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UFC 229 Spectacle, NFL Rookie Record Day, Risk Taking and Are the Yankees Done?

Daily Express

I’ll begin this week’s blog with the absolute gong show that transpired in Las Vegas on Saturday night, and trust me when I say it was a gong show. Defending UFC lightweight champion Connor McGregor not only got his rear end tossed around the cage for 4 rounds by Khabib Nurmagomedov, but his constant trash talking had finally seemed to of caught up to him.

A quick background for those who don’t exactly know what went down leading up to the fight on Saturday. McGregor has a long, long history of talking smack, but also backing it up. Earlier this year the Irish fighter threw a steel chair through the bus window that Khabib was riding in, injuring him and others. He was arrested in NYC for the incident and the match was postponed…but the trash talking didn’t stop there. McGregor, like he does before every match, tries to bully his opponent verbally and get into their mind (it can be extremely entertaining from a fan standpoint) and fuel them to a point where they get off of their game.

Khabib, however, seemed unfazed. When Connor was late to the Friday afternoon press conference the Russian product just said thank you to the fans, got up and then left the stadium. Once the match began late Saturday it was all Khabib from the start. He attacked McGregor like he said he was going to, and then was able to make him tap in the fourth round. An upset none the less, but what happened after submission looked like something out of an old WWE contest. Tempers were flaring all around; Khabib threw his mouth guard in the direction of McGregor’s team and then climbed out of the octagon and began fighting them. While that was going on members from the Khabib camp jumped into the cage and began jumping McGregor before security was able to separate everyone. But not before punches were thrown or before absolute chaos ensued.

UFC Commissioner Dana White had to escort the new champion out of the arena before anything else happened and he has yet to give the belt to Khabib. A full on investigation is underway and both purses are being held in contempt. Both fighters are immigrants and, according to some, this could have visa issues in the future.

So, where does this put the UFC now? Well, I think it only helped the sport. From a fan perspective it kept me up until the early morning, and overall it was trending all across the world. But do I agree with Khabib’s actions? Not to the degree of how he handled himself after winning, but we are all human and nobody knows how they would react in that situation after all of the events leading up to that moment. McGregor attacked his religion, called out his family and destroyed his bus with a steel chair earlier this year on top of all of the trash talking this past week.

Clearly the Irishman was able to rattle his opponent, but for the first time in a long time it back fired. For those who say Khabib deserves full responsibility are completely blind on the matter altogether. Yes, that is his strategy and it makes for intense fights, but if he and the commissioner don’t take any blame it’s an utter joke. The UFC allowed for Connor to behave this way and turn the league into a circus. Great for ratings and great for competition, but if you push someone just far enough this is what can transpire.

Hopefully the UFC can get beyond all of the legal matters so that a rematch can be scheduled. Talk about ratings going through the roof if there is indeed chapter 2. Maybe Vegas will have a few more security guards this time around…What did they think was going to happen?!

Are the Yankees Done?

For the first time in 14 years the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees finally met up in the playoffs. As a Yankees fan I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for Game 3 in the Bronx, but the outcome left myself and the Pinstripe faithful in shock. The Bombers laid their biggest postseason egg in franchise history at home and fell to their rival 16-1. Oh, and Brock Holt became the first player to hit for the cycle in the postseason…great.

The bats have been the storyline for New York in the ALCS. Game 1 the Yankees were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left the bases loaded in back to back innings. Game 2 the bats were hot early enough to hang on for a win, but in last night’s pivotal Game 3 the bats were colder than the Arctic Ocean in the winter.

It was just so frustrating. The rookies Torres and Andujar are playing like…well, rookies. Giancarlo Stanton has been horrendous with runners on base (the reason he was brought to New York) and Andrew McCutchen is far from his MVP 2014 form.

Louis Severino got shelled last night and Aaron Boone mismanaged him after the third inning. Why the hell did Severino go back out on the bump to start the fourth? This is where the game fell apart. He had 64 pitches through 3 innings and the Sox were hitting ropes off of him. Nobody was warming up in the bullpen until midway through the fourth when Lance Lynn was sent out to relieve the Yankees ace after he loaded the bases with NO OUTS. Why not go Chad Green in this situation? He’s their best relief pitcher and could have maybe gotten out of the inning unscathed. Instead, Lynn pitched 5 straight balls, walked in a run and literally fell on his face after his third pitch. A seven run inning might have just ended New York’s historic season and Boone probably didn’t sleep a wink last night.

I’m definitely not throwing in the towel yet, but I’m still so pissed off from last night’s performance. Maybe it’s because I was at Yankee stadium to witness this fiasco or because Chris Sale is lined up for the Sox in Game 5. But I’m not trying to look ahead; I’m going to focus on tonight and tonight only.

Boston will be on a high and the Yankees will be pissed off. The biggest advantage is that New York has a World Series winning veteran on the mound tonight with CC Sabathia starting and they still have the two best power hitters in baseball. New York needs to get runs on the board early and Sabathia must go 6 innings. The bullpen needs a rest.

The series is still far from over as it’s only just getting started. We’ll see you at Fenway for Game 5!

NFL Week 5

I’ll begin the NFL segment by congratulating Drew Brees on breaking the all-time passing yards record last night on Monday Night Football in a win over the Redskins (I’ll touch on this in a bit). It is a true honor that is well deserved by none other than a true class act.

Rookie Quarterback Sunday

The biggest story in my eyes was 2018 rookie quarterbacks. All four top-10 picks not only all started, but they all won. Josh Rosen got his first win of his NFL career over the 49ers in San Francisco. Baker Mayfield helped the Browns win on a Sunday for the first time in God knows when over a really good Baltimore opponent. Sam Darnold took down the Broncos at the Meadowlands and was throwing absolute dimes to the end zone, and Josh Allen knocked off the Titans with Bills Mafia in attendance in Buffalo.

The NFL is in really good hands right now. Quarterbacks are getting better and the bust rate is going down. I don’t know if there has ever been 4 rookie QB’s picking up a W on the same day in league history and if I had to guess I would say there is no chance it has ever happened (Nope. It’s never been done!).

Crosby’s Afternoon to Forget

Really, we are still talking about kickers after a month into the season? Well, Green Bay’s Pro Bowl kicker Mason Crosby had arguably the worst showing by a kicker since the Jets in the 2005 Divisional Round. Crosby left 13 points off the board after missing four FGs and one extra point in a loss to the Lions on the road.

His situation is slightly different and I’m sure it was just one of those days, but I guess if you’re a Pro Bowler you’re allowed to have a bad day. However, for Green Bay they are now tied for second in the NFC North and Detroit is one game behind both the Packers and Vikings.

Minnesota on the other hand might have turned things around this year for good. In a rematch of the 2018 NFC Championship Game the Vikes went into Philadelphia and upset the defending champs. The defense finally played up to their potential in Week 5 and Linval Joseph’s defensive fumble return touchdown put an exclamation point on the game. Adam Thielen and Kirk Cousins have been very impressive so far this year and the combination of Stephon Diggs and Thielen might be the best unit in the NFL.

For Philly, Carson Wentz has looked rusty since returning from an ACL injury in Week 3 as he is just 1-2 since taking back the starting role. Their secondary has been depleted and on offense they have yet to score over 21 points this year. They have been a target since February, but they have been extremely fortunate that the NFC East is WIDE open. At 2-3 they are just a half game back from the division title and they could very well repeat as East champs with seven wins. But as far as repeating as Super Bowl champs, it might be time to start ringing the Liberty Bell in panic.

The real takeaway from MNF last night was just how scary good the Saints are. Yes, congrats to Brees on the record, but damn…this roster is loaded. Mark Ingram returned from suspension (sorry Alvin Kamara fantasy owners) and claimed two rushing touchdowns, while it was Torrey Smith, not Michael Thomas, tearing up the field on the receiving end. The Saints won 49-19 in an absolute route over the ‘Skins and with a Thomas-Josh Norman on-field feud, and they have not lost since FitzMagic shredded them for 48 points in Week 1.

New Orleans has had a history of starting slow, but this train has picked up steam and it has no signs of slowing down anytime soon. They were my Super Bowl pick this season and I’m sticking to it. This team is loaded.

Patrick Mahomes keeps facing all of his challenges head on, but it was the Chiefs defense that carried the troops in Week 5. They picked off Blake Bortles four times and have finally figured out their pass rush. The second-year QB finally threw his first INT of the season, but it didn’t matter as the defense was dominating in virtually every aspect of the game.

Jacksonville is now 3-2 and has not played well away from home. Their defense has been outstanding all season, but it’s the offense that has been so inconsistent. This stingy defense can carry the Jaguars far, but it will have to be the offense coming up big if they want to get back to the AFC title game.

New England is back. Well, I guess they never left! They started slow again and are back leading the division…again. Tom Brady is on another mission again in 2018 and he got his best weapon back on Thursday, Julian Edelman. Oh, and TB12 threw his 500th regular season TD pass to Josh Gordon (his 71st different receiver to catch one). How New England does that sound? Ha!

The Pats host the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in the game of the week this Sunday in a battle of the best to ever do it against the next best thing—Brady-Mahomes. Pound the over on this one.

Risk Taking

Last, but not least, the LA Rams won again. From top to bottom this is the best roster in the league today. Jared Goff, my preseason pick, is likely going to win MVP and Sean McVay has team’s trying to figure out a way to stop Todd Gurley. Good luck.

But the real story here and one that I’ll link the Cowboys-Texans game to is the decision making in crunch time. They are slightly different cases, but both should have been comparable. The Rams were up two just under the 2-minute warning and were going to punt on 4th and 1. Seattle called their final timeout and McVay got to think it over and decided to go for it and try and pick up a yard, and clinch the game. So, after a Goff sneak and a gain of two yards the Rams picked up both the first and the win in a hostile 12th man road environment. A gutsy call to say the least…or was it?

Dallas, who was also on the road and playing in Houston, somehow managed to get the SNF game into overtime after playing awful offensively. The Cowboys had one goal line stand on fourth down and another stand to force a FG that kept them alive in the game. The defense came up with a key interception to push the game into added time, but the call of the game came on a 4th and 1 on the opponent’s 42 yard line. Time was not a factor in this game as the next score was going to win the game. Instead of trying a QB sneak or attempting to gain a yard with one of the best running backs in the game Ezekiel Elliott, Jason Garrett decided to punt it. Ball game. Texans made one big play on offense and sealed the game 19-16.

My argument is this: you go for the win in both situations. I said it last week with the Colts and I’ll say it again, the odds of getting a yard are in your favor! Sure, there are times to be conservative and most coaches generally are. But when your offense is struggling like Dallas was and they were still in a position to win the game and on the road, 10 times out of 10 you go for that.

Wins are hard to come by in pro sports, but even harder in the NFL. You have to be willing to take risks and make gutsy calls if you’re going to make it in this league.

Although no matter what Garrett does, his job seems to be very safe with Jerry Jones…maybe this is why the Cowboys haven’t won in over twenty years!!

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NHL 2018-19 Season Preview: Picks, Predictions & Dark Horses

Sportsnet

The 2018 NHL season begins tonight in the nations capital where the reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins in a matchup between two Eastern Conference favorites.

There are still so many questions heading into the regular season across the league that remain unanswered. Are the Capitals victims of a championship hangover? Can the Islanders move on from the departure of their former captain? How effective will the Rangers rebuilding plan be? Is this the year McDavid gets to a conference final? Will Ottawa win 20 games? Was Vegas’ run to the Cup final a fluke? Are the Sharks the deepest team out West? The list goes on and on, but one thing remains clear–HOCKEY IS BACK!

As a former college hockey player at Colgate University I have been an avid follower of both the NCAA and the NHL my entire life. I grew up in Minneapolis and when the league expanded in 2000, I became a fan of the Wild. I’ll admit, I followed the Gophers but for some reason Michigan was the team I grew up rooting for. I don’t know if it was because my buddy Charlie Lingren’s dad played goalie in Ann Arbor or if it was because of “The Michigan” goal in the 1996 NCAA Tournament against Minnesota. Whatever it was I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Gophs. But I did enjoy going to Marriucci Arena to watch college hockey.

Anyways, back to my point. I grew up following the Wild, but the State of Hockey has had its fair shares of disappointment. Minnesota has the longest active streak in the NHL of making it to the playoffs ( 6 straight) and the feat might be in jeopardy in the deep Western Conference. Although they have made the playoffs in six straight years, they have failed to reach the conference finals. A team with so much talent and depth, along with a few hometown players has underachieved since the Zach Parise–Ryan Suter era began in 2012. I’ll be one of the first to admit it…2018 might be the beginning of the end for the Red and Green, but let’s not be too quick to count them out just yet.

Sticking with the West, the San Jose Sharks missed out in the John Tavares sweepstakes back in July but made a big splash last week. They traded for two-time Norris Trophy defenseman Erik Karlsson and solidified their back end for the year. They, along with Nashville, have, in my opinion, the two deepest blue lines in the league and are likely on pace to meet in the Western finals.

Think about it. Who is going to get around their d-core? Their top-4 consists of Karlsson (2x Norris, Olympic Gold), Brent Burns (Norris winner, Olympic Gold), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (Olympic Gold)and Justin Braun/Jokim Ryan. This group of defensemen might account for more goals than the Senators entire team.

They have three well balanced lines with one of the best right wingers in the game on their top unit, Joe Pavelski. The power play will only get better with the addition of the All-Star Swede to run the point, and they have a goaltender in Martin Jones that has been to the Finals before. Jones will be the x-factor, but if they get enough run support up front…good luck.

Staying in the Pacific, I’m writing the Anaheim Ducks off right now. Corey Perry suffered a knee injury that will keep him out until after the All-Star break and they have been on a steady decline overall since 2016. I’m not in love with John Gibson as many of you are, but I do respect his game, however. They do have a sound top-4 on the back end, but their offense is a big question mark. Getzlaf is aging, they have a few youngsters like Troy Terry and Maxime Comtois who will log a lot of minutes for the Ducks up front. They will be interesting but I believe the run in Anaheim ended with Perry’s injury.

Calgary made noise this offseason when they traded Dougie Hamilton to the Hurricanes in return for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, while also landing James Neal in free agency. They, like Anaheim will be competitive, but I do not see them making a bid for the postseason. They have skilled forwards up front such as Johnny “Hockey” Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Drafting Matthew Tkachuk was a great pick as well, but goaltending is my biggest concern. I don’t trust Mike Smith. I just don’t. If you’re going anywhere far in hockey, the goalie position cannot be second guessed.

I’m high on Arizona this year, but they are still a year away. Quietly last spring they had one of the leagues best final 20 games of the season and goaltender Antti Raanta posted a 2.24 goals against average and a .930 save percentage (second in both categories in the NHL). He single handily was the ‘Yotes best player and in games that he started the Maroon and White was 21-17-6. Take a look at their record to see what they did without him…I’ll let you do some math (hint: you can count their wins on tow hands..).

They have a very underrated blue line who can create problems for their opposition, but they will struggle to fill the net up front. They won’t finish last out west, but they won’t be playing in April either.

Was Las Vegas’ Cup run a fluke? No, I don’t believe so. They did get hot early, and have one, if not the biggest home ice advantage based on location. I mean who doesn’t go out the night before in Sin City? The are so well rounded from top to bottom and added a huge goal scorer from Montreal in Max Pacioretty. They have the best top-6 in the West and their first line Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson–Reilly Smith, could combine for the most total points in 2018.

Marc-Andre Fleury‘s 2017-18 was one for the history books, but he faded when the Knights needed him the most against D.C. Can he duplicate what he did in the inaugural season? We will have to wait and see. But, if you’re a betting man/woman, don’t put your money on it.

Vancouver will move forward without the Sedin twins. It will honestly be weird not watching them this fall. They made magic happen from the start of their careers to the ends and they made plays that only twin siblings could ever make. You two will be missed. But, besides the brothers, their won’t be too much to look forward to if your a Canucks fan. I’m not high on any single group and they will struggle to possess the puck. They are young and have some skilled talent, but this franchise is still very far away from where it was in 2011.

I absolutely love the Oilers this year and that is why they are one of my dark horse candidates. How can you count out Connor McDavid? They struggled mightily last year and had a disappointing season none the less. 2018 will be all about redemption and the NHL points leader in back-to-back seasons will help right the ship. Cam Talbot could be the top goalie in the Pacific Division, but I do not like the lack of depth defensively. This is why they are my dark horse solely because of McJesus.

Los Angeles were the winners of the Ilya Kovalchuk bidding war and signed the former Devil to help generate some offense. The Kings have the best two-way centers in the Pacific with captain Anze Kopitar highlighting the top line. Will he gel with the former KHL addiditon? That is a huge question the Kings look to have answered this season.

I like their d-core a lot and I think Drew Doughty could beat out Karlsson for the Norris this year, but the Kings have a very underrated blue line with Martinez, Muzzin and Forbort. Oh, and they have two-time champion Jonathon Quick in net. I like this roster a lot.

Central Division

The Central Division has a ton of skill offensively. They have two teams who have legitimate chances of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup in June, and one team whose dominance over the past decade is no more.

I already touched on the Minnesota Wild earlier, but I do believe that they have a chance of sneaking into the playoffs, but it is slim. Devan Dubnyk will need to play like he did in 2016 if the Wild are going to make a run. I do like, but not love our top-6. Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal are againg, Parise is always hurt, but Mikael Granlund is due for a huge season. He’s St. Paul’s most skilled forward and can help elevate Minnesota on the PP. The blue line top-4 is sound and does have a high ceiling this fall. If this team gets into the playoffs in April it will be a wild card slot at best.

Dallas resigned Tyler Seguin to a max deal this past summer and the Stars now have one of the leagues most skilled forwards for the future. A team that has failed to qualify for the playoffs in consecutive years will look to get back in the win column this season.

Their top pairing of Jamie Benn-Seguin-Alexander Radulov will pose a threat every time they step on the ice, but the threat only goes as far as they do. They don’t have a deep forward group, other than John Klinberg they don’t have any steady defensemen and their goalies have struggled to stay healthy and keep the pucks out of the net over the course of the last two years. One prospect to keep an eye on is goaltender Colton Point. He led the NCAA in save percentage in 2017-18 and had an unbelievable camp this fall.

Colorado will look to build on an overachieving 2017-18 campaign that placed them in the playoffs after being a bottom feeder the year prior. They have an elite talent in Nathan Mackinnon up front paired with captain Gabriel Landeskog. They aren’t very deep offensively or defensively, but I do think Semyon Varlamov is underrated. Now do I think they make the playoffs again? No, I do not.

The Chicago Blackhawks run of Western Conference Finals appearances ended last year and the thought of them ever getting back is no more. Other than Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews the Hawks have very little fire power offensively. Duncan Kieth and Brent Seabrook are not the defensive players they once were and the entire team is filled with young prospects. Corey Crawford is still one of the top-10 goalies in the league, but the display in front of him will hinder the Windy City’s shot at the postseason. Oh, did I mention the West was really deep this year?

Now, I’m at a standstill when it comes to St. Louis and don’t know how I feel about this Blues roster. They have one of the best pure goal scorers in the game today in Vladimir Terasenko and signed Ryan O’Reilly, a gritty two-way center, to pair with one of the four other big offseason additions, Patrick Maroon. Brayden Schenn and Jayden Schwartz make a great second line, and the third pairing of Alex Steen–Tyler Bozak–David Perron might be the best third line in the West, but like many other offensive juggernauts they lack a steady defense.

Jay Bouwmeester is getting old and he is paired with the Blues top d-man, Alex Pietrangelo. The second pairing of Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn are their second and third best defensive players and playing Bouwmeester consistently will hurt. The goalie, Jake Allen, scares me and not in a good way. He has a history of imploding in the playoffs and could be shaky in 2018.

Nashville came up short last year after losing to the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, but they will be back for blood this time around. Like San Jose, the Preds defense is sturdier than the GW Bridge, and they have skilled forwards all around. The Preds bolster one of the best two way centers in Ryan Johansen and a scoring threat who is lethal from anywhere insid ethe blueline and on the PP in Filip Forsberg.

P.K. Subban highlights the defense and he will begin the year with Mattias Ekholm, while the other pairing will consist of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. In between the pipes they have the reigning 2017-18 Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne and one of the best coaches in all of hockey Peter Laviolette.

Last, but certainly not least in the West is the heavy favorite Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were a series away from competing for the title last spring and exceeded far above any expectations a season ago. This season all eyes will be on them and Vegas once again. A small market team with a loaded roster from top to bottom.

The Jets have arguably the deepest top two forward lines in the West and one of the best players in the league, Mark Scheifele. The 25-year-old had 20 points (14 goals) in 17 playoff games last year and will look to build off of that feat beginning Thursday. The offense is big, skilled and possesses the puck better than any other team in the Central. Josh Morrissey, Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien highlight a deep blue line and Connor Hellebuyck is one of the most underrated goalies today. Look for Winnipeg to push the pace in May and possibly earn a spot in the Finals.

Eastern Conference

I’ll begin the Eastern preview in the Atlantic Division where one of the biggest moves in Maple Leafs history took place. Toronto won the bid for Tavares and inked their hometown boy for the next several seasons, making the blue sweaters a heavy favorite out East.

Toronto has an extremely, and I mean extremely deep roster offensively. Their best player might not even be Tavares either as they have one of the best up-and-coming talents in the entire show today, Auston Matthews. Now, the big offseason splash has bumped the former first-overall draft pick to the second line, only creating more depth for the franchise. Tavares will be paired with Zach Hyman and Mitch Marner on the outside and Matthews will center Patrick Marleau and Tyler Ennis.

Adding to that deep offense is Nazem Kadri  who will center the third line with Connor Brown on the right and Josh Leivo on the left. William Nylander has still yet to sign and who knows how long this holdout will last. Both sides need to come to an agreement, but if I’m Tornoto I pay the guy now and deepen this offense.

Defensively, the Leafs will struggle just like they have for the past 10 seasons on the blue line. Morgan Reilly is a really good asset, but it basically stops there. Nikita Zaitsev had a down year in 2017, but has a lot of potential to help out significantly in 2018. Toronto is going to have to lead the league in goals to make up for the poor blue line they have assembled. One positive back there is their goalie Frederik Andersen who can at times be a dominant force in the cage. The Leafs also have Mike Babcock, the best coach in the entire league. So…that’s always a plus.

Montreal seems to be in full rebuild mode after shipping their captain to Vegas last month. They do however have one of the games top goalies Carey Price in net, but what good does it make when you have poor management and a depleted roster in front of him? Still think they won the Shea Weber-Subban deal? Anyways, they have an offense that will struggle to score and a blue line that will be hemmed in their own end for decent lengths of time. This will be a lost season and the fan base will be more restless than ever before.

What do I need to say about Ottawa? The Senators are exploding from top to bottom. They lost their best goal scorer to Florida, the face of the franchise to San Jose and cut veteran leader Zack Smith. This team will be feeding off the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for the next 10 years.

Florida’s roster is very intriguing to me. After missing the playoffs by a game in 2017-18 the Panthers will look to build upon their near run. The addition of Mike Hoffman on the second line rounds out a very deep top-six. Evgeny Dadonov-Aleksander Barkov–Nick Bjugstad are a constant threat while Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck, along with Hoffman, create one of the best offenses in the Atlantic.

They have a very underrated roster highlighted by Aaron Ekblad and Kieth Yandle on defense and veteran goalie Roberto Luongo. This is my dark horse candidate in the Eastern Conference hands down.

Hockey Town is still a few years away. Detroit is the one franchise that loves developing their prospects in the AHL and they don’t care for how long. The era of Datsyuk and Zetterberg has finally ended and the Red Wings are in the midst of a rebuild. Dylan Larkin and Gustav Nyquist highlight the offense and it will be a long year filled with ups and downs. Defensively, I’m still trying to find a weaker unit in the NHL and I just cannot, while Jimmy Howard has still yet to figure out how to be consistent in net.

Buffalo just named Jack Eichel captain this morning after signing him to a long-term contract earlier this offseason. They have not qualified for the playoffs since 2011 and have hovered around the bottom of the league since. They added Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart this summer to help in the goals category, and drafted Rasmus Dhalin, one of the most highly touted defensive products first-overall in June. The Sabres are still a few years away but the future does seem bright…somewhat.

Tampa Bay is a heavy favorite to claim the Atlantic after doing so last April. They added Ryan McDonagh on the back end last February to create the deepest blue line in the East. They add him to a back end consisting of 2017-18 Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman, Dan Girardi, Anton Stralman and Mikhail Sergachev.

Up front the Bolts have one of the top 5 players in all of hockey, Steven Stamkos, and the second overall points leader Nikita Kucherov. They have a deep second line and in net they have another preseason Vezina candidate, Andrei Vasilevskiy. This team is really deep and will be looking for redemption after blowing a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern finals last spring.

Boston is my pick to win the Atlantic and here is why. The Lightning have the deeper roster, but Boston has the better forwards. Hot take, I know, but I will take Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak over any other top line in the Atlantic. They are gritty, play 200-feet and have really good chemistry.  Their second line is deep as well and eventually Ryan Donato will work his way onto that pairing.

Defensively, they are not nearly as deep as Tampa. They still have the 40-year-old veteran Zdeno Chara who has taken a step back, but is still an asset. They have a dominant young gun in Charlie McAvoy and their best defenseman Torey Krug won’t be in the starting lineup for the first week due to injury. Other than that they will be shaky, but they have a really dangerous power play that will carry this roster all season and Tuukka Rask in net who has been a proven goalie in the regular season for the past several years.

Metropolitan

Moving over to the Met, my favorite division in the NHL, the Capitals and Penguins have claimed the past three Stanley Cup banners and they could possibly make it four in 2018-19.

Let’s begin with the defending champs. Washington is virtually returning every key piece from last years run which is why I like their chances again this time around. But not right away. I do believe in the old Stanley Cup hangover, especially with the Caps after Alex Ovechkin partied all the way into August and got Cup keg stands banned forever…LOL.

They won’t be at full strength to start the year due to Tom Wilson‘s suspension, but once he returns they have the best top-six forward pairings in the division. Evgeny Kuznetsov will look to build off of his epic Cup run performance, while Backstrom and Oshie highlight the second line. Please do not take a penalty against Washington…they will score…every time.

Management made a huge decision to re-sign John Carlson and keep the majority of their defense in tact. Braden Holtby proved his worth in the playoffs last year and will look to guide Washington back again this season. The Capitals are my pick to win this division, but it will be interesting to see how they do without Bary Trotz behind the bench.

Pittsburgh’s three-peat bid fell short at the hands of the Capitals last May, but they will be right back in the playoffs again in 2019. They didn’t have any key departures but added Jack Johnson to their d-core to solidify the top-four. Everybody is healthy to start the season which is huge and they still have one of the best players in the world Sidney Crosby.

Jake Guentzel will begin the year with Crosby and Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin will center Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin. I give Washington the edge on defense but the Penguins did upgrade with the Johnson deal. Also, Matt Murray will look to play a full season at full strength after suffering injuries in each of his first three years in the league.

Philadelphia had a huge addition this summer landing third line winger James Van Riemsdyk to give them much-needed depth offensively, while Claude Giroux will look to keep up his scoring touch after being a finalist for the Hart in July. I like the Flyers forwards a lot, but other than Shane Gostisbehere I simply cannot trust their blue line, or goalie(s) for that matter to claim the Met.

The Blue Jackets are another favorite to win the division after squandering a 2-0 lead against Washington in the playoffs last April. Their top line is highlighted by Artemi Panarin–Pierre-Luc Dubois–Cam Atkinson and they don’t have any real help beyond that. Their blue line lost Jack Johnson to Pittsburgh in the offseason but they have one of the divisions best talents in Zach Werenski. Their best overall player, however, is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Everybody knows how valuable that can be, but unlike Montreal, Columbus actually has pieces that can play in front of him.

The Islanders are very interesting as well. They lost Tavares, but gained Bary Trotz as a head coach and mastermind Lou Lamoriello as president of hockey operations. They were one of the hottest teams out of the gate a season ago, but fell off dramatically after the All-Star break. Mathew Barzal will be their top center and he is an absolute game-changer who I believe will put up 85 points plus in 2018-19. Their biggest weaknesses are defense and goaltending, which has also been the issue with this franchise for a really long time.

On the other side of the city in Manhattan the New York Rangers are in operation rebuild. The Blueshirts got rid of every key veteran from their 2014 Cup run at last years trade deadline and have filled the bottom half of their roster with younger talent. Offensively they have yet to have someone eclipse 65 points or more in over four seasons, and they will likely part ways with Mats Zuccarello before next February.

One positive for the Rangers is their defense. They signed Brady Skjei to a five-year deal this summer and are also getting Kevin Shattenkirk back at full strength to begin 2018. Henrik Lundqvist’s contract makes this rebuild so tricky as he has expressed that he wants to remain in the Big Apple, only hindering the rebuild process of obtaining a lottery pick in 2019.

Carolina will begin 2018-19 without goaltender Scott Darling who was injured in the preseason earlier last week. As already mentioned, they obtained Hamilton from Calgary to add to a very underrated d-core. Justin Faulk, Calvin De Hann and Jacob Slavin round out the back end, while Sebastian Aho will start the year at center with two youngsters, including first-round pick Andrei Svechnikov.

Last, but not least the New Jersey Devils. This is a franchise that took a major step in the right direction last year. They have Corey Schneider, one of the leagues best goalies, who will begin the year on IR, the 2018-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall and defenseman Sami Vatanen highlighting their key positions.

Other than Hall the Devils will be searching for someone to step up and produce and the likely candidate will be Kyle Palmieri. If New Jersey can weather the storm until Schneider gets back they could make another bid for the playoffs, but I’m just not in love with the roster enough and I think they will take a step backwards this season.

Predictions

West

Pacific-Vegas, San Jose, LA

Central- Winnipeg, Nashville, St. Louis

Wild Cards- Minnesota, Edmonton

East

Atlantic-Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto

Metropolitan- Washington, Pittsburgh, Columbus

Wild Cards- Philly, Florida

Awards

Presidents- Winnipeg Jets

Hart- Connor McDavid

Vezina- Connor Hellebuyck

Calder-Rasmus Dhalin

Norris- Drew Doughty

Art Ross– Connor McDavid

Richard- Patrik Laine

Jack Adams– Bob Boughner

Stanley Cup Winner- Winnipeg Jets over Boston Bruins in 6 games

 

 

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Mahomes, the Benefit of Being Patient, OT Controversy, MLB Playoffs and the Meltdown in Paris

Boston.com

He can’t sustain this high level of play. He can’t win in a tough road environment. He can’t win a mile up in the air. Teams will figure him out soon. The list goes on and on…but one thing remains the same–Patrick Mahomes keeps lighting it up.

Monday Night Football was the real coming out party for the Kansas City quarterback. The Chiefs were trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter against a very good Denver defense who hadn’t lost at home when leading by double digits in over a decade. That’s when the crowd was silenced. Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field twice for touchdowns, including the play of the game on a critical third and five when he switched hands and threw for a short first down while evading Von Miller on the outside.

The Chiefs held strong on Denver’s final drive and they now sit in first place in the AFC. Through four games in 2018, Mahomes has 15 total touchdowns, 1,200 yards passing, a 65.2 completion percentage and ZERO interceptions. These are insane video game numbers that we are witnessing in real life. But we can’t give all the credit to the Tyler, TX native can we?

There is something to be said about gaining experience and getting thrown into the fire right away. You can learn from your mistakes quicker and you can take a lot of reps early on in your career. But the one downside that you cannot control is social media. No matter how well or how poorly you play Twitter will be right there waiting to destroy you every which way. The critics will be waiting for you to fail and if you are thrown into the ring on a historically poor franchise it can hinder your career from the beginning.

Just look at what it has done to some quarterbacks in the past. Matt Leinart in 2006 was gone in Arizona after failing to live up to his college Heisman potential, Brady Quinn for the Browns in 2007 and Tim Couch in 2001, JaMarcus Russell in 2007 for the Raiders and the ever so famous Ryan Leaf in 1998 for San Diego. All big time college prospects thrown onto the field too early because of how well they played when they were college kids.

I’m not saying it happens to everybody, but there are growing pains along the way and it takes a toll on certain players. Carson Wentz had a very solid first year for the Eagles in 2016 and turned around in 2017 and, if not for an injury, would have been the league MVP. There are some rare cases like this, but like I said…RARE.

The biggest benefit a young quarterback can have is to wait, especially if there is a talented veteran in front of him. But they don’t have to be all that talented. They just need to be able to show the rookie the ropes and the everyday process of playing under center. Just look at the most successful quarterbacks in the past decade-plus.

Tom Brady, drafted in the seventh round out of Michigan. Sat behind Drew Bledsoe for a full season before taking over the reins and winning the Super Bowl the following year…we all know the rest.  Aaron Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre in Green Bay for three season before taking over and also winning a Super Bowl, while becoming a generational talent in the league. Big Ben sat a few games before coming in, the list goes on. But we are also seeing this type of production in today’s game with Jared Goff in Los Angeles and Patrick Mahomes in KC.

It doesn’t have to be a full year, but it also doesn’t hurt to wait that long. Mahomes played in one game in his rookie season and sat behind Alex Smith while stating that it had done wonders for his career. Goff was in a Jeff Fisher running, old-school system before Sean McVay took over and altered his career. I’m not saying that everything is going to be perfect if you sit and wait. You obviously need a great offensive minded head coach or coordinator, and weapons surrounding the quarterback.

A lot of these “busts” became busts because of the system they were drafted into and how hot the coaches seat was when they arrived. It’s nice to get drafted in the top-5, but the benefit of slipping in the first round is far greater than people think. Just ask the Packers and Rodgers, or the Patriots and Brady.

Maybe being drafted first-overall as a quarterback isn’t the best long-term plan for your future. Only time will tell, but historically speaking if you look at how many quarterbacks went on to have successful, long-term careers the scales tip in favor of the players who got to learn behind veteran starters.

The NFL is changing and quarterbacks are getting significantly more prepared for the NFL, while the rules are only helping the position further. I hope that the 2018 quarterback class can be successful long-term as all four of the signal callers taken inside the top-10 are starting and it’s only Week 4. But at the end of the day it is a business and we will just have to wait and see.

Week 4 Recap

The Bills are still the Bills after getting blanked on the road at Lambeau Sunday afternoon just one week removed from upsetting the Vikings in Minneapolis. Josh Allen took a step backwards after looking like a veteran QB against Minnesota, but it was Rodgers who was upset after the Week 4 win.

Aaron called out the play calling and game flow, he was mad that they had to settle for field goals in the red zone, and he was just upset about the lack of targets that were designed for Devontae Adams, his main receiver. Anyways, the Packers are back in the win column, but have a lot of work to do? Who knows, Rodgers can be a diva at times.

Everybody knew the Bears defense was legit, but their offense? Well, it was non-existent through three weeks. However, that all changed Sunday in the Windy City. Somebody was under center wearing a Mitch Trubisky jersey and he broke the record for most passing touchdowns in a Bears uniform in franchise history (6). They absolutely routed the Buccaneers and likely ended the run of Ryan FitzMagic altogether. Oh, and they are in first place in the North.

The 45-10 route gave insight as to just how good the Bears might be, but also to how bad the Buccaneers defense is and maybe how bad the Pittsburgh Steelers actually are.

The Bucs lost 30-27 a week ago to Pittsburgh, but had two turnovers inside their own 25 yard line, one for a pick-six, and the Steelers scored zero second half points…what is going on it the Steel City?

Le’Veon Bell is rumored to report during the Steelers’ Week 7 Bye, but will he dress up for the black and yellow or will he be traded? That remains to be seen, but Pittsburgh’s offense is in shambles and clearly they need the third member of the Killer B’s. If I was the Steelers I would just sign him to a long-term deal now. I don’t think James Conner is the answer, although he is very good, but Bell is just an elite talent that opposing defenses must respect and he can sway game planning in Pitt’s favor.

I personally think he gets traded, especially after what happened to Doug Baldwin in Seattle. Trade him while you can and get something in return or risk losing him for nothing. The locker room appears as if it is already divided and if the offensive line is calling him out, then why would they block for somebody they have given up on?

New England has been and always will be a tease to the league in September. Once again, many had written them off (including myself, except I said they would still make playoffs) and they did what they have done the previous four seasons. Route an above .500 opponent one week after their record fell to 1-2 and all is good again. Oh yeah…Julian Edleman, Brady’s main receiver, returns from suspension this week. Good luck, AFC.

The Oakland Raiders handed Jon Gruden his first win in over a decade after one of the most exciting games of the week in the Bay Area. Another Browns OT thriller resulted in a loss, but not after controversy. Fumble, forward progress, whatever it may be…the Raiders took advantage and their kicker got second life to win the game.

The Browns loss secured an 0-4 showing from all four top-10 2018 QB picks in Week 4. Allen, Darnold, Mayfield and Rosen all came up empty handed, but the direction of the league looks to be in good hands.

Now, you didn’t actually think I was going to end this NFL recap without mentioning the Frank Reich OT fourth down call did you?

C’mon. That was the highlight of the week! The Colts had an epic comeback fall short in overtime after deciding to go for it inside their own territory with under :30 seconds remaining. Now, they did not convert and Houston converted a pass to get into FG range, and eventually won, but I agree with the call. Never play for a tie. Ever. Trust your players, and let them trust you.

First year head coach, trying to make a statement with his MVP caliber QB who just threw two touchdowns to tie the game before the end of regulation. That was absolutely the right call. That’s the media, though. You convert…you’re a hero, if not, you wake up Monday morning and you’re the headline on national news. I love it. Great call, Reich.

MLB Playoffs Preview

The Hunt for October has officially ended, which means one thing…playoff baseball is back!

After the NL West and the NL Central had a dead tie after 162 games both divisions did a one-game playoff for the title. What made this game even more interesting was the strategy that was involved. Losers meet-up in the Wild Card play-in-game this evening, while the winners rest and host the Wild Card round at home.

Madness!

Milwaukee won at Wrigley and the Dodgers won at home, so Colorado travels east to Chicago for the first Wild Card match-up tonight.

The Atlanta Braves and Dodgers will now meet in round one while the winner of the play-in-game will travel to Wisconsin to take on Christian Yelich and the red-hot Brewers.

The Yankees host the Athletics in the AL Wild Card game tomorrow night and the Red Sox await the winner at Fenway. If the MLB faithful do not get the epic Sox-Yanks playoff series it has been waiting 14 years for then it will be a bloody shame. You all know where I stand on this bull s*** play-in-game format, but it could come back and bite the league in the rear.

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Cleveland Indians in the other American League match-up.

Personally, I love October baseball. But it is even more entertaining when the Sox and Yankees and both in it. Both have 100-plus wins and their rosters are just as good, if not better than the 2004 meeting.

Aaron Judge is back and healthy along with Gary Sanchez for the record-setting home run hitting Yankees and they have one of the best power hitting rosters in the league with the addition of Giancarlo Stanton. Potential Rookie of the Year candidates Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres are also a threat to Oakland and the AL, which is why I am picking the Bronx Bombers to come out of the AL.

The Red Sox bullpen and starting rotation is so deep, and so is Houston’s, but their is no easy out in the Yankees lineup. Mookie Betts is going to win the MVP in the AL but he is known for his postseason struggles. If it were a seven game series I would possibly think about taking the Red Sox, but in a best-of-five I’ll take New York.

In the West I really like the Milwaukee Brewers, but the inexperience deters me from taking them. Yelich has been the best player in all of baseball since July, but playoff baseball is another breed (just ask Clayton Kershaw).

I know they played last night, and I know they have to win a play-in-game to advance, but I think the Chicago Cubs come out of the NL. They have a deep starting rotation and have unbelievable defense. Like the Dodgers, they have experience of making the World Series, but I believe they have the better manager overall in Joe Maddon.

Atlanta and Milwaukee’s inexperience will show and it will be another epic NLCS between the Cubbies and Dodgers.

Prediction- Yankees over the Cubs in 6 games.

Ryder Cup

What a disastrous showing for Team USA from top to bottom. I’m not even going to get into the mess that transpired. Europe knows how to play team golf and America doesn’t. The struggle on European soil continues for another four years, but at least Patrick Reed kept quiet after he had a losing record in Paris…what a joke.

Is it April yet?

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Tiger, Baker Mayfield, Crazy Shark Attack Out West, and Clemson’s Fabio

AOL.com

TIGER WOODS IS BACK! Who would have thought this statement would have ever been stated again given his injury ridden past along with the 2009 meltdown?

Well, here we are and it could not have come at a better time. Sunday evening in Atlanta, Georgia, the 42-year-old defied all odds and won the Tour Championship, his first PGA Tour win in over five years. What made this win at the East Lake Golf Club special was the movie scene walking up the 18th fairway as McIlroy and Woods were laughing and witnessing one of the greatest comebacks in the modern era.

Thousands of fans were following the Stanford alum up to the putting green on the final hole of the PGA season and nobody could have scripted what took place. Chants of TIGER, TIGER, TIGER echoed across the entire country and Woods nearly broke down in tears before his birdie putt. A finish that was something I will remember for the rest of my life.

Woods led the Tour Championship after his first day 65, followed by a 68 Friday and a remarkable 65 on moving day that included six birdies through the first seven holes. He entered Sunday with a four stroke lead and an outside shot of winning the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he needed a lot of help. Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas had to finish outside of the top-2, Keegan Bradley had to finish worse than second, and Tony Finau had to finish outside of third place while Justin Rose had to finish inside the top-5.

Everything went according to plan and Tiger had to dodge one more bullet on his way to the title. Rose had a brutal front nine and at one point was sitting in seventh place. His bogey on 16 made for great TV and his missed birdie putt on 17 set up for a dramatic finish. He needed a birdie on 18 to finish in 5th place and to win the FedEx Cup and it was his best hole of the weekend by far. On in two, two putt birdie, $10 million prize along with bragging rights heading into the Ryder Cup. Not a bad weekend for the Englishmen himself, but the real story was Tiger.

Although Woods didn’t win the yearly playoff, he is now the most feared man in golf just in time for the epic Ryder Cup showdown in Paris, France this weekend. After failing to play for Team USA in 2016 at Hazeltine, Tiger and America will be a heavy favorite as they try to win on European Soil for the first time in 25 years.

USA is hungry to retain the title and they will be led by the greatest player to ever swing a golf club who is chomping at the bit to prove to everybody that last weekend wasn’t a fluke and he is here to stay for a few more years to come.

Enjoy it, Tiger. It is only just the start of something special!

Ranking the Greatest Comebacks in Sports

Tiger’s win on Sunday got me to thinking; what are some of the greatest sports comebacks in my lifetime?

Below are my top-5 epic comebacks that shook the country.

5- 2010-Auburn defeats Alabama 28-27

Cam Newton rallied the Auburn Tigers from down 24-0 in Tuscaloosa after one of the greatest second half performances of his collegiate career. Newton pulled it off on the road in the Iron Bowl, and also secured a BCS Title berth and the Heisman Trophy in doing so. Incredible.

4-2010 Flyers defeat Bruins 4-3 in Conference Semi Finals.

Trailing 0-3 in the seven game series and three to nothing after the first period in Game 7, the Broad Street Bullies rallied from behind to stun the Boston Bruins in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. They became the third NHL team to pull of the 0-3 comeback in history.

3-2016 New England defeats Atlanta 34-28 in the Super Bowl

After trailing 28-3 towards the end of the third quarter, Tom Brady and Co. orchestrated the largest Super Bowl comeback in history. They rallied behind a few key defensive stops, and one of the best to ever do it brought the troops back to tie in the final minute and then won it on the first drive of OT.

2- 2016 Cleveland defeats Golden State 4-3 in NBA Finals

The Cavs trailed 3-1 in the series and a Draymond Green kick to the thigh forced the Warriors to play short-handed in Game 4 (the turning point). Klay Thompson called out LeBron and the rest is history. The King averaged a 30-plus point triple-double from that moment on and the Cavs took the next three, including two at Oakland to win Cleveland’s first title since the 1960’s.

1 – 2003 Boston Red Sox defeat New York Yankees 4-3 in ALCS

One of the greatest rosters ever assembled held a 3-0 lead in the series and were seeking their third straight World Series appearance. The Yankees had a chance to sweep on the road at Fenway in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and no runners on. Mariano Rivera was on the mound and it seemed like a foregone conclusion. A blooper to center field put the Sox on first and Dave Roberts stole second and eventually another single tied it. The Sox walked off an inning later and eventually won the next three games to later end the 100-year curse of the Bambino and win the World Series.

NFL Week 3

From stunning upsets to season ending injuries to video game numbers yet again, it was another wild weekend in the National Football League.

In a game that was a sure-fire lock to hit the over, Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to another double digit victory over Jimmy Garappolo and the Niners. The second-year pro threw for another three touchdowns in the first half and the Chiefs were up huge at recess. He continued his video game stat line and now has the record for most passing touchdowns through the first three weeks with 13. Stay hot Patty!

On the other hand, Jimmy Guap was orchestrating a second half comeback of his own and pulled San Francisco within 10, but not before deciding to fight for extra yards and not run out of bounds, tearing his ACL. The Niners not only lost the game but also their franchise QB for the year. A promising end to 2017 set up for a potential run at the postseason, but that is now an afterthought as the crimson and gold have lost both their starting running back and quarterback to ACL injuries in 2018.

My Minnesota Vikings were 17 point home favorites against the depleted Buffalo Bills and laid one of the biggest eggs in Minneapolis history this past Sunday. Rookie QB Josh Allen led the Bills to 17 first quarter points after two Kirk Cousins fumbles gave them possession in the Red Zone. The seventh overall pick this past April was shredding our defense with his legs and literally hurdled Anthony Barr at midfield. He literally hurdled him…when the hell is the last time we have seen this from a signal caller? I have no clue.

The Vikes offensive line has plenty of issues right now and they cannot seem to give Cousins time or running backs any holes. Everson Griffen did not play and his mental state is not doing well. This is a significant loss for the team as he led the Vikes in sacks a year ago and is a critical piece to that defense. I hope he seeks the help he needs as this is a serious issue that I hope he can overcome. I wish you the best EG, get well!

Green Bay also lost on the road in Washington, but not without controversy surrounding Clay Matthews once again. This time it was for a sack where he was flagged for roughing the passer. Once again, he was called for driving the QB into the turf, however, in my opinion; it was just a football tackle. Sure, he landed on Alex Smith, but should it have been flagged? I don’t think so and neither did Packers head coach Mike McCarthy who looked like he was going to obliterate the ref. And, yet again, the NFL backed the call on the field…shocker!

This NFL rule is getting out of hand again for the third straight week and the league is meeting to discuss it further today. I get it, I really do. The league wants its stars on the field. They want the Aaron Rodgers versus Tom Brady on Sunday Night Football, they want Hollywood. They most certainly do not want Deshone Kizer versus Trevor Siemian. But…jobs are being impacted by this rule. Field position is being altered and teams are struggling to figure out just how to approach the quarterback.

I agree that lifting and driving a QB should be a flag or hitting him low or even late for that matter, but the ones that really piss me off are the ones like Matthews is getting or the one that Jason Pierre-Paul was called for on Monday Night Football in which he tapped Big Ben on the helmet and he rolled around like Neymar at the World Cup. The NFL better figure it out soon and before the players decide to hold out against the refs as it was the opposite in 2012 (although that was for money and had nothing to do with flags!).

The Lions took down the Patriots Sunday night, handing Tom Brady and Bill Belichick their first back-to-back double digit losses since 2002 (last time Tom has missed the playoffs). The two have been rumored to be in a feud and it showed mid-way through the first half where Tom was yelling and tossing his helmet on the sideline.

The offense has been nonexistent and Rob Gronkowski is even rattled. It could be turning around soon as the Pats traded for Josh Gordon last week and they return Julian Edelman in Week 5 from a suspension. The defense has holes all over and the secondary can’t even help cover the spread. I wouldn’t say it is time to panic in New England, but when a former coach beats Bill on a big time stage (rarely happens; congrats Matt Patricia), then it could be the start of the end in Foxborough.

The NFC North looks nothing as predicted. The Bears are in first place after scoring only four offensive touchdowns in three games. The Vikes and Pack are tied for second at 1-1-1, and the Lions are in last at 1-2.

Baker Mayfield led a comeback against the Jets, but I won’t be too quick to give him this “elite” status that many have tagged him with. Yes, he helped the Browns win their first game since Christmas time 2016, but it was against a depleted Jets defense that ranks 29th in total defense, the franchise was playing its third game in 10 days and nobody expected Tyrod to leave mid-game. New York had zero tape on the rookie and a fumble in the third quarter gave the 2017 Heisman the ball on the Jets’ eight yard line.

A win is a win, and tip of the cap to Baker, but I won’t be giving him credit until I see him carve a defense at the pro level like he did in the first half against Georgia on New Year’s Day.

Shark Attack out West

The 2018 NHL season is right around the corner and the Washington Capitals will look to claim their second Stanley Cup in as many years…if they aren’t still hungover beyond the All-Star break!

On the other side of the country on the West Coast, San Jose failed to land John Tavares in July, but took a huge bite this past weekend when the Pacific water was the warmest. The Sharks pulled off a blockbuster trade for the league’s best defenseman, Erik Karlsson.

The two-time Norris Trophy winner will now lead the deepest blue line in the entire league that consists of Karlsson, 2016-17 Norris winner Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun and Joakim Ryan. PSA: good luck getting behind this back-end.

The trade marked the final stage of the Ottawa Senators rebuilding project, but now San Jose will be a heavy favorite to come out of not just the Pacific Division, but the Western Conference. They have depth up front and a steady goaltender in Martin Jones, and they will look to build off of a Stanley Cup run in 2016 and a second round loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in April heading into 2018.

If the Swedish defenseman can stay healthy then I don’t know who will beat this roster. But that is a big “if.” He has an injury ridden past, but he will definitely not have to play the same amount of minutes as he did in Ottawa. San Jose ranked T-9 in goals against per game and 13th in goals for a season ago, and the addition of Karlsson will only improve these numbers and also add to a power play that ranked 15th in 2017-18.

Clemson’s Fabio

One of the nation’s most highly touted freshmen prospects has been officially named the starter for Clemson University. First-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence has taken the reins over from the 2017 ACC Champion Kelly Bryant for Saturday’s tilt against Syracuse.

The news to me wasn’t quite shocking and I have said before that he will take over and should take over by Halloween, but I did not think that Dabo Swinney was going to make the move this soon, however. What makes the case even more interesting is that Bryant failed to attend practice Tuesday and stated that he was transferring this morning.

We saw this with Tua and Jalen Hurts at Alabama, although Hurts decided to stick it out. Quarterbacks are getting better and you must simply perform at your highest potential every single week. Although in Clemson’s case it was quite unique as Bryant wasn’t “struggling,” he just wasn’t given enough rope to get into a rhythm.

Lawrence is an absolute stud and he even looks the part out on the gridiron. I’m tagging him with the nickname right now-Phi Tau Fabio. He looks like an absolute frat star with that long, golden hair flying around on the field, covering his name tag. Some might call it Tom Brady 2007-esque, and it screams college football. I can relate to the style as I used to wear my hair the same way back in middle-school. I absolutely love it! He is an elite pocket passer and can make every throw. He can beat you with his legs, but it’s his cannon of an arm that will shred collegiate defenses.

I believe that Swinney went with this decision because it was just too much of a distraction rotating them in and out every other drive and he finally trusts Lawrence to take over for good. Clemson’s defense is legit and they have arguably one of the nation’s top front sevens. The move to Phi Tau Fabio gives the University its best chance of taking down Alabama and it is the correct choice.

It takes a lot of stones to make the move away from a quarterback who led the 2017 Tigers to a College Football Playoff berth, especially to a freshman, but Lawrence is legit. He will be the next Aaron Rodgers at the pro level and will help turnaround a disgruntled NFL franchise in due time.

Fabio is the real deal and the Crimson Tide should be somewhat worried come January.

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Place Kicking, Video Game Stats, Steel City Meltdown, and the Tour Championship

One of the most routine plays in football seemed not so…routine on Sunday. NFL starting kickers missed 19 opportunities yesterday, two shy of setting the single day record since the AFL-NFL merger. To make matters worse, three games came down to what would have been potential game winning field goals at the end of regulation or overtime.

As a Vikings fan I can speak for the entire state of Minnesota after the heartbreaking finish at Lambeau Field yesterday afternoon. WHAT THE HELL! Seriously though, what the hell? Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yarder in the first half, another 48-yarder on the first drive of OT and then a third miss from 35 yards at the buzzer. Green Bay’s Mason Crosby missed a potential game winner from 52 yards at the end of regulation as well.

Three missed kicks in one game is just absurd. So Minnesota naturally waived Carlson this morning and brought in former Dallas Cowboy Dan Bailey. Now, I said it on the Dump n Chase podcast a few weeks ago, and I could not have been more accurate. Releasing Kai Forbath in favor of a rookie was not going to play out well. The final preseason game and first game without the veteran, Carlson missed two kicks. He made his only FG attempt last week against San Francisco and then completely shook Minneapolis yesterday with his three misses.

You have to feel for the guy, you really do…but it isn’t the first time the Vikes have gotten burned in OT either. See Blair Walsh 2016 Wild Card Round. Anyways, moving on to the other misses around the league and just as you thought the Cleveland Browns couldn’t get any more Cleveland Browns, they do.

Browns kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a FG at the end of OT last week against the Steelers that would have given them their first win in two years, and then he missed two field goals in regulation (one in the dying seconds of the game to tie) and an extra point with 1:16 to take the lead 19-18 at New Orleans yesterday. Like Carlson, Gonzo was waived this morning and Cleveland is still searching for their first win in 19 tries.

Oakland’s Mike Nugent had a PAT blocked in the first quarter that came back to bite the Raiders as the Broncos rallied for a game-winning FG with 4 seconds left in regulation to win 20-19. The list goes on and on, but field goal kicking became the theme of Week 2.

Among the misses on Sunday none were bigger than the two young kickers who are without work this morning. It has become increasingly harder to kick in today’s NFL because of social media. You’re a hero one day and a villain the next. No matter how well a kicker performs they will always be remembered for one, or even two costly misses, veteran or not. It’s arguably a harder position to play than playing quarterback today.

Let’s just look on the bright side…Minnesota last week and Cleveland this week came away with a tie. At least it wasn’t a loss?

Vikings-Packers

I already laid the groundwork and backstory to the Lambeau fiasco that transpired yesterday, but I’m not one of those completely “biased” fans. I know that Carlson might actually still have a job today (although this might actually work out for the Vikes in the long run) if it weren’t for the new rule change sweeping across the NFL. No, I’m not talking about the helmet-to-helmet rule. I’m talking about the “Aaron Rodgers Rule.”

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr ended the majority of Rodgers’ season in 2017 after tackling him outside of the pocket and finishing the play to the ground, injuring his collarbone. Although it was not flagged on the play, the Packers were irate. So, what did the league do? Made it nearly impossible to decipher how one can tackle the quarterback.

I get it. The league wants to make the game safer, but we have seen far too many flags thrown in the first two weeks on roughing the passer and it has altered the outlook of games.

Yesterday afternoon in Green Bay was one of those games. With Minnesota trailing by eight with fewer than two minutes to play Kirk Cousins launched a 50 yard bomb downfield that was intercepted but called back by the new rule. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews hit Cousins as he released the ball, tackled him around the waist and, according to long-time NFL referee Tony Corrente, “drove” him into the ground.

Watching it live and even on replay you can tell Matthews put his left hand on the ground and eased up once Cousins was hitting the field of play. There should not have been a flag and the game should have ended. Even though I’m a Vikings fan and was happy that they capitalized on having second life, I’m not blind to the fact that we stole a tie. You could even say that it was justice for the thrown flag. It is what it is and the media and the fans are left debating the rule altogether.

Now the ending of the NFC North rivalry leads me into my next topic: ties.

NFL Overtime

For the first time in forever we have seen ties in consecutive weeks in the NFL. Browns-Steelers Week 1 and Vikings-Packers Week 2. I have never been a big fan of the OT format in the NFL, even with the revamped format of both team’s getting a chance if the receiving team scores a FG.

If the league just goes to a similar styled college format where both teams get the ball from the 30 I think it will work wonders for both the players and the fans. Nobody wants to come away with a tie, especially after playing 60-plus minutes and putting your life on the line.

It could shorten the length of overtime and also give both teams a fair chance instead of putting in the hands of a coin flipping referee.

Madden 2018

It’s September 2005, just after midnight. You’re having a sleepover at your best buddy’s house and staying up late to play the newly-released Madden 2005 video game. You both decide to create your own team, players and stadium, while also doing a league fantasy draft. The player you create is now the Minnesota Panthers starting quarterback and playing under center Week 1 at New England. Every play is a pass to your buddy who is a created wide receiver and you throttle the defending Super Bowl Champs by 40 on All-Pro mode. Life is good!

Fast forward to 2018 and the Kansas City Chiefs may have just found their own Madden signal caller. Patrick Mahomes set an NFL record for most passing touchdowns through two weeks (10). He threw for six TD’s yesterday against the Steelers in a hostile environment at Heinz Field and finished the game completing 23 of 28 passes for 326 yards, converting more touchdown passes than incompletions to lead the Chiefs to an upset victory on the road.

Through his first two games in 2018 Mahomes has completed 33 of 55 passes for 582 yards, 10 touchdowns and two wins. So far he has made the Alex Smith trade look spectacular and he is putting the ball in windows that Smith was hesitant to do. These video game numbers probably won’t last, but through the first two weeks of the year he has looked like a created player on Madden 2018.

FitzMagic Part 2

The Harvard graduate has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sailing at full speed in 2018. Just as everybody expected, Ryan Fitzpatrick has guided the “bottom feeding” NFC South squad to a 2-0 start, and Tampa is sitting in first place in the division.

The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles traveled south this weekend to Tampa and were sent back to the City of Brotherly Love with a loss. Fitzmagic threw for 402 yards, his second 400-yard game of the season, and four touchdowns as the Bucs held their ground on Philly’s comeback bid to win 27-21.

Through two games Fitz has thrown for 819 yards, thrown eight touchdowns and rushed for one. He is second to Mahomes in total touchdowns with nine and has the most fantasy points of any quarterback in 2018.

Fitzpatrick undressed two of the league’s top ranked defenses in the first two weeks and his deep threat Desean Jackson has reestablished himself as a legitimate receiver. Like Mahomes, his video game production will likely slow but it is something that has shifted the direction of the franchise.

As Jameis Winston remains suspended there shouldn’t even be a conversation about who should start when he returns. Tampa needs to move on from their former first-overall pick and trade him to a team in need. He is too troubled and his character is something that cannot be overlooked. I have never been a Winston fan. From the crab leg incident to the sexual assault case at Florida State to the Uber driver instance, it’s just too much and he should not be the face of the Bucs franchise.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in second chances. But Jameis has too much of a troubled past and his flaws are too high that they have finally caught up to him in the NFL. FitzMagic may not be the long term solution, but you let him play out the year and trade Winston for draft picks if you can.

Steel City Woes?

Heading into the 2018 season many had picked the Steelers to win the AFC. They have the Killer B’s (Bell, Ben and Brown) on offense, and what looked like a top 10 defense on paper. They were coming off a brutal loss at home in the playoffs and looking for revenge, while the Patriots struggled in the preseason after finding out that they have zero WR1’s and a shaky defense.

Through two weeks Le’Veon Bell has yet to sign, Ben has gotten banged up; Brown can’t seem to stay off Twitter and made some average Joe relevant by replying to a tweet saying, “Trade me then.” This was in response to a tweet that said Big Ben got him paid and he is only a product of Pitt’s system. Whatever the case may be, star athletes should not put anything of this magnitude on social media, but AB continues to amaze the media every year.

This is just one hiccup of the many that have hindered the Steelers’ ability to win in 2018. The offensive line called out Bell which apparently made him not want to report? I don’t know… nobody does. But what I do know is that the locker room separation has had an effect on the field, Pittsburgh is winless in two games and they nearly handed the Browns their first win since December 2016.

I originally picked Pittsburgh a few weeks back to come out of the AFC, but overrode the selection before Week 1. They have continuously underachieved since 2010 and given everything that has gone on in both the preseason and regular season it’s safe to say that this is the beginning of the end for the Killer B’s run. There is too much turmoil in the Steel City and it could quite possibly be the end of an era.

FedEx Cup Playoffs

Only 30 golfers are still standing in the hunt for the Tour Championship this weekend at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, but many questions remain.

Is Tiger finally back and will he make putts?

Can DeChambeau defy golf with science and take the crown?

Will Justin Thomas go back-to-back?

Can Dustin Johnson put the Gretzky rumors behind him and not slip down the stairs Wednesday night ahead of the finale?

Who knows, but there are two things that are a for sure. One: the weather (which sounds unlikely). It looks like there will be some showers on Friday that could alter the tournament but nothing fires me up more than golfing in the rain! Slow greens, thick rough and rain gear. It brings out peoples true characters and adds another element to the game.

The second certainty is that Patrick Reed’s parents will not be in attendance. He has made it very clear that he does not have a sound relationship with them due to his wife, and he had their 2018 Masters Sunday passes revoked the morning he won the Green Jacket. He is truly an awful human being, but he and DeChambeau make for a couple of enemies for the fans to root against.

My pick to win at East Lake this weekend is Dustin Johnson, and I believe that Dechambeau struggles just enough for DJ to take the FedEx Cup playoff as well.

My Dark Horse to win in Atlanta and the overall Tour Championship is the Italian native Francesco Molinari. He will need some help, but he has played the best golf of his career in 2018 and could cap it off with a win on Sunday.

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FitzMagic, Sunday Night Primetime and College Football Week 2

Where do I even begin this week’s blog?

Well, I’ll start with one of the craziest opening day performances I have ever seen to open an NFL season down in the Bayou…and it did not stem from a New Orleans Saints player.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the 35-year-old backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not only played like a high-end QB1, but he led all players at his position in scoring on Sunday. He was named the starter earlier this summer after Tampa’s former first-overall draft pick Jameis Winston was suspended for the first five games in 2018, but it was the Harvard alum who looked like the franchise star.

Fitzmagic finished 21-28 (75% completion), 417 yards passing, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Not only was he having his way against one of the leagues top ranked defenses on the road in a hostile environment, but he sealed the victory by picking up a third and long with his feet. New Orleans had no response to the journeyman quarterback from Gilbert, Arizona and the biggest underdog in Week 1 came away with a key divisional win.

Now, for the Saints defense it was an afternoon to forget. Who Dat Nation’s offense looked like one of the leagues best as Michael Thomas had 16 receptions for 180 yards and a TD, Drew Brees threw for 439 yards and three scores, while the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Alvin Kamara, had three total touchdowns and 112 receiving yards. If the Saints are going to have any chance of winning in 2018 the defense needs to figure it out. However, they did start slow last fall and turned it around come December.

Sunday Night Football

If you’re a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan then I hope you decided to not watch SNF last night. Days after the Silver and Black traded Khalil Mack (2016 DPOY) to the Chicago Bears he was dressed and active for Week 1 at Lambeau Field. To make matters worse for Oakland (and, of course Green Bay), Mack had two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and a defensive touchdown…ALL IN THE FIRST HALF! The last player to do that was, oh yeah, Mack in 2016.

The Bears front seven looked like one of the NFC’s best and knocked Aaron Rodgers out of the game in the second quarter. It was all Chicago in the first half, until A-Rodg resurrected like Paul Pierce in the 2008 NBA Finals to make his way back onto the field and lead the largest second-half comeback in Lambeau history.

Down 20-0, the six-time pro-bowler hobbled back onto the field and gave Green Bay new life. Rodgers led the Packers on four consecutive drives that ended with a FG, TD, TD and a game winning 75 yard pass to Randall Cobb to take the lead 24-23. A game winning strip sack sealed the deal in the final seconds and the Bears left Green Bay absolutely stunned.

My biggest takeaways from the epic Sunday night thriller are: one- why did the Bears take their foot off the gas once Rodgers entered the game? They started to drop Mack back into coverage instead of bringing extra pass rushers that gave the two-time MVP trouble in the first half. I mean, how do you pay the leagues best edge rusher in all of football millions to drop into coverage against the best QB to ever do it? Even worse, he was dropped into coverage on the strike to Cobb on third down…why not let him do what he does best and make an injured Rodgers move around and feel uncomterable?

Second, how does new head coach Matt Nagy not have the rocks to go for it on fourth and 1 inside the 25 yard line? The Bears haven’t beaten the Pack in Lambeau in God knows how long, and if you settle for three (which Chicago did) you are giving the ball back to the best player in the league with over two minutes to play. Blows my mind. Also, on third and a yard Nagy opted to let second year QB Mitch Trubisky drop back and throw it into coverage, which not only went incomplete and stopped the clock, but you essentially have 12 inches to get a first and ice the game. Two plays, one yard and a running back in Jordan Howard who was averaging 5.5 yards per carry last night. Or you have a QB who is 6-3, 225lbs…let him take one up the gut. Either or and it’s game over.

I still cannot wrap my head around what transpired last night, but I can speak for all of America when I say that once Rodgers came back there was just a feeling that he was going to pull off something remarkable.

NCAAF Week 2

Alabama is still the team to beat in both the SEC and the entire nation. Tua and Co. picked up another dominating win over Arkansas State 57-7, while the Hawaiian lefty finished with 228 yards passing and four touchdowns.

Through the first two games of the season the Crimson Tide are outscoring opponents 108-21 and Nick Saban is still dealing with the medias QB controversy questions. Now, obviously the media needs a story and something to write about, but if you watch football and know anything about how the game is played then you can dictate the so-called “controversy” yourself. There isn’t one. Period. Tua is the main guy and will lead the Tide to consecutive national titles, while rumors of Jalen Hurts red shirting are still in play.

Tua is by far the better QB in the pocket, and can also beat you with his legs. In my opinion he is the best dual threat quarterback in the nation and will be a top-5 pick next April. Hurts on the other hand is the 2017 SEC Player of the Year and why he didn’t transfer this offseason makes many scratch their heads. If he plays in less than four games this season he is eligible to return next fall (which seems likely at this point) and be the quarterback in 2019.

Whatever Hurts decides to do, he must realize that Alabama is Alabama. Saban gets the best recruits year in and year out. The logical thing to do in my mind would be to red shirt now and transfer in 2019.

In Other News

Clemson picked up a key win in College Station, defeating the Aggies 28-26 in dramatic fashion. A failed two-point conversion by A&M gave the Tigers the win and sent Jimbo Fisher’s college home debating their play call on the attempt.

I have never been a fan of having your QB roll out on fourth down or 2-point conversions as it cuts off half the field, but some coaches love it. Saturday afternoon that’s exactly what the Aggies did and it was picked off as QB Kellen Mond had no options. Although the sophomore quarterback played a hell of a game and picked apart Clemson’s defense in the second half, Fisher or the OC, whoever made the final call, should have at least given him the entire field against the nation’s top ranked defensive line.

Even in a loss, the 12th Man proved to be a tough atmosphere to play in and Texas A&M nearly came away with what would have been a huge win heading into SEC play. Fisher has changed the culture in College Station and has the Aggies on the rebound in 2018.

Khalil Tate and Arizona through two weeks have looked like the PAC12 bottom feeder after losing to both BYU and Houston. Tate was voted as one of the best college quarterbacks in the nation heading into this season and he has looked like anything but that.

Former Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin has attempted to alter Tate’s game and make him more of a pocket passing quarterback, but instead he  has hurt his overall game and placed the Wildcats in a deep hole in the first month.

Houston, however, looks like a powerhouse down in the American Conference. Potential 2019 first-overall pick Ed Oliver has continued to dominate the line of scrimmage as the Cougars open up 2018 2-0. HU will have their first real test of the season next Saturday at Texas Tech, but if they can come away with a W they have a favorable schedule to do what UCF did a season ago and run the table, while potentially having a shot at the CFP come December.

Herm Edwards has completely turned around Arizona State and guided the Sun Devils to an upset over Michigan State Saturday night in Tempe. A team picked to finish in the middle of the PAC12 has a solid chance of winning the weak South Division and has a defense that can keep them in games.

Michigan and Shae Patterson are back on track after routing Western Michigan, Georgia is still thumping its opponents down south, Kentucky upset Florida in the Swap for the first time since 1986 and Virginia Tech’s defense continues to turn the ball over.

Week 3 has a huge SEC matchup between LSU and Auburn that has playoff implications on the line in September and Ohio State travels down to TCU to finish off the three game suspension of Urban Meyer in a game between two top-15 ranked programs.

Football is back and it is only just beginning!

 

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DeGrom, DeChambeau and College Football

New York Mets starting ace Jacob deGrom tied a 118 year MLB record last night by allowing three or fewer runs in 25 straight starts. The record  will likely be broken later this week when deGrom takes the bump again, but what makes this feat so amazing is that his overall record as a pitcher this year is only 8-8, while his record-breaking start landed him with a no-decision.

When Cubs starter King Cole went 25 straight in 1910 his record increased to 20-4. He had an ERA of 1.80 and Chicago fell to the Athletic’s in the World Series that year. Today, deGrom’s ERA now sits at 1.68 and New York has no shot of contending for a championship, let alone securing a playoff berth.

The fact that there is even a discussion as to who should win the 2018 NL Cy Young Award is hysterical. Not only is deGrom leading the NL in ERA, but he leads all of baseball in the statistic as well. The next closest pitcher in the National League sits at .55 away, while Red Sox phenom Chris Sale trails him by .29 for the league best.

2018 could be the first year that the Cy Young is awarded to a player with a losing record, but would it be that much of a surprise? deGrom, in my opinion, is the best pitcher in baseball right now and his starts have been wasted by brutal nights at the plate. Not only does he get minimal run support, but the Mets’ franchise has been viewed as one of the worst in the league.

Wins and losses are so skewed when it comes to pitching, and at the end of the day baseball is a team sport. But when it comes to selecting an individual award like the Cy Young, deGrom should be the consensus overall selection in the NL and anything less than that would be a disgrace.

PGA Tour 

Bryson DeChambeau picked up right where he left off a week ago, winning his second FedEx Cup tournament of the year in back-to-back weeks. The California native claimed the first two legs of the FedEx Cup for the first time since Vijay Singh in 2008 and sits alone atop of the standings overall by 2,328 points.

DeChambeau claimed both the Northern Trust (New Jersey) and TPC Boston to begin the FedEx Cup and has played better than anybody on the tour in the past month. Not only did he rise to the challenge of playing alongside Tiger Woods on Sunday, but he erased a seven shot deficit en route to the title. Sunday he posted an 8-under 63 to shoot himself into the final pairing in which he cruised to victory and his short game has elevated his game altogether.

Seen as having a high profiled and cocky persona, DeChambeau is not the most liked guy on tour by any means. But that’s what makes the game of golf so great. There always needs to be a “bad guy” or “enemy” that the field loves to hate in any sport and that is what makes watching it so fun. The NFL has the Patriots and the MLB has the Yankees. Now, the PGA has DeChambeau and he won’t be going anywhere for a long time.

DeChambeau is a lock to make the Ryder Cup roster for the United States this fall and the world No. 7 ranked golfer and current Bentley Motors partner will give every European a reason to hate him that much more later this month in Paris.

College Football

Notre Dame’s defense was one of the biggest takeaways for me in Week 1 of the college football season. Not only did they make the debut of Michigan QB Shea Patterson a nightmare, but they forced the Wolverines to only 58 yards on the ground.

Everybody knew it would be a defensive battle, but one thing that I stressed on my podcast was the special teams battle. Yes, Michigan housed a kickoff for a touchdown, only making the Wolverines offense look that much worse, but they botched a critical FG attempt in the third quarter that left three points off the board and altered the outcome more favorably for the Irish in a hyped-up South Bend atmosphere to open the season.

With the loss to ND, Jim Harbaugh now falls to 1-6 against Michigan’s rivals (Ohio St, Mich. St and ND) and is now 8-8 in his last 16 games as head coach. I wouldn’t quite hit the panic button just yet, Harbaugh is still a really good football coach, but he needs to start winning the “big games” if he is going to put the university over the hump.

Big time schools pay big time coaches to win games, especially against their rivals. Just look at Ohio State…after the dust settled in the most recent scandal, Urban Meyer received a three-game suspension and a slap on the wrist. College football is about winning games. Period.

Harbaugh has had his fair share of bad luck no doubt. The botched punt against Mich. State, the brutal spot against Ohio State in OT 2016, and now the botched FG versus ND. However, at the end of the day everybody forgets about the what could have been’s and focuses on the one thing that matters–winning.

In other NCAAF News 

Virginia Tech might have been the biggest surprise of Week 1. Not only did they face a tough Florida State team on the road, under the lights on ESPN, but from the opening kickoff they did not seem to be fazed one bit.

The Hokies looked like a top-10 opponent all night, forcing five turnovers and dominating the Seminoles in every aspect of the game. Tech has one of the most underrated defenses in the country and they put on an absolute clinic in a tough environment on the road in Tallahassee. I like the Hokies to contend in the ACC and if they play like this every week it will be tough to come away with a W against them.

Sticking with the ACC, Clemson looked like a top-3 team yet again. The Tigers dominated Furman with both Kelly Bryant and Red Shirt Freshmen Trevor Lawrence at quarterback. The two combined to throw for 264 yards and four TD’s, while Bryant took charge on the ground, rushing for 44 yards and a score himself.

Clemson was my preseason pick to walk away with the ACC and with their two-headed monster threat at QB it seems likely. Although, I love what I saw from the Hokies on Monday night and I believe they will be neck and neck come December.

Alabama looks to have “likely” solved the QB controversy. Although, Nick Saban says otherwise. Sophomore Tua Tagavaiola shined in the second half of the National Championship game last January and did so again against Louisville Saturday night. The Hawaiian threw for 227 yards and two scores, while also tallying a TD with his legs. Both him and Jalen Hurts have been competing for the starting role all summer, but Hurts had a couple three and outs and racked up only 79 yards of total offense.

Tua should be and will be the starter going forward as he gives the Crimson Tide the best opportunity to win each week. The dual threat QB is an elite talent that could ultimately win the 2018 Heisman if he continues to play the way he has in his two games at the helm.

Biggest Surprise

This week’s biggest surprise comes from State College, PA. 11 years to the date Appalachian State defeated Michigan in the Big House in the biggest college football upset of all time. Saturday night they almost did it again. App. State brought Penn. State to OT at Beaver Stadium and almost pulled off another massive upset, losing on an interception to end the game.

The Nittany Lions season was almost derailed on opening day even though Heisman hopeful Trace McSorley played a very solid game. One of the Big 10 favorites showed that they have some major flaws defensively that need to be addressed ahead of Week 2 if they are going to have any shot at the 2018 CFP.

 

 

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Odell Beckham Jr, College Football and MLB’s Wild Card

Odell Beckham Jr and the Giants agreed to a five-year, $95 million contract extension yesterday making him the highest paid WR in NFL history. For myself, this is HUGE news. Not only is OBJ my favorite player in the game today, but he has been, in my opinion, the best wide out in the league since his rookie year in 2014.

In the history of the NFL, in a receivers first 50 career NFL games OBJ ranks 1st in receptions (313) and 100 yard games (19), 2nd in total yards (4,424) and 5th in TD’s (38). Oh, and he has done so in just 47 games.

Beckham’s production at such an early stage in his career has not been seen since Randy Moss in the late 90’s, and New York just solidified their face-of-the-franchise athlete for the next five years. He is a transcendent talent that, along with this new-look Giants offense, can take this city to new heights in the latter portion of this decade.

Obviously, Odell has his fair share of “issues” that have placed him under the microscope. Complaining on the sideline when he doesn’t get his way, fighting with former Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman two years ago on the field, proposing to a place kicking net and questionable TD celebration dances that have been flagged. BUT…that is who OBJ is. He is passionate about the game and will lay it on the line every Sunday.

The two biggest things that plague Beckham’s character at this moment in time are: one- the video of him in the Paris hotel room with a supermodel and two- the boat party in Miami five days before the 2016 playoff game in Green Bay. Both are obviously bad looks and have hindered his career to an extent, but clearly the G-Men believe he is maturing and has possibly learned from his mistakes to reward him with such an amazing contract.

If OBJ can keep his emotions in check, New York will make some serious noise in 2018 and beyond.

College Football Preview

Not only is football back for good, but the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry is back as well. The two prolific colleges open the season in South Bend this Saturday for the first time since 2014. Both teams rank nationally inside the top 15 and bolster two of the countries top defenses. But this time around it will be a lot different than the years prior. Michigan has Jim Harbaugh at the helm, a legitimate coach in over 10 years.

Harbaugh has yet to win a “big game” since taking over in 2015. I’m not talking about a mid-season win against Wisconsin or Penn. State… I’m talking about the final game of the season against the one team that the entire Big Blue faithful need you to win–Ohio State. He has been close, but we all know what close does in sports… it doesn’t cut it.

Now, the ND series gives him an added opportunity to solidify himself among the elite college coaches in today’s game. Although, I’m taking ND to win a close, defensive battle at home to open the season.

 Notre Dame 20 Michigan 17

Some other notable games to begin the season on Saturday: 6 Washington vs  9 Auburn in Atlanta, Florida Atlantic at 7 Oklahoma (very underrated game), 17 West Virginia at Tennessee. Sunday: 8 Miami vs Texas A&M in Arlington. Monday: 20 Virginia Tech at 19 Florida State.

Some highly touted NFL prospects will be on full display this weekend and my predictions for the 2018 season are below:

Final Four: Alabama, Clemson, Wisconsin and Notre Dame

Champion: Alabama over Clemson

Heisman: Bryce Love (Stanford)

Defensive Player of the Year: Ed Oliver (Houston)

Coach of the Year: Paul Chryst (Wisconsin)

Gear up. College football season is upon us and anything can happen! (except for Alabama losing before the playoff!)

Wild Card 

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are on pace to meet up in October for the first time since Boston pulled off the biggest comeback in sports history in the 2004 ALCS. Not only did the Sox break my heart, but they broke the 100-year curse of the great Bambino a week later to win the World Series.

Fast forward to 2018 and baseball will quite possibly have the first meeting between the two historic clubs in 14 years. Personally, I have not been the biggest fan of the new Wild Card format in the MLB. Two teams now play a 1-game play-in game to advance to the round of 4 to play the top seed in their respective league. Basically what it comes down to is pitching. What team’s ace will perform and can you mix in a few key timely hits to put enough runs on the board.

Sure, we have seen some epic play-in games such as last years home run festival between the Yanks and Twins or the 2016 match-up between the A’s and Royals. But the reality is that it hurts baseball. Every team plays 3 or 4 game series’ all season long to have their fate decided on 1 game. ONE GAME! At least make it a best of three series if you’re going to do a play-in series at all.

2018 might be the first time that the format hurts baseball altogether. Sports is all about rivalries and seeing the two best teams go at it in the postseason. This year the Yankees and Sox will likely end the season with the two best records in the league, but since they play in the same division….New York has to get through the play-in game. Now, you may argue that if the Yanks are good enough then they will prevail, but that is my entire point. Baseball is about series play. That’s why they play the same team for three games throughout the entire season. There is no doubt that the Bronx Bombers would win a best of three or five series against, say Oakland, but in a one game series…anything can happen.

If the Yankees and Red Sox fail to play one another this October it will be a bloody shame. Baseball is already hurting right now and the sport needs this badly.

Just don’t be surprised or upset if Boston walks into the ALCS with ease after beating someone other than New York as the possibility of it is higher than you think.

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The New NFL?

The first two weeks of the NFL preseason have been filled with excitement and outrage. The games themselves have been sloppy and filled with turnovers, that was expected, but what we couldn’t account for was the 2018 Draft selections settling in right away and the new rules altering the outlook of each game.

We have seen all five 2018 first-round QB’s perform very well, including Baker Mayfield’s opening night performance against the Giants where he threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. He made plays with his feet to pick up first downs and avoided the rush like he did at Oklahoma. His second preseason game was solid as well. He took care of the football and helped to put 6 points on the board on his final drive of the game against Buffalo after a perfectly thrown fade to the corner of the end zone was reversed after replay. He still needs some time to learn the system and Tyrod Taylor deserves to, and will start Week 1 for the Browns. But Baker is the future and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he starts in Cleveland this fall.

I have expressed this before in my NFL articles that I write–Josh Rosen will be the best QB in this draft class. The Arizona Cardinal is the most NFL-ready, he has outstanding mechanics and is the best pocket passer out of this class. The one downside to his game is his injury history, but I would argue that it stems from his poor offensive line at UCLA. Sure Mayfield and Sam Darnold had more wins in college, but USC and OU recruit better and have a reputation of consistently turning over talent year in and year out. He looked sound in this weeks match up in NO, throwing for 107 yards on 10/16 passing, while delivering a bullet on the move for his only score of the first half. Like Baker, Rosen will not start Week 1, but the only man in his way is Sam Bradford–the definition of injury prone.

Josh Allen (BUF), Lamar Jackson (BAL), Darnold (NYJ), Mayfield and Rosen have all had their shining moments thus far, but let’s not overreact. It still is just the preseason and many starters are resting while backups are fighting for a roster spot. Pump the brakes, the real competition is still a few weeks away!

Rookie talent aside, the NFL is changing through the new helmet-to-helmet contact rule. Every preseason the NFL will add altered rules to either make the game more efficient and/or safer, and this year was for safety. If a player lowers his head and initiates contact with another player it is a penalty. Now, fast forward to the first two week’s of the preseason and we have a dilemma.

Normal tackles are being flagged and sacking the quarterback has, at times, been called for unnecessary roughness. New SF corner back Richard Sherman tweeted out that the rule is ruining the game and that the NFL is going to turn into flag football soon. Others have expressed disbelief as well.

It is clear that the NFL is an offensive league. The fans love it, fantasy football owners love it, quarterbacks love it, sports gamblers love betting the over and shootouts make for great TV!

The NFL has the right mindset as the game does need to be safer. The preseason is where you make a call, the rules committee compiles a list of a large sample size (preseason week’s 1-4) and determines what should and should not be called in the regular season. The idea is there, however, if some of these calls are in fact flagged in the regular season, then it is going to impact a lot of key games in both September and December. Defense is already hard enough and the new rule change will make it even more challenging to adjust.

Welcome to the New NFL!

 

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Football is Back

The Hall of Fame Game took place this past Thursday night in Canton, Ohio (congrats to the inductees) between the Bears and Ravens, meaning one thing and one thing only… Football is officially back!

As a Minnesota Vikings fan it is hard for me to congratulate the Eagles on their surprising Super Bowl run this past February…but as Minnesota nice goes… “We’ll get you this year!”

With that being said, the Vikes have every opportunity to close the deal in 2018. Even though I was a huge advocate of not throwing Kirk Cousins the sink and gassing Case Keenum and Teddy 2 Gloves altogether, Minnesota has a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball.

Is Cousins good? Absolutely. But $80 million guaranteed good? Well, I bloody hope so. Keenum had a historic season in 2017, but will always be criticized for his NFC Championship game performance. But hey… we might as well pay somebody with similar stats and zero playoff wins under his belt, right?

All right, I’ll settle down! Cousins will fit in just fine especially with Thielen, Diggs and Cook set to lead the charge. Word out of camp is that Cook looks rejuvenated, which is a scary thing for the NFC North. Look for the former Florida State back to pick up where he left off before his ACL injury last October.

Enough of the Vikes!

FOOTBALL IS BACK! With so many questions still to be answered, 2018 will definitely live up to the hype. Will Carson Wentz be ready to go in Week 1? Who will start at QB for the Jets? Is David Johnson the same old stud from 2016? Can Gurley repeat his fantasy football production again this fall? Will Le’Veon Bell hold out into the season? Who will take the reigns as the number 1 WR in Dallas with Dez gone? The list goes on and on.

It is no secret the NFC is the deepest it has ever been. Every single team has a franchise QB and a potential shot at the playoffs. There are no easy opponents and every division is up for grabs. Sorry, I can’t say the same about the AFC. Let’s see… Patriots AFC East and Steelers AFC North. West and South will be a battle, but not nearly as much of a competition as in the NFC.

Same face new place. It will be interesting to see how all of the free agent signings and trades pan out in 2018. Cooks, Suh and Peters to LA. Sammy Watkins to KC (huge pay day as well). McCarron to BUF, Keenum to DEN, Ogeltree to NYG. Landry to CLE. Just to name a few. I love trades and I love seeing other team’s turn so called “problems” or “busts” into stars. (see Bill Belichick).

I am also a big fan of the Giants. 2017 is a season to forget, and if you have been reading any of my isportsweb.com articles on the Big blue, you know my stance on the team. 2018 has dark horse written all over it. Loaded offense that upgraded at O-Line, drafted a premier franchise RB with Saquon Barkley and have OBJ at full strenght, along with Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. Manning still has two solid years left under his belt and the defense has a star player at every key position. Ogletree at LB, Jenkins at CB, Collins at S, BJ Hill and Snacks Harrison on DL. Maybe I’m hyping this team up a tad…but the talent is there. The biggest downside.. how loaded the NFC East is. In my opinion it is the toughest division in 2018 and there has not been a repeat winner since 2003. Good news Giants fans! The Meadowlands will be rocking come January!

I’ll wrap up this early preseason blog post here. I mean…it is just the preseason, nothing more and nothing less.