Thoughts on NFL Schedule

This has been a long overdue post, but here it is anyway. The NFL Schedule was released last Tuesday and man, there was A LOT of buzz about it already. Now, I'm not gonna go through the entire schedule. I'm just going to give some feedback on some of the games that I find interesting, along with my thoughts of which team starts 0-2.


Now, let's start with Week 1:

Wednesday, Sept 5th: 

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Sunday, Sept 9th:

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns

Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos

Monday, Sept. 10th:

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

From top to bottom, looking at every single game from Week 1, the one game that really JUMPS out at me is The Niners heading to Lambeau Field to battle Green Bay. I mean, could you ask for a better match in the first week of the season? This is essentially a playoff game here. The Niners came off a great season and had a case of bad luck and the same can be said for Green Bay. Both teams are clearly going to get better, and it's going to be really amazing to see how Aaron Rodgers competes against The Niners defense. To take it a step further, it'll be even more interesting seeing how Alex Smith connects with his new receivers. We're in store for a treat in Week 1.

Continuing on with the schedule, The Giants and Cowboys open the season. Now, this a BIG statement game for both teams. The Giants already have an insanely tough schedule as it is, and a win against Dallas would make quite the statement. A win for Dallas would be an even bigger statement. It's the fact that they came into the Giants' Home stadium on the night where they raise the banner I believe and if they can escape with a win, that can damage the Giants' psyche. Not to mention, they travel to Seattle the week after which is not an easy place to play. Dallas can't afford to start 0-2.

Let's go a little further with this. The Pittsburgh Steelers start their season in the same place they ended it: Denver. But this time, they're not facing Tebow, they're facing Peyton Manning. That is a different level without a doubt. If Peyton Manning shows up and plays like the Peyton Manning we all know, the Steelers don't stand a chance, and that's putting it nicely. That may sound a bit arrogant, but let's be honest here. Peyton Manning is arguably one the best QBs of all time and can turn nobodys into superstars. Imagine what he'll do with guys like Decker and Thomas. But, if Manning plays like a man that's had five neck surgeries, he could be in for a long season. They start with Pittsburgh and then travel to Atlanta where Matt Ryan is seemingly undefeated. I can't imagine the media coverage if Peyton Manning and the Broncos start 0-2.

What about the rookies? Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Peyton Manning's old team, The Colts host The Bears and what a game to welcome Andrew Luck into the league. He's gonna have Urlacher, Briggs, and Peppers all coming after him. I'll be watching this one. And then we have RGIII vs The Saints. If they presumably make Griffin the starter, this another Welcome to the NFL game for the rookie, playing against The Saints in the Super Dome. The rookie sensations are in for some tough tests to start up the season.

Another slate of games that people usually can't wait for is Thanksgiving Day. People will make plans weeks or months in advance to make sure they're ready and have everything set when the weekend arrives. Well, this year, this may be the best slate of Thanksgiving games in quite some time. Here's how it looks:

Houston Texans at Detroit Lions

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

New England Patriots at New York Jets

My goodness. I mean, you wake up, shower, get dressed and the day starts off with The Texans and The Lions. Two young QBs, two great offenses, and two aggressive defenses going at it. And let's not forget we have the two best receivers in the league facing off: Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson. The Texans are looking like a team that can get back to the playoffs and the same goes for Detroit. The Lions finally at a stage where they aren't the team that'll be easy to beat anymore. They're now a legitimate threat in the NFC and this should be a slobber-knocker.

But it doesn't end there, RGIII (maybe) leads The Redskins into Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Redskins improved a great deal last season and if they start RGIII and he really lives up to the hype, then this should be an interesting game. Besides, these guys always give Dallas fits.

And then, there's the night game. When the Turkey and Stuffing has been put away, you got The Jets and The Patriots. What a game to close out the night on Thanksgiving. Ever since Rex Ryan took over The Jets, he's made them more a challenge to The Patriots, that is until last season when they got swept and that includes an embarrassing 21 point blowout in New York. But now, there's an interesting story added to this: Tim Tebow. I think it's a foregone conclusion that a lot of people believe Tebow can steal the starting job from Mark Sanchez sooner than later and...well, that would make things very interesting. Tebow vs Brady on Thanksgiving Day? Enough said. It'll be a Zoo and the media will eat it up. Look at how ESPN reacted when Tebow was getting ready to face Brady last season. They talked about Tebow the whole day pretty much and ESPN2 had like a 3-Hour long "Life of Tim Tebow" thing.


Playoff Teams that might start 0-2


Now, another thing I noticed about this schedule is that some teams have a lot of tough back to back games.

The Broncos have The Steelers Week 1 and go to Atlanta to face Matt Ryan where, at Home, he's nearly invincible. It would behoove Peyton Manning and The Broncos to be on their A-Game, it's not going to be good for them if they start 0-2.

Speaking of Matt Ryan, he needs to be careful as well. His woes on the road have been his Achilles Heel and he opens the season at Kansas City. A lot of people may not think that this game is that big of a deal, but The Chiefs defense was lethal towards the end of the season when Crennel took over as The Head Coach. If The Falcons fall to the Chiefs, they have to rebound against Peyton Manning.

The 49ers have a tough game against Green Bay, and the week after host the Detroit Lions and if you remember what happened the last time these two teams faced off, you'll understand why this game is even more interesting.

While we're on Green Bay, they came off a disappointing playoff loss to the Giants and start off with The Niners who are every bit as physical. And then, they host The Chicago Bears the week after. With Cutler, Forte, and Knox back healthy and the addition of Brandon Marshall, a win that looked easy, might not be as easy as people think.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are also in a bind as well. Not only do they have to start the season in Denver, but they now have Peyton Manning to deal with and this is no small feat to overcome. The week after, they host The New York Jets. The last time these two played was in the AFC Championship game last year. And in the Regular Season, The Jets beat Pittsburgh IN Pittsburgh. Two must win games indeed.

And since we're on The Jets, they're in a state of total disarray. Some team players don't like Sanchez, and now you have the signing of Tim Tebow. These are two important games for Mark Sanchez, he has to prove himself in order to keep his job. The Bills aren't as easy as people think. The Bills have a habit of coming out of the gate Hot, but cooling down later on in the season. The Jets better take them seriously, because if they don't, Pittsburgh will be waiting for them and it's not gonna be easy for Mark. He struggled at the end of last season and these first few games don't do him any favors: Bills, Steelers, Dolphins, 49ers and The Texans. If the Jets end up 2-3, 1-4, or God Forbid, 0-5, the fans will clamor for Tebow without hesitation. Sanchez won't make it to The Jets bye week and the way this schedule is lined up, it looks like the beginning of the end.


So, there you have it, all my thoughts on the schedule. I can't really say a lot more than this until the Draft, and ultimately until preseason. All in all, this is going to be a fun season like always.


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday Night RAW Review!!! (4/16/12)

Alright, so it's time to get down to business as usual and it means it's time to review Monday Night RAW!

So, RAW is coming from London, England and these crowds are always entertaining, and it was a great night.

CM Punk vs Mark Henry


It's been a while since we had a WWE Championship Match open up Monday Night RAW. This match was solid. It wasn't as good as the match they had the night after WrestleMania, but good nonetheless. This felt like a throwaway match to me and the No DQ, No Countout thing was meh. Because they spent most of the time in the ring, and barely used any weapons. But nonetheless, Punk retains.

And then Jericho comes on and keeps on making this feud interesting. There's a tape of Punk walking into a pub and now we know it'll be Jericho and Punk in a Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules for the WWE Championship. This feud keeps on getting more and more interesting by the week. It's something new every week and it keeps me interested. If you're not hooked into this feud, then I can't help you.

United States Championship
Santino (c) vs David Otunga


This was nothing more than filler, which really says what the United States Championship means to the WWE nowadays. But the match was a bit sloppy at times and almost forgettable. Santino retains, but I would like to see this actually turn into a feud where Otunga ends up winning the US Title in the near future. He got a good push leading into WrestleMania and the US Title could be the thing he needs to really get over.

Brock Lesnar Interview


Well, this was rather interesting. Lesnar's interview was ok. I agreed with some things and disagreed with some things as well.

He went a bit overboard saying things like he was the most dominant collegiate athlete or something along those lines, because both Kurt Angle and Bobby Lashley were better mat wrestlers than Lesnar in my opinion.

Then he said Cena wouldn't be the man if Lesnar hadn't left. This isn't entirely true.

Cena would've eventually taken over as the face of the company, but it probably wouldn't have happened as fast as it did. Lesnar leaving opened up the door for Cena in a HUGE way to emerge and become the company's top man.

Sounds like a bit of jealousy on Lesnar's part. Maybe if Lesnar had actually stayed in WWE, he wouldn't be so bitter and upset that John Cena is "The Man" right now. Because Lesnar was still a Big star before he left in 2004 and there's no telling where his career would've gone from there, but he chose to leave and try out for the NFL and eventually end up going to UFC.

But already off the bat, this feud is personal and I Love it. This promo not only made their feud so interesting already, but it really got the point across that Brock Lesnar really doesn't like Cena.

Kane vs Zack Ryder


Remember when Zack Ryder was the United States Champion and looked like a legit star? Me neither.

Ever since his involvement in the Cena/Kane feud, he's been forgettable and now he's pretty much a jobber and getting buried. I mean, first it was Miz last week and now Kane. Just remember that he didn't get any offense in this match. Let's move on.

Kane's little promo afterwards was ok. It helped to push along the feud rather nicely.



Daniel Bryan/Kofi/AJ Segment


YES! YES! YES!

I remember when people didn't like Daniel Bryan and his character was annoying. I defended him and said he got better each week and is over. But now it looks like his loss at Mania was a blessing in disguise. He's more over with the fans than he was when he was Champion, got a new shirt, and has fans all around the world saying YES! YES! YES! Not only is Daniel Bryan the best wrestler in the WWE right now, but his character is getting over like never before.

Take this segment for example. He appeared and the fans erupted in YES! Chants. And now he changed the name of his finisher to the YES! Lock. I don't know how long the YES! Chants are gonna be around for, but this segment was a perfect way to milk it a little bit.

Say what you want about Bryan, but the man is over and I love this.

John Cena Promo


*Sigh*

What happened to the John Cena that had personal barbs to throw at The Rock? What happened to the John Cena who slapped Brock Lesnar in the face last week?

Tonight, he came out and went back to cutting a cheesy promo. Pretty much what he said was: "Brock Lesnar is a Monster and even though I may get my ass kicked, I'm showing up to fight!"

Once again: *Sigh*

Just when I was starting to like Cena again, he goes back to cutting cheesy promos and showing off the good guy attitude. Now look, there's nothing wrong with that, but for god sakes at least come at your opponent. I was expecting Cena to come at Lesnar like he did with The Rock: Making it personal. Lesnar pretty much said: "You wouldn't have been shit if I didn't leave." And that is your best comeback? When Rock went in on Cena, he had comebacks. Where is that?

Well, they have a Contract Signing next week on RAW, so let's see if he acts any different.

Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston


This was the best match of the night by far. The flow of this match was good, and that pace was average. It wasn't too fast, nor was it too slow to the point where you got bored. It was a very good TV match. Kofi continues to look like a Million Bucks even though he loses, and in the meanwhile Bryan gets the win and looks good heading into his rematch with Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship.

But he is showing more of a violent side when he went back to attack Kofi again. His YES! thing combined with his character is working for him. He looks better than Sheamus and he's the World Heavyweight Champion!

Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler


This match barely got underway as Swagger got involved. Long story short, Clay squashed both Ziggler and Swagger and Brodus' dancers got into it with Vickie Guerrero. Forgettable segment really even though I really like Brodus Clay's character.


R-Truth as Sherlock Holmes


Maybe I'd care a little more about this if they had given Truth more than one segment. But whatever, Truth is funny, so it works.

Big Show and Great Khali vs Primo & Epico


First of all, Big Show and Khali as a tag team? o_O

Anyway, nice way of squashing the WWE Tag Team Champions....again, making them even more irrelevant than they already were.

No Cody Rhodes sighting? Hmm...

Extreme Rules Match
John Cena vs Lord Tensai


This match upset me in so many different ways, but I'll get to that in a second.


As far as the match goes, it wasn't anything special. Lord Tensai's first RAW Main Event against John Cena and he was ok I guess. I feel like it was a bit too soon because the man had what....2 matches? I would've much rather had Kane face Cena. But getting back to the match, I knew the pace was going to be slow, but sheesh! Tensai pretty much dominated the whole match. Face superstars don't get too much offense in these days do they?

Also, I don't see the point of an "Extreme Rules" match if there's nothing "Extreme" about it. There was nothing Extreme about this match at all. I mean they didn't even use a Chair for God sakes!

Now here's what got me upset. Why in the hell did John Cena lose? This has to be the most ridiculous thing I think I've ever seen. Lord Tensai has two wins under his belt and beat John Cena? Not only did he beat Cena, but he beat him clean pretty much.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think John Cena has a Pay-Per-View match coming up against Brock Lesnar. Right? I thought so. So, to get him ready for the match, he loses to Lord Tensai? I expected John Cena to go apeshit and beat down Tensai, Otunga, and Laurinatis sending a message to Lesnar. The show goes off the air with Cena standing tall giving him momentum against Lesnar.

But instead, the lasting image of RAW tonight is a guy that most people don't know, or care about. The lasting image of RAW was Prince Albert.

The only explanation I have for this is that they're going somewhere with Cena's character. Why in God's name would the top superstar in the WWE right now lose to guy who's only had two matches since re-debuting? I hope Vince knows what he's doing with this. A win over John Cena shows that you're going to get pushed sooner or later.


Overall, this RAW was pretty bland. The only good parts about to me was the Punk/Jericho segment and Bryan vs Kofi. Last week's RAW was better and it's not even close. But next week is a 3-Hour RAW show before Extreme Rules next Sunday. So, it should be a HUGE show. See you guys then!


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Ozzie Guillen Suspended!!!

I guess Freedom of Speech really doesn't fly around the United States anymore.

The new look Miami Marlins are off to a mediocre 2-3 start and if that isn't bad enough, Ozzie Guillen has already lit a fire under his own behind.

A Time Magazine article that appeared last Friday online begins by quoting Guillen as saying, "I love Fidel Castro." But then he continues.

"I respect Fidel Castro." Guillen said. "You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here."

Because of his comments, Ozzie Guillen has been suspended for five games.

For those of who of you who need a little history lesson, Fidel Castro was the Prime Minister of Cuba serving under the Communist Party ruling for 32 years before finally stepping down in 2008. Let's just say, he wasn't a man of the people.

I like to look at this from both sides. I understand the frustration of certain people. Especially the Cuban people who lived during the the Fidel Castro rule. They don't take kindly to the comments Guillen said about Fidel Castro. Why would someone like Ozzie Guillen come out and say he respected someone like Fidel Castro? They feel hurt and disrespected.

Looking at Ozzie's point of view, who knows what drove him to say something like this? Maybe he respects the amount of time he stayed in power. Is it really that big of a deal? Will Guillen suddenly turn into a Communist and control his own country for an unlimited amount of time? I highly doubt it. The man was speaking his mind. Can he really be held at fault for that?

I think we are looking too much into this. I understand where people's frustration are coming from, but Castro is out of power, shouldn't we let this sort of thing go? In a country where free speech is backed up by the First Amendment, it really doesn't seem to be that way anymore. People can come out and speak their mind, and get in loads of trouble for it. I guess nowadays Freedom of Speech only counts if we keep it to ourselves.

Personally, I'm not a fan of what he said because as a manager of a Baseball team, he has a certain image to uphold. If he was retired or something, I wouldn't care as much. But he's in control of a new franchise and he has to watch what he says sometimes because something like this can happen and his words can ricochet and have an effect that everybody will notice. There are already enough eyes on him as it is being in control of the New Miami Marlins, but when you say things like this, you attract a whole bunch of unwanted attention.

He should apologize because it'd be the right thing to do, and he should be honest. He shouldn't come out and try to backtrack what he said, he needs to just say sorry and move on with the rest of his Life.

Ozzie Guillen is in Miami as I type this meeting with the media for a press conference at 10:30 a.m.


Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday Night RAW Review!!! (4/9/12)

Back by popular demand, this is a special review for Monday Night RAW!

I guess we can call this an every week thing now. This was supposed to last until WrestleMania, but I guess a review for RAW every Monday couldn't hurt. The fans that left need to realize what they're missing and this is my way of bringing it to them.

Let's get right down to the heart of the matter. RAW starts with a HUGE Brawl between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was in the ring, Cena walked down and bitch slapped him, and one Lesnar punch later, Cena was busted open and the whole Locker Room cleared out to separate them. That was quite a mouthful. What a way begin the show!

And we now know that Cena and Lesnar will Main Event Extreme Rules on April 29th in Chicago.

Here's what's good and bad with this: First off, I loved the Brawl between Cena and Lesnar. It portrayed some sort of a real hatred between these two. If I'm not mistaken, I don't think Lesnar really likes Cena in real life, but that's besides the point. Great brawl and it's even better that the whole Locker Room had to tear them apart. Need more of that.

What I don't like is that this match is at Extreme Rules. Huh? Why have a match like Cena and Lesnar at Extreme Rules? My guess is they didn't want to keep the fans waiting to see when these two were going to collide and they're giving it to us sooner than later. That and I highly doubt these two are gonna be done after one match. It's John Cena and Brock Lesnar. No way these two are done after Extreme Rules. But I feel like it lessens the hype for a Marquee match doing it at a lesser ppv.

Then again, The Rock vs Goldberg was the Main Event at Backlash.


I didn't care too much for Laurinatis' and Eve's interaction. I was too distracted by how sexy Eve was looking.


Santino & Brodus Clay vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger


This was a pretty solid match. I'm confused as to what they're going to do with Brodus and Santino. Tag Team Champions maybe? I think this win is also just another driving force to separate Ziggler and Swagger. Also, Naomi is sexy.


Cena's backstage segment with John Laurinatis was ok because Cena looked legit pissed off after getting busted open by Brock Lesnar. Wouldn't be surprised if he was to be honest.


Cody Rhodes vs R-Truth


The Cody Rhodes/Big Show feud is still going on which is good and it's not disappointing. I like the whole Big Show giving Cody a taste of his own medicine thing. I wonder how long it'll be before Cody snaps and goes off on Show.


Lord Tensai vs Yoshi Tatsu


I'm not too interested in Lord Tensai so far. I mean, I like the whole character and everything, but this is not Japan. He's going to need to a lot more than spraying mist into his hands to get over. Then again, it worked for Tajiri. To the fans who actually know him, he's still Prince Albert. But he needs to upgrade his Squash matches. He's gotten better and more mobile in the ring, but he's not proving me anything by beating down guys 1/3 his size.


CM Punk/Chris Jericho/Mark Henry

CM Punk's promo was good. People are going to complain about how they miss the old CM Punk, but this is an interesting turn his character is making. He's getting more personal and being forced to revert to getting more emotional. You could tell he was getting more emotional when he mentioned his Father hitting him and so on. I'm loving this Punk/Jericho feud more and more each week.

Speaking of Jericho, the young guys need to take notes. THIS is how you make a feud personal and interesting. You tap into your best skills and tell a story. Jericho is hell bent on making Punk drink. First it was Whiskey, then it was Beer, what's next? Jericho's Heel work is even better than his last run in WWE. He's really tapped into some serious potential in his character. You can see it in the inflection in his voice when he cuts promos and how he acts when he's beating on CM Punk. This is how you get fans to pay attention to you.

Back on to Mark Henry, he's got a rematch with Punk next week for the WWE Title in a No DQ, No Countout match. I predict this is where Punk finally slays the Giant. I've enjoyed the air time Henry has gotten the past few weeks though. I'm more interested in seeing if Jericho interferes.


Alberto Del Rio vs Zack Ryder


Nothing really worth mentioning. Short match. Del Rio wins and moves up more as Ryder continues to fall more and more into obscurity.


The Three Stooges:


*Sigh* I really didn't like this segment. The Hulk Hogan impersonator made it watchable at least. Thank GOD Kane came out and ended this. I have no interest in seeing their movie.


Brock Lesnar Promo:


I liked Lesnar's promo. He could cut a decent promo when he has to sometimes. He mentioned the fact that Cena can't hold his jockstrap. That kind of made me laugh, but when you think about it, Lesnar leaving left the door WIDE open for Cena to be "The Man." Lesnar was "The Man" before he left without a doubt and he's back to claim the top spot. I'm interested in seeing if this feud gets more personal. All in all, very good.


End of an Era Recap:


I didn't get this, but it was good to relive that match one more time. One of the best moments in WrestleMania History and probably the best match at WrestleMania. It was really one of those matches and one of those moments, that you're never going to forget as a wrestling fan.


John Cena vs David Otunga


Usual John Cena match: Gets dominated, comes back and wins the match. The bright spot for Otunga is that he's getting a Main Event match on RAW against the company's top guy. That's gotta mean something, right?

Lesnar coming out and giving Cena the F-5 one more time was awesome. This feud already has me hooked. The brawl in the beginning of the show to the F-5 at the end of show; this feud is looking like it's going to be good. Can't wait for Extreme Rules already!


Overall, this RAW wasn't as good as last week, but still solid. Take away that horrid Three Stooges segment, and you have a great RAW. But disregarding that part, RAW wasn't too bad. A lot of major angles getting more build to it and hyping the next ppv. I'll say this much, this is a great time to be a wrestling fan again. It's things like this that made wrestling what it was. That excitement factor and the suspense that you can't wait to see what happens next week. Nothing will ever come close to the Attitude Era, but 2012 is already turning into a great year for the WWE.


Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

NBA PLAYOFFS : NIGHTMARE MATCHUPS

TEAMS THAT WILL SUPRISE YOU THIS POST-SEASON

         Its almost that time of year, when each possesion matters, each foul, free throw and decision is crucial to your team climbing to the mountain top, better known as the NBA playoffs. We all have our favorites that we believe that will win it from the beginning of the season  such as the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, OKC Thunder, and some believe the Lakers and Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant still has one left in them.  Though we believe the story to the NBA championship game is already written, the past has showed us we know nothing. Last year we saw the Dallas Mavericks take the playoffs by storm.The Memphis Grizzles also defeat the number one seed San Antonio Spurs, they even went seven games with OKC Thunder. 

    This year we have the same contenders but always guaranteed a few sleepers to shake things up. We are going to discuss those teams not to be "Slept on". 

EASTERN CONFERENCE 

        Celtics- (30-24)  The Celtics are currently 7-3 in their last ten games and playing with great intensity. The new found life in the Celtics has helped them to pass the Philadelphia Sixers for first place in the Atlantic division. The old veterans are 23-13 in the conference. With experience and a top five point gaurd this team will be a force. While Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and KG might have lost a step, they never fear the moment to step it up. The Celtics still play top defense and with the new found play of  the young gaurd Avery Bradley; a strong physical ball hander it just adds another weapon to a savy team. When Rajon Rondo plays focused, he's a top ten player in the league, able to shut down who ever he covers while setting the tone for his team. The Celtics will go as far as Rondo's mind takes them. Maybe the Celtics will run out of gas but "Dont Sleep" the veterans never go out without a fight. 

        Pacers-(33-21) If I ask who was the third best team in the east who would you say? Guess what, the answer would be the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers are ranked 3rd overall in the eastern conference and are 7-3 over their last 10 games. Espn power rankings rate them the 8th on the list. The Indiana Pacers are a young team thats evolved over the years. A all-star big man in Roy Hibbert, a very good wingman in Danny Granger, a good point gaurd in Darren Collison and Paul George on the rise and a deep bench to match, the Pacers will be a problem in the playoffs. "Dont Sleep" we have been waiting for Danny granger to take that next step and be the go to guy. If he ever does watch out. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

         Grizzles- (30-23) The Memphis Grizzles were last years playoff love and will be back this year but trust me they won't be surprising anybody. The Grizzles were without Rudy Gay last time this year, but they will have the whole band together even though Zach Randolph is coming back from injury, if he can get back to mid season form they will be a nightmare for any west match up. Zach Randolph was unstoppable last year and Marc Gasol won't be classified as a bum either.  The Grizzles have some thing only a handful of teams have: two big men that can dominate. The Grizzles have already shown that the top three western conference teams (Thunder, Spurs, Lakers) have trouble matching up. This team can  go toe to toe with any one "Dont Sleep". 

             LA CLIPPERS- (33-24)  The Los Angeles  Clippers also known as "Lob City" will be in the playoff for the first time since 2006. The Clippers have been one of the worst teams in any sport for years but have been showing growth since drafting Blake Griffin, but the trade of Chris Paul is the real reason  there is relevance to a team with only 7 franchise playoff appearances.  While the franchise history has been terrible, Chris Paul's history is far from mediocore. The best point gaurd in the league, many believe, has taken over the series on his own, and plays like a man on a mission every playoff game, so dont be surprised if this team goes on a run. The LA Clippers currently rank 5th on the power rankings, 4th in the conference, and playing with heart each game. A hungry team is a dangerous one and Chris Paul is ready to make that question of whos the best point guard? A unanimous answer of CP3 with key additions to the bench they are a nightmare match up, when playing focus and smart "Dont Sleep". 

by 

Phillip "Stats" Rodney 

Sources- ( http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings)

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Gregg Williams (The Story Continues)

Just when you thought this story was over, a new piece of evidence turns up and takes this story to a whole other level. According to some Audio released by Yahoo! Sports, Williams allegedly encouraged the Saints players to injure the 49ers players. The links below have some of the audio of the pregame speech Williams gave to his players:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8281a52a/article/gregg-williams-speech-takes-saints-scandal-to-another-level?module=HP11_hot_topics 


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8281a295/article/williams-speech-to-saints-pinpointed-49ers


Williams said some of the most disturbing things in this speech. Things like "Kill the head, the body will die" and he mentioned putting a lick on Kyle Williams, going after the ACL of Michael Crabtree, and making sure they "kill" Frank Gore's head.

Allow me to explain my side on this situation.

First of all, forget being suspended indefinitely, they should get rid of Gregg Williams. A man like this does not need to be in charge of a defense anywhere. He should be banned from coaching Football anywhere. I personally don't care about going out there and playing and bringing the pain, but when beforehand when you scheme about taking a player out and "killing the head", then you've gone too far.

I don't give a damn how good Gregg Williams is as a defensive coordinator, when you plan on "how" you're going to, for lack of a better term, "maim" the opposition, you are wrong. And for the people that say "Oh, it's just Football, it's supposed to be violent." Shut up, you sound ignorant. Like I said before, there's a BIG difference in coaching your team on how to play against an offense, but it's another story when you pinpoint parts of the body to take out. How would you feel if the opposing team's gameplan was to concuss your teammates? Not too good, right?

This is no accident, nor is it a coincidence. He knew what he was doing from the start. How long has he been doing this? From the sound of him, it's been a while. Not only should he be banned from Football, but he needs to be committed to a medical facility. We don't need his kind in the NFL. We don't need a man that's going to shorten the playing careers of some up-and-coming stars.

The news personally disgusts me. I just have a sinking feeling that Gregg Williams isn't the only man doing this. I bet you there's more than one Coach out there laying out bounties on other players, but they just know how to hide it better. This whole bounty scandal opened up a can of worms that people aren't ready for. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the NFL started an investigation based off what's happened.

Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

The Top 10

With the 2012 NFL Season fast approaching, several Quarterbacks like to lay claim to be the best and feel as if they have something to prove.

Joe Flacco has already come out and said that he thinks he's the best QB in the NFL. I beg to differ. It's a good thing to have that confidence though. It's one thing to think that way, but it's a completely different story to come out and say it. That takes confidence to speak out and put your name over guys like Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc. Where does Joe Flacco rank in my QB Hierarchy?

Well, I'll let my list below speak for itself.

But before you read, the reason I don't have Peyton Manning in this list is because he didn't play last season.


1. Tom Brady


Speaking as a Peyton Manning fan, it pains me to put Brady at #1. But let's be honest. As of right now, Tom Brady is most decorated Quarterback in the NFL. That speaks volumes about his career at the moment. Brady is 16-6 in the playoffs including 3 Super Bowl Title and 2 Super Bowl MVPs. Let's not forget that he holds the 50 TD pass record set in 2007 and the highest completion percentage in a game against the Jaguars during their undefeated season before falling to the New York Giants.

Love him or hate him, but Tom Brady is the Golden Boy of the NFL. He's too nice to be ignored. He quietly continues to pile on numbers and stats in his career. He's consistently put up over 3,500 passing yards in his career and, just like Peyton Manning, can do more with less. He can make rookies look like superstars. Tom Brady has "It" Whether you want to believe it or not, he's the man right now.


2. Drew Brees


Drew Brees has been overlooked almost his whole career. Brees didn't come to New Orleans and just start throwing for 4,000 yards a season. He's been this way since his days in San Diego. He was consistently in the Top 5-10 in the passing yards category always throwing over 3,500 yards. He turned up his game to a whole new level when he came to New Orleans. He had more weapons and his passing ability skyrocketed and he started throwing for over 4,000 yards every season he's been in New Orleans. Also, in case you haven't heard, he owns the NFL Record for passing yards in a season with 5,476. That's kind of important.

The thing with Drew Brees is that he's consistent. That's what the bulk of this list is based on. Who's more consistent. Brees has taken the Saints to the playoffs 4 times and winning 1 Super Bowl in the process. His work ethic has not gone unnoticed either. He breathes the game just as much as the next guy. He's probably the best pure passer in the NFL right now, but he needs to overcome his road playoff woes. He's 0-3 in road playoff games.


3. Aaron Rodgers


When I think of Aaron Rodgers, I think a few things:

1) How mobile he is in the pocket.

2) The zip he has on the ball when he releases it.

3) The fact that the man is a machine.

Aaron Rodgers is a extremely talented Quarterback. He knows what he's doing before the defense can eve plan for it. He can find holes in zone defenses and throw to the open man. He's no fluke. If you remember back when Brett Favre was still with the Packers, they had a road game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2007. Favre got injured and Rodgers came in and played better than Favre did in that game.

Three years later, he leads the Packers to 3 road playoff wins in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago before defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Then next season, he nearly led his team to an unbeaten season. And no matter how you slice it, Rodgers came to play in that playoff game against The Giants. The only person who came to play with him was Donald Driver. Don't discount Aaron Rodgers.


4. Ben Roethlisberger


This was a tough choice for me here. I was wondering about whether to give this spot to Eli, but what made the choice is the main thing that Quarterbacks need to have: consistency. What separated Big Ben from Eli Manning is that not only is he consistent, but he doesn't use his defense to hide his faults.

Ben's strengths come from extending the play with his feet and arm strength. When he sees there's no option, he takes off and he's pretty difficult to bring down. Also, his accuracy plays a big part in this. Big Ben has a knack, that when he finds his man, he doesn't rush the throw or make dumb mistakes. His delivery is on time and damn near perfect.

Also, Big Ben is a clutch player. He's got a grand total of 27 comeback wins and game winning drives in his entire career, including his Super Bowl winning drive to win him his second ring. Big Ben may not be an ideal Quarterback, but he's got all the traits of a good QB: consistency, accuracy, delivery, and the clutch gene.


5. Eli Manning


I can hear The Giants Fans now: "That's not fair! Eli has TWO rings!"

Calm down and let me explain before you blow a gasket.

Eli Manning has proven to the world that he's a good Quarterback. It's kind of arrogant to not at least have him in the Top 10. What he lacks in mobility in the pocket, he makes up for in finding the open man downfield and hitting them in stride. He's come into his own last season and is definitely a solid Quarterback for the New York Giants.

His faults outweigh his strengths in this case. This is why I put Big Ben over him. The reason being is that Eli is too inconsistent. He'll have a great game against a great team one week, and stink it up against a lesser team the week after, repeat, repeat. He's too inconsistent at times and makes costly mistakes. But he's had the advantage of being sheltered by a very aggressive defense that get to the passer and cost turnovers. When his defense is nowhere to be found, Eli seems to struggle when the pressure is on him. When both sides of the ball are playing well, it's all good. It's easy to look good when you have a defense to back you up, but it's how you play when your defense doesn't show up that accounts to how good you are.


6. Philip Rivers


Philip Rivers suffers from playing on a dying team. Back in the days when the Chargers had L.T., Rivers would throw for a TON  of yards and his team would constantly make the playoffs and win the division. And when L.T. wasn't playing like he used to, Rivers would carry this team on his back and still lead them to the playoffs.

What puts Rivers in this list is that he always seems to lead the league in passing yards. He's been in the Top 3 for passing yards in the league for three years in a row! His only problem is that he has no team around him anymore. He lost L.T., Darren Sproles, Antonio Cromartie, Shawn Merriman, and now Vincent Jackson. Rivers looks like he's going to struggle, but this is why we play the games.


7. Tony Romo


Romo is one of the most underrated Quarterbacks in the league. He's better than most people give him credit for. Let's face it, if not for Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys would be irrelevant. With Romo at the helm, they have a chance to make the playoffs every season. One of Romo's strengths is that he can throw on the run and find receivers downfield with the long ball. His only problem is for some reason, he can't win in December. But despite what people might think Romo is single-handedly keeping the Cowboys relevant. He's going to win the big one someday.


8. Matthew Stafford


Stafford is also a vastly overlooked Quarterback. He's got one hell of a cannon for a throwing arm, mobile in the pocket and is throwing to arguably the best receiver in the league in Calvin Johnson.

His only problem is that he can never stay healthy. Look at what happened to the Lions when Stafford played a full season healthy: They actually made the playoffs. If Stafford can stay healthy, The Lions are a threat not to be taken lightly.


9. Matt Ryan


Matt Ryan took the NFL by storm in 2008 when, as a rookie, Ryan came out and played like he's been in the league for years. The kid was looking off the safeties, throwing in tight windows, and he led his team to the playoffs. In the regular season, Matty Ice is 18-2 at Home, but 9-11 on the road. He's pretty much unbeatable at Home, but mediocre on the road. Also, he's 0-3 in the playoffs. Ryan needs to get over the hump sooner or later. With as much talent as he has on the roster, it should be sooner, but he can't have the advantage of playing at Home all the time. He has shown road improvement, but if he's going to get to that next level, he's got to get better outside of Atlanta, or at least win a playoff game.


10. Matt Schaub


This is another one who can't stay healthy. Schaub has the distinct advantage of throwing to Andre Johnson and handing off to Arian Foster. With Peyton Manning out the AFC South, The Texans are primed to take control of that division for years to come, but only if Schaub can stay healthy. Last season, Schaub was going insane throwing for over 300 yards a game before he got injured. Dare I say, the Texans would've beaten the Ravens if they had Schaub. With a healthy Schaub, Houston is a scary team, but without, they're just another one of "those" teams. You know, average and mediocre.


Looks like Joe Flacco didn't make it. Too bad, so sad.


Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete