Slow start hasn't doomed Celtics yet

Wide spread panic has engulfed the Boston area in the wake of the Celtics limping through a frustrating 0-3 start to the season.  This certainly is not what we expected from a team with championship aspirations.  The quickly closing window on those title hopes, as the Big Three embark on their last rodeo before the expiring contracts of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen inevitably break up the core of the team, makes Celtics fans all the more concerned over this troubling start.  While there is no sugar coating the fact that nobody in the Celtics organization is in any way satisfied with how things have gone thus far, let's keep things in perspective.  It's only three games and things haven't been nearly as bad as they appear.

Let's start with the season opener on Christmas Day.  The Celtics clashed with a Knicks team that was amped up for their home opener to a season which they expect to be relevant from the start for the first time in years thanks to a full season of Carmelo Anthony and the addition of Tyson Chandler.  This is a game the Celtics could have won, falling just short in the end of a narrow two point loss.  They had a chance to tie or win the game in the final seconds, but just couldn't convert.  The difference in the game may very well have been those two free points awarded to the Knicks for controversial technical fouls called by veteran official Joey Crawford.  The same guy well known for holding grudges and going out of his way to make his mark on a game, altered the ending of a close game by handing out technical fouls just to remind everyone that he's in charge on the court.  The fact that the league later reviewed and rescinded both technicals shows how bogus they really were to begin with.  That's right, the league actually agreed that the Celtics didn't deserve either technical, which means the Knicks didn't deserve those two points.  Too late now.  The backlash about officiating early in the season may be overblown (especially if you listen to Tommy Heinsohn), but this was a clear example of how an official may have cost us a game.

Things I Noticed: Week 16

With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, most of the week's games were moved to Saturday afternoon.  Which teams were in the Christmas spirit and which found nothing but coal in their stockings?

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Ever since the Texans clinched their first playoff spot in franchise history, the team has started to unravel.  Despite another huge performance from Arian Foster, they blew another game to a losing team for the second week in a row.  With a first round bye now out of reach, the Texans have nothing to play for next week, but they may want to consider playing the season finale as if it does count in order to try to gain some momentum heading into the postseason.
• It's been a miserable season for the Colts, who lost 13 straight to open the season, but the ending may be even worse.  The silver lining to all that losing was supposed to be the reward of the top overall pick in the draft, but two straight wins may end up costing them that pick.
• It was a tale of two halves in New England as the Patriots got off to a terrible start.  Tom Brady was harassed by Dolphins defenders that found holes in the Patriots injury depleted offensive line.  The Patriots punted on their first 6 possessions before missing a field goal just before halftime on their way to being shut out 17-0 in the first half.  As expected, Brady and the offense made adjustments during the break and came back to score 27 unanswered points in the comeback victory.
• New England clinched a first round bye with the victory and can lock up the top seed in the AFC with a win next week against Buffalo.
• Brady was off target on many of his throws in the first half, but part of the problem was dropped passes that stalled their drives.  Wes Welker was one of the guilty receivers that dropped a few passes as the defense hung all over him on his short routes.  Welker would make the defense pay in the second half though, finishing the game with 12 catches for 138 yards.

• The league's leading receiver is now up to 116 catches for 1518 receiving yards on the season.  It's been an outstanding season for Welker, but he'll fall far short of Marvin Harrison's season catch record (143) or Jerry Rice's season receiving record (1848 yards).
• Miami finally scored again with under two minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to pull within 3 points.  They must have figured that was close enough, because they didn't bother with an on side kick attempt. Granted they had all three time outs in their pocket, but did they really expect to stop the Pats from picking up a first down given how the offense had been rolling through the 2nd half?  Probably not, but an interim coach looking to keep his job is probably satisfied with a 3 point loss, rather than risk giving the Patriots good field position if the on side attempt failed, which could have resulted in a bigger loss.
• Reggie Bush extended his career high streak of 100+ rushing games to 4 and has now passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the first time in his career.

NBA Preview

It wasn't long ago that there were doubts this day would come, but with the lockout finally over, the start of the NBA season is quickly approaching.  The extended off-season cost us about 20 percent of the regular season and forced the league to cram 66 games into a tight schedule.  That's going to mean a lot of back-to-back games (with each team also playing at least one set of games on three straight days).  It's a grueling schedule that will certainly have an impact on the quality of play, as well as be a struggle for older teams and teams that lack depth.

The condensed schedule could result in a very unusual season.  With that in mind, here is how I predict each conference to finish the regular season.

Western Conference

15.  New Orleans Hornets

A playoff team a year ago, the Hornets will likely sink to the bottom of the conference following the trade of their star point guard, Chris Paul.  They got an impressive package in return that will help in their rebuilding process, but this isn't their year.  Eric Gordon is one of the league's best young shooting guards, but how motivated will he be wallowing away on a rebuilding team?  He may put up big numbers, but that won't translate into winning.

14. Sacramento Kings

They have a nice core of young players to build around with Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, but each of them needs to show more maturity before they can become a winning team.  Evans, who was plagued by a foot injury last season, needs to be able to stay healthy this season and rookie Jimmer Fredette needs to prove he can be a solid NBA player instead of just a likable fan favorite.

13. Phoenix Suns

An aging Steve Nash can only carry this team so far.  Ownership blew up a contending team last year and replaced talent like Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson with a slew of bad contracts for mediocre talent.  They did very little to improve this off-season, although a full season of Marcin Gortat (acquired mid-season last year from Orlando) in the middle will help solidify their frontcourt.

12. Golden State Warriors

New coach Mark Jackson wants to put an emphasis on defense (which is ironic considering he didn't play much defense when he was a player), but that's going to be tough to do when three of his starters are such terrible defenders.  Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and David Lee can help keep them a fast paced, high scoring team, but it's going to take some time before they are capable of stopping anyone on the defensive end.  After striking out on free agent targets like Nene and DeAndre Jordon, they settled for overpaying Kwame Brown.  This isn't the right roster to play the defensive style Jackson claims they will, which means he'll either be forced to abandon that plan and go with their strengths, or this season could become a disaster.

Things I Noticed: Week 15

A few huge upsets headlined the week.  This time of year, a set back can have a drastic impact on a team's playoff chances.  Which teams slipped up this week and which ones took advantage?

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• The Falcons increased their chances of claiming a Wild Card spot with a convincing win over Jacksonville.  Matt Ryan threw three TDs, two of which went to Roddy White.  The Falcons top receiver has found the endzone in each of the past four games and is now up to 8 TDs for the season.  He may have started slow, but he's gotten on a roll at just the right time.
• Maurice Jones-Drew increased his lead in league rushing yards category, but it wasn't enough to help the Jaguars offense accomplish much.  Their only offensive score came in the game's final minute with the game long since decided.
• The Cowboys got a much needed win to halt their short slide and move back to the top of the NFC East.  Tony Romo got his team off to a fast start with three TD passes and running one in as well to take a 28-0 lead into halftime.  The Cowboys went on cruise control the rest of the game, managing next to nothing on offense in the second half, but the Bucs were too far behind by then do do anything about it.
• Felix Jones reclaimed his starting spot from the injured DeMarco Murray, who was placed on season ending injured reserve.  Looking to prove himself capable of being an every down back, Jones totaled 131 yards to help balance the Cowboys attack.
• Who says Reggie Bush can't be an every down back?  After rushing for a career high 203 yards against Buffalo, Bush has now ran for over 100 yards in each of the past three games.  Prior to this stretch, Bush had never had back-to-back 100+ yard games.
• His day was highlighted by a 76 yard TD run.  Granted he hurt his team by being penalized for sliding in the endzone, but that just goes to show what a ridiculous rule that is to begin with.
• Buffalo has been better at home this year and had the advantage of playing the warm weather Dolphins in a game played in snowy conditions, yet still couldn't manage a victory.  After such a promising start to the season, the Bills have lost 7 straight games to ensure another losing season.

Chris Paul goes to Hollywood

Chris Paul is finally getting his wish by being traded to Los Angeles.  It's just not the team he originally expected to play for.  After commissioner David Stern intervened to block a deal between the league owned Hornets and the LA Lakers, the other team in LA swooped in to steal the super star point guard.

The Clippers made perhaps their biggest move in franchise history by trading a boatload of assets to deal for one of the game's elite players.  In exchange for Paul, the Clippers will send rising star Eric Gordon, last year's lottery pick Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman (a serviceable big man that is a former All-Star and on an expiring contract), and an unprotected 2012 draft pick that belongs to Minnesota (which will almost certainly be a high lottery pick).  That's a lot to give up for one player, but the chance to trade for one of the league's top 5 players in his prime doesn't come along often.

Paul will team with Blake Griffin, one of the game's best young power forwards, to form a formidable duo.  Their strengths compliment each other well and they'll destroy opponents on the pick and roll with Paul lobbing up highlight worthy alley oop passes to Griffin.  Paul is a multi threat offensive weapon capable of attacking the rim as a scorer (18.7 points per game in his career) as well as dishing it out to teammates (9.9 assists).  He can also bring it on the defensive end (2.4 steals) and has made the All-Defensive 1st or 2nd team in three of the past four seasons.  With apologies to reigning MVP Derrick Rose, Paul is the league's best all around point guard.

Meanwhile, the Lakers must be furious.  They had a trade in place a week ago to land Paul for a package that included Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.  The deal also included the Houston Rockets, who would have received Gasol in the deal in exchange for sending assets headlined by Kevin Martin and Louis Scola to New Orleans, along with Odom.  Their plans were derailed when Stern stepped in to squash the deal after several small market owners (most notably, Dan Gilbert and Michael Jordan) whined about how the recently concluded lockout was supposed to prevent big name stars from fleeing small markets for large markets.  With their gigantic TV contract, the Lakers are the league's richest team, making them the last destination these other owners wanted to see trading for a player of Paul's caliber.  The logic behind blocking the trade was indefensible, as everyone knew the Hornets would be forced to trade Paul at some point since he had no intention of staying in New Orleans after this season.  The assets they would have received in that trade was an impressive haul and may have even been the better end of the deal than what the Lakers would have gotten with Paul.  Now the Lakers will be forced to watch Paul play for another team that not only resides in the same city, but shares the same building.

The polarizing Tim Tebow

With the Patriots set to visit the Broncos this weekend, it's got me thinking more about the league's most polarizing figure.  Tim Tebow has been one of the league's biggest stories this season after leading the Broncos to victory in 7 of their past 8 games since he took over as the starter and launching the team into first place in the AFC West.  There's no doubt that Tebow deserves much of the credit for changing the culture of that team, but it's how he's been doing it that has left many of us skeptical.

For starters, there is his unorthodox style.  Any football scout will tell you that Tebow's mechanics are a mess, which led many to doubt that he'd ever succeed as an NFL QB.  While Tebow has been proving the doubters wrong with every victory, he's also proving them right with his performance.  The Broncos have adapted their entire offense around Tebow, changing on the fly to accommodate his strengths.  Their strategy of pounding the ball with their running game to open up the occasional deep pass seems straight out of a High School playbook.  It's unfathomable that it could work in the pros, but Tebow somehow makes it work.

Naysayers will point to Tebow's putrid 48.5 completion percentage (worst among starters this season) as a sign that his QB skills are not up to par.  Watching him play, there are far too many occasions where he's so far off from hitting his target that you have to question where he was intending to throw it.  While his supporters will point out that he's only thrown two interceptions all season, others will counter with the fact that when he makes a bad throw it is so far off target that it lands harmlessly away from where anyone on the field could catch it.  True, he manages to make plays with his legs as well, scrambling for over 500 yards this season.  While his ability to take off and run the ball when a play breaks down has helped his team move the offense to extend drives, he tends to be overly reliant on his scrambling ability, often times looking to run before checking for a second or third passing option.

Things I noticed: Week 14

It was another exciting week as the season begins to wind down.  The playoff picture continues to form as another team clinches their division and more teams fall out of the race.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Ben Rothlisberger left in the first half against Cleveland with a leg injury, but hobbled back onto the field to lead the Steelers to victory on Thursday night.  The Steelers don't have the luxury of resting Big Ben, or anyone, because if they fall a game behind the Ravens it all but assures that their best case scenario will come as a Wild Card given that Baltimore already owns the tie breaker for the division title.
• The ineffectiveness of the Steelers offense behind a hurting Rothlisberger allowed Cleveland to stay within reach near the end, but a 79 yard bomb to Antonio Brown finally put them away in the final few minutes.
• Speaking of injured QBs, Colt McCoy also briefly left the game after a hard helmet-to-helmet hit from James Harrision.  McCoy was apparently ok, since he was allowed back into the game, but Harrison can probably expect some discipline from the league for the hit.  That's nothing new for him.
• The league announced on Tuesday that Harrison has been suspended for 1 game for the hit.
• The Patriots defense is struggling just to find healthy bodies to put on the field at this point.  Once again they gave up a ton of yardage, but they held with a strong defensive stand when it counted in the end, stopping the Redskins potential game tying drive in the red zone with an interception.
• Rob Gronkowski had a career high 160 yards and 2 TDs.  His first trip to the endzone gave him sole possession of first place on the all time list of receiving TDs in a season by a TE.  Gronk celebrated with his trade mark spike in the endzone, which then sent him scrambling to chase after it when he realized the importance of hanging on to that milestone ball. 
• In only his second season, Gronk has not only established himself as one of Tom Brady's most trusted receivers, but also become perhaps the best TE in the league.  The Saints Jimmy Graham and Chargers Antonio Gates may have something to say about that, but when you factor in other responsibilities TEs have, such as blocking, there is nobody better at the position than Gronk.
• The victory for the Patriots helps overshadow a bit of drama that occurred late in the 4th quarter when Tom Brady got into a shouting match on the sidelines with OC Bill O'Brien after Brady threw a costly INT in the endzone.  It was a rare example of a poorly thrown pass, intended for Tiquan Underwood.  Making matters worse, the play came right after Wes Welker dropped a TD pass on a ball that was thrown slightly off to his back shoulder.  Not a great end to the drive for an offense known for it's efficiency, but luckily it didn't cost them the game.
• Roy Helu became the first Redskins RB to rush for 100+ yards in three straight games.  It wasn't long ago that it was fair to question if Helu would even get a chance to play in three straight games, but it's clear they've found a reliable option for their backfield.

Marlins, Angels heat up Winter Meetings

Dallas is known for it's scorching hot weather in the summer time, but a couple of teams are cranking up the heat during this year's Winter Meetings.  The Miami Marlins and LA Angels have made the biggest splashes this off-season, reeling in some of the biggest names on the free agent market.

Miami Marlins
The new look Marlins will open their season in a new stadium, with new uniforms and a few new faces.  Miami entered the off-season with the intention of spending some money.  With the revenue they expect to make from their new stadium, Miami insisted that they would be increasing their payroll up toward the $100 million range for the upcoming season, which is up from the approximately $57 million they spent last season (the 7th lowest payroll in the majors).  So far they have yet to disappoint, kicking off the spending spree this off-season by signing Jose Reyes to a six year, $106 million deal.

The Marlins made it known from the start of the off season that Reyes was one of their main targets, which comes as a bit of a surprise considering their roster already includes a multi-time All-Star that happens to play the same short stop position.  Hanley Ramirez is one of the game's other elite short stops, but his size and decreasing range may make him a better fit for third base.  The Marlins intend to move Ramirez over to the hot corner in a move that has previously been made by greats such as Cal Ripkin Jr. and Alex Rodriguez.  Reyes is a better defensive short stop, and while it remains to be seen how Ramirez would fare defensively at third, the change should benefit their infield defense.  The problem is, Ramirez is reportedly less than thrilled with the idea of switching positions.  He has a reputation as being a bit of a diva, who can be difficult to deal with when things aren't going his way.  Already there are rumors that Reyes' arrival could trigger a trade demand from Ramirez.  While trading Ramirez could free up even more payroll space to make more moves, as well as bring a bounty of assets in return, it's not exactly what the Marlins had in mind when they acquired Reyes.

Assuming Ramirez can be convinced by new manager Ozzie Guillen to buy into the team's plan, the NL batting champions from two of the past three seasons will form a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the Marlins line up.

Things I Noticed: Week 13

They say 13 is an unlucky number, but which teams were hit by the misfortune of bad luck this week?  In some cases it's not bad luck, just bad teams.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Vince Young's night got off to a bad start with an INT on his first pass attempt of the game.  It didn't get much better after that, as he finished with 4 of them.  Granted, he was the victim of several dropped passes by his receivers (1 of those INTs came after a ball tipped off the hands of his receiver), but he still missed on many throws that he has to be able to make.  He was constantly throwing behind receivers, badly missing his target.  When it wasn't picked off it was only because it was so far off target that nobody on either team could get to it.

• On the bright side, at least VY seems to be one of the few Eagles players that hasn't given up yet.  He played poorly, but played hard.
• Marshawn Lynch ran wild against the Eagles for 148 yards and 2 TDs.  His 2nd TD came on a 40 yard run where he managed to beat the defenders to the outside before bursting up field with no defenders in front of him.  Not to take credit away from Lynch, but that was just terrible defense.
• Rob Gronkowski tied the all time record for TDs by a Tight End in a season by adding two more this week to give him 13 for the season.  He scored a third TD, which originally was ruled as the record breaking 14th receiving TD, but it was later corrected to be scored as a lateral pass.  Therefore the score actually counted as a rushing TD.
• New England looked dominant against the helpless Colts team through three quarters, but their defense got a little too nonchalant in the end, giving up 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.  They never really seemed in danger of blowing the game, but it was frustrating to watch them fail to stop the Colts from piling up yardage and points during garbage time.  This is one of the reasons why the Pats rank last in the league in total defense.
• The Colts defense played just as bad for most of the game, before tightening up a bit near the end of the game when the Pats were trying to run down the clock.  For some reason they backed their secondary off the line instead of trying to press the Patriots receivers.  That allowed Wes Welker far too much room to work with.  On one drive in the third quarter, Brady connected with Welker 4 times, including three straight plays.  Welker caught all 11 of his targets in the game for 110 yards.
• Dan Orlovsky is now the Colts starting QB.  Oddly enough, he was on the winless Detroit Lions team that became the first 0-16 team in league history back in 2008.  Now he has a chance to be a part of history once again.  Just not the type of history he would hope for.

Celtics dream scenario

The Boston Celtics will soon be at a cross roads.  This may be their final season to make one last run with their existing core before they are inevitably forced to start rebuilding.  With the contracts of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen set to expire at the end of the season, we may be approaching the end of the Big Three era in Boston. Rebuilding processes can often be long, painful experiences.  With a few crafty moves, Boston has a chance to skip that process and jump right into a new era with a new championship caliber core.

After this season, the only contracts remaining on Boston's salary cap will be Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley.  We can assume first round draft pick JaJuan Johnson and possibly second round pick E'Twaun Moore will also be included, along with potentially whoever we draft in the first round in the next draft.  This is also dependent upon the team's decisions with their current free agent group, which includes Glenn Davis and Jeff Green, but for the sake of this scenario, let's assume that they are all either involved in a sign-and-trade deal or allowed to walk as free agents.  That would leave Boston with potentially 6 players under contract for next season, totaling approximately $30 million, which is well under the $58 million salary cap.  That leaves plenty of room to sign one of the top prizes on the 2012 free agent market.  Boston isn't a warm weather city that top free agents desire, but it's a good market with a rich history, a committed ownership group and strong leadership.  Will that be enough to lure in a top free agent?  Considering those top targets include two point guards (Derron Williams and Chris Paul), that narrows the field of options as long as Rondo is still on the roster.  That leaves Dwight Howard as the most likely target, but is Rondo and an aging Pierce enough to convince him to come to Boston?  Unlikely.

To change that, the Celtics may be forced to shake things up even more.  The only trade-able asset they have on their roster is Rondo.  Rumors have swirled that Boston would be willing to part with Rondo for the right deal and it's no secret that the right deal includes Chris Paul.  New Orleans is in the difficult position of knowing that they can't afford to hang on to their star point guard and will almost certainly be forced to either trade him or watch him walk as a free agent after the season.  As has been previously reported, Paul seems to have already squashed this rumor by stating he would not be willing to sign an extension to stay in Boston.  With the uncertainty of the team's future beyond this season, it's fair to see why he'd be hesitant to commit to the Celtics, but that doesnt' mean they can't change his mind.  After all, Kevin Garnett didn't want to come to Boston either, but the Celtics changed his mind by going out and trading for Ray Allen.  If the Celtics can lure in another star to join him in Boston, perhaps Paul can still be persuaded

The NBA is back!

Now that the NBA owners and players have finally agreed to a tentative deal to end the lockout, the agreement is expected to lead to the finalization of a new collective bargaining agreement that will allow the league to open it's doors on December 9th.  Teams would then be allowed to sign free agents and open training camp, with a 66 game regular season planned to begin on Christmas Day. 

While it's exciting that the season (most of it anyway) has been saved, it's frustrating that it took so long to get to this point.  Particularly when the deal doesn't appear to be all that different from what most people expected all along.  I've been saying for months what my opinion was on how the deal should work and even outlined a projected solution in an article several weeks ago.  From what we've heard so far regarding the details of the new agreement, those predictions don't appear to be that far off.

Keep in mind that while the committees representing each side have agreed to the deal, the rest of the owners and players still need to vote on it, while plenty of paper work still needs to be filed before the deal becomes official. Therefore some of this may be subject to change.

Things I Noticed: Week 12

The week kicks off on Thanksgiving day, with the traditional games hosted by Detroit and Dallas, followed by a night game that this year was in Baltimore.  Bye weeks are over, giving us a full slate of games again this week, so the three Thursday games help break up the week a bit.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• The Packers have to lose a game eventually, right?  Given their remaining schedule, this week looked to be the most likely chance for their streak to end, which is why I picked against them for the first time all year.  Apparently I was wrong, as the Pack continued to roll to their 11th win of the season behind another nearly flawless game from Aaron Rodgers.

• Not helping the Lions chances was the fact that their star defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, got himself ejected from the game early in the third quarter.  After a brief scuffle on the ground following a key third down play near Detroit's goal line, Suh was clearly seen repeatedly shoving an opponent's head into the ground.  After finally managing to get to his feet, Suh then stomped on the arm of the Packers lineman.  Suh denies any intention of the incident, but replay showed it pretty clearly.  Given his reputation, the league wasn't going to take his word for it and slapped him with a two game suspension.  Since the start of last season, when Suh came into the league, he leads the league in personal foul penalties with 7.
• As Mike Pereria, the former vice president of officiating for the NFL who now works for Fox as a rules analyst, tweeted after the game, "Stomping on a guy is way over the line. He's not a dirty player, he's a filthy player."  Hard not to agree with him after seeing this latest incident.
• It took a last second FG to put away the surprisingly resilient Dolphins, but Dallas was able to win it's 4th straight game.  It's also the 4th win this season for the Cowboys that was decided by a FG in the last two minutes or overtime of a game.
• Laurent Robinson continues to shine in the absence of Miles Austin.  He collected 7 catches for 79 yards and 2 TDs this week.  One of those trips to the endzone was in the 4th quarter, giving him 4 TDs in the 4th quarter of games this season, which is tied for the best in the league.
• Miami was able to move the ball surprisingly well against the Cowboys defense, but too often had to settle for field goals.  All four of their FGs came on drives that stalled in the red zone and their only TD of the game came on a deep pass to Brandon Marshall.  Their ineffectiveness in the red zone turned out to be the deciding factor in the game.
• Thanksgiving is a family event, but this year it pitted the Harbaugh brothers against each other in the night game between the 49ers and Ravens.  It was the first time in league history that two brothers have opposed each other as head coaches in a game.  In the end, it was the older brother John that walked away with the victory and the bragging rights to be had over family dinner.
• The game was a defensive battle until the Ravens finally managed a TD pass to start the 4th quarter.  Each team had only one possession in the third quarter, with each drive ending with a score after a grueling drive.
• The Ravens defense tied a franchise record with 9 sacks in the game.

Things I Noticed: Week 11

It's the last week for bye weeks, with the Colts, Saints, Steelers and Texans getting the week off.

For the rest of the teams, here are some things I noticed this week:

• The Jets were able to find a way to contain Tim Tebow up until the Broncos last drive of the game, when Tebow led a 95 yard drive, capped off by a 20 yard scramble for the game winning TD.  Tebow was 3 of 5 passing for only 35 yards on that final drive, but racked up 57 yards on the ground on his way to the endzone, essentially taking over the game by himself.  I still can't explain it, but when the game is on the line, Tebow somehow finds a way to win.
• With Tomlinson missing the game and Greene exiting early with an injury, the Jets depleted backfield turned to Joe McKnight to carry the load.  Having already made an impact in the kick return game this year, McKnight could get a chance to shine in an expanded role if injuries keep the Jets other RBs on the shelf.
• The Browns escaped with a victory against Jacksonville when Blaine Gabbert's last second pass attempt from Cleveland's 1 yard line fell harmlessly to the ground.  The final play may have been more the benefit of a dropped pass than a defensive stand by the Browns, but they'll take the win.
• The Panthers appeared to be well on their way to crushing the Lions in the first half, but Detroit managed to completely turn it around in the second half. Cam Newton's four turnovers helped swing momentum back in their direction, but it was Matthew Stafford's 5th TD pass of the game that gave the Lions the lead for good late in the 4th quarter.
• Oddly enough, despite all those TD passes from Stafford, none of them went to Calvin Johnson, who leads the league with 11 TD catches this season.
• Tony Scheffler's TD catch wasn't nearly as impressive as the celebration dance that followed.

Things I Noticed: Week 10

A bit of an odd week, as the league takes a break from bye weeks.  The week also includes the first Thursday night game since Week 1, a trend which will continue until Week 17.  Can't recall previous seasons having regular Thursday games before Thanksgiving.

Here are some other things I noticed this week:

• Another late game collapse dropped the Chargers to below the .500 mark after their latest loss to the Raiders.  Philip Rivers didn't help his case with another 4th quarter INT.  He would get one last chance in the game's final minute, getting his team as far as mid-field in desperate need of a TD.  With no time outs left and the clock ticking, the last thing Rivers could afford (other than another turnover of course) was to take a sack.  He was sacked on back to back plays to end the game.
• Carson Palmer has a new favorite target in Denarius Moore (123 yards, 2 TDs).  The disappearance of Darrius Heyward-Bey continues to be a mystery, as he was held without a catch for the second straight week.  Despite Oakland losing Jacoby Ford to an ankle injury, DHB wasn't even targeted in the game.
• The Saints have had their issues on the road this year, but they came up big in Atlanta, where the Falcons didn't lose a game in the regular season all last year.
• Marques Colston was outstanding, catching 8 of his 9 targets.  Each of his catches went for a first down.
• Julio Jones left early with an injury and the Saints did a pretty good job of containing Roddy White. That left Harry Douglas (8 catches, 133 yards) as Matt Ryan's go to guy down the stretch.  On the Falcons last drive of regulation, Douglas caught the first three passes for a total of 66 yards to help put his team in position to tie the game and force overtime. 
• Falcons coach Mike Smith will get a lot of criticism this week for his bold decision to keep the offense on the field to attempt to convert on 4th and inches from his own 29 yard line in overtime.  The run was stuffed, turning the ball over to the Saints on downs, already in field goal range.  A few plays later, John Kasay's kick ended the game.

NBA lockout continues

David Stern gave the players an ultimatum last week - take the owner's current offer by 5 PM on Wednesday or the offer will be pulled off the table, resulting in a far less generous proposal.  Things could get ugly in that case, more so than they already have.  If you'll kindly glance at your calendar, you'll notice that this deadline has come and gone, yet the sides are still negotiating.  So that must be a good sign, right?

The two sides negotiated well past the 5 PM deadline last night and plan to pick up the talks again today.  This may make Stern's ultimatum seem like an empty threat, or could just be a sign that as long as enough progress is being made to allow negotiations to continue then there is no need to stop that momentum by pulling the offer off the table.  If the current round of negotiations fails to result in a deal agreed on by both sides, the threat of Stern's ultimatum is still at risk of becoming a reality.  In that scenario, Stern has threatened that the owners next offer would go no higher than 47% of BRI (basketball related income) for the players and include a hard cap.

The players suffer from a lack of leverage in these negotiations in that the owners are much more capable of surviving a lengthy lockout.  As players continue to miss pay checks, their urgency will increase.  On the other hand, many owners had been losing money under the last agreement, so some of them may actually be content to miss the entire season.  If the owner's were to carry out their threat of lowering their offer, it could result in the players resorting to the little amount of leverage they have left, which is the threat to decertify the union.  That could potentially move these negotiations into the courtroom, which would be a drawn out process that would almost certainly mean the cancellation of the entire season.

Things I Noticed: Week 9

With every team now having played at least 8 games, we've officially passed the halfway point of the season.  There's still a long way to go and a lot of work to do to shape the playoff picture.

Only 4 teams are off this week, with Detroit, Minnesota, Carolina and Jacksonville on a bye.

For the rest of the teams, here are some things I noticed this week:

• Tom Brady hadn't lost a regular season home game in his last 31 starts, plus the Patriots seemingly never lose two straight games, but that didn't matter to the Giants.  They came in to stun the Pats with an ending eerily similar to the crushing Super Bowl XLII loss.
• This time it was a pass interference penalty in the endzone that set up Eli Manning's game winning TD throw in the final seconds of the game.  With Patrick Chung being forced out of the game's final drive with an injury, Sergio Brown was thrown into an important situation despite seeing very little game action of late.  The penalty was questionable given that there was hardly any contact and it seemed unlikely that a catch would have been made, but Brown failed to turn his head back to look at the ball, which typically will draw a flag, regardless of whether he really "interfered" with the play.  Uncharacteristic mistakes have been killing the Patriots lately.
• On Tuesday the Patriots ended the Albert Haynesworth experiment. The troublesome DT was cut after being benched in the second half of the loss to the Giants following a play where he was severely over matched by the Giants offensive line on a Brandon Jacobs 10 yard TD run.  This led to an argument on the sidelines between Haynesworth and Patriots defensive coach Pepper Johnson.  That may have been the last straw for Haynesworth, who has struggled with injuries and performance in his short time in New England.
• Now if only we could get rid of Ochocinco and bring back Brandon Merriweather and James Sanders.  It would be as if we took a mulligan on our off-season moves.  Then we'd be in great shape.
• Both offenses looked sloppy in a scoreless first half.  The Giants clearly missed Hakeem Nicks and Ahmad Bradshaw, perhaps helping to make the Patriots defense look better than it actually performed.  The Giants defense did a good job of disguising their looks and putting pressure on Brady, which clearly rattled him.  He didn't look like himself until late in the game when he drove the Pats for what looked like the game winning score, until the defense failed to hold on in the final minute and a half.

Things I Noticed: Week 8

As we approach the mid point of the season the list of contenders isn't any clearer than it was weeks ago. Just when we think a certain team belongs among the elite they take a step back.  Aside from perhaps the defending champion Packers, each of the contenders has a major flaw.  The Packers were off this week, but for many other teams, those flaws were on display.

Atlanta, Chicago, Oakland, Tampa Bay and the New York Jets were also off this week.

For the rest of the teams, here are some things I noticed this week.

• Tom Brady was 6-1 in his career against the Steelers, but Ben Roethlisberger finally got the better of him by beating Brady at his own game.  When you think of the Steelers offense, you think of a tough pounding running game used to set up deep pass plays.  This time they worked primarily out of the spread offense, picking the Patriots defense apart with short passes on underneath routes.
• You could tell early on that the Pats defense was in trouble after failing to stop TE Heath Miller from collecting 4 catches that totaled over half the field on the Steelers opening drive.  New England's defense has looked bad all year, in part because everyone always throws against them, but failing to stop the same play over and over again is a bad sign.
• Part of what has ailed the Patriots defense is the inconsistency of their personnel.  Injuries have played a big part in that, but part problem with building chemistry in their secondary has been due to some surprising roster cuts made by Belichick.  Earlier this season the team released safeties Branden Merriweather and James Sanders.  Before this last game they released veteran CB Leigh Bodden. Whether the issues are with the defensive schemes or with the talent evaluation, the blame points just as much to the coaching as it does to the players themselves.  Perhaps Belichick needs more help in both those departments than he thinks. 
• Brady finally looked himself late in the 4th quarter in leading a TD drive to make it a one possession game.  He connected with Rob Gronkowski for what looked like a TD, but the ball was ruled down at the one yard line, despite that replay seemed to show the ball had crossed the plane.  They scored two plays later, but the questionable call at the goal line cost them about two minutes off the clock, which came back to haunt them.
• After a failed on side kick attempt, the Patriots weren't able to get the ball back again until there were only 19 seconds left in the game, without any time outs remaining.  Hence the importance of that lost time on the previous drive.  Not even Brady can lead a winning drive with that little time left, especially not when he fumbles away their last chance.  The Steelers batted the loose ball out of the back of the endzone, which should have been a penalty.  Instead, it was ruled a safety.

Things I Noticed: Week 7

The Patriots may have been off this week, but there was still plenty of other NFL action going on around the league.

In addition to New England having a bye, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and the New York Giants were resting up this week.

For the rest of the league, here are some things I noticed this week:

• The score looked more fitting for a baseball game, but the Browns got the better of the Seahawks with a 4th quarter FG.  Both offenses struggled to move the ball for most of the game, with Charlie Whitehurst having an exceptionally poor game, completing only 12 of 30 passes for a meager 97 yards. 
• Peyton Hillis missed another game with a hamstring injury (or did his agent just advise him to sit out again?).  Montario Hardesty failed to impress when giving the opportunity, failing to surpass the 100 yard mark despite a whopping 33 carries.
• Seattle's defense leads the league in yards per carry allowed, so perhaps attacking them on the ground wasn't the wisest strategy to begin with.
• After getting off to the best start to a season that their franchise has had in over 50 years, the Lions have now dropped two straight games at home.  Matthew Stafford and the offense couldn't get much going, aside from Calvin Johnson's TD catch, which came after he split the defense to take the ball 57 yards for the score.  

• Stafford appeared to injure his ankle on his last pass attempt of the game.  No word yet on the severity of the injury, but given his history, the Lions have to be concerned.  I've said all along, the Lions are contenders if Stafford can stay healthy.  If he's forced to miss time, their dream start to the season could become another nightmare.
• Matt Ryan also injured an ankle earlier in the game.  He later returned to finish the game, so it apparently wasn't that bad, but it sure looked pretty gruesome when it happened.
• Tony Gonzalez moved into second place on the all time receptions list.  He now trails only Jerry Rice.

How to fix baseball

Baseball was once known as America's favorite pastime, but those days are long gone.  Attendance and revenue numbers may be up again this year, but the popularity of the sport has been dwindling compared to previous generations.  Last year's World Series between the Rangers and Giants had one of the lowest TV ratings numbers in league history.  You can't blame that all on the Yankees and Red Sox being absent from the event, as Dallas and San Francisco rank as the 5th and 6th largest TV markets in the country.  Add in the fact that the country has a much higher population and many more households that own television sets compared to previous generations, and it's mind boggling that these numbers are not higher. 

There are things that MLB can do to improve it's product and help increase it's popularity.  There are many ideas out there on how to improve the game, some of which could work, others of which may not.  Here are a few ideas that could help the game of baseball.

1. Shorten the regular season to 148 games
Part of what separates baseball from other sports is that teams play far more games in a season.  The grueling 162 game schedule isn't just tough on the players, it's tough on the fans.  By the end of the season, many casual fans have tuned the game out due to the fatigue of following their favorite team on a nightly basis for the better part of 6 months.  By the time the postseason rolls around, many people have had enough.  If their favorite team isn't still contending in October then many fans have turned away from watching baseball.  With the NFL season in full swing by then, there are other alternatives to occupy their time instead. 

The solution is to chop off the last two weeks of the season, allowing the postseason to begin in mid-September instead of October.  A 148 game season is more bearable for fans, as well as players.  Most players don't play in every game as it is.  Even if they are able to avoid major injuries, the wear and tear of the long season often forces managers to give players an extra day off once in a while.  The impact will also be felt by pitchers, who won't need to throw quite as many innings over the course of a season.  This will benefit them in the long run, keeping them fresher and helping to avoid injury, while potentially extending their careers.

2. Make every playoff round a best of 5 series
The divisional round is already a best of 5 series, so why not make every round the same?  Five games is enough to determine a winner.  The World Series rarely goes to a 7th game anyway, so it wouldn't be as drastic a change as you might think.


Teams should fear having to
face Verlander twice in a series

The best part about this change is that it allows teams to use their best pitchers in more important games.  Teams dread having to face a team like the Tigers in the opening round because they fear having to face an ace like Justin Verlander twice in a short series.  That should be the case in every series.  Most teams don't have rotations that go deeper than three quality starters, but in a 5 game series, all you need is three.  That means more of these playoff games will be started by the team's best pitchers rather than relying on the bottom of their rotation in key games.  Teams would then also have the luxury of using the back end of their rotation to strengthen their bullpen.

In this scenario, every game would count even more, with even less margin for error.  It also prevents a series from lasting nearly two weeks, if it were to go to a 7th game.  There's no reason why any series should be dragged out for over a week.  Even with travel days built in, a 5 game series allows for the series to last no more than a week.  It also may allow teams an extra day or two to rest before their next series, allowing them to reset their rotation to ensure their best pitchers can still pitch twice in the next series, even if they were forced to use them in a deciding Game 5. 

World Series Preview

It all comes down to this.  Two teams remaining, the best that each league has to offer.  The American and National League champions face off in the World Series to determine the winner of baseball's ultimate prize.  The Fall Classic gets underway tonight, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Texas Rangers.  While the division winning Rangers finished six games ahead of the Wild Card Cardinals in the regular season, the ridiculous All-Star game rules give the National League team home field advantage.  Will that be enough to sway the series in their favor?

Let's break down how the teams compare in the main aspects of the game to help us determine a winner.

Offense

You can't talk about hitting in this series without starting out mentioning Albert Pujols, who is undoubtedly the best hitter of the past decade.  He is the heart of the lineup, which also includes star hitters Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, forming a formidable core.  That trio arguably includes three of the top four hitters in this series.  David Freese is an up and coming talent that currently leads the NL in HRs and RBIs this postseason and just took home the NLCS MVP award.

On the other hand, the Rangers lineup is much deeper.  Josh Hamilton was the AL MVP last year, but he's hardly the only threat in this lethal lineup, which has few holes.  ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz leads all players this postseason with 6 HRs and he bats 7th in their lineup.  When the series shifts to Texas for Game 3, the Rangers will also have the advantage at DH.  Michael young, who tied for second in the AL in batting average this season, will hit in that spot.  Coming from the DH-less NL, the Cardinals aren't accustomed to having an extra bat for that spot. They'll likely put Lance Berkman there and use Allen Craig in right field, which upgrades their defense, but is a disadvantage offensively. 

Edge: Rangers

Things I Noticed: Week 6

Some of the league's top teams entering the week suffered losses this week and we're now down to only one undefeated team.

Six more teams are off this week: Denver, Kansas City, Tennessee, Arizona, Seattle, San Diego.

For the rest of the teams, here are some things I noticed this week: 

• A week after suffering their first home loss in over a year, Atlanta rebounded to set a new home winning streak by closing out the Panthers with a 17 point 4th quarter.
• Michael Turner led the way with 139 rushing yards and 2 TDs.  
• Not Cam Newton's best game, as he threw three INTs without a passing TD.  He did add a rushing TD on a 14 yard run that he made look far too easy.  Just another example that even when he's not at his best, he can find other ways to make plays to keep his team in the game.
• Curtis Painter had a chance to do his best Peyton Manning comeback impression, but it was spoiled by a costly fumble by Pierre Garcon, which was run back for the game sealing TD.  Hopefully that miscue doesn't cost Garcon the trust Painter has shown in him lately, as he's been the Colts best receiver since Painter took over.
• Dallas Clark has had some issues with dropping passes lately, so he put in some extra practice time this week to catch a few extra balls before the game.  It paid off when he hauled in a spectacular one handed catch for a TD.
• The Bengals entered the week as the top team in the league in total defensive yards allowed (279.6).  They actually lowered that average even further after holding the Colts to 273 total yards.  Cincinnati's defense is much improved, but their easy schedule thus far has more to do with that stat than anything else.

Red Sox clean house

In the wake of the worst late season collapse in league history, the Boston Red Sox have begun to clean house this off season as they prepare to start fresh with a clean slate.  First it was manager Terry Francona, who became the fall guy for the team's epic collapse.  Now GM Theo Epstein appears to be on his way out of Boston as well, agreeing today to a 5 year deal with the Chicago Cubs, which includes a promotion.  Despite leading the club to two World Series titles in their 7 seasons together, they'll both be moving on as part of ownerships attempt to clean up the mess they leave behind.

To be fair, Francona was an excellent manager throughout his stint with the Red Sox.  He is a well respected player's manager who never lost the support of the guys in his clubhouse.  Yet as the season began to spiral out of control, he found himself unable to right the ship to avoid disaster.  Rumors of pitchers drinking beer in the clubhouse may be a bit blown out of proportion, but it is part of a bigger problem.  Turning the clubhouse into a frat house doesn't just show a lack of professionalism, it shows a lack of competitiveness.  Regardless of their behavior in the clubhouse, it was clear that pitchers such as Josh Beckett and John Lackey struggled to stay in shape as the season wore on, which likely led to a lack of effectiveness as they stumbled down the stretch.  Multi million dollar athletes shouldn't need a baby-sitter and shouldn't need to be told to follow their work out routines and stick to a nutritious diet, but when the players fail to police themselves, it's the manager's job to step in and demand it.  The Red Sox clubhouse is loaded with veterans, but lacks the presence of a leader that will stand up and demand improvement from teammates.  Guys like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek are notoriously hard workers who lead by example.  They don't have a guy that will stand up to his teammates, so that's when the task falls to the manager.  That's not Tito's style, and in the end it may have cost them. 

Francona said himself, he felt that at some point players need to hear from a new voice in order for the words to get through to them, which is why he felt it was time to step away.  It certainly didn't help that he felt ownership didn't support him, but with the way the season ended he may have felt he had worn out his welcome anyway.

Things I noticed: Week 5

Week 5 introduces bye weeks for the first time this season.  That's good news for Miami, because it means the Dolphins won't lose another game this week.  Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Washington and Baltimore are also off this week.

As for the teams that do play, here are some things I noticed this week:

• The Eagles had already proclaimed before the week started that the "Dream Team" label was dead. Now their playoff chances may be as well.  They fell apart again in the 4th quarter when Vick's 4th interception of the game ended their comeback attempt.
• It was another sloppy afternoon for Vick, but on the bright side, his 90 rushing yards helped him set the all time record for career rushing yards by a QB.  
• Philadelphia's high priced defense had no answers this week for Fred Jackson, who's 196 total yards helped pace the Bills to victory.
• Kansas City scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to comeback to defeat the Colts.  Matt Cassel had his best game of the season, tossing 4 TD passes.  If he continues to connect with Dwayne Bowe they way he did this week, bringing back memories of last season, the Chiefs could become dangerous again.
• Curtis Painter came out firing, looking like vintage Peyton Manning in the first half while hooking up for 2 TDs with Pierre Garcon.  Then in the second half he essentially disappeared, as the Colts were shut out in the second half.
• In case anyone needed a reminder that Adrian Peterson is the league's best RB, he came through with 122 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Vikings to their first win of the season. Almost all of the damage was done in the first quarter, but the Vikings still managed to hang on to their second half lead this time.
• The Seahawks went on the road to stun the Giants thanks to three New York turnovers in the 4th quarter, one of which was returned for a TD.  Eli Manning had one last chance to make a desperation comeback, until his last INT ended the game.
• After leading the league in INT's last season, Manning came into this game on a league high streak of pass attempts without a pick.  His three picks this week more than doubled his season total and set the Giants back in their quest to take over the NFC East.
• Victor Cruz had another big game (161 yards) and may get credit for the best TD catch of the season thus far.  Manning launched the ball into double coverage, resulting in a tipped ball that Cruz somehow managed to juggle into his arms before taking it the rest of the way to pay dirt for a 68 yard TD catch.
• Tavaris Jackson exited the game with an injury and was replaced by Charlie Whitehurst.  The Jesus look-alike showed a lot more in limited playing time than Jackson has all season, throwing the TD pass that put Seattle ahead for good in the 4th quarter.
• The struggling Steelers put a charge back into their season with a convincing victory over the Titans.  Ben Rothlisberger led the way with 5 TD passes.
• Rashard Mendanhall missed the game with an injury, but the running game didn't miss a beat thanks to a strong performance by Jonathan Dwyer.  One uneventful game last season was the only other appearance of the second year back's career, but he came out of nowhere when needed with a 107 yard performance.
• A week after his first 100+ yard game of the season, Chris Johnson followed it up with another sub par performance.  He at least did score his first TD of the season.
• Speaking of RBs that signed expensive new contracts this off season, DeAngelo Williams had his first 100+ yard rushing game.  Most of his yardage came on a 69 yard TD run where there wasn't a defender that came close to bringing him down.
• The Saints won a thriller in Carolina after Drew Brees threw the game winning TD pass with under a minute remaining. 
• As great a rookie season as Cam Newton is having, putting up impressive passing numbers in the box score isn't what makes an elite QB.  The veteran Brees showed the rookie that the elite QBs put together game winning drives with clutch plays.
• Two rookie QB's squared off against each other, but it was Andy Dalton getting the better of Blaine Gabbert this time.  Dalton is doing his best to make people forget about Carson Palmer, who continues to sit at home rather than come play for a team... that is actually winning.
• Needing a score as time was running out, Jacksonville attempted to move the ball on their final play by lateraling the ball as defenders swarmed the ball carrier.  A total of 3 different Jaguar players fumbled the ball on the play before a Bengals defender was finally able to recover the ball, returning it for the game clinching TD with no time remaining.
• A sad weekend for the Raiders following the death of Al Davis ended with a silver lining, as the team rallied in the 4th quarter to do exactly as their long time owner had always demanded that they do - just win, baby!
• The NFL will miss having an interesting character like Davis around.  I'll miss getting to use Crypt Keeper and Weekend at Bernie's references.  They don't seem quite as funny now that he's really gone.  RIP Al Davis.
• Houston could really have used Andre Johnson at the end of this one.  Needing a TD to reclaim the lead, the Texans marched the ball all the way down to the Oakland 5 yard line after Matt Schuab connected with Joel Dreessen for 34 yards to set up 1st and goal in the final seconds of the game.  Just when it looked like they would pull off a miracle comeback, Schaub's next pass resulted in an INT in the endzone that ended the game.
• The 49ers embarrassed the visiting Tampa Bay Bucs in a 48-3 beat down.  
• Tampa was so bad, they managed to make Alex Smith look good (3 TDs).
• Since being temporarily removed from his position as the starting RB last week, Frank Gore has looked like a different player as he has earned his way back into the role with a second straight strong performance (125 yards, 1 TD).  
• I had a feeling that a Broncos loss this week could result in a QB change in Denver, with Tim Tebow getting his long awaited chance to take over after the team's Week 6 bye week.  As it turns out, he didn't even have to wait that long.  A miserable first half that saw Denver fall behind by two scores was enough to get Kyle Orton benched at halftime.  Fan favorite Tebow came in and nearly led an improbable second half comeback, engineering two TD drives in the 4th quarter and putting the team in position to have a chance at a win with a last second hail mary.  They came up just short this week, but it was a promising audition for the young QB.  Tebow will reportedly take over as the starter following their bye week, and it makes little sense for them to keep flipping between the two.  At this point they might as well see what they've got with Tebow.
• The Chargers have been winning, which has masked the poor season Philip Rivers is quietly having. Through 5 games, he has more turnovers (8) than TDs (5).
• The Patriots helped avenge last year's playoff defeat at the hands of the Jets by taking Round 1 of the season match up between the division rivals.  Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis rushed for a career high 136 yards and scored twice to help lead the way.
• The Patriots are known as a dominant passing team, with Tom Brady on pace to break all kinds of records.  However, few realize that New England actually ranks 6th in the league in rushing yards per game and 10th in rushing attempts. They are also one of only two teams in the league that has a running attack that has yet to fumble the ball all season.
• As expected, Wes Welker saw plenty of attention from Revis this week, but the league's leading receiver hardly found himself trapped on an island.  While Revis did do a good job of taking Welker out of the play on several occasions, Welker also managed to find himself free a handful of times on his way to a 124 yard day.  His biggest catch of the day came when he burned Revis for a 73 yard catch to help set up another TD drive.  Welker would have scored himself on the play had the speedy Revis not recovered in time to chase him down and make a TD saving tackle.
• The much maligned Patriots defense, which came into the game giving up a league worst 477.5 yards per game, had their best game of the season, holding the Jets to only 255 total yards.
• That was nice of the Packers to spot the Falcons 14 points early in the first half.  Of course that led to the Packers finally turning it on by scoring 25 unanswered points the rest of the way to cruise to another victory.
• Aaron Rodgers completed passes to 12 different receivers.  A lot of teams don't have completions to that many receivers all season.
• Atlanta lost their first regular season home game since December 2009.  The only other home loss during that stretch came in last year's postseason - against these Green Bay Packers.
• The loss also snapped a streak of 23 wins in games they led at halftime.
• The Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956.  You would have to ask your grandparents if they remember a Lions team that started this well.
• Jhavid Best showed that the Lions offense has another dimension outside of the Stafford-Johnson connection.  He entered the game having never rushed for over 100 yards in a game, but broke free for an impressive 163 yards (with an outstanding 13.6 per carry average!) against the Bears. His biggest play of the night saw him cut behind his blockers and find a hole that led to an 88 yard TD run.
• Matt Forte was overshadowed by the huge performance by Best, but he once again contributed a solid game.  He's clearly Chicago's best weapon, both running the ball and as a receiver.  He's not happy about his contract situation, so the Bears better take care of that quickly.  Their offense would be going nowhere without him.
• Detroit now leads the league in point differential (+70), while Green Bay is 2nd (+62, tied with Baltimore).  What a division race the NFC North is turning out to be!
• The Rams have scored the fewest points in the league (46), but are coming off a bye week.  What's Jacksonville's excuse?  Their 59 points through 5 games trails every other team in the league, including the other teams that had their bye weeks.  Baltimore has more than twice as many points (119) in their 4 games.
• It seems that defenses are finally starting to catch up, as we're seeing less big passing performances around the league.  This week, only 6 QBs threw for over 300 yards and 2 of them had over 400 yards.  Ok, so that's still a lot, especially when you consider that 6 teams had the week off, but it's still a decrease from what we saw earlier in the season when it seemed that just about everyone was on pace to break Dan Marino's all-time passing record. 
• 10 QBs (11 if you count both Orton and Tebow for Denver) were held to under 200 yards passing this week, so while we may not be done seeing big passing performances, it appears it is starting to even out a bit more.

MLB Playoffs: Championship Series

We're down to the final four, with the top teams remaining in each league battling it out for the pennant.  With a World Series invitation on the line, expect more postseason excitement as each team lays it all on the line.

Texas Rangers vs Detroit Tigers
These teams are about as evenly matched as you'll find this postseason.  They finished 3rd and 4th in the AL in runs scored this season, but Texas (855) was much closer to first place then they were to dropping behind Detroit (787).  With a star studded lineup that includes Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinslar, Nelson Cruz, and Adrian Beltre, the Rangers have the kind of depth that any team not named the Yankees or Red Sox would envy.  Detroit will counter with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, two stars clearly in that same All-Star caliber category, but their lineup lacks the depth that Texas has.  Delmon Young, who was a big part of the Tigers second half run after being acquired from the Twins, exited the Game 5 victory in New York with an oblique strain.  That's the type of injury that tends to linger, putting his availability for this series in question and giving the Rangers an even bigger offensive edge.

The Rangers also are the more efficient defensive team, which is an unappreciated aspect of what makes an elite team.  It may not appear that the Rangers are an elite team on the surface, because old school stats show that their 114 errors put them near the bottom of the league in that category.  However, digging deeper into advanced defensive metrics reveals that Texas is by far the more superior defensive team.  According to Fan Graphs, their team UZR of 25.9 placed them 4th in the AL, well ahead of Detroit (-3.7), which was a below average defensive team overall.  That large of a gap could be a difference maker in this series.

If the Tigers have an edge anywhere it's with their pitching.  Justin Verlander may be the best pitcher on the planet right now.  He'll pitch in Game 1 of this series, which puts him in line to pitch in Game 4 and potentially in Game 7.  If he gets to pitch three times in this series then the Tigers are going to be tough to beat.  Despite Veralnder's dominance, Texas (3.79) actually finished a bit ahead of Detroit (4.04) in team ERA this season, but much of that factors in the replacement level starters Detroit was running out there before they traded for Doug Fister (8-1, 1.79 ERA, 0.84 WHIP since joining the Tigers rotation).  Fister gives Detroit a legitimate second starter to slot behind Verlander.  As for the Rangers pitching staff, they go even deeper with talent, but don't have the top end aces to match up with Detroit.  CJ Wilson is coming off an All-Star season, but he's been shaky in his postseason career.  He's 0-3 with a 6.26 ERA in his past 4 postseason starts, which includes getting shelled by Tampa Bay during the ALDS series.  Texas needs their ace to step up to at least give them a chance in the games he opposes Verlander.

The pitching advantage, especially with Verlander potentially pitching three times in this series, makes me want to consider picking Detroit for this series, but I think Texas is slightly the better overall team.  Given their home field advantage in the series, I'm leaning towards them.  Despite that a potential Game 7 would be held in Texas, the thought of Verlander being available to start for the Tigers in that game against the struggling Wilson doesn't give much hope for the Rangers, but I think they take care of business before it gets to that point.

Prediction:  Rangers in 6


Milwaukee Brewers vs St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals surprised the world, not just for their strong finish to the regular season that saw them surpass the Braves for the NL Wild Card spot, but for overcoming the golden rotation of the heavily favored Phillies, who led the majors in wins.  Much of that is thanks to the performance of their ace, Chris Carpenter, who's complete game shut out in Game 5 in Philadelphia is the reason they are here.  With the roll Carpenter has been on through September and into the postseason, the crafty veteran may be the most dangerous pitcher in this series.  Unfortunately, for the Cardinals, his heroics in the last series also means he won't be available to start until Game 3 of this series.  He could be lined up to also start a potential Game 7, if it gets that far.  If it doesn't, then only having the luxury of using their ace once in this series could hurt their chances.  Their rotation fills out with Jamie Garcia and Edwin Jackson, two capable pitchers that will still give them a chance, but they don't quite match up with the likes of Grienke, Marcum and Gallardo.

Grienke will get the call in Game 1 in Milwaukee, where he was undefeated this season (11-0 in 15 starts at home).  Grienke has a history of shying away from the big stage, which is part of why he agreed to be traded from the small market Royals to the smaller market Brewers.  As the Brew Crew advance further into the postseason and the spotlight begins to shine a bit brighter, you have to wonder how he will handle the pressure.  He's also lined up to start Game 5 on the road.  The Brewers may be better served holding him off until Game 6, if possible, to allow him to pitch at home, where he's been substantially more effective (5-6, 4.70 ERA on the road).

The Cardinals have a formidable force in the middle of their lineup consisting of Pujols, Berkman and Holliday.  The Brewers counter with two MVP candidates in Fielder and Bruan.  The performance of these stars will go a long way towards determining this series, but the Brewers lineup has more depth to fall back on, with the likes of Weeks, Hart, and Morgan to help pick up the slack if either of their stars struggle.  The Cardinals lineup isn't nearly as deep.

The Brewers are not known for their defensive skills, but surprisingly that may not hurt them as much as you might think.  They are solid up the middle, but have issues on both sides of the diamond.  The left side of their infield in particular with McGehee and Bentancourt is abysmal.  They've helped themselves lately by giving more playing time to Jerry Hairston Jr. at third base, but calling them below average may be being too kind.  Yet somehow they managed to rank near the top of the NL in advanced defensive metrics, such as UZR (16.2).  Their two stars, Fielder and Bruan, won't be winning any gold glove awards, but each has improved defensively to the point where they aren't as much of a liability as they have been in the past.  Surprisingly, it was the typically defensively sound Cardinals that ranked near the bottom of the league (-29.8 UZR).

The Brewers were the best home team in the majors, winning 57 games in their park.  They'll have home field advantage in this series, which should give them the edge they need to stop the rolling Cardinals.

Prediction: Brewers in 6

Things I noticed: Week 4

Only two undefeated teams remain in the NFL and both reside in the NFC North.  How did the week go for the rest of the teams?

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Cam Newton had another big yardage day in a losing effort.  He could go on to set all sorts of rookie records as long as his team keeps playing from behind.
• At least they showed signs of the running game finally getting going.  DeAngleo Williams (10 carries, 82 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (8 carries, 52 yards) both looked as good as they have all year.
• Matt Forte had a career day, rushing for 205 yards and a TD.  He also added another 23 yards on four catches.  Chicago didn't get much else out of it's offense, but as it turned out, they didn't need more.
• Devin Hester returned a punt 69 yards for a TD.  Not exactly newsworthy, considering how many times he's done that in his career, but the three somersaults he did in the endzone to celebrate was impressive.  The refs were so excited by it they reacted by throwing yellow flags joyously into the air.
• Buffalo finally lost a game after a last second FG dropped them to 3-1.  Just when you think the Bills are the new out of nowhere team to become a playoff contender, they go and lose to the Bengals.  
• Chris Johnson finally went over the 100 yard mark!  He hadn't totaled that amount through three games, but finally broke out with a 101 yard performance.  Now that he's gotten that out of the way, hopefully he won't look back and will actually continue this trend of earning that hefty new contract.
• The Cowboys blew another game in which they led by two scores in the 4th quarter.  Tony Romo, who had done so much over the past two weeks to change the impression others around the league have always had of him as a guy that can't deliver in the clutch, was back to his old ways again.  He threw three picks in the game, two of which were returned for TDs.
• Calvin Johnson appeared to be pretty well contained until he broke free for 2 TDs in the 4th quarter, including the game winner.  Megatron just can't be covered in the endzone.
• The Vikings have led in the second half of every game this season before blowing it in the 2nd half.  Meanwhile, the Chiefs just haven't been able to get started in any game.  Something had to give in this battle of winless teams.  The hometown Chiefs came through, as the Vikings blew another 2nd half lead.
• The Rams put a scare into the Redskins with a 4th quarter push, but came up short on their final drive.  Rex Grossman had a couple of 4th quarter turnovers that helped the Rams cause, but it wasn't quite enough to hand over the win to the quickly floundering Rams. 
• Even in the weak NFC West, there has to come a point where the hole is just too deep to crawl out of.  Maybe 0-4 isn't deep enough of a hole for this division, but it's getting close.
• The "Dream Team" from Philadelphia is off to a mind boggling 1-3 start.  Vick has been banged up, but at least he finished the game this week.  A team that was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender just can't lose games like this at home to inferior competition.
• The Eagles seemed poised to win the game, driving into 49ers territory, before a Jeremy Maclin fumble doomed their chances.  A couple of first downs later and the 49ers were able to run out the clock.
• Coming off an ankle injury and having lost his starting job for the week, things didn't appear to be going well for Frank Gore.  A 127 yard performance with a TD to top off leading his team to victory will do wonders to change that perception.
• A game changing moment came mid way through the 2nd quarter.  The Eagles had marched the ball down to the 1 yard line, where a TD was with in reach and a FG at the least seemed all but assured. Instead, Ronnie Brown fumbled at the goal line on a play where it appeared he was attempting to lateral the ball back to a teammate after it was clear he was going to be stuffed outside of the endzone. The bonehead play robbed the team of an easy FG in a game they eventually lost by 1 point.
• Drew Brees was hardly flawless, throwing a couple more sloppy INTs, but he did more than enough to out-duel the punch-less Jaguars.
• You would expect getting top receiver Marques Colston would give the team a boost, but his 1 catch for 8 yards was hardly a contribution.  Lucky for them, they didn't need more.
• The Texans hurt themselves with some big penalties that nearly cost them the game.  A blocked FG returned for a TD to end the first half was called back after an unnecessary block in the back that came nowhere near the ball.  On Pittsburgh's final drive, an INT that should have been returned for a game clinching TD was nullified by a late hit on the QB, giving the Steelers another chance to drive for the game typing score.  
• Arian Foster is back and he wants us to know his hamstring feels fine.  Good enough at least to rush 30 times for 155 yards.
• Andre Johnson left the game early with a hamstring injury.  It appeared worse when it happened, as he collapsed to the ground without being hit (never a good sign).  Hopefully it doesn't keep him out long.  The Texans struggled to move the ball after he left the game.  If not for Arian Foster breaking a big 42 yard TD run in the 4th quarter, the Texans would have essentially accomplished nothing after the injury to Johnson.
• Mike Wallace had a chance to tie a league record with a 7th straight 100+ yard receiving game (dating back to last season), but came up short with only 77 this week.
• The initial thought upon seeing it in the box score is that it must be a misprint when Tom Brady throws for only 226 yards in a game, but it was by no means a sign that he played poorly.  At least he didn't turn the ball over this week.
• Brady also added 2 passing TDs, passing Joe Montana for 9th place all time.
• Wes Welker was the man again for the Pats, hauling in 9 catches for 158 yards.  Brady spread the rest of his passes around, but Ochocinco's 2 receptions made him the only other Patriots receiver to catch more than one pass.
• Part of the reason for Brady's low yardage was because the Pats finally found some balance on offense with an effective running game.  Rookie Steven Ridley led the way (10 carries, 97 yards and a TD).  He showed impressive burst through the holes, particularly on his 33 yard TD run.  If he can prove capable of picking up the blitz and being an effective pass blocker, his role could expand.  Don't be surprised if he earns the starting spot before the season is over.
• After ripping through the Jets defense last week, Darren McFadden was held to only 75 rushing yards this week.  He did break free for a huge 41 yard gain, but take that away and he was generally held in check in a match up that looked like he could dominate.
•  Eli Manning led a Giants comeback that saw him throw 2 TD passes within the span of a minute in the 4th quarter.
• The go ahead score came with a bit of controversy, as the drive leading up to it included a 29 yard reception to Victor Cruz, who fell to the ground untouched before putting the ball on the ground.  The Cardinals argued it was a fumble since Cruz was never downed by contact, but the rule states the play is over when the player "declares himself down by falling to the ground, or kneeling, and making no effort to advance."  A confusing play that upon review still looks like a fumble no matter how you interpret the rule, but the play was whistled dead and therefore could not be reviewed.
• Beanie Wells shows the type of flash and skill that once made him a first round draft choice while rushing for 138 yards and 3 TDs.  If only he could look that good more often.  Or at least anything close to that good.
• Atlanta finally got a win on the road, but nearly blowing a 20 point second half lead to a terrible Seattle team isn't the way to show they are past their road issues.
• Julio Jones (11 catches, 127 yards) had the best game of his young carrier.  With opposing defenses locked in on trying to shut down Roddy White, Jones has a chance to be a lethal weapon. At least that's the thought the Falcons had when they sacrificed their future to get him.
• It won't quite match the impact of when he was named Super Bowl MVP, but statistically Aaron Rodgers had the best day of his career - 408 yards, 4 TDs and he added 2 rushing scores for good measure.
• Of course he'd blow up with a historical performance this week, when I'm facing him in my head-to-head fantasy football league.  Meanwhile, despite the huge passing numbers, JerMichael Finley (3 catches, 28 yards) barely contributed for my team.
• The Broncos dropped to 1-3 after barely putting up a fight against the Packers and Kyle Orton turned the ball over 2 times.  If they lose big again to the Chargers next week, could the team make the change to Tim Tebow following their Week 6 bye week?
• Speaking of the Chargers, they took care of business at home against the lowly Dolphins.  They got off to a bit of a slow start, but managed to pull away in the 2nd half.
• I think we can official say that Ryan Mathews (16 carries) has taken over as the lead back for the Chargers.  Mike Tolbert (6 carries, 1 for a TD) is still the short yardage/goal line back, while both RBs continue to be active in the passing game.
• Chad Henne left the game with a shoulder injury.  When news of the injury was reported during the Patriots game, nobody in the room full of people I watched the game with could think of who Miami's backup QB was.  Matt Moore was the answer, in case you're wondering.  Given his production in relief of the injured starter, there's not much reason to remember him.
• It's not often that you see a game with a score of 34-17 that included only 1 offensive TD between the two teams, but that's the kind of ugly game the Ravens and Jets gave us Sunday night. 
• The Jets only TDs came on a kick off return and an INT return.  The Ravens scored twice on fumbles and once on an INT.  Ray Rice rushed for the only offensive score of the game.
• Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez seemed to be trying to out-duel each other for worst performance of the game, as each played a sloppy game full of turnovers and other miscues. 
• One of the fumbles from Sanchez that was returned for a TD was close to being a "tuck rule" play, which Tom Brady made famous 10 years ago.  The Jets challenged, but replay showed Sanchez's arm hadn't started forward yet.  Rex Ryan was so enraged by the call that he burned another time out before the extra point kick just to give him extra time to scream at the ref.  Wasting 2 timeouts in the second half of a game that you trail?  Brilliant!
•  ESPN pulled the "Are you ready for some football?" theme from their Monday Night Football intro after Hank Williams Jr. made some comments comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler.  No matter your political opinions, that's a little harsh.  That song was pretty catchy though.  I'll miss it.
• The NFL had to be kicking themselves for scheduling so many night games for the Colts without knowing that Peyton Manning would be out, but the Colts have actually been at their best when in the spotlight of the nationally televised games.  They put a scare into the Steelers in Week 3, then followed that up with a tight game on Monday night against the Bucs.  They didn't win either game, but they at least made it exciting and worthy of the prime time spot.
• Curtis Painter made his first career start for the Colts.  He found out the hard way that starting in the NFL isn't quite the same as the mop up duty he's been used to, but after a shaky start he recovered to have a respectable performance that kept his team in the game.
• People seem to forget given that the loss of Manning has been such a big blow to the Colts, but this offense still has a lot of talent, with guys like Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clarke capable of making plays.  Pierre Garcon isn't the most consistent guy, but he's capable of blowing up for a big game at any time, as was the case this week (146 yards, 2 TDs).
• Legarrette Blount is a guy that just gets better the more carries he gets.  He can disappear at times when the team is behind because he's essentially useless in the passing game, but late in a game when you need to pound the ball, he's at his best.  He was on his way to a fairly mediocre game until a 4th quarter drive when he piled up 52 of his 127 yards, sealing the drive with a 35 yard TD run to put the Bucs on top for good.
• The Baltimore Ravens lead all teams in point differential (+62), thanks in part to also leading the league in forced turnovers (14).
• The top two leaders in scoring (Green Bay, Detroit) also happen to be the only undefeated teams in the league.  8 of the top 10 teams in scoring have at least 3 wins so far.  Only half of the top 10 teams that have allowed the least points per game this year have winning records. Who needs defense?
• Dating back to last season, the Lions have won an NFL best 8 consecutive games.  So yes, they are for real.