: winner-Dallas
Sure, the Jets surprised Pittsburgh last week but they are not good enough to beat a hot Cowboys team.
Indianapolis at Atlanta: winner-Indianapolis
This should be a confidence-building win for the Colts as they look forward to the postseason.
Tennessee at Cincinnati: winner-Tennessee
The Bengals have absolutely no running game and the Titans have all running game. That should make the difference in this game.
Houston at Cleveland: winner-Houston
The Texans will just edge out the Browns in this one.
Oakland at Kansas City: winner-Kansas City
The Chiefs really need to win this game and they should do that playing at home.
Seattle at St. Louis: winner-Seattle
Matt Hassleback played well last game and he should continue at that pace against the woeful Rams.
Minnesota at New York Giants: winner-Giants
The Giants are simply a better team than the Vikings.
Washington at Tampa Bay: winner-Tampa Bay
The Bucs are a good team slipping under the radar at 6-4. Jeff Garcia is playing well. Washington is in a slump and should continue at that pace.
New Orleans at Carolina: winner-New Orleans
I don't know what's up with the Saints but they have to beat the Panthers. Right?
Buffalo at Jacksonville: winner-Jacksonville
The Jaguars have been winning and Buffalo shouldn't stop them this week.
San Francisco at Arizona: winner-Arizona
The 49ers lost to the Rams last week. The Rams. Alex Smith may not even be 100% anyway.
Denver at Chicago: winner-Denver
Jay Cutler showed that he can come up big in games and he will do it again this week.
Baltimore at San Diego: winner-San Diego
Baltimore has been stinking up the place in recent weeks.
Philadelphia at New England: winner-New England
Sorry, we are in for a slaughtering of record proportions.
Miami at Pittsburgh: winner-Pittsburgh
Sorry Miami, O-11.

MVP! MVP! MVP!!!!!!!!

Those chants have finally come true for Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins. He rightfully deserved the honor of best player in the National League. Jimmy Rollins has been the leader of this team since spring training when he boldly stated that the Philadelphia Phillies were the team to beat in the National League East. Now you can imagine what the defending champs of the the division, the New York Mets, thought about that. Rollins did not win the MVP in a landslide, however, Matt Holliday was thought to be neck-and-neck with Rollins going into today's decision at two in the afternoon.
If it hadn't been for Jimmy the Phils surely wouldn't have made it to the playoffs, let alone win the N.L. East. Rollins rightfully got 16 out of the 32 first-place votes. That is the second straight year that a Phillie has won the N.L. MVP award. Do you hear Chase the MVP chants next season!
Rollins lead the N.L. in runs with 139. He lead the league in triples with a whopping 20 3-baggers. He played every game last season for the Phils as he lead the league in total at-bats with 716.
I don't care what anyone says: J-Roll deserves that award! People will say, "Holliday has better stats." Give me a break! Sure he had better stats, but that's only because J-Roll batted in the lead-off position. Holliday was probably batting fourth with runners on every time he takes that stroll up to the plate. J-Roll is one of the best lead-off hitters in a long time. Plus, the most valuable player doesn't just mean he has the best stats, it helps but it is not always the case. So many Phillies went down with injuries this season (Ryan Howard, Chase Utely, just about the whole pitching staff) but Rollins was that guy who you could count on to give his all every game. The Phillies would be a significantly worse team if J-Roll was not sitting in that clubhouse pumping his team up for the upcoming game. The man showed great consistency throughout the season. He single-handily won quite a few games for the Phils. He also played well in clutch situations. He was the knight that slayed down the dragon that is the New York Mets. He is priceless. So, congratulations Jimmy, you deserve it.

A Bad Win

The Eagles beat the Miami Dolphins yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field, final score 17-7. It wasn't a pretty win. Donovan McNabb injured his ankle in the second quarter. A.J. Feely took over and did a pretty nice job. The Eagles are now 5-5 and in major playoff contention. Nobody knows whether McNabb is playing next week or not.
A.J. Feely may have to be the Jeff Garcia of this season if McNabb does not come back. McNabb threw interceptions on his first couple of possesions in the game. Westbrook played good but not great. The Eagles have the Patriots coming up next week, a tough task. The Patriots killed the Bills last night. They are 10-0.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 8-5

Tampa Bay at Atlanta: winner-Tampa Bay
Jeff Garcia should have an excellent game.
Arizona at Cincinnati: winner-Cincinnati
The Bengals should handle the Cardinals at home, even with the Rudi Johnson is having a bad season.
New York Giants at Detroit: winner- New York Giants
The Giants will show that they are a playoff contender today against another team that's in the hunt.
Carolina at Green Bay: winner-Green Bay
The Brett Farve express won't stop against the Panthers.
Kansas City at Indianapolis: winner-Indianapolis
Indy will get back on track against the Chiefs.
Oakland at Minnesota: winner-Minnesota
Even with A-Pete out, the Vikings will still beat a struggling Raiders team. Look for Chester Taylor to have great game with Peterson out.
Miami at Philadelphia: winner- Philadelphia
The Eagles have to beat an 0-9 team. Right?
San Diego at Jacksonville: winner- San Diego
San Diego has the momentum after that win against the Colts.
Cleveland at Baltimore: winner- Cleveland
Baltimore is falling apart and Cleveland should expose that today.
New Orleans at Houston: winner- New Orleans
New Orleans is a mystery. Are they good, or are they bad? Even with Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub coming back this week, the Saints should still win.
Pittsburgh at New York Jets: winner- Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh should handle a bad Jets team.
Washington at Dallas: winner- Dallas
The Cowboys should take care of the Redskins without a sweat.
St. Louis at San Francisco: winner- San Fran
With Frank Gore back to being healthy, the 49ers should just edge out the Rams.
Chicago at Seattle: winner- Seattle
Seattle is 4-1 at home. Note- Rex Grossman is starting for the Bears.
New England at Buffalo: winner- New England
New England will still not have a loss on Monday.
Tennessee at Denver: winner- Tennessee
Vince Young will finally look good tomorrow night.

*Bonds* Indited

So, the Bonds parade is finally unraveling into its true ugly self. Bonds was indited by a federal jury yesterday on counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Now, how did the government finally get enough evidence to indite Bonds? Well, one theory is that his former trainer, who was in jail until yesterday, ratted him out to get out of jail. It might not just be a coincidence that Bonds' former trainer got out of jail just as Bonds got indited. Now, that may be the case, but I think the government has been collecting evidence and working on his case for quite some time.
The indites state that Bonds lied to the jury in the Balco case. He lied about taking steroids to the feds, basically.
If it is proved that Bonds took steroids, then I don't even think you put an asterisk next to his name in the record books. He should not be put in the record books, nor should he be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This may sound like a tragedy for Major league Baseball now, but I think, if this goes to court and they find Barry guilty, it will turn out to be a good thing. 90% of the people in this country think Barry took steroids any way. They also thought that the truth would never be revealed, and the people deserve to hear the truth. This may also scare off potential steroid users in the world of baseball. The government cracked the most stubborn person and indited him. I also think this is good because Major League Baseball doesn't have to come up with a way to deal with Bonds. They can just forget about him and move on.
This is a very good thing.

Phillies Try to Improve Team

It's that time of year again. The time of year in which the Phillies are suspected to be going after a big free agent signing, but it never pans out (see Alfonzo Soriano). Every year their is so much suspense building up to this moment, but disappointment comes always.
The Phillies have already improved their team, in my opinion. They were involved in a five player trade with the Astros, in which they received reliever Brad Lidge and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett. They gave up Micheal Bourn, Geoff Geary, and Mike Costanzo. That could be a small price if the former all-star Brad Lidge returns to his old form. Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said that Lidge would be the closer, that would be moving Brett Myers back to the rotation
I think this is an improvement because the Phillies checked off something on their off season to-do list: get a good reliever. They did that by getting Lidge. The bullpen looks pretty good right now. You have Tom Gorden, J.C. Romero, Lidge, and others. I don't want to jinx them, though. Here is the projected starting rotation if the season started today: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, Adam Eaton (oh no!), and Jamie Moyer. The top three are excellent, but I hope Eaton is not on the team at the start of the season.
I think the Phillies should pick up one more average starter (maybe resign Kyle Lose, if they can) and also a third baseman, being as though they lost Abraham Nunez.
The Phillies have started off the off season good.

Eagles Pull Out Victory!

The Eagles got an emotional victory yesterday, one that might spark a late-season run, but let's not get there yet. The Eagles did upset the Redskins, 33-25, in Washington. The was not without mistakes, though, but let's not be negative yet. Running back Brian Westbrook had a great game, as usual. He scored three touchdowns alone. This game had so many twists and turns. This game was plagued by penalties, on both teams.
Donovan McNabb did alright although he did not have so much accuracy. Not many people know this: McNabb did get injured in the first half of yesterday's game. A.J. Feeley did start to warm up, but McNabb said he was ready to play.
The defense did not do particularly good yesterday, for they made Jason Campbell look like an all-star. But they did make one good stand late in the game. The Redskins had the ball deep in the red zone and they Eagles stopped them seven times when they were at the eight yard line. The refs practically tried to win the game, for they gave the Redskins a new set of downs.
This game was a lot closer than the scoreboard read but this game was a tough game in which the Eagles won. They have not had a lot of luck in tough games this season. The Eagles have a gimme game next week against the no-win Dolphins. That game should get them to .500 and right in the race for the NFC Wild Card. But then they have tough games against New England, Seattle, the Giants, Dallas, and New Orleans. Their last game is at home against Buffalo. So, the Eagles would have to go on a real good streak to make the playoffs. But hey, they won a game.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 9-5
Minnesota at Green Bay: winner-Green Bay
It won't matter what Adrian Peterson does, the Packers are one of the elite teams in the NFC.
Jacksonville at Tennessee: winner-Jacksonville
Vince Young will do O.K., but Jones-Drew and the rest of the Jags will do better.
Denver at Kansas City: winner-Denver
Jay Cutler will most likely be coming back this game, and if Travis Henry is in the line up then the Broncos should take care of the Chiefs.
Buffalo at Miami: winner-Buffalo
The Bills should run over the Dolphins. (and the Bills aren't even a good team)
St. Louis at New Orleans: winner-New Orleans
The Saints should beat down the Rams. Reggie Bush was just cleared as active, so watch for him to have a great day.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: winner-Pittsburgh
Cleveland is a good team, but Pittsburgh's offense will overpower them in this relatively close game.
Philadelphia at Washington: winner-Washington
I sorry, I had to pick against my home team. It is falling apart here in Philly and the Redskins are just a better team than the Eagles.
Atlanta at Carolina: winner-Atlanta
Atlanta will win again, for a second week, against a disfunctional Carolina team.
Cincinnati at Baltimore: winner-Cincinnati
Cincinnati will just edge out the Ravens. Note: Chad Johnson is starting.
Chicago at Oakland: winner-Chicago
The defense will stop the run for the Bears and Greise (don't know if that's spelled right) will have a good-enough game.
Dallas at New York Giants: winner-Dallas
The Cowboys are an elite NFC team (as much as I hate to say it) and they will show that they are definitely the best in the division by beating thr Giants.
Detroit at Arizona: winner-Detroit
Jon Kitna will have a field day against this bad Arizona defense.
Indianapolis at San Diego: winner-Indianapolis
The Colts are still mad about their loss to the Patriots and they will come out firing today.
San Francisco at Seattle: winner-San Francisco
San Fran will just edge this one out.

Preview: Cowboys at Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are going up against their arch rivals Dallas Cowboys tonight at Lincoln Financial Field (left) on national television. This game is being overshadowed by the Patriots-Colts game of the year, but this game has major implications in the NFC East. If the Eagles win, they are .500 and still in the playoff talk. Also, if the Eagles win, the Cowboys might get discouraged and lose a string of games. If the Cowboys win, the Eagles are most likely out of the playoff race. It should be a fun game.
T.O. returns to Philly, and the fans should clobber him, especially with the game starting at 8:15. The Eagles are looking to show their fans that they can beat a decent team and no one better than the Cowboys with the nation watching. McNabb wants to return to his old form in this game, and I think he will. The Eagles have to try to break apart the Dallas D by passing the ball, and then give the ball to Westbrook for big games. The Eagles D line needs to get to Tony Romo. If you put pressure on Romo, he will throw interceptions. T.O. better watch out with Dawkins rooming the backfield for the first time since his injury. You have to think that Dawkins won't need any motivation, being as though he is playing he first game back against the divisional-rival Cowboys. Ya better get your popcorn ready.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 12-0, perfect record last week!

San Francisco at Atlanta: winner-Atlanta
This is a battle between two injury-ridden teams. Frank Gore is questionable and probably won't play so the Falcons should just edge this one out.
Cincinnati at Buffalo: winner-Cincinnati
Buffalo is playing pretty bad, only scoring 13 points against the Jets. Carson Palmer should have a field day.
Denver at Detroit: winner-Denver
Look for Jay Cutler to have a good day. Also look for the Denver defense to shut down the Detroit offense.
Carolina at Tennessee: winner-Tennessee
Tennessee will just edge the Panthers.
Green Bay at Kansas City: winner-Green Bay
Look for Brett Farve to continue his pace against the Kansas City D.
San Diego at Minnesota: winner-San Diego
Look for LT to have a great day as the chargers win by a sizable margin.
Jacksonville at New Orleans: winner-New Orleans
It will be a close game but the Saints will beat the Jags at home.
Washington at New York Jets: winner-Washington
Jason Campbell will have a good day as the Redskins win easily.
Arizona at Tampa Bay: winner-Arizona
It will be a close one as James (don't know how to spell his first name) and the Cardinals two talented wide receivers (Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin) lead the Cardinals to victory.
Seattle at Cleveland: winner-Cleveland
Shaun Alexander has done nothing this year for the Seahawks. Derek Anderson is blossoming into a top-notch quarterback.
New England at Indianapolis: winner-New England
This is preview of the AFC Championship game. This is the game of the year and maybe the game of the decade. The Pats are just too good on both sides of the ball for the Colts to win, but look for this game to be a thriller in Indy!
Houston at Oakland: winner-Houston
The Texans should go into Oakland and win this game.
Dallas at Philadelphia: winner-Philadelphia
Look for a big upset here as the Eagles just pull out a win against their rivals at home. McNabb will return to his old form in this huge game for the Eagles.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh: winner-Pittsburgh
Defence can't win you every game and Baltimore will learn that hear as the Steelers put a whipping to them.

76ers Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers will open their season tonight in Toronto where they will face off against the Raptors. Many predictions that you will read say that they will finish last in their the division. I am no different but I think that if the Knicks blow up, like they did last year, then the Sixers will finish above the Knicks. You will see mostly the same faces when you go to the Sixers game. Andre Iguodala is still the star of the team, and with the exception of a couple of draft picks and free agents, this team is mostly the same. They picked up rebounding machine Reggie Evans. Their first two picks, which you might see in a game, are forwards Jason Smith and Thaddeus Young. I think Iggy needs to pick it up this year and carry this team. He has the potential to do it and I think he will. I think he needs to have the ball in his hands a lot if the Sixers hope to win. Andre Miller can give it to him, being as though Miller is one of the league's best in assists. Then, when the team starts to double or triple team Iggy, Miller dishes to Korver for a wide open three.
Overall this season is just to build chemistry with the people on the team and try to win a decent amount of games. That might not happen, though, because their division is pretty tough. Next year the Sixers will have a lot of money to go after some big free agents. But, until then, the Sixers will build a solid nucleus with the players they have. Then again, who knows, they start their season off on Halloween night.

Red Sox Rock Rockies

The Red Sox certainly showed why they are the best baseball team in the world by sweeping the Rockies in the World Series last week. The Red Sox are just too good a mix of hitting and pitching. The Sox made it look easy as they outscored the Colorado Rockies 29-10. Everyone for the BoSox contributed from Manny Ramirez to John Lester.
I guess an eight-day rest for the Rockies cooled them off. Before this series the Rockies won every playoff game they played in this year.
Boston sports fans are joyful for two reasons: one, they won the World Series and two, their football team is undefeated.
The Red Sox are a great team, so don't count them out for next year. Their won't be any post-world championship drought for this team, believe me. They deserve to win.

NFL Picks of the Week

Last week: 9-5
Detroit at Chicago: winner-Detroit
It won't be a high-scoring game as the Lions just edge out the Bears.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: winner-Pittsburgh
The Steelers' offense will over power the Bengals.
New York Giants at Miami: winner-New York
Miami stinks this year (they haven't won a game) and this one shouldn't be close.
Philadelphia at Minnesota: winner-Philadelphia
The Philly D should hold Peterson to a relatively quiet game. If they don't, they will get beat.
Cleveland at St. Louis: winner-Cleveland
The Rams should get a little more offense going but not enough.
Indianapolis at Carolina: winner-Indianapolis
With Joseph Addai back and Peyton as good as ever the Colts should take this one easily.
Oakland at Tennessee: winner-Tennessee
Oakland wants this season to be over so they can get JaMarcus Russell at QB next year.
Houston at San Diego: winner-San Diego
Look for Phillip Rivers to have a good game but this will probably be a close one.
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay: winner-Jacksonville
Maurice Jones-Drew will have a good game as the Jaguars move up to 5-2.
Buffalo at New York Jets: winner-Buffalo
The Bills will beat the pitiful Jets.
Washington at New England: winner-New England
Washington is good but the Pats are better. Look for the Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats offense to have yet another great day.
New Orleans at San Francisco: winner-New Orleans
The saints have the same record as the 49ers (2-4) but the Saints should get it back on track. Watch for an explosive afternoon from Reggie Bush.
Green Bay at Denver: winner-Green Bay
It will be tough for Green Bay at Denver on Monday night but the Packers will scrape up the win.

Red Sox Take 2

The Boston Red Sox beat the Colorado Rockies last night in game two of the 2007 edition of the World Series of baseball. It was a pitching duel last night as Curt Schilling added to his postseason reputation. The final score was 2-1 Red Sox.

The Bostonians are now leading the series 2-0 and if they win game three, it will be extremely difficult for the Rockies to come back. I would definitely consider this next game, game 3, to be a must-win for the Rockies. If they lose, the Red Sox might bring up Josh Beckett for game 4 and with his history in pitching in big games, you might as well give the trophy to the Sox.

There is an off day today so maybe Clint Hurdle can get his boys together and the Rockies can beat the veteran Red Sox. They need to do better at handling the explosive Red Sox offense. It should be very intresting.

NFL Picks of the Week

Baltimore at Buffalo: winner-Baltimore
Both of these teams have been in disarray all season but the Ravens D will stop the Bills' offense.
Tampa Bay at Detroit: winner-Detroit
This will be a close match up but the wide receivers for the Lions will make a couple of big plays and a few touchdowns later the game will be over.
New England at Miami: winner-New England
This game should not even be close, isn't Miami on a 9 game losing streak or something. Remember what I said about the Pats going undefeated.
Atlanta at New Orleans: winner-New Orleans
I think the Saints will get back on track this week.
San Francisco at New York Giants: winner-New York Giants
Maybe if Alex Smith was playing in this one but the Giants will over power the 49ers.
Arizona at Washington: winner-Washington
Jason Campbell will have a big game as the Redskins beat the helpless Cardinals.
Tennessee at Houston: winner-Houston
If Vince Young is a 100% than the Titans might have a chance at winning but I don't think so.
New York Jets at Cincinnati: winner-Cincinnati
This one shouldn't even be close because the Bengals will throw it all day against the lowly Jets.
Kansas City at Oakland: winner-Kansas City
Larry Johnson will finally get it together this week.
Minnesota at Dallas: winner-Dallas
Look for Peterson to have another great game the Cowboy offense will over power them.
Chicago at Philadelphia: winner-Philadelphia
Brian Westbrook will have a great day and also look for the Birds' defense to get it done.
St. Louis at Seattle: winner-St.Louis
The battle of the struggling teams. Look for Alexander to be non-existent again today. It won't be a high-scoring game.
Pittsburgh at Denver: winner-Pittsburgh
The Steelers' offense will over power the Denver D and whats ever left of it's offense.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville: winner-Indianapolis
Should be a fairly competitive game but look for Indy to blow it open late.

Undefeated Pats?

I know you hear every year that one team in the NFL might go undefeated but it never happens. The New England Patriots might do it this year. All the pieces are together for the Pats to do something that has not been accomplished since the 1972 Dolphins did it.

The quarterback, Tom Brady, is having a career year and that's saying something about a guy who has won three Super Bowls. And For the first time Brady has a great wide receiver in future-Hall-of-Famer Randy Moss. He also has Donte Stallworth; the speedy receiver could be a number 1 guy on some teams. Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris combine to give the Pats the running game the sting it needs so defenses can't just cover the pass. Put that staff together with a solid D and you have a team that has a good chance of going 16-o.

Patriots Remaining Schedule

@Miami
vs Washington
@ Indianapolis
bye
@ Buffalo
vs Philadelphia
@ Baltimore
vs Pittsburgh
vs New York Jets
vs Miami
@New York Giants

This scheduleis pretty tough, especially the games at the undefeated Colts and the home games against the Steelers. Most of their opponents are decent teams but I think the Pats can pull it off. We'll just have to watch and see.

Eagles Beat Jets to Save Season

The Eagles just might have relinquished their season yesterday at Giant stadium. It wasn't the most convincing win but hey, if it's a W added on to their record then they will take it. Brian Westbrook gained 156 all-purpose as he dampened the thought that he may still be hampered by an injury that made him miss the Giants game two weeks ago. Kevin Curtis stepped up, with 5 catches for 121 yards and a TD. Reggie Brown finally woke up this game. He had 6 receptions for 89 yards. And even though David Akers continued his kicking woes at Giants Stadium, the Eagles beat the Jets 16-3.

That will improve the Eagles record to 2-3 and might have just kept the Eagles in the playoff picture all together. This win may be a confidence builder and the Eagles might go on a run. Their next opponent is the Chicago Bears and I know what your thinking, "The Eagles won't score a point against that brick wall of a defense." Well, not exactly, the Bears D got run over by the Vikings rookie sensation Adrian Peterson. In my opinion, Westbrook is better than Peterson, so the Eagles should run right through them. Unless, of course, that was just a fluke day for the Bears D and they will come back better then ever next week.

The Eagles looked a lot better this game than any other game besides that Lions game. They kept possession of the ball and advanced it pretty well. McNabb also completed consecutive passes for a first down. That is what McNabb did to gain success this decade and that is what he needs to do this year. The Eagles looked like the Eagles of old yesterday. (well, maybe not old but maybe a couple of years old)

Preview: Eagles at Jets

This afternoon the Eagles will try to save their season at Giants Stadium against the Jets. The Eagles are 1-3 and if they lose today they might as well kiss their postseason aspirations goodbye. They will be playing a team that is 1-4 and definitely in deep trouble. Their quarterback, Chad Pennington, has been horrid this season and let's just say that their might be a different QB out their if he continues to complete less than 3/4 of his passes. The Eagles should easily stop Thomas Jones. The Eagles' D has been better than expected this season and don't expect a change today. The Eagles' D backs have to handle the Jets' talented 1-2 punch at wide receiver (Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery). I see the Eagles intercepting two passes off Chad Pennington.
The Eagles will be a lot better off this week with Brian Westbrook back to being a 100%. McNabb should look better this game, considering that the Jets' D isn't as good as the Giants' D. McNabb should be happy that one of his prime targets from last year is back for the first time this season (TE L.J. Smith). Expect less sacks this week with William Thomas back from injury and not the invisible Winston Justice starting.

Prediction: 21 to 14 Eagles

Flyers Preview

The Flyers home-opener is tonight at seven. The New York Islanders will be visiting them at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers team you saw last year is nothing like the one you will go to see this year. The team is reformed and looking good after its first three games this season, especially the last game, in which the Flyers blew out the Vancouver Canucks, 8-2. Among the many new-comers, Danny Briere, the team's big free agent signing in the offseason, has 4 goals and 7 points in three games. They also signed Kimmo Timonen who was probably the best free agent defenseman out on the market. They got another veteran defenseman in Jason Smith, who was named the team captain. They got two good wingers in Joffery Lupul and Scott Hartnell. General manager Paul Holmgren looked like a mad scientist reforming his experiment this off-season.
The Flyers also look like the old Broad Street Bullies early this season but that might not be a good thing. Steve Downie was handed a suspension in the pre-season for a nasty hit. Steve Downie was handed his 20 game suspension for a brutal hit in the Vanouver game.
This is one of the fastest turnarounds I have ever seen in sports. And it's all because of Paul Holmgren. He traded veterans (including Peter Forsberg) for draft picks and young players even though some protested. He also took out Comcast's wallet to get Daniel Briere along with the veteran defensemen.
So the season opens tonight, and even though you see some new faces and hear some new names, you will know that this team is way better than the one took the ice last year.

Tough Order for Phils

The Phillies now have the improbable test of trying to win three games in a row to advance to the next round of the 2007 MLB Playoffs. How did this happen? Well, the Phils blew the first two games against the Rockies, both day games. Hopefully, that had something to do with it and the Phils can do better when they head to Coor's Field for two games at night. The Phillies hitting has been struggling most of all, it was supposed to be the pitching. Aside from some Jose Mesa, who has an ERA of about 13, the pitching staff has been unexpectingly good. The Phillies have an off-day today, that will give Charlie time to get this team back on track. Whatever happens, I know it isn't going to be easy.

Preview: Rockies and Phillies, Game 1

Game one between the Rockies and Phillies is this afternoon at 3 at Citizen's Bank Park. It will be a high-scoring series between the two teams because both of them are on top of the N.L. in runs scored. So much for pitching gets you to the playoffs. Here are the probable starters for both teams.

Phillies: Rockies:

pitcher Cole Hamels pitcher Jeff Francis
shortstop Jimmy Rollins shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
rightfielder Shane Victorino or Jayson Werth rightfielder Brad Hawpe
second baseman Chase Utely second baseman Kazuo Matsui
first baseman Ryan Howard first baseman Todd Helton
leftfielder Pat Burrell leftfielder Matt Holliday
centerfielder Aaron Rowand centerfielder Willy Taveras
third baseman Abraham Nunez or Greg Dobbs or Wes Helms third baseman Garrett Atkins
catcher Carlos Ruiz catcher Yorvit Torrealba

The lineups look pretty much the same. They are pretty equal, the Phils might have a slight edge because the Rollins, Utely, and Howard combination has been deadly recently. The pitchers, Cole Hamels and Jeff Francis, are pretty equal in ability and wins. The Rockies are red-hot going 20-8 in September. The team who will win will get to the starting pitchers more and hold on to the lead. The Phils do have a lot of come-from-behind wins. It should be great.

Phillies Win Pennant

The Phillies have won the National League East pennant. The Phillies will be playing in October for the first time since 1993. These fans are hungry for some good postseason baseball; heck, they haven't had it in 14 years. The Phillies were tied for the lead in the division going into yesterday's game at Citizens' Bank Park. The Phillies beat the Nationals, 6-1, yesterday and by the time the game was over, the Mets had already been killed by the Marlins. The Mets have had a great fall from grace, and a very historical one as well. The New York Mets had a seven game lead on the Phils with 17 games left in the season. That is the greatest fall in the history of Major League Baseball.
The hometown guy clinched it for the Phillies with his great pitching performance. Jamie Moyer did not give up an earned run in the 5 1/3 innings that he pitched. Moyer took off from school to go to the parade in 1980 when the Phils won their last World Series. Howard also helped by getting three RBI's and smacking his 47th homer of the year. Jimmy Rollins had a big RBI triple in the game. Rollins is only the fourth person in MLB history to reach the 20-20-20-20, triples, doubles, homers, and stolen bases.
This is the tenth postseason the Phillies have reached in their 100 plus years of playing ball. They will play wednesday, at home, against the winner of the one game playoff featuring the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres. It doesn't matter who they play, the Phillies are still red hot and for the first time in a long time: division winners.

Phillies Game Back in Both Races

The Phillies are walking the annual tight rope to the playoffs again this year. They haven't reached the other side in more than ten years. They do have a good chance this year. The current update on the playoff chase is that the Phils are one game back in both the wild card and the N.L. East. The Phils won 5-2 yesterday and the New York Mets lost. The Padres won again.
I think the Phils have a better shot at winning the division than anything else. The Mets are slumping and might just fall apart with four games to play. The Padres are surging and so are the Colorado Rockies. Now, wouldn't you want to race just one team to the finish or would you rather try to beat every team that's in second in their divisions in the N.L.. The Phillies, to give themselves a good shot, would probably want to win, at the very least, three out of the last four games.
You gotta think, though, that if the Phillies would have won a few more games in their horrible start to the season, that it would be a different story right now. But I guess you shouldn't cry about spilled milk.
Even if this team doesn't make the playoffs, I think they still did a great job getting this far. I mean, with the rollercoaster of a bullpen and a rotation that has dropped like flys the entire season, that they are lucky to be in this position alone. Remember that when you call into WIP after the season, if the Phils are not playing October baseball, and start ripping Charlie Manuel and telling him to get out of town. He did a good job with this team and has earned the right to coach next year. But let's just hope that he has his team ready for the start of the season next year.

Phillies Closing In

The Phillies will finish their season off with a six-game homestand. Entering that homestand, which starts tonight against the Braves, they will be tied for the wild card lead and a chance at the division. How did they get a share of the top spot in the wild card? Well, they didn't play last night and they were a half game back. The leader at that time was the San Diego Padres and they lost last night.

The Phillies would love to compete in their first post season since 1993 this year. They certainly have the talent to do it: the reigning MVP and two different candidates for this season's award.

It will be a tough task for the Phils to edge out the Padres or any other team close to the wild card lead. The Padres pitching staff is why they are competing for a playoff spot this season. With Chris Young (left), Gary Maddux and Jake Peavy, their staff is one of the finest in the entire league.

That is exactly what the Phils lack: quality pitching. Sure it wasn't their fault, because they had a pretty good staff coming into this season but plenty of injuries have turned them into patch work and mediocre at best. The Phils strength is their hitting, no question about it.

The Phils have six games left: three against the Braves and three against the Nationals, all at home. Those are certainly winnable games. It will be fun to watch.

Why Jimmy Rollins Should Be MVP

Jimmy Rollins is a remarkable ballplayer. You don't see many players go all-out every game and play flawlessly. Jimmy Rollins is about the best all-around shortstop in the league. He is having one of his best years this year. Rollins is a big reason why this team is still contending for a playoff spot.
In spring training, he took a bold step by saying that the Phils were the team to beat in the N.L. East. Now you can imagine what the team that won the division by double digit games last season thinks about that. The Mets fans put a big target on Jimmy from the begining and still boed him till the final game between the two teams.
Jimmy plays in almost every game and it shows, he has 201 hits, 18 triples, 38 doubles, and 29 homers this year. He is batting .295 and has 90 RBIs. That is a remarkable number of RBIs for somebody batting in the lead off position. He is also very good on the base pads; he has 38 stolen bases. He is impecable in the field
MVP stands for most valuable player and right now I'd rather have Jimmy on the team than anyone else.

Eagles Go Lion Hunting

The Eagles surprised everyone, even their most faithful fans, as they tamed the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field earlier this afternoon. They scored 56 points in their first win of the season and by the way, that's the most points the team has scored in 54 years. The final score of the game, in which the Eagles scored 42 first half points, was 56-21. Going into this game most people thought that it was a must-win, and that if they lost the game the season looked as bright as the Titanic did when it hit the iceberg. Hopefully, we saw the real Eagles' offense today. Perhaps it was still asleep for the first two games.
McNabb looked like Peyton Manning as he threw for four touchdowns and 381 yards. Kevin Curtis looked unstoppable as he reeled in four touchdown grabs and gained 221 yards. He tied an NFL record for the most receiving yards in the first half, with 205 yards. It was one of the best performances by a wide receiver I have ever seen. Brian Westbrook played like a man-with-something-to-prove, breaking tackles and gaining first downs with ease. He finished with 222 yards total with three scores, but left the game in the third quarter with a rib injury. That will give Eagles' fans nightmares and sweaty palms even if it turns out to be minor.
Jon Kitna had a great game in this offensive showing, as he threw for 446 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions. The Philly defense showed yet again how solid it is by getting to Kitna nine times.
Earlier in the week, most Eagles' fans were busy burning McNabb on local radio stations for saying that black quarterbacks are criticized more than white quarterbacks in an interview for HBO. After that interview, most people thought that McNabb couldn't handle the pressure put on him from the fans. A lot of people thought he was just making up excuses because he hadn't won a Super Bowl yet, and they wanted him out of town after that interview was shown last week.
McNabb showed why he should still be in town in the beginning of the game when he scored on his first five possesions. Many people will probably think, though, that this was nothing more than a fluke game. All I know is that the Eagles looked pretty stinkin' good today.

Pathetic Eagles

The Eagles' offense showed just how pathetic they were on Monday Night Football, with the nations eyes on them they did not come through in the clutch. The final score was 20-12, Washington Redskins. The defense played solid but it the offense was horrid. They didn't even score a touchdown against the Redskins. David Akers scored all of the points for the Eagles, with four field goals.
Why is the offense floundering when it was the defense we worried about coming into the season. I will give you a one of reasons: the receivers are not getting open. The offensive line protected McNabb well enough but he needed more time because Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown and various other receivers weren't getting into enough space to allow McNabb to complete the pass.
Another thing I miss about the offense is McNabb making a good play out of a bad play. His ability to buy time and run around until someone gets open. He can't do that any time soon because it is not even a year after his surgery. But that playmaking ability is what has made McNabb the kind of quality quarterback that he is.
The Eagles lost this game because they could not score in the red zone, which used to be automatic for McNabb and this offense. Brian Westbrook was the one bright spot in the offense. He made big play after big play but you can't win with only half of your offense showing up for the game.
The defense did good but not great. Believe me people people, Jason Campbell isn't as good as he looked Monday night. I do think the defense did well against Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. But hey, at least their wasn't any muffed punts.

Preview: Philadelphia Eagles-Washington Redskins

The Eagles play the Washington Redskins tonight in a Monday Night Football showdown. The Eagles lost their opener in distastful fashion last week to the Green Bay Packers. The Redskins, however, won their opener facing the Miami Dolphins. That's not really saying much, though. The Eagles' questionable run defense will have its first real test tonight. The Redskins have a great one-two punch with Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts sharing the carries. The Eagles should have some adrenaline going because it is the home opener. Don't forget about the Redskins' passing game either, sure Jason Campbell can be terrible but you have to remember that the guys he's throwing to can make big plays. Cris Cooley is a first-rate tight end and Santana Moss is a very gifted recevier. The Eagles need not to give up big plays in order to win.
The Eagles' offense should throw the defense off with a good mix of run and pass. Brian Westbrook needs to have a good game. McNabb will throw for big gains if the offensive line protects him. I think that is one of the keys to win for the Eagles. It will be a well coached battle, with Joe Gibbs (Redskins' coach, upper right) against Andy Reid. Should be a very close divisional matchup. I can't wait.

Oden Out for Season

The first pick in the last NBA Draft, Greg Oden, will be out for the season. Oden had microfracture knee surgery and that will make him miss the season while he recovers from it. Oden just went to the doctor to check on his knee that was hurting and the doctor said he needed the microfracture knee surgery. Oden was supposed to make an immediate impact this season with the Portland Trailblazers but know they will have to wait one more season. Oden was also injured most of his college career but still played good and took Ohio State to the championship game. Oden only played one season in college and had big expectations for the NBA. So does fellow rookie Kevin Durant, Oden is constantly compared Durant, who was the number 2 pick in the draft. There is much speculation about who will be a better NBA player, but everyone now knows one thing: Durant will have a head start.
With this injury to Oden, one has to think that mabye he is injury prone. He got injured in college and now is out for his first season. Will he play poorly when he comes back and then suffer from injuries for the rest of his career? I don't think he will be plagued by injury, I think it was just tough luck that he has the injury he has. I think he will comeback and be a star in the NBA but he will just have to wait

Spying Patriots

NFL commissoner Roger Goodell concluded yesterday that the New England Patriots had broken NFL rules. The Patriots are said to have video taped the New York Jets', the team they played on Sunday, defensive signals. Officials took away a camera and video tape from a Patriot's assistant coach. Goodell is even thinking about taking away the Pats draft picks. He said what the Pats did broke a competitive violation. The Patriots will be able to present their case, however, probably by phone on Friday. The league said the Pats have been suspected in the past of doing something similar to what they did on Sunday.

The big part of this case for me, is that the Pats have been suspected of things like this before. Who knows when they have done it before. In Super Bowls and playoff games that were close, did they video tape the other team's signals? Did they do it against the Eagles in the Super Bowl a few years ago? Is Tom Brady as good as people think he is or is he getting help from coaches telling him the other teams plays? Bill Belichek is a respected coach around the league but will that change with these allegations popping up. My respect for the Pats has fell considerably.

Special Woes

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their first game of the season yesterday, 13-16 to the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay exploted all the Eagle's mistakes. Guess what the biggest mistake was? Punt returning. Out of all the problems I thought would plague the Eagles, punt returning was NOT one of them. If you didn't watch this game I will give you a recap. Greg Lewis fumbled the ball in the first quarter off a punt and it rolled into the endzone and was recovered by Green Bay for a touchdown. Then rookie kicker Mason Crosby nailed a 53-yard field goal to give the Packers a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Eagle kicker, David Akers, kicked a 33-yarder threw the uprights. McNabb then drove down the field and threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to second year recevier Jason Avant. So the score is tied at the half. David Akers then booted in his second field goal of the season, a 47-yarder, to put the Eagles ahead. Mason Crosby then evened it out with a field goal, a 37-yarder. So it is tied,13-13, going into the fourth. So, the Eagles D makes a big stop late in the fourth quarter and the Packers punt it to J.R Reed. It is short and with mutiple Packers around him, he dives for it and bobbles it with 59 seconds left and a tie game. Packers ball in field goal range and Crosby puts it home for the game-winning field goal. The whole team played pretty good, the defense especially. McNabb played good but not great. The punt returning ruined the game. Greg Lewis and J.R Reed, you don't have to field a punt, you know that? The Eagles recently cut punt returning specialist Jeremy Bloom, who probably wouldn't have fielded those punts. You would like to have him on the team now, wouldn't ya, Andy.

Eagles Preview/ Notre Dame-Penn State Recap and More

The Eagles play their first game today at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. That means that they will be playing the durable Brett Farve. The Packers don't have much running game though, so the defense should not be tested in that category. If Brett is on his game, this should be a good one but if he lobs it up for multiple interceptions, the Eagles should win this game by a heathy margin. Hopefully the Eagles remember their vow to run it more this season. Brian Westbrook deserves to get the ball more. He makes something out of nothing out there. McNabb will play good because he always starts out the season ready and on a roll. I think Kevin Curtis will play a major roll in this offense all year. I am not that worried about the defense. I think they will play the run better this year and the DB's are always good. I think the offensive line will protect McNabb well and the defense line will get to Farve at least three times. My prediction is 28-14 Eagles at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

Penn State beat Notre Dame 31-10 yesterday. Notre Dame played good in the first half but then the Penn State offense took over in the second half. The first score came when Darrin Walls returned a interception, thrown by Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli, 73 yards to the house. Penn State came back with a big play of their own at the end of the first half when Derrick Williams returned a punt 78 yards. The game was tied to begin the second quarter. The Nittany Lions scored four more times during the game with the Fighting Irish scoring only once. Jimmy Clausen was pretty good in his first college start. He was 17 of 32 passing with 144 yards and one interception. He threw for more yards than Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli (131 yards passing). I think Jimmy Clausen will develope into a star in Notre Dame but maybe not this year.

I did watch the Phillies yesterday as they beat the Florida Marlins 9-1 in the game of the week on Fox. Joe Girardi was the color commentator in the broadcasting booth. You know him because he managed the Marlins last year and one NL Manager of the Year award. I thought he did an awesome job calling the game yesterday afternoon. Now maybe it was just because his former team, the Marlins, were playing but I thought he did a great job trying to make the fans watching know what is going on in a players head. He noticed every little detail during the game and told us if the player made a mistake or if the player did something good and why it was happening. The man knows a lot about baseball and I don't know why the Marlins fired him. I even thought that when he got fired but now I think that even more.