Monday, July 30, 2012

Cowboys Training Camp








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WHO RUNS NEW YORK - Passrush vs Secondary










Darrelle Revis


                                                                VS

 

Jason Pierre-Paul






















             


    ( White Plains, New York)   Welcome back football, with training camps opening up and rookies being signed, the beginning of the NFL season is upon us. We have seen many offseason changes from the great Peyton Manning becoming a Denver Bronco to the Detriot Lions doing their best impression of the troublesome Cinncanati Bengals with five players being arrested. We have seen many stories and headlines but you can't speak big names and headlines without mentioning the big apple New York. New York is where the defending Superbowl champions New York Giants reside and also where Tim Tebow calls home as he is now the new back- up quarterback for the New York Jets. When you have the champions and a person many call the prodigal son Tim Tebow in the same city, drama surfaces and debates begin to arrive. 


          One debate that has arrived with the NFL season around the corner is who is the best defensive player in New York?  The two players to face off in this debate are Jason Pierre-Paul and Darrelle Revis. I am here to say it's not even close. The answer is Darrelle Revis and I know everyone wants to be caught up in the love for the New York Giants and they can do no wrong, but the notion that Jason Pierre-Paul is better than Darrelle Revis or, more importantly, better than a shut down corner like Revis is absurd.  




       I've heard many arguements to why Jason Pierre-Paul is more important such as "He disrupts the quarterback or every play", "He's in on every play", "He's a freak of nature", "He forces the quaterback to get rid of the ball fast", "Pass rushers are more important than secondary". I understand the Giants have won two Superbowls because of pass rush, but let's not act like Asante Samuel didn't drop that interception during their first Superbowl, and that Tom Brady wasn't carving up this New York Giants defense and that Wes Welker didn't drop a wide open pass that hit him in the hands this past Superbowl. This pass rush was great, but defense is a team game. In this team game, pass rushers need help from the back end, and we shouldn't be prisoners of the moment. Jason Pierre-Paul is a great player, but he's still young. He had one good season. Who knows if this guy will keep this up, who remembers a young Shawn Merriman? 




           Many people are saying look the Giants won with a pass rush and an average secondary, but that is not the case. Webster and Antre Rolle are very good defensive backs, so its not like they were playing with scrubs in the secondary. The other day the media brought up the Pittsburgh Steelers and how they win with great pass rush also and an average secondary. Excuse me, future Hall of Famer and best strong safety Troy Polumalu is on that roster and Ike taylor has been a consistent pro bowl corner, and let's not forget that Ryan Clark is a good player as well. Perfect example: look at when the Steelers play without Polumalu and when Ike Taylor plays below average and look what happens they lose even with that great pass rush. 
      


So what position is more important?  It has to be lock down corners and secondary play in a passing league. Let's look at the top 5 pass rushers from last season: Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Babin, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Terrell Suggs. Three out of the top five missed it because they had average and below average secondary play. We all love the Giants pass rush but let's not pretend their secondary isn't above average and that you can just have a ok secondary and a good pass rush and win because if that was the case Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware's teams would have made the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, the secondary needs the pass rush to get to the quarterback, but most times the reason why the defense gets pressure on the quarterback effectively and consistently is because for the secondary help. 


         Darrelle Revis is the best defensive player in New York and more important that JPP and Justin Tuck who shouldn't dare to be mentioned in the same breathe as Revis because he is the best at his position of cornerback in the entire league. Darrelle Revis is more important than a pass rusher because you can always find three to four good pass rushers in one year. There is only four to five lockdown cornerbacks in the league. Darrelle Revis also plays the run great and lines up against the best offensive threat on the field and shuts him down. I've heard people say, well you can just throw away from him but think about how much of a advantage it is for the defense when they have one side of the field  and best offense weapon completely a non factor for a entire game. When you have a player like Darrelle Revis, it gives you more flexability on defense and guys like that will always keep you in the game because they control the offensive pace and looks. Pass rushers need help from the defensive tackle and secondary to make a consistant impact also they don't match up against the best offensive lineman every week. Darrelle Revis goes against the best skill postion player every week.

Winner : Darrell Revis 






















 By  Phillip "Stats" Rodney








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Saturday, July 28, 2012

RAW 1000th Episode Reaction


On January 11, 1993, Monday Night RAW debuted in the Manhattan Center. 19 years and 999 episodes later, RAW is still on the air and still kicking. Albeit not like back in the day, but still going strong. Monday night was the 1000th Episode of Monday Night RAW.







RAW kicked off with an AMAZING video highlighting all the great moments and highlights from Monday Night RAW past and present. I was very impressed. They're already off to a great start. The video package almost brought a tear to my eye just thinking back on how far RAW has come showing all the ups and downs in the WWE.

After the video, RAW kicks off with a new logo, new intro, and a somewhat brand new set. Well, the set looks better than the last one that's for sure. The titantron is bigger, but everything else is pretty much the same except for the RAW 1000 logo at the top and side the new giant circular titantrons on the side.

Mr. McMahon came out, thanked the fans and welcomed everybody to Monday Night RAW. He wasted no time and brought out DX!







Triple H and HBK came out with the merchandise and camo pants. HHH started and said, "Wasn't there more of us?" They both point to the RAW set and out come the other members of DX! And then out came The New Age Outlaws and X-Pac! I always knew the Outlaws would be here, but I didn't expect X-Pac!  These fans didn't seem too loud for DX, but I sure as hell marked out seeing all five of these guys together. Hearing Road Dogg and Triple H do their shtick brought me back to the 90s and I was damn sure happy to see it. It's one of those nights where you sit back and enjoy being a fan.

And then Damien Sandow came out to some heel heat and started putting down DX in admirable fashion. They must really love Sandow if they're willing to put him in the opening segment with DX. And DX taking him out was classic. Great segment, great start.





Sheamus, Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, & Alberto Del Rio

Jim Ross came out to a great pop to join Michael Cole and The King on commentary. Jim Ross was always my favorite announcer and it's going to be so refreshing hearing him talk. I also want to hear the chemistry between JR and King again.

RAW started off with a solid six man tag team match. It was weird that Ziggler and Jericho teamed together despite their little misunderstanding last week. But it was a great match throughout that set the tone with great spots and fast paced action. On a side note, it was damn good hearing JR on commentary again. He's just so great to listen to when the action is going on. Sheamus gets the win after dropping Jericho with the Brogue Kick. A solid match and so far RAW 1000 is still off to a good start.





Brodus Clay vs Jack Swagger


Brodus squashes Swagger and then afterwards, Mick Foley, dressed up as Dude Love, comes out and dances with Clay, Naomi, and Cameron.

Couldn't care less at this point about Brodus Clay.






Daniel Bryan/AJ Wedding


This was one of my favorite segments of the night. The only thing that was missing to add a little bit of realism to it was an actual Officiant (person who marries you.) I think Slick was a little bit over the top, but whatever. Bryan says his vows and slips the ring on AJ's finger, they both say yes and we're good to go, right? Wrong. AJ stops and said she was saying yes to somebody else and accepted a proposal from that somebody else.

Mr. McMahon's music hits and he makes his way out and announced that AJ is the new GM of RAW! Whoa! Not only did that take me by surprise, but it took the fans and Daniel Bryan by surprise as they popped and Bryan was left in the ring shocked and confused as AJ skipped around before ultimately leaving the ring. So, not only was Daniel Bryan stood up at the Altar, but AJ is the new GM of RAW.

This move is actually......interesting. It's been a while since we had a female as a General Manager. Go back to Stephanie McMahon in 2003. I don't count Tiffany as WWECW General Manager in 2009. But AJ's psycho gimmick has taken her to new heights in her career and this new GM position is actually a pretty cool move. I can't wait to see how they book AJ as GM. There are so many ways to go with her character. Should be interesting.





The Rock's Return


After Bryan got stood up, he started throwing a temper tantrum and this brings out the WWE Champion CM Punk. Punk pretty much rubs it in his face that he got stood up and said he can continue throwing a fit and Punk is going to continue being the WWE Champion and The Best in the World. Bryan continues and calls himself the greatest superstar of all time! This brings out THE ROCK!

The Rock comes out and tells Bryan that only the people can decide who the greatest of all time is. He turns his attention to CM Punk and says that The Rock has a WWE Championship Match set in stone for the Royal Rumble. Punk tells Rock that not only is going to beat John Cena, but he is going to beat The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

Bryan interrupts the great back and forth with Rock and Punk and gets a Rock Bottom for his trouble.

Good segment. This was the first time we had Rock and Punk face to face. I don't understand why they have to wait until The Royal Rumble for these two to fight for the WWE Championship. Maybe it has to do with Rock's schedule, but do they really feel that The Rumble won't sell enough and they need Rock and Punk for The Rumble? What's wrong with Summerslam? Better yet, what's wrong with a Triple Threat between Rock, Punk, and Cena. Rock can still lose without having to get pinned and keep a bit of momentum.






WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Christian (c) vs The Miz


This was a pretty solid match. Back and forth action all around. There was nothing really spectacular about the match. It was just a solid wrestling match which crowned a NEW Champion? Let's be honest, when was the last time a title changed hands on RAW? This was a shocker. Miz wins the belt and declares that he is the IC Champion and he is AWESOME. I like this move for The Miz. He's been in mid-card limbo for quite sometime and this is the way to get back to main event status. If WWE books it right, Christian and Miz could have a pretty entertaining feud.






Brock Lesnar accepts Triple H's challenge for Summerslam


Triple H comes out in his DX shirt and now is all business. He calls out Lesnar, but gets Paul Heyman. Heyman says No to Triple H for his match with Lesnar at Summerslam. Triple H calls Heyman some names and Heyman talks about Triple H's family. Stephanie makes her way out and starts beating on Paul Heyman for bringing Family into this situation. Heyman then gets upset and then screams yes that Lesnar accepts the challenge for Summerslam. In the midst of all this, Brock Lesnar's music hits and he comes down to the ring. Triple H and Lesnar brawl for a little while, until The Game gets the upper hand and tosses Lesnar out of the ring. The Game stands tall in the ring as the fans pop and Lesnar is held back by Heyman.

Good segment. But to be honest, I forgot what Triple H and Brock Lesnar are even fighting about. This storyline has been in limbo and not even mentioned as much since Lesnar "broke" Triple H's arm. A refresher is in order because there is no flare to this feud other than it's Triple H vs Brock Lesnar.






Heath Slater vs WWE Legends


Heath Slater's run in with the WWE Legends came to an end with the return of.....Lita. As Hot as Lita was looking, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting Stone Cold, but nonetheless, Lita looked good, but before the match started, she said she hired some "protection" and out came the APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw.) Slater hightails it up the ramp and is met by all the Legends that beat up on him the last few weeks.


Long story, short the Legends beat up on Slater, Ron Simmons did his "DAMN!" and everybody loved it. Well....I know I loved seeing all these past superstars in the ring. The Nostalgia was just great. I felt like it could've been done a little better, but this was a decent segment.










The Brothers of Destruction Reunite


Kane comes out and gets ready for a match, but the JOB Squad comes out. The JOB Squad led by........Jinder Mahal of all people. Him, Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins, Hunico, Camacho and Drew McIntyre. They surround the ring and The Undertaker's Gong hits the arena!!! The crowd popped! Undertaker comes out sporting the same gear and haircut from WrestleMania. The Bros. of Destruction cleared house of the Jobbers including dual chokeslams and dual tombstone piledrivers! It was an AMAZING moment here. Granted it seemed meh, but seeing Taker and Kane together one more time was a great moment for me. I'm hoping these two battle it out one more time in the ring for WrestleMania. Great segment.







WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) vs John Cena

CM Punk and John Cena was the main event for the WWE Championship, but that isn't even close to the bigger story. I'll get to that in a second. Punk and Cena had a hard fought battle for the WWE Championship. It wasn't as good as their past battles like Money in the Bank and Summerslam from last year, but it was still a solid match. It just lacked a bit of a big match feel. The match was slow paced and it seemed to drag on at times, but still it was a good match.


Big Show comes out while the referee is out and knocks out John Cena. Big Show implores Punk to cover Cena. Punk thinks about it and covers him, but Cena gets up of course. Big Show is pissed, jumps in the ring and attacks Cena causing the DQ. Show is beating on Cena until The Rock comes out and makes the save. He lays Show out and sends him out of the ring. He turns around and Punk drops him with the GTS!

The fans had a bit of a mixed reaction and Punk looks down at The Rock. He takes his WWE Title and walks away as the fans start booing a little more now.

This caught me by surprise. There was word brewing about WWE wanting to do a HUGE Summer Angle and this is only the beginning. A new heel CM Punk is what need right now. Punk has been face for far too long and his face character has vastly changed from what it was last Fall, and not in a good way.




Overall, this was a pretty damn good RAW. A night filled with great nostalgia moments and great entertainment throughout. Sure the whole show wasn't perfect, but it was still a great show.

They set up A LOT of angles in this RAW. AJ as GM, Miz winning the IC Title, The Rock/CM Punk situation and the continuation of John Cena's chase for the WWE Championship because for some reason, Cena can never lose clean so he's obviously going to get another title shot.

I am worried about RAW going 3 hours from here on out. Remember what happened to WCW when they went 3 hours? They never recovered. This Monday, RAW won't have Brock Lesnar, The Rock, DX, and some Marriage Ceremony to eat up a good chunk of their show. They need to keep up this momentum. I feel like they can, but they're probably gonna use all the extra time for ridiculous social media plugging, or whatever instead of building up characters and progressing storylines which is what they should be doing.

WWE has a lot to prove by permanently going 3 hours. Hopefully things get interesting.



Feel free to Comment.



By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday, July 23, 2012

Ichiro to the New York Yankees


The Yankees have reeled in a Big Time Player here after the acquisition 10-Time All-Star Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki today for a pair of pitching prospects.

Apparently, both teams announced the trade Monday. It wasn't very common whether Ichiro was seeking a trade out of Seattle, but according to sources, he had requested to be traded and didn't want to be a part of a Mariners team that was in rebuilding mode. This move marks the end of the Ichiro Era in Seattle. He is MLB's first Japanese-born position player and named the American League's MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, leading Seattle to the best regular season in history.

On a personal note, I've been a Yankees fan for a while. Not as long as other claim to be, but long enough. And I know this a move Yankees fans have been waiting for for a long time. Ichiro was always a certified superstar and there were clamors of how good he'd be in a Yankees Uniform. Now, Ichiro is replacing the injured Brett Gardner in the centerfield because of the lack of depth that the Yankees have in the outfield. This is a wise move. Ichiro could be the boost that the Yankees need to get back to the World Series after being ousted by Detroit in the Wild Card Round. He's a guy that bring some speed, depth, and can hit and make plays around the diamond. Sure he's not as agile as he once was, but he's still a superstar that can lead any team when given the opportunity.

The Yankees have been known for their big moves, and this is a BIG one. And starting tonight, The Yankees start a 3 game series with The Mariners in Seattle.




Feel free to Comment.




By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

NBA Trades and Signings



A lot has happened in the world of Basketball. Probably more than we ever thought would happen. It's been a wild offseason with a ton of signings and other transactions that left us with our jaws dropped.

I feel like a refresher is in order. Time to remind the people just what's been going on and how it affects the NBA when it starts back up in the Fall.

Steve Nash signs with The Lakers


This was probably THE move that turned a lot of heads and left people stunned. It was a common knowledge that Nash would find his way out of Phoenix and try to win that ring that has eluded him for so long. Teams like New York, and even Miami were a possibility. But Nash has gone to The Lakers. The team with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum leading the charge. This spells trouble for the NBA. The Lakers now have a Big 3 of their own: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Andrew Bynum. A case could be made for Ron Artest, but I don't think it's necessary. But The Lakers now have the potential to cause some serious damage in the NBA. They have the second best big man in Bynum, Kobe is getting old, but still playing at a superstar level and now one of, if not, the best point guard in the league in Steve Nash. It's going to be interesting seeing how Nash meshes with Kobe and Co.



Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis sign with The Miami Heat


Ray Allen: The man who made had a career best and made 45% of his three pointers this past season has taken his talents to South Beach. This move had to have been influenced by James, Wade, and Bosh. It's sad to see Ray Allen leave Boston so easily because they offered him tons and tons of money and the chance for another ring. That goes to show loyalty really doesn't mean much these days. Nonetheless, Miami just got even better on the offensive side of the ball. Ray Allen is one of the best three point shooters in the league and a solid defender at that. He's going to give Miami that extra boost of scoring when they really need it which can come in extremely handy.

Rashard Lewis, on the other hand, is a different breed as well. The man is a lean 230 pounder that also the uncanny ability to shoot lights out. He was one of the integral parts of the Magic's trip to the NBA Finals in 2009. Rashard is one of those players than can provide the mismatch for opposing teams, can post up when he wants, but won't shy away from shooting a perimeter shot. He's a well-rounded ball player on both sides of the ball, and with his strength, Miami got a tad bit better on the defensive side of things.



Jason Kidd signs with The New York Knicks


New York Knicks fans all around the world were beyond happy with this pick. Not only do they get to keep stars like Novak and JR Smith, but they've added a seasoned veteran in Jason Kidd who just helped Dallas capture their first ring last season. Up until Jeremy Lin got injured, there never really was a true point guard on The Knicks. The Knicks were better when they all shared the ball and Carmelo didn't take 40-50 shots a game. Jason Kidd is going to bring stability to this team and restore a balance that was missing within The Knicks towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. For the sake of Knicks fans, Kidd hopefully is the last piece to help get this team a ring........as soon as he gets cleared of his DWI charges.



Joe Johnson signs with The Brooklyn Nets


The Brooklyn Nets are playing no games this offseason. They've resigned Deron Williams, kept Humphries and Lopez, but now they've reeled in a pretty big fish: Joe Johnson. The man who was arguably the best player The Atlanta Hawks had on their team has signed with Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets. This move was a warning to the NBA that this team is ready to no longer be the team that people deem as an easy win. The Nets have been bad for far too long. They've got more than enough firepower to be at least considered a contender heading into this season, or at least have a shot at making the playoffs. Joe Johnson has just reassured that fact if it wasn't already clear.




Jeremy Lin signs with The Houston Rockets


The Linsanity Era is over in New York and the craze will now make its way to Houston. I always thought Linsanity was a tad bit overrated and would die out eventually. Sure, Jeremy Lin had a pretty good stretch of games and made The Knicks look like a force in the process, but when he ran into The Miami Heat, things never were the same. I'm sure The Knicks felt the same way and had no intention of bringing him back despite what other stories reported. They felt like Lin was a one-hit wonder. Well, I'll give Lin this: he did make The Knicks good for a stretch. There was the emergence of Steve Novak and everybody on the team got a piece of the ball and had their moment in the sun. Lin was no ballhog to make a long story short. I'm a bit nervous about his move to Houston. Is Houston really sold on Lin being the answer after just having one really good stretch of games, or does Houston see something else that nobody else does?




OJ Mayo signs with The Dallas Mavericks


Last season, The Dallas Mavericks were on top of the world. They had just won the franchise's first NBA Championship and spoiled the first year of the Miami Heat Big 3. Fast forward a year later, they were swept out of the first round by Oklahoma City and now almost all the players that helped capture Dallas' ring is gone. Jason Kidd is gone, Jason Terry is gone, Tyson Chandler is gone, and JJ Barea is gone. Only person left is Dirk. But now Dallas has salvaged something from all this wreckage and managed to steal one of Memphis' best players from them. I don't know how Memphis fans feel about this move, or even if they care at all. Dallas is pretty much starting over with Dirk and OJ Mayo is the first step. Dallas has not handled their situation very well. But this was a wise first step.


Other Notable Transactions


Eric Gordon signs with The New Orleans Hornets
Lamar Odom and Grant Hill signed with The Los Angeles Clippers
Kurt Thomas and Raymond Felton signed with The New York Knicks
Houston Rockets signed Marcus Camby
Brooklyn Nets signed Jerry Stackhouse
Boston Celtics signed Jason Terry




For more information on NBA Trades and Signings along with notable free agents, go to the links below. And of course, you can count on Sports Monarchy to bring you the latest in NBA Offseason news!

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2012_13/


http://www.nba.com/freeagents/2012/


Oh and before I forget, Dwight Howard is STILL with The Orlando Magic. So much for that trade he's been complaining and wanting so badly. And people get on Lebron James' case.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Friday, July 20, 2012

Robert Griffin III vs Andrew Luck


We're a little under two months away before the NFL Season kicks off and myself, along with a number of Football fans are beyond excited. So many stories are tied together in this upcoming season: Can the Giants repeat, how will Peyton Manning fair with the Broncos, what will Tim Tebow do on the Jets, how will the Saints be this season, but this next one really intrigues me: who will have the better rookie season: Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III?

I don't think there's been this much hype surrounding two young QB's since the Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf affair back in 1998. But in this new age, these two young guys have a completely different skill set.




Let's start with Andrew Luck. The man the Indianapolis Colts traded almost their entire team for by picking him #1. The man that arguably has the biggest shoes to fill in Peyton Manning.

But is he really worth it? The Colts must think so if they let go of Peyton Manning. Look back at last season. The Colts won 2 games without Peyton Manning. But now, they have a new General Manager, new Head Coach, and defensive coordinator as well. They couldn't wait to clean house and give Luck the best team possible. But how will he fair in a division with the Texans, Titans, and Jags that have powerhouses on defense?

One of Luck's strengths is his ability to throw on the run, and keep himself mobile in the pocket. I believe he's better as an on the run passer than a pocket passer. Then again, these are just some of things he can fix in training camp. He's got the size and the strength and he's got receivers like Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. The Colts are notorious for having a poor offensive line and you can't let your QB get demolished in the backfield. The thing with Peyton Manning is that he could release the ball so quickly that he could mask the faults of his offensive line. This is something Luck is going to have to adjust to if he's going to make it past two games. Hell, he's going to need it in his very first game.

The Indianapolis Colts open the season on the road against.......The Chicago Bears. Good Luck. Jay Cutler just got his favorite weapon in Brandon Marshall back and Urlacher and Co. can't wait to get at the young boy.





And now, we have Robert Griffin III. This man has pretty much been billed as "The Next Big Thing." He's on almost every Football related commercial. He's obviously a pretty big deal.

The one misconception people have with RG3 is they think he's like Michael Vick, but he's the opposite. Michael Vick's strength has always been the ability to use his speed and feet to get out of sticky situations. Now, although that's what RG3 does most of the time, that's not his first priority. He's a pocket passer first and a runner second.

There's both good and bad with this RG3 signing. The good is that he already has a pretty damn good team around him. If Rex Grossman can put up the numbers he did, RG3 should be able to pass that and then some. You've got guys like Santana Moss, Brandon Banks, Pierre Garcon coming over from The Colts, Chris Cooley, and a solid defense. Added to that, you've got Mike Shanahan who could be a great mentor. RG3 has the skills, the mobility, the accuracy, the arm strength, and everything else in between. The hype around him has surpassed Andrew Luck, but can he deliver? All eyes are on him. I think the kid has what it takes to be big.

Here's where it gets a little bad. He plays in one of, if not, the toughest divisions on Football: The NFC East. He's going to see Michael Vick and Desean Jackson twice a year along with the Dallas Cowboys and the defending Champion New York Giants. RG3 has his work cut out for him indeed. How's he going to fair against teams this elite with defenses that are so aggressive and nasty? Or in this case, how will me match against an already elite QB?

Case in point, RG3's first game will be against.....Drew Brees and The New Orleans Saints in the SuperDome. Drew Brees is still Drew Brees no matter how you slice it and The Saints have seemingly been unstoppable in the SuperDome.

The Saints have had controversy surrounding them all offseason with the bounty scandal and all the suspensions, so this could be the chance for an upset, or a really, really bad debut for RG3 and Co.

Guys like Matt Ryan and Cam Newton have set a new standard for rookie QB's. If you aren't successful, make an impact, or at least put up big numbers in your first year, then you're automatically deemed a failure, or bust by the "experts." Andrew Luck and RG3 have some big money and some big hype to live up to. I know I'll be watching them all season to see how they do.



The only time we're going to see these two guys go up against each other will be in the preseason. RG3's Redskins take on Andrew Luck's Colts on August 24th at 4 p.m. on the NFL Network.


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete


Sunday, July 15, 2012

WWE Money in the Bank Reaction


I been gone for a while but now I'M BACK!

And it's time to dish out a review for WWE Money in the Bank. Another WWE pay-per-view is in the books and I think successfully rebounded from No Way Out which was carried by Punk/AJ/Bryan/Kane.

But anyway, Money in the Bank is always a great show, so let's get down to business.




Kofi & Truth get another win!

We're gonna start things off with the pre-show match. Kofi and Truth taking on Hunico and Camacho in a Non-Title match.

This match exceeded my expectations. I thought this was going to be some 2 minute squash throwaway match, but this was a lot more. This match showcased how underrated Hunico and Camacho actually are. These two are pretty good in-ring talents, but need something a little more before people can take them seriously.

Nonetheless, it was a solid match. Back and forth action that showcased that teamwork and speed of Kofi and Truth and the Brawler/Power combination of Hunico and Camacho. Kofi and Truth get the win after Truth connects with the Lie Detector for the win.

It would've been cool to actually see the tag titles on the line. Haven't seen that happen in quite some time now. But that's beside the point.


Let's get to the PPV!





World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Christian vs Cody Rhodes vs Santino vs Dolph Ziggler vs Tensai vs Tyson Kidd vs Damien Sandow vs Sin Cara




You talk about setting the tone, this match did that to perfection. Every guy in this match filled their roles. It started out slow like most matches do and they weren't a lot OMG Ladder spots, but that quickly changed midway through the match.

Tensai was entertaining and dominant with spots like powerbombing Sin Cara onto the Ladder and sending Dolph Ziggler flying into the announce table which looked absolutely great. Some cool spots were Tyson Kidd jumping from Ladder to Ladder and hitting a sunset flip in the process, Christian spearing Rhodes off one Ladder and Ziggler hitting the Zig Zag taking Rhodes off the Ladder. In short, when this match really picked up and got going, it got really good. Everybody started being more aggressive and made this match exciting until the end.

When all the action settled, there was one man left in the ring and that was Dolph Ziggler. The crowd was HOT for the whole match and popped when Ziggler grabbed the briefcase. I honestly thought they were going to give this one to Cody Rhodes because I didn't think Ziggler needed the briefcase to get a World Championship match, but it's always good to try out something new. Let's see where this goes.

Great way to kick off the show.





The Miz Returns!


The Miz returns after being gone for two months filming The Marine 3 sporting some facial hair and informs everybody that the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match will now feature five former Champions: John Cena, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, and now The Miz.



World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs Alberto Del Rio

World Title on the Line already and it was a pretty solid match. It was very slow, methodical, with a lot of submission style wrestling. I didn't mind it, and it had some storytelling with Del Rio constantly going to work on the injured arm of Sheamus. Other than that, it was pretty slow and uninteresting until the closing moments with several nearfalls. This is no knock on the abilities of both men, they're both great competitors, and gave a little bit of chemistry in the ring, but nothing really stood out for me in this match. Not story, no hatred, no intensity. Good match nonetheless. But after a botched Enziguiri in the corner, Sheamus closes the deal with White Noise and Brogue Kick.

But after the match, Del Rio and Ricardo beat down Sheamus for a while and Dolph Ziggler's music hits and he marches down with the briefcase. He gets in the ring and wants to cash it in, but argues with Del Rio. Ziggler lays him out with the briefcase which gives Sheamus enough time to get up and drop Ziggler with a Brogue Kick. As Michael Cole put, since the bell never rang, it wasn't an official match, therefore Ziggler still has his briefcase.

That would've been a great spot had Ziggler cashed it in on Sheamus right there, but there's always another day for that.




Primetime Players (w/ A.W.) vs Primo & Epico (w/ Rosa)


Not much to say about this match. It was a pretty standard tag team match with teams that the crowd could barely care about. Ok, let me not be that blunt about it, it was a good match but the Primetime Players became the #1 Contenders at last month's pay-per-view and have still not gotten their title shot. Not only that, but they lost this match to Primo and Epico.

After the match, they confront the tag team champs who are conveniently sitting at ringside and get embarrassed as Truth throws water in the face of A.W. for getting too close to the announce table.

A.W. is a good manager, but his talking during the match on his own microphone was annoying at times. I really hope this is temporary because this can't be an every week thing. The man is funny, but he talks a little too much.

I guess a win from Primo and Epico ensures us that these two aren't out of the tag team title hunt which is good because the tag team division could use some boosting up. Obviously they're building towards a feud with the Champs and Primetime Players, but it doesn't say a whole lot when they lose. Food for thought.




WWE Championship Match - AJ as special guest referee
CM Punk (c) vs Daniel Bryan


Ok, here we go. CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship and for AJ.

Well, as much as I like seeing these guys wrestle each other, I feel like this match dragged on way too long towards the end. As much as I loved this storyline, I feel like AJ brought the match down. When AJ got knocked out 5-10 minutes into the match and had to go to the back, these guys really got down to business. It was reminiscent of their great match from Over the Limit but with more leeway to the rules because it was made No DQ. A lot of great wrestling and aggressiveness from Daniel Bryan with the weapons. The crowd was also pretty hot for this match as well. Punk and Bryan continue to show us that they have great chemistry in the ring and can go for a while.

But then AJ came back and the match quickly dropped in quality IMO. Everything seemed so annoyingly awkward. Both men's minds weren't on the title, they were on AJ. I understand that was the point of the storyline, but it got too out of hand. The match dragged on for far too long because of long pauses, dramatic facial expressions, and AJ's mannerisms that would eat up more and more time. It was getting to a point where I felt like the match should've ended 10-15 minutes earlier than when it actually ended.

Not to take away from the match itself, because it was great. Anytime Punk and Bryan face off, it's a five star match, but the AJ factor sucked a little bit of life out of the match and made it go on for too long and that's really a no-no.

The ending came when Punk delivered a back suplex on Bryan through a table and covered him for the win. AJ hands Punk the title and he celebrates and that's really about it.

This should be the last we see of this this love triangle, but I feel as if there is still no payoff. Punk needs to move on after this, but something tells me this story isn't over yet, because once again, I feel like there was no proper ending. Is there going to be some new guy introduced that falls for AJ and feuds with Bryan, or will this love triangle stretch all the way out to Summerslam? I hope not.

I personally think this should've been resolved at No Way Out, and tonight there's still no clear ending to this story. Guess we have to wait and see what happens next.



Ryback vs Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins


Not your typical Ryback squash as he looked like he struggled just a little bit against these two guys. In the end, once he got the situation under control, Ryback destroyed both of them. I think this was probably the first win that he actually started to sweat through a little bit.



Divas Match


Layla, Kaitlyn, and Tamina defeat Beth Phoenix, Eve, and Natalya in a meaningless, two minute match of nothing. The faces win, the divas title continues to not be defended, and the divas themselves continue to be irrelevant.

This annoys to me to end. Divas like Trish, Lita, Candice, Mickie James, Molly Holly, Melina, Victoria, and so on paved the way for new divas and this is what we get. What happened to the Divas Division? You know what, I won't get into it right. That's a different topic on its own.






WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match
John Cena vs Chris Jericho vs Kane vs Big Show vs The Miz


It's rare that we have a Money in the Bank Ladder Match actually headline the Money in the Bank pay-per-view itself but if John Cena is in the match, then for some odd reason, it will be the main event.

But this match had a good flow to it. The addition of Miz helped in a good way providing room for more spots. Unlike the SmackDown Money in the Bank which started slow, this one started out HOT. When I mean HOT, I mean John Cena delivering an AA to Big Show through the announce table 5 minutes into the match HOT. Not to mention being buried underneath some Ladders.

But getting back to the match, there weren't a lot of noteworthy spots because these superstars really aren't spot monkeys, so they couldn't really do a lot, but from the little that they did, it worked very well. Suplexes onto ladders, using it as a projectile, and other little things made everything work. One good spot, sort of, was Big Show pulling out a Giant Gold Ladder that I've never seen before. It was pretty cool.

Now, anybody wanna guess who won this match? You can tell by looking at the picture above.

John Cena won, but it was pretty funny how he did it. He and Big Show were atop the Ladder and he drove the briefcase into Show's head and the clasp that held the briefcase broke and John Cena was declared the winner. It was a funny botch, or at least I think it was a botch. Who knows? John Cena wins Money in the Bank and my guess is he's going to challenge CM Punk to a match at Summerslam like a good little boy.

My problem that all seems a little too easy. WWE cannot be THAT predictable....can they? I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if that's what happened. Let's hope WWE can pull a swerve or something so we don't have to sit through five weeks of

"I have a lot of respect for you, but I want you to know that I will be the next WWE Champion."

"Let's go out there and have the best match we can have and may the best man win."

"We may be friends, but I want that title."

I don't want to hear it. If they are going to do Punk vs Cena at Summerslam, then at least make a story of it. I do not want to hear the aforementioned quotes I just typed. A good face vs face feud needs to have a story where these guys develop a backbone and realize they're fighting for the WWE Championship. I know there's a better way to phrase what I'm trying to say, but I can't think of it right now.

There is another route that WWE might go which might make things a little interesting. Why not insert John Cena in this Punk/Bryan/AJ Love Triangle? If Cena can steal Eve away from Zack Ryder, he can steal AJ away from Punk and Bryan as well. AJ can fall for Cena just as easy as she fell for Punk and Kane.

Then again, that's also something I don't want to see. God help us is if that's what they do. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if that is what they go through with.


Overall, I enjoyed Money in the Bank. I always end up enjoying the SmackDown Money in the Bank Ladder Matches because there's that unpredictability where you don't know who's going to win whereas with the RAW match, there's always a clear idea of who's winning. And there's a lot more spots.

I enjoyed this more than No Way Out. The only bright spot about No Way Out to me was the Triple Threat WWE Championship Match. Money in the Bank is always an enjoyable pay-per-view. The big matches delivered and the filler matches provided some bathroom breaks. Now, the next big pay-per-view is Summerslam. Let's see what WWE has up their sleeve for this one. But let's see what they do for RAW tomorrow first.

Until next time!



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Miami Heat captures the NBA Championship


"It's about damn time." says Lebron James.

And it really is about damn time. After everything Lebron has been through: all the criticism, the negative press, King James, leaving Cleveland, the burning of his jersey, the "decision", losing to Dallas in the Finals last year and everything else in between. Lebron wanted it more and was extremely HUNGRY. He said it himself when he received his MVP Trophy that the only thing he wanted was that Championship ring and he finally made good on it.

The Miami Heat routed OKC 121-106 and Lebron finished with a triple-double. Miami won four straight games after losing in Game 1 to capture their 2nd NBA Championship. If you really think about it, if not for that great comeback by OKC Game 1, this would've been a clean sweep for Miami.

Maybe, just maybe Lebron has silenced his critics after finally capturing the ring that has eluded him for so many years. You can debate this issue however you wish. People say he had to go to another team to win a Championship, the refs helped them win, or whatever nonsense people come up with, but you can't deny the fact that Lebron came up BIG in these Finals and got the job done. He averaged about 28 points a game this series and averaged 30 points in the overall playoffs.

Let me not leave out the rest of the team. Mike Miller hit about seven threes in this Game 5 ending with 23 points, Wade had 20 points capturing his second ring and Bosh had 24 as well. It was all about who wanted it more and while Miami's Big 3 came up big, the role player helped out as well.

I still think the OKC Thunder had the better overall team, but this season, the destiny chose the Miami Heat. The Thunder couldn't survive the three games in South Beach and with their Finals collapse, Lebron finally has that acclaimed ring. I'm not going to make this whole thing about Lebron, but he's been at the center for criticism for some time now and it's nice that Lebron finally got the hardware to silence his critics. Say whatever you want the man, but he finally has what he's worked so hard for.

As far as the Miami Heat go, this offseason is perfect to add a few pieces and maybe attempt a repeat. Any jokes about the Heat and Lebron having no ring here on out are not funny anymore. People should look for some new material.

Once again congrats to the 2012 NBA Champions Miami Heat and a great end to the NBA Season.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete