5 Players Playing In The Super Bowl That You Won't Hear About

All you're going to hear all week is Brady, Eli, Gronk, JPP, blah, blah, blah. But there are some other players out there that you're not going to hear as much about, but they will be just as important to the game's outcome. It may be positive, it may be negative, but these 5 players will have enough impact on the game to alter its result.

Boley, not Manning, Brady or Gronk, could be the most important player in this year's Super Bowl.

Patriots LT, Matt Light
Light is aging, that is the truth, but his ability to protect Brady's blindside is not. But his matchup with the overwhelmingly athletic Jason Pierre-Paul will be a key to the Patriots' success. If he can at least contain JPP(because he probably can't stop him) then Brady should be alright. However if JPP runs wild, then expect this game to mirror the one in 2007. Light is certainly not quick enough to keep up with Pierre-Paul, however his smarts and savvy, combined with good play calling will be the ultimate answer to this potential blind side problem.

Giants OLB, Michael Boley
Boley is probably the most underrated player on the Giants' defense. He's extremely athletic and has impressive coverage skills for a linebacker. I expect his match ups in a zone or man-to-man against Gronk or Hernandez to be the most important in terms of the Pats' offense vs. the Giants' defense. Welker's underneath routes will undoubtedly trouble him, but if he can at least shut down the Pats' solid tight end core then he could seriously hinder the explosive New England offense. Let the receivers run wild over the middle and this game could turn ugly.

Patriots RB, BenJarvus Green-Ellis
The New York Giants finished 19th in rush defense, which isn't horrendous, but still remains an important stat. Green-Ellis had a solid game against the Ravens, averaging 4.5 yards a carry and scoring a TD against the immovable Baltimore defense. The Patriots can really throw a wrench in the Giants defense if they use Green-Ellis properly, like they did against the Ravens. I'm not saying go out there and run it 40 times, but give this guy a chance to make a play, he is wildly underrated thanks to Belichick's Madden offense.

Giants WR, Mario Manningham
Manningham has fallen FAR from the hype that came with his 3rd round selection in '08 thanks mostly to Victor Cruz. Everyone is overly concerned with Cruz and Nicks and while I agree they should be, Manningham is still dangerous enough to make a game changing catch. He made a phenomenal play in the 49ers game and really reasserted himself in the Giants offense. Despite his lack of success so far in his career he still posses breakaway skills. I'm expecting him to make a catch we will remember forever.

Patriots WR, Julian Edelman
Stop letting him play CB in big situations. I understand that Belichick likes to turn his NFL athletes into high school two-way players but if he decides to put Edelman in, watch out, you know Eli will call an audible to abuse him.

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Blake Griffin, Officially Not Human

We all were pretty amazed when Lebron jumped over Chicago's John Lucas yesterday to catch a monster alley-oop. Well, Blake Griffin wasn't. In tonight's big win over OKC, Blake Griffin threw down probably the most ferocious dunk I've ever witnessed. This dunk certainly should remind of the one he had over poor Timofry Mozgov last year. But the difference is that Mozgov is not the 2nd best defensive big man like Perkins is and this time Griffin actually dunked the ball(his pinky caught the rim). I literally jumped out of my seat and put a hole in my wall, well I didn't actually do that, but you could imagine. Blake was even stunned for a second that he had just sent Perkins to the career highlight department under "posterized." Oh. My. God.

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The All-NBA Overrated Team

Dwight Howard is not an elite player in the NBA, though he's got elite skills.

This season has provided us with some of the worst basketball in NBA history, along with some annoyingly devastating injuries. It has also exposed to some of the most overrated players in the league. Here is the starting five for the all-NBA overrated team:

C-Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
People are going to scream and jump all over my back on this one, and I understand that, just hear me out. Dwight Howard has a chance to be the greatest big man of all-time, yet he has shown us very little of that. He's 6'11 265 lbs, built like a titan and gifted with an insane vertical usually suited for our 6'5" wing player. D12's stats are impressive, and always have been, averaging 18 points and a little less than 13 rebounds a game. So why do you say he's the most overrated?

What has he done to improve himself? His offense has barely improved, yet he towers over his opponents and his physicality is unmatched. I'll admit he's had some statistical games that are mind-blowing, reminding us that Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain's out-of-these-world games are still possible. But what has he done to win? He's been to 1 NBA finals thanks to Mr. 3/4ths and the Cleveland Cavaliers inability to do anything, and 2 ECFs. The Magic squads around him haven't been that bad, though everyone thinks they have. He simply hasn't used the talents he's been given. I believe Dwight Howard has the talented enough to average 30 and 20 a game, yet his all-smiles attitude has led him to some soft fourth quarters, ugly losses, and underachievement. The skills are there, his mindset is not. Greatness is a full package.

PF-Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls
Carlos Boozer could be the single reason why this version of the Chicago Bulls does win an NBA Championship. Boozer had some great seasons in Utah but that's because he was a primary scoring option. But the seasons he forgot how to play defense, and still hasn't learned. Defensively he's worse than Amar'e Stoudemire because he couldn't even block Lil Bow Wow's shot in Like Mike.

But let's get off his defensive inability. Boozer hasn't been worth a penny Chicago spent on him last season. His numbers are down offensively, which makes sense because D-Rose is more of a scorer than D-Will was in Utah, but the problem is that his rebounding numbers are down. He's not hitting the glass like he used to, potentially because of Joakim Noah's ability to clean glass, but I'm just not sure he's that tough. Carlos Boozer is a solid NBA player, don't get that wrong, but I'm positive he isn't worth 5 years and 80 million.

SF-Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Gay might only be 25, but his value isn't as high as the contract he'll probably receive in a few years. The Grizzlies small forward can absolutely leap out of the building, that is undeniable. He's been tagged as an elite scorer, but his stats don't concur. Rudy has only reached the 20 point average in one of his five seasons and sits at a 17.8 PPG average. If that doesn't scream decent, then I'm not sure what does.

During last year's surprising eighth seed run to Game 7 of the WCSF, Gay wasn't around. That is a telltale sign that his "team" importance doesn't override his underwhelming stats. I'm always down to watch Rudy Gay put someone on a poster, but I'm not so sure he's a savior for the Grizzlies.

SG-Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
This all-NBA overrated team could simply be called the Atlanta Hawks, but Joe Johnson is the ring leader. The Hawks SG is a phenomenal scorer both on the drive, on the pull up and from deep. But he really doesn't bring much else to the table. He's not a leader, his assist numbers have dropped literally every year he's been on the Hawks and his defense is average at best.

Johnson doesn't get any better in the playoffs and has been a big reason to why the Hawks have sputtered in each of their ECSF appearances. People might not talk about Joe Johnson anymore, but his contract(6 year, 119 million) is severely overpriced.

PG-Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
I know, I know, Curry is only in his third NBA season. But, it's pretty apparent that he is not a point guard. In the high-flying system that is Golden State's offense, Curry has been a solid scorer, yet a lack luster passer. That's probably because he shouldn't be playing point guard. Despite being skinny, he's by not that undersized for the #2 guard position.

Curry has shown that he could become a deadly scorer in the NBA, but until someone in Oakland realizes that this guy can't run an offense he will be overrated. Players need to be good at their positions in order to thrive in the NBA, and not just good at basketball in general. His spot on the All-NBA overrated team isn't really his fault, it's the Golden State organizations fault.

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One Year Peyton Manning Wants to Forget

Peyton Manning's career might be fading into darkness instead of the sunset.

Since 1998 the quarterback position has been Peyton Manning's(and Tom Brady's). He's been at worst the 2nd best QB in the NFL since the day he arrived on the NFL scene and he has several mentions among the greatest QBs of all-time. But this year, Peyton has not only missed the season entirely, but also almost become irrelevant in the sphere of great quarterbacks. But the question is why? Why did it take one year for Peyton to go from automatic Hall-of-Famer to an obscurity?

Well that's simple, it's been a combination of Peyton's career threatening neck injury and the presence of Andrew Luck waiting in the wings. But one of the most overlooked situations adding to Peyton's growing insignificance is the emergence of Eli. The younger Manning has become a superstar himself, and is one Super Bowl victory away from doing something no one thought possible: being better than Peyton. Anyways, the dangers of playing in the NFL can make even the greatest of superstars come and go. Manning may not have come and gone like Shaun Alexander, but his career has taken a swift turn for the worst.

It's truly unfortunate to watch one of the NFL's greatest players fade into darkness so fast. Things have gotten so bad for Manning that the Jets are inquiring about him, and the Jets seem to be the moratorium for aging great QBs(see Brett Favre and Vinny Testaverde). What makes things worse is that this situation is not Peyton Manning's fault at all. It's not like his 2011 was filled with interceptions and embarrassing losses; he was hurt, an uncontrollable set of circumstances. A guy with his positive attitude and serious demeanor should never have the misfortune of sitting out one of his final seasons, but it happened, and things just got worse.

I don't blame the Colts for how they've handled this situation with Peyton. They're in a tight spot. You can't simply just dump a superstar who brought you 12 years of success and a Super Bowl. But at the same time you can just hold onto him and give up an opportunity to have the next 12 years be just as good as the last. The Colts need to draft Andrew Luck. What they do with Manning after making the selection is their decision. Either be cut throat and send him on his merry way, or try to keep him around to nurture Luck. However, if Peyton decides he doesn't want to teach the Stanford QB, then they must make the tough decision to send #18 elsewhere.

This year has been a brutal one for Peyton Manning, one he will certainly never forget. I would hope to think he has the ability to comeback and compete at a high level, but any injury to your neck is a scary sight. If Manning never touches a football again, I'm content with saying he's a hall-of-famer. But a serious fall from grace could hurt his chances if he takes issue with the Colts selection of Luck. Either way, Peyton Manning is no longer the QB or player we thought of. He's steps away from becoming an absolute afterthought, and that's simply sad.

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Potentially The Most Important Soccer Game In US History

It wasn't USA vs. Portugal, it wasn't USA vs. Spain and it certainly wasn't USA vs. Algeria. But it could go down as one of the most important games in US Soccer history, and only three Americans were on the field for it. That game was of course the fifth round of the FA Cup between Dempsey's Fulham squad and
Howard and Donovan's Everton team.

Dempsey, Howard and Donovan are all playing at a high level for solid Premiership teams. That's a good sign for America.

For the first time in the history of the FA Cup(English soccers most storied tournament) three Americans were involved in a game. But these three Americans weren't simply playing in an important game, they were major deciding factors in the outcome. Howard made a few important saves late in the game to preserve victory for Everton. Donovan assisted on both goals. And ultimately, Dempsey's poor play was a big reason to Fulham's loss.

America has been obsessed with the idea of improving the MLS, when really their main focus should be sending more players overseas to improve their skills by getting used to the European game. This match should have a monumental effect on the American game, even if very few Americans watched it. The mere fact that the US' top three players were even game planned for should be an accomplishment. But to watch Donovan assume the role as Everton's offensive spark plug in a game with major implications is unbelievable. The respect America, or at least our best three players, gained from the English, and whoever else was watching, should do wonders for the next wave of European-bound US soccer players. Though these three are on the latter stages of their prime, they are wedging their foot in the Premiership door.

If you think I'm overemphasizing the importance of the game, that's probably because your American. Most Americans aren't heavily interested enough in soccer for any non-US Soccer game to matter. I understand that and I'm not sitting here and saying I watch the premiership religiously. But, I root and follow consistently the actions and players associated with the US Men's National Team. This match's value is not in the satisfaction we get from watching LD command a Premiership offense, but more the fulfillment the Everton fans got out of Donovan and Howard's stellar performances. Next time Fulham and Everton fans are watching the USMNT play they're going to say "Damn, that Donovan guy is actually pretty good," or "Howard is top-tier" and with the way Dempsey has carried Fulham offensively they'll say the same for him. Simply put, it's a respect issue.

We want the world to respect United States soccer right? Well we need to go out there and prove it on a club level, and show that we have the individuals that can compete with the big boys. Once we can successfully say that, as we are beginning too, the team aspect will fall in line.

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The Pro Bowl Has To Be The Worst Sporting Event Ever

The Pro Bowl hasn't got much better than this...

To say watching the NFL Pro Bowl is a waste of time is a gross understatement. The event should be cancelled, shut down and removed from the record books.

We love the NFL for it's hard hits, trash talk and big plays. The Pro Bowl lacks the first two aspects completely allowing the third aspect to become almost obsolete. It's a gentlemen's agreement between players that no one is going to go "hit-stick" on anyone, but occasionally the big hit does happen. In that case everyone is up in arms, and calls the player out for going against the no-hit handshake. There are also plenty of rules, such as no blitzing, no rushing the punts or kicks and no press coverage within the first five yards, that limit the game from being anywhere near exciting.  Watching the Pro Bowl isn't much better than watching the middle school flag football championships they air at 3 AM on ESPN2.

Thank god they switched the date of the Pro Bowl from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before it. Now that's not going to make any of us actually watch it, but at least the NFL can end on a high note with the Super Bowl instead of embarrassing itself with a touch football all-star game. What makes the Pro Bowl even worse is that there have plenty of times when teams scored less than a combined 60 points, like a combined 40 points in '06, 59 points in '07 and 51 points in '09.

The NFL has to do something about this. I think there is a way to make the Pro Bowl more interesting. Featuring the skills competition, which is actually pretty exciting, might generate some positive interest for the weekend. Maybe they should scratch the whole game altogether and make Sunday night a big field day for players, where they compete in serious drills for points. I know that probably sound better suited for a bunch of 4th graders, but the Pro Bowl is just a big waste of time, money and effort. Not like any citizen of the United States wastes their time watching it, but the people involved with putting on this off-broadway musical should save the trip to Hawaii.

If the National Football League really thinks their going to lose that much publicity, money or whatever form the Pro Bowl then they are sorely mistaken. Scratching the weekend altogether would do nothing to hurt the popularity of the league one bit. So I propose we picked the all-stars send them to a big field day in Florida or California and be on with it.

Enjoy the best highlight from the Pro Bowl in years.

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2007 NBA Lottery ReDraft

If the Trailblazers could have done it over again, they wouldn't have hesitated to select Kevin Durant 1st overall.

What if the lottery teams from 2007 could do it over again? What if they could have another shot at making the right draft pick if they drafted a bust? The 2007 class has been able to marinate in the league for five years and either make or break their careers.

1. Portland Trailblazers(Originally Picked Greg Oden)
Kevin Durant(Originally 2nd)
Man did the Trailblazers get this one wrong. Not only have Greg Oden's knees been so bad that he can't really play, but Kevin Durant is slowly turning into the NBA's best player. Imagine if Durant was on the team with Rudy Fernandez, Wes Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge? They'd probably be just as good as OKC. This might have been one of the worst selections of all-time, and it, by no means, is Oden's fault. The Blazers took a chance on his knees and they lost, and in this case lost badly. Luckily for them, Kevin Pritchard knew how to dig Portland out of a ditch.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder(Originally Picked Kevin Durant)
Al Horford(Originally 3rd)
With the additions OKC has made after this draft, they wouldn't be so bad off. Horford is a phenomenal big man, with a solid post game, great defense and good rebounding. Unfortunately, KD is KD, so the Thunder would obviously be losing some serious scoring talent. It really wouldn't be as bad as it looks, but fortunately for OKC, Portland didn't make the right decision.

3.Atlanta Hawks(Originally Picked Al Horford)
Joakim Noah(Originally 9th)
This pick would fit in perfectly with Larry Drew's defensive system. Noah is one of the game's best big man and could certainly change any team's offensive approach. He is the consummate energy player who is growing on offense, with a solid pick and roll game. Noah is a serious upgrade over Zaza Pachulia, that's undeniable, however it would be seriously on Jeff Teague to run a successful pick and roll offense with Noah.

4.Memphis Grizzlies(Originally Picked Mike Conley Jr.)
Marc Gasol(Originally 48th)
Well isn't this sort of ironic? Gasol was selected by the Grizzlies in the second round, but man they would be struggling if they hadn't been able to get him. His valuable post-play is much more important to the Grizzlies success than Conley's inconsistent point guard game, though Conley isn't that bad. Probably the steal of the draft here.

5.Oklahoma City Thunder(Originally Picked Jeff Green)
Nick Young(Originally 16th)
Young and Durant would form one of the nastiest duos in the league, if the Thunder weren't forced(in the redraft) to draft Al Horford. Young and their original picked Jeff Green aren't different, but I think Young's ability to get to the hoop is better and remains the reason why he is higher than Green. Plus, the uncertainty of Green's heart makes Young a safer pick as well.

6.Milwaukee Bucks(Originally Picked Yi Jianlian)
Jeff Green(Originally 5th)
As I stated earlier Green is a solid player who can score both shooting and driving to the hole, but his game isn't as great as Nick Young's. Green's heart should be fine, but might be a worry for the Bucks if they had to do it again. The Bucks would be receiving a serious upgrade over Carlos Delfino, their current small forward, and they would have also avoided the bust pick that was Yi Jianlian.

7.Minnesota T'Wolves(Originally Picked Corey Brewer)
Mike Conley Jr.(Originally 4th)
ANOTHER POINT GUARD? Well yes, because this whole thing would have been before they selected Flynn and Rubio, so maybe Conley's solid play would have settled those PG doubts. I think Conley could be labeled as a bit of disappointment because he was supposed to be an elite point guard, when he turned out to be a solid one. He's good enough to lead an offense, but doesn't posses the skills to enhance it. I'll tell you what though, he still couldn't have helped the T'Wolves.

8.Charlotte Bobcats(Originally Picked Brendan Wright)
Thaddeus Young(Originally 12th)
Even though Thaddeus Young sits the bench behind superstar(?) Andre Iguodala, he still is a formidable player. He would have assumed Gerald Wallace's role at the time who would have become trade bait even earlier. If he was given a starting spot, the 6'8 wing could average somewhere between 18-20 points a game. Bobcats might be in a better situation if they hadn't wasted a pick on Brendan Wright.

9.Chicago Bulls(Originally Picked Joakim Noah)
Wilson Chandler(Originally 23rd)
The Bulls are already chalk full of depth, but the unfortunate loss of Noah do to the redraft might seriously hinder their ability to contend. However, Chandler's scoring ability off the bench(behind Luol Deng) would allow the Bulls, even under the defensive Thibodeau, to become a monster offense. Deng or Chandler would probably become trade bait for the Bulls to get a center to replace Noah's nonexistence.

10.Sacramento Kings(Originally Picked Spencer Hawes)
Rodney Stuckey(Originally 15th)
Stuckey's has sort of fallen off, probably because the Pistons around him have fallen apart. However that doesn't mean that he isn't still a desirable piece. The drafting of Stuckey would probably have allowed Tyreke Evans to fall further down in the 2009 draft. I don't think this draft pick would change the fortune of the Kings in these last five years, but at least they'd be better defensively at the point.

11.Atlanta Hawks(Originally Picked Acie Law IV)
Carl Landry(Orginally 31st)
Now while Carl Landry is not Al Horford, at least he's better than Acie Law. Landry has shown a solid offensive game throughout his career, but nothing to write home about. Combine him with Joakim Noah who they would have redrafted at 3rd and then you have a formidable front court. But let me repeat, Carl Landry is better than Acie Law.

12.Philadelphia 76ers(Originally Picked Thaddeus Young)
Ramon Sessions(Originally 56th)
Sessions may be a career bench player, but he has shown a serious scoring ability when he is on. Unfortunately for the 76ers Thaddeus Young moved up to the eight spot, and they would be left with another solid guard. But depth is depth, and this pick would give the 76ers a disgustingly deep backcourt.

13.New Orleans Hornets(Originally Picked Julian Wright)
Aaron Brooks(Originally 26th)
Aaron Brooks would fit in perfectly with the Hornets post-CP3. Brooks showed in 2009-10 that he could score a great click(19.6 a game) and while his passing game isn't phenomenal he could certainly have moved from SG to PG once CP3 departed. Eric Gordon and him would make a nasty scoring backcourt.

14.Los Angeles Clippers(Originally Picked Al Thornton)
Rudy Fernandez(Originally 24th)
Fernandez probably would have been dealt in the CP3 trade, but if he wasn't he makes a extremely serviceable backup and would allow the Clippers to spend money on someone else than Chauncey Billups. It'd been fun to watch Fernandez, who is your classic pass-first point guard, throw oops to Blake Griffin. He's also certainly had a better career than Al Thornton.

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Youtube Vault: Marcus Allen's Famous 74 Yard TD Run

We're starting off our daily "greatest super bowl players" ever with an epic run from one of the NFL's most underrated running backs. Allen won the Super Bowl 18 MVP thanks to mostly this play that turn the game into a blowout making it 35-9. This sort of east-west running was probably way more frowned upon back in the 80s than it is now, but it still was epic as any Barry Sanders or LT run we've seen in more recent times. Now while this isn't the longest run in Super Bowl history, it certainly is the most exciting one. It's especially epic if you think back to the good 'ol days of the real "Silver & Black" Raiders.

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The New York Rangers Will Win The Stanley Cup

Henrik Lundqvist has been doing big things since the day he arrived in New York, now he actually has a team in front.

It's been a long time since the words New York Rangers and Stanley Cup were connected in anyway. Probably since the '96-'97 campaign when Wayne Gretzky and Mike Richter came together for their last hoorah, leading the Rangers all the way to the conference finals where they eventually lost to the Philadelphia Flyers. This year's blue shirts have been playing so well that the ghosts of '94 have awoken and are taking notice. The New York Rangers are going to win the Stanley Cup, and the main reason? Henrik Lundqvist.

No one has ever doubted Henrik Lundqvist's status among the elite goaltenders in the league, however he hasn't had a fair shot at the Vezina because of the Rangers lack of any consistency. To put it simply, the last four playoff appearances by the New York Rangers were completely because of Lundqivst. Back in 2008-09 the Rangers somehow snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed, earning a matchup against the high-flying Captials. The Rangers grabbed a surprising 2-0 lead behind back-to-back 35 save efforts by Lundqvist including a memorable shutout in Game 2. Lundqvist again came through with a 1 goal, 38 save performance in Game 4 to push the Rangers lead to 3-1. But New York's excessive reliance on Lundqvist caught up to them as they couldn't finish the series losing three straight. Another performance worthy of noting was his Game 5 40-save effort in 2007 against the Sabres in the Conference Semis. King Henrik literally stood on his head, but the Rangers were unable to capitalize on this memorable performance, losing 2-1 in OT. This is just one of many times when the Rangers ran Henrik dry, thanks to shotty defense and zero offensive consistency. Lundqvist has never won the Vezina for one simply reason, his Rangers' squads in the past were terrible. In fact he was so good during all those years that he actually made it seem like the Rangers were actually decent squad from 2005-2009, when it was simply Lundqvist's ability to make game changing saves in the blink of an eye.

The 2011-12 season so far has provided Henrik with serious relief from his days of making highlight reel saves on horrendous turnovers. New York now has solid, consistent blue liners and a balance of scoring that even John Tortorella has to be proud of. 4 Rangers players have 30+ plus points, meaning that the blue shirts are relying on one scorer like they had so often in the past. Their second in goals allowed, 3rd in penalty kill and a solid 11th in goals for. However, instead of sitting back and letting his much improved team carry Lundqvist, Henrik is actually putting together his best season ever with an absurd 1.87 GAA(way below his impressive career average of 2.28) and a mind-blowing .937 save percentage. In laymen terms, he's the best goaltender in the NHL.

Everyone knows that a hot goaltender is the most surefire way to a Stanley Cup, but when that goaltender is Henrik Lundqvist you can, barring an injury, sign, seal and deliver Lord Stanley to New York. With a balanced squad like the 2011-12 Rangers in front of him, Lundqvist should be primed to received the Vezina, win the Conn Smythe and lift Lord Stanley. So, Richter get ready to move over, you're about to have company.

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A Trade The Heat Would Never Make, But Would Make Them Much Better

What if these two replaced Lebron in Miami?

Lebron James has been a walking controversy since the day he said he was "taking his talents to South Beach." Every single play he's made, word he's said and thing he's done has been under serious scrutiny by every NBA analyst, fan or coach. LBJ is the most talented player of our generation, that is undoubted. However, talent doesn't always transcend into greatness. There needs to be another piece to the greatness puzzle that includes some intangible things such as attitude and composure. So far in Lebron's eight and a half year career Lebron has shown us some attitude, but very little composure. To simplify what I wrote; the only thing stopping Lebron James is Lebron James. So there is no guarantee that this man will ever turn it around in the fourth quarter and win 5 championships.

With that being said I have a monumental trade proposals that would go down as the most significant trade in the history of the NBA, probably even in the history of sports.

The Heat Would Trade Lebron James To The Nets For Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.


I'll get to my disclaimers later, but this trade would significantly improve the Heat in multiple ways:

1. Bonafide Point Guard Running The Offense
Deron Williams is the second best all-around point guard in the game today. He's second in passing to Chris Paul, second in scoring to Derrick Rose and probably neck-in-neck in second place to Rajon Rondo. As we noticed last year, the Heat folded in the fourth quarter due to the lack of a point guard more than Lebron's inability to hit the side of a barn come the last five minutes. With Deron Williams, the Heat now have a extremely formidable floor general that will be able to distribute the ball between Wade and Bosh effectively. His great driving ability would open up serious holes if the defense wants to try and overwhelm Wade on the perimeter.

2. Every Player On the Court Can More Effectively Play Their Position
The Heat would have a bonafide Center, Power Forward, Small Forward, Shooting Guard and Point Guard. Every single player on the court could play their position they way they want to. Brook Lopez would be the big man down low grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. Bosh could float in and out of the post and not so much worry about serious post defense. Mike Miller could simply be the three point shooter. Dwyane Wade would only have to score and Deron Williams could run the offense. There would be no worrying about whose going to run the point ,whose going to grab boards or whose going to score in the late game like there is in Miami.

3. Much More Cap Flexibility
Deron Williams is most likely going to get max money, but Brook Lopez on the other hand won't. With these two you create more depth that could be moved around much more easily than the rigidity of the Big three they have today.

4. There Is a Team, Not a Big Three
The Big Three can work, that has been proven. But this puts pressure on all three of them to play well every night. If they made this trade their depth would grow and they wouldn't be so reliant on just the three of them playing out of their heads, but simply that everyone play within the system and do what they have to do. Last year in the NBA Finals the Mavericks depth was the key reason to why the Heat couldn't win. Wade and Bosh both had great NBA Finals, but since Lebron James was absolutely non-existent in the fourth quarter, all cylinders couldn't click, and therefore sent them home without rings.

Disclaimers:
I understand that the Heat would never trade Lebron, even if he happen to get himself into a sticky legal situation like Kobe did. They probably wouldn't do it more because of their weak fan-base who only can name 3 NBA players: Lebron, Wade and Kobe than because of the risk involved. I also recognize the iffy cap situation here, but in two years the NBA cap is supposed to rise somewhere between 5-10 million, which could certainly make this trade work.

Again, I realize this is about as unrealistic as Mission Impossible 4 was, but if the Heat did pull of this trade I would have the utmost respect for them. I might just be thinking with the winning part of my brain, instead of the all-encompassing one, but wouldn't it be nuts to see this trade go down?

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Why Chip Kelly Joins The Ranks Of Coach K

Chip Kelly joins the ranks of Coach K in turning down pro offers to stay with their school.

Back in 2004 the Lakers were offering the world and then some to pry Mike Krzyzewski away from his long-time stomping ground, Duke. Coach K thanked the Lakers, said he was flattered and then said no. Krzyzewski and Duke are synonymous. The court at Cameron Indoor Stadium is in fact named after Coach K, and he's not dead, or even retired from coaching.

A few days ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did the same in order to get Chip Kelly to leave his head coach job at Oregon. Kelly also thanked the Bucs, admitted he was flattered and kindly told them "there's unfinished business" in Oregon. Like Coach K, though not as famously, Kelly has built Oregon into a national powerhouse. Once Kelly was brought on as offensive coordinator in 2007, he immediately turned the Ducks offense into a well-oiled machine, while their national prestige grew ten fold. With Chip Kelly taking over the head coaching job in 2009 combined with Nike CEO Phil Knight's donations, the Oregon Ducks have not only become a powerhouse football program, but a national cult thanks to their exciting brand of football and guinea pig status for Nike's high-tech pro combat clothing line. Chip Kelly has taken the Ducks to three straight BCS bowls, including the 2011 BCS National Championship game. Even though he is only 1-2 in those three games, Chip Kelly knows he's got something truly remarkable brewing here.

Both Kelly and Coach K could have taken the money and ran to their respective pro leagues. Coach K could have picked up a team led by Kobe Bryant and led them to championships. Chip Kelly could have received a young Bucs team with loads of potential and took them to the playoffs. But neither would do so. They are men of high character, the kind of college coaches that the NCAA needs especially in its darkest hour of illegal recruiting and child molestation. Both of these coaches value their legacies more than they do money or fame. They realized that coaching kids who don't play for pay and do it because they love the game is a greater joy than leading a bunch of overpaid individuals who don't want to listen to them.

I have the upmost respect for both of these guys because, unlike many Americans, put their values in front of money. Kelly and Krzyzewski could have left their respective programs immediately after the built them, but instead they wanted to turn their programs into dynasties.

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Assessing 5 Trades Scenario For Paul Pierce By ESPN Analysts

Dismantling the Celtics is a must if they want to avoid the dark ages. Paul Pierce is their most valuable trading piece.

Dismantling the Big 3 is starting to become a must for the Celtics if they want to stay relatively competitive and return to championship form soon after. If they don't get anything gout of the aging Big 3 they could slip back into the dark ages that were the 1990s and mid-2000s. ESPN proposed five trade scenarios centered around trading Paul Pierce, the Celtics best big three assets. Here's my take on ESPN's fairytale scenarios.
Here's the link:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7492743/nba-five-best-fits-trading-paul-pierce

Scenario 1:
Paul Pierce to the Atlanta Hawks for Josh Smith
This trade is seemingly one-for-one trade. The Hawks would be receiving an elite scorer who ain't too shabby on the defensive end. The Celtics would receive an elite defender and shot blocker who can tear down a hoop if he gets an opportunity. Both players are elite, but are more like top-20 players than top-ten. This would be all fine and dandy if there weren't eight years separating the two stars.

The Celtics would be running away with this deal. Josh Smith has proved to be a disappointment in Atlanta, but not by the stretches that some people imagine. His talent is undeniable, but his attitude has been severely questioned, a change of scenery would do wonders for him. On the other end, the Hawks would be getting Pierce whose body is already breaking down. They would only get 2-3 solid(not prime) years out of him, while the Celtics would be getting at least 8-10 prime years out of Josh Smith. I understand that the Hawks organization isn't happy with the way Smith has played over his seven years, but he's still helped them make the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals each of the last 3 years. Oh, and don't forget the Hawks already have a viable shooting guard by the name of Joe Johnson.
Likelyhood:
Never


Scenario 2:
Paul Pierce to the Memphis Grizzlies for Rudy Gay
This deal could be a match made in heaven. The Celtics want to continuously get younger and the Grizzlies have a great amount of depth, but are seriously piece away from winning it all. Gay would provide another scoring option, would still be improving and is only 25 years old. For the Grizzlies they'd be getting a veteran shooting guard who'd fit perfectly within their chalk-full rotation.

The Grizzlies might have been more hesitant about this deal last season, but once they reached the Western Conference Finals with Gay on the bench with an injury, I'm sure they realized they don't exactly need him. Memphis has such a wealth of young depth that adding a veteran with a ton of playoff experience could be that final piece to get them a NBA Championship. The Celtics would also be moving in the right direction, now having Rudy Gay allowing the smaller Jeff Green to move to shooting guard where the two could share equal minutes and equal shots. You can simply never have too many shooters.
Likelyhood:
Definitely


Scenario 3:
Paul Pierce to the Indiana Pacers for Danny Granger
Paul Pierce and Danny Granger are the exact same player. Both are tremendous scorers who can both shoot and get to to the hole. They also both have enough of a defensive feel for the game that they can fit into any defensive system nicely. Granger's only advantage over Pierce is his size.

This trade would be, like the Josh Smith deal, giving up too much youth for an aging veteran. I'm not even sure you can tag this trade as a "go for it all trade." The Pacers are deep, but I don't think they have enough starting talent to win a championship even if they were to attain the savvy veteran Pierce. Granger has six years on Pierce, and I expect him to evolve his superior talents into a complete player in the next year or so, while Pierce's talents are only going to South, and I don't mean South Beach.
Likelyhood:
Never


Scenario 4:
Paul Pierce to the Utah Jazz for Paul Millsap and Enes Kanter
Paul Millsap is probably your consummate role player. He does everything he is asked, usually including getting ugly under the basket. Enes Kanter is a 6'11 rookie who is a third round pick of the Jazz and has all kinds of upside.

The Jazz are a surprising 10-5 in a season after their "franchise player" Deron Williams departed them via a trade. With that being said the addition of Pierce gives them a backcourt piece that can score in anyway, something they seriously lack. Though I'm not exactly sure the Jazz are in any type of "all-out" mode, and trading for Pierce would signal that. The Celtics on the other hand aren't in dire need for a player like Millsap, but it would provide them the luxury of getting rid of Garnett and having a serviceable player move in after him. But the addition of Brandon Bass has been a great one, so I'm not sure the C's want to bring in another PF of similar talent. Enes Kanter is also an enticing piece because of his size and upside. This deal certainly could happen, but I'm not sure both sides are really that jazzed up about it.
Likelyhood:
Possible

Scenario 5:
Paul Pierce to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin and Jordan Hill
This trade would certainly be the "last" option on the list for the Celtics, but it is not a bad one. Kevin Martin has shown flashes of brilliance in his seven years in the league and Jordan Hill would simply cover the cost of moving Pierce.

Kevin Martin has been more than disappointing this season, even with the Rockets surprising 10-7 record. The Celtics should't be deterred by Martin's play this year, because a lot of it seems to be a result of the untrue Lakers trade rumors that were swirling around Martin. I'm sure he wanted to go to L.A. and when he didn't, his confidence probably took a hit. Pierce would come into Houston and make an immediate impact both with scoring and veteran leadership that a young Houston team is dying for. The C's on the other hand receive a 28 year old guard who combined with Jeff Green will sure up the scoring loss that will be the departure of Allen and Pierce.
Likelyhood:
Very Possible

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Nike Advertises The Fuel Band...But It already Sold Out

Reebok, Under Armor, Addidas and every other sportswear company that think it's big time needs to just bow down to Nike. In last night's NFC Championship game, Nike aired this unreal commercial for it's new Nike Fuel Band, which looks nothing short of a rip-off. The funny thing is, the pre-order was already sold as of Friday, the 19th. That's because Nike could probably sell salt to slug or water to a well, just as long as they put their swoosh on it. Phil Knight's company has grown so big that not only is it running the sportswear game, but this commercial shows it's starting to run the world. I'm pretty sure this whole fuel band concept has relation to the balance bands we see countless mislead individuals(including plenty of athletes) wear on a daily basis. But either way, enjoy the commercial, and continue to buy Nike products, because soon enough that's all there will be.

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USA Starts 2012 Campaign Off Right

After Jurgen's incredibly disappointing first year in 2011, he got the US national team off to a good start with a 1-0 win over Venezuela last night. While this game doesn't mean as much, since both the US and Venezuela were missing several key players, it serves a step in the right direction. Led by Heath Pearce, Jermain Jones, Benny Feilhaber, Brek Shea and Ricardo Clark, USA had a flurry of chances to win the game, but couldn't finish until literally the last minute. The offense was clicking on almost all cylinders, except for the most important one: finishing. Clark, who was probably the most experienced US player on this friendly roster, scored in the 7th minute of 2nd half injury time to capture victory for America. So enjoy this highlight chalk full of US' misses and a dramatic game winning header. Next up for the US is Panama on Wednesday.

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Why Eli Manning Is One Win Away From Taking His Brother's Place

A great performance in the Super Bowl, could allow Eli to take his brother's place as the league's best Manning

Eli Manning stepped back to throw 58 times against the San Francisco 49ers. Manning was sacked 5 times, thrown to the soaked ground 12 times, and hurried more aggressively than your mother on Sunday morning right before church. But once he got off that ground, and Lawrence Tynes field goal went through the uprights in OT, Eli Manning had officially built his pillar in the Top 5 quarterback acropolis.

Yesterday was not Eli's finest game, by any means. But A, he didn't turn the ball over and B, he made two big plays that cemented the game. One, a TD pass to Bear Pascoe of all people, answering the Niners previous one play touchdown drive. Then on a third and 15 on the Niners 17 and with the game's momentum hanging in the balance, Eli reached back and throw an absolute missile to the much maligned Mario Mannigham in the back of the end zone, giving the Giants a 17-14 lead.

Sunday's performance should surprise no one. Eli broke the record for the most 4th TDs in a season with 15. That's almost a TD for every 4th quarter of the season. Eli has been exceptionally clutch, but most importantly he's been safe with the football. He only threw 16 INTs in the regular season, and only has thrown 1 INT in 3 playoff games so far. The Giants are finally in winning because of Eli Manning, and not inspite of him.

With his big brother's career in question due to injury, Eli has a perfect opportunity to snatch the Manning name and run away with it. A win in the Super Bowl would put Eli at the top, and probably for good. This is especially true if you consider the fact that he'd be defeating arguably the best QB of our generation, Tom Brady, for the second time, something his brother Peyton rarely could do. Eli has literally come out of nowhere to put himself in this position. No one ever questioned his skills in the past, however they questioned his mental fortitude and they wondered if he could lead a team. I'm pretty sure 19 games of NFL football in 2011-12, have proved those questions to be true.  Though Peyton will probably end his career with superior numbers, Eli could have two Super Bowls and still is young enough to win one or two more.

We've talked all through the years whether Peyton or Tom Brady were the best QB of our generation, we could very well be talking about Eli or Brady in the coming years. Eli is, what we call in America, a late bloomer. Fortunately for the Giants he hasn't simply bloomed, he's blossomed.

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Crafting The 2012 USA Olympic Basketball Squad

The 2012 squad will most likely have 7 or 8 returners from the '08 Gold Team. 

There is absolutely nothing better than watching the United States "All-Pro, Dream Team, Automatic Gold" Olympic basketball team play. It's just a prolonged comedy of alley oops from the best to the best, 40 point beatdowns and USA pride. There is no reason why the United States Olympic basketball team shouldn't absolutely destroy every single team they play, no matter if they have a pair of talented(but soft) Spanish brothers or a bunch of Greek sharp shooters. The list of players has now been cut to 20, and the final call will be for 12 players. Here are the 12 players that will probably make the team, along with who I think will start and what the rotation will be.

Starters:

C, Dwight Howard

This one is a layup, even though Howard's known for his ferocious dunks. Howard will command the middle for the US and host a block party for any Spanish, Greek or Lithuiana chump that thinks he's getting to the basket. The best part for Dwight is that he won't need to be an offensive force, which is something he's still working on, even in his eighth year. Howard is the defensive game changer for the United States, he practically eliminates post play for the opposing team, especially when his best big man competition is the Downey soft Gasol brothers.

PF, LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge is the best player that no one has ever heard. Stowed away in remote Portland and hidden behind Brandon Roy and Greg Oden's knees, the Blazers have a power forward who I think will be a hall of famer. The 6'11 former Texas player has literally carried the Trailblazers in the midst of Roy and Oden's injuries. Aldridge's post game is significantly better than Chris Bosh's, but more importantly he is a man. The exposure he'll get from this olympic run should turn him into a household name. 

SF, Lebron James

Lebron James is beginning to become the complete offensive player the world dreamed of. James' new found post abilities have made him unstoppable. But there is one roadblock for the NBA's most talked about player: himself. Lebron still psyches himself out in big situations and big games, if LBJ can one day get over his 4th quarter woes, he will win several championships. As for his status on this team? Automatic starter. James is the most talented player in the league hands down, but that doesn't mean that he's the best.

SG, Dwyane Wade

D-Wade gets no love because of the size of Lebron's head, but he is one of the deadliest players in the NBA. Give him a reason to beat you, and he will destroy you. Wade's defense is also widely underrated. He isn't a lock down defender, but he works hard and can make plays. If USA needs a big shot late, though it probably won't happen, Dwyane Wade is their man.

PG, Chris Paul

The United States has a point guard problem, and when I say problem I mean too many amazing point guards. This was definitely the hardest decision, but I went with Paul on the basis of two things. I think CP3 is the best defender and best passer of the three. Since D-Will and D-Rose are primarily scoring point guards, they will be better served off the bench. All CP3 needs to do is run the offense and play defense. He won't need to score will all the scoring talent he'll have on the floor, but if he needs to hit the open shot  Paul certainly can do it. Expect his stat line to be something along the line of 6 points, 17 assists, and 4 steals.

Bench:

Sixth Man, Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the game period. He can shoot, he can drive and he can absolutely abuse the rim. If the offense is stale, KD can come in off the bench and drop a quick ten. Durant's defense is mediocre, but that's not what he's here for. As for Durant not starting, I think he will be a spark plug for USA...if they ever need it.

Seventh Man, Tyson Chandler

Chandler is the second best defensive center in the game behind Dwight Howard, but he is of high importance for the USA team, especially when Howard gets into foul trouble. Chandler doesn't have much of an offensive game except for throwing down mean alley-oops, but between his defensive prowess and his unbelievably positive attitude, he becomes a key component to this team. He's been considered to be the ultimate gel guy and gelling this unit is what he'll do.

Eighth Man, Deron Williams

D-Will is considered to be the best point guard in the league by all those fans that try to be underground. While I do think he is a top tier player, I don't think he can pass like Chris Paul. D-Will plays solid defense and can bring a driving presence that will open up the wings for shooters like Durant and Kobe Bryant. If CP3 slips up at any time though, Deron will be right on his coattails waiting to take the starting spot.

Ninth Man, Kobe Bryant

Kobe's role has dramatically changed from the 2008 squad. Bryant was a starting and served as the main scorer. Now I think he's better served coming off the bench and being a lock down defender. While we know Kobe can still score( per the 40 point games he's had this year) Durant and Lebron will serve as the main points guys. Hopefully Kobe will take the mature route and accept his role as a veteran bench player whose importance rests on his defense. However, if Bryant gets on fire expect the USA coaching staff to let him loose.

Tenth Man, Kevin Love

Love will serve as the team's rebounding machine. I'd like him in a lineup with Kobe and Durant shooting because of his unstoppable rebounding ability. Love will sort of be a do-it-all big man for United States and will probably be plugged into whatever hole Chandler, Howard or Bosh create, whether it be post defense, scoring, rebounding or blocking shots. 

Eleventh Man, Chris Bosh

Bosh will primarily be used as the scoring big man off the bench. I'm still not sold on how great of a defender he is, though everyone claims him to be. Bosh is still soft as your girlfriend's movie collection, but he is talented on the offensive end and can get plenty of  baskets down low if the shooters are off.

Twelfth Man, Derrick Rose

Rose, despite his MVP status, is probably going to be the last man coming off the bench. I actually like him more in pseudo SG/PG role because he is clearly the best scoring point guard in the league. His driving ability is unparalleled and his shooting is coming along. I also think D-Rose's unbelievable quickness makes him a much more serviceable defender than people give him credit for. 

Coach K will have the boys ready to run the table, 8-0, another gold and another absurdly fun olympics for us basketball fans in the States. 

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Yu Darvish, Another Bust or Breakthrough?

Will Darvish has similar success to Hideki Matsui? Or will he simply be the next Dice-K.

Yu Darvish officially became the next big Japanese signee once the Rangers inked him to a 6 year, 60 million dollar contract. Darvish is undoubtedly talented, but the question still remains, will he be another Japanese bust or will he breakthrough the MLB barrier that has sent some many Japanese studs back home?

Over the last few years we've seen sweepstakes for prominent Japanese players end up in complete disaster. Kaz Matsui was the first of a wave of Japanese ball players that were tabbed as "the next best thing," but never materialized. Matsui hit a home run on his first at bat as a Met and it all when downhill form there. Following him was Hideki Okajima, who actually had has some success, but has remained extremely inconsistent.Daisuke Matsuzaka was the next hyped up Japanese pitcher and his sweepstakes probably received the most attention in the history of the Japan-USA baseball connection. Dice-K was heralded as a revolutionary pitcher with a unique release and a magical gyroball. The gyroball received excessive attention, claiming to be absolutely unhittable. Matsuzaka had a phenomenal first two years, including an amazing 2008 in which he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. But injuries and batters' adaptation to his wild pitching style have led people to reign in their claims about him being the best Japanese pitcher to ever play in the US. The latest big time Japanese signee was Kosuke Fukudome who was supposed to be a 5-tool player that could hit for both power and contact. But Fukudome hasn't been able to crack the .275 batting average benchmark, hasn't been a great fielder, and has simply been a grade A bust.

The shining light for Darvish is Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki who have been able to sustain solid careers(in Ichiro's case an amazing career) in the major leagues. Matsui's career is probably the most impressive considering the fact that he came to the United States being proclaimed as the Japanese Barry Bonds. Both Matsui and Ichiro are incredible talents, naturally born to hit a baseball no matter what league they play in. Then again, both players are unfortunately not pitchers.

That doesn't bode well for Yu Darvish, who is being hyped exactly like Dice-K was. Darvish is a lanky 6'5" flamethrower whose long arms allow him to release the ball closer to the plate. He's a unique talent just like Matsuzaka was, no question about it. But the transition from the Japanese leagues to the MLB is like going from living in Little Rock Arkansas to living in New York; get caught watching and you'll be gone. If Darvish can't transition quickly then expect the pressure of the contract to build on him and potentially end his career early.

The Rangers took a chance on Darvish and I say good for them. But Nolan Ryan must be prepared to eat that contract up if Yu pulls a Ryan Leaf and goes off the deep end.

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The Kobe System?

I guess this somehow is an advertisement for some new Kobe Nike kicks that have just come out, but it really just comes out as a clown fest. Such stars as Kanye West and Aziz Ansari as well as billionaire Richard Branson act as major sponsors of this new "Kobe System." I still don't know what the Kobe System is or what it comically represents, but I could guess that it has something to do with KB24's ability to score 40 points in his sleep.

Other than a comment to Aziz Ansari, the commercial really isn't that funny. But then again, I think the only time Kobe has ever been really funny was when he made his "baptized" comments about Dwight Howard.  How could I blame Kobe though? Nike just made an absurdly expensive 1 minute long commercial featuring him lecturing to some of the world's most influential people. Since Nike can't really market that big headed, fat gambler/golf game hustler known as Michael Jordan, they've turned Kobe into a marketable force that some day may run with the likes of MJ and the Jordan Brand. All I have to say for Kobe, though, is "And 1."

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Ed Reed Runs His Mouth, But Why?

Ed Reed made a big play to seal the deal on Sunday, but he's running his mouth and it might cost him.

ESPN.Com-"I think Joe was kind of rattled a little bit by (Houston's) defense," Reed said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, according to ProFootballTalk. "(The Texans) had a lot of guys in the box on him. And, I mean, they were getting to him. I think a couple times he needed to get rid of the ball. I don't know how much of the play-calling ... but it just didn't look like he had a hold on the offense. ... It was just kind of like (Baltimore's coaches) was telling him to do, throw the ball or get it here, you know, get it to certain guys. And he can't play like that."

Flacco was sacked five times and hurried by Texans defenders more than that in the win. Reed said Tuesday part of the blame for that falls on Baltimore's offensive line.

"[T]he offensive line gotta block better," Reed said, according to ProFootballTalk. "You know, they gotta communicate better, gotta pick up blocks (and) Joe's gotta get the ball out of his hand."

Reed said the Ravens need to do a better job of "using our weapons" and said he thought backup running back Ricky Williams should have had more touches.

I'm still seriously perplexed about the reasons to why Ed Reed publicly ripped his quarterback and his offensive line after their 20-13 Divisional Round game against the Texans. You won the game Ed, so what the hell do you think you'll get out of publicly bashing your QB and telling the world that he got rattled by the Texans. Yes, we all watched the game Ed, he was rattled at times and he didn't have a great game. Houston's defense was ranked third in the league, I'm pretty sure they're good at "rattling" the quarterback. And Ed, we'd also like you to make up your mind to whether or not you think it was the offensive lines fault or Flacco's fault, because at first it was his inability to get the ball away, then it was the O-Line needs to give him more time. But anyways, you won the game and while trashing your teammates in front of the media is frowned upon, it simply makes no sense when you win.

I'm never a fan of teammates publicly ripping each other because it should be a completely in-house issue, especially if you have another game coming up. The last thing you want to do is kill your young QB's confidence, particularly if he's already lacking confidence. So Ed, while I think you're a hell of a ball player and have the potential to go down as one of the greatest safeties of all-time, but please for the love of God shut your mouth and go beat the Pats.

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Youtube Vault: The Most Epic 11-6 Game Ever

If anyone can reach back to their young days they remember the 2000 "Greatest Show On Turf," Rams. They were an absolutely disgusting offense led by Kurt Warner who three years before was bagging your groceries. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, was an immovable object led by Derrick Brooks, Shelton Quarles and Ronde Barber. When these two met in the NFC Championship game it provided to be one of the most ridiculous low scoring games in history, ending with an epic catch by "The Last Great White Hope,"Ricky Proehl. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl and this game still remains as the most important in team history.

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What We Learned Over NFL Divsional Weekend

The NFL Divisonal playoffs have been hailed as the best weekend in the NFL. The elite eight: four survivors of the first round, four teams coming off a much needed break, does make it an interesting weekend of clashing cold and hot teams. The 2012 Divisonal Playoffs help us discover some new heroes, reminded us of old adages we might have forgotten and reaffirmed some of the beliefs we've always had.

1. Defense Means More Than Offense

We've heard it a thousand times before, but "Defense wins championships." Saturday and Sunday proved that to be 3/4ths true(we'll get to the Patriots later). The Ravens, Giants and 49ers all defeated their opponents who had weaker defenses and did so in classic fashion. They proved that while it is all fine and dandy to have a gun slinger under center or a highlight reel back field, the guys that make the difference are on the other side of the ball. The Saints failed to stop the Niners in crunch time, the Ravens suffocated the Texans and the Giants forced enough turnovers(should have been even more) to feed a small African tribe.

As much as we enjoy watching Drew Brees throw for 400 yards and Arian Foster run for 50 yard gains, it's way more vital to have Patrick Willis patrolling the midfield, Jason Pierre-Paul sacking the quarterback and Ed Reed playing center field. We've seen it in the past, and we're most likely going to see it again, if you dominate the trenches and you rush the quarterback, you will win the Super Bowl. In a season influenced by passing yards will be once again rewarded by hurries, knock downs and the crowd pleasing sacks.

2. Get Hot At The Right Time, And Be Rewarded
The Giants were hanging out in Six Flags for most of the season, following almost all of their big wins with embarrassing losses to sub par opponents. But finally, a Week 16 victory of their crosstown rivals provided the spark plug that got them out of their dungeon of inconsistency and into the ranks of the NFL's elite. They followed that game up with a convincing win against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East Championship Game. Their defense was re-energized, Eli Manning couldn't miss and Ahmad Bradshaw was running like a freight train. Beating the Falcons 24-2 was stunning. Yet their encore performance against the Packers on Sunday on the road was mind blowing. Unless of course you realize that if you get hot at the right time, you're almost unstoppable.

Last year's Packers, the 2007 Giants and the 2001 Patriots are all perfect examples of team's that caught fire at the end of the year, and turned it into a Super Bowl victory. It all makes sense though if you think of it like this. For a team to Win a Super Bowl, everything must click at the right time, it's an absolute perfect science. But nobody knows how to master it year in and year out, it comes and goes. Winning a Super Bowl is a combination of perfectly integrated team chemistry, offensive and defensive equilibrium and a small bit of luck. So why not have these things come in the waning weeks of the season? When everyone else is coasting at the speed limit, why not be driving like a New Yorker?

3. Being 15-1 Or 16-0 Ain't What It Looks Like

The Vikings were unstoppable in '98, until they reached their breaking point in the NFC Championship Game.

With the Packers being the latest victim of the 25 year old 15-1+ jinx, we realize that carrying a target on your back with a phenomenal record brings pressure that busts even the toughest of pipes. The '98 Vikings, '04 Steelers, the '07 Patriots and most recently this year's Packers all couldn't bear the burden of being the NFL's best. From about Week 10 or so on, a team that establishes itself at 9-1 or 10-0 will get everyone's best shot from the cellar dwellers to it's elite counterparts. Winning those last six games forces teams to exert an inhumane amount of effort, and by the time their resting during their first round bye they've most likely are so beaten up that they festering instead of healing. Even making the Super Bowl is quite an accomplishment for these teams.

Some people say that losses humble a team and while that is true, it doesn't mean that a 1 loss team is flying too high or remains overconfident. This team has taken such a serious beating all season because everyone wants to top the big shot, every team wants to have that victory over the NFL's best. No one should take this as an insult to those teams since the '85 Bears were successful as a 15-1 team, but it should be taken as a warning to any teams in the future looking to go 15-1.

4. Jim Harbaugh's Coaching Ability Is Already Undoubtedly Elite

I don't like to make bold statements about rookie coaches as I do for rookie players, because teams change from year-to-year more than players regress or progress year-to-year. However, Jim Harbaugh's 13-3 NFC Championship contender 49ers aren't what puts the rookie coach in the ranks of elite, it's the ability to turn the bonafide bust Alex Smith into a great leader.

Alex Smith was probably one bad season away from being tucked into the bag full of 1st round QB bust that includes JaMarcus Russell, Tim Couch and Ryan Leaf. That was, until, Harbaugh got his hands on him. After transforming Andrew Luck's raw talent into a polished product already ready for the NFL, he's changed Smith completely. He decreased his ridiculous turnover rate by reducing the pressure on him and being extremely confident in him. It did help having an elite defense, but Alex Smith's new found confidence is undeniable. It's extremely rare to see an NFL bust turn it around, that's why I give Harbaugh serious credit for digging Alex Smith out of his grave.

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The Life Of a New York Sports Fan In Boston

I was born, raised and corn-fed in the small town of Southampton, New York. Since my knee-high days I’ve been a New York sports fan through and through, but the not your typical one. Thanks(or no thanks) to my mother’s Buffalo-born influence, I root for the Sabres in the NHL and the Bills in the NFL, I’ve also, unfortunately, been forced intothe fanhood of the New York Mets by my father. The only team I can proudly stand up and rep hard is the New York Knicks, but even from the ages of 10 to 18 I had a hard time saying I’m a Knicks fan without getting a laugh. But my personal fanhood, excluding the Knicks, is not why I write this.

Once I stepped onto the Boston University campus two years, a sleeping seed started to grow inside my head; I’m a New Yorker. As soon as I began the numerous encounters with Boston sports fans, I immediately realized that my whole view of the sports world was altering; I could not stand them. This wasn’t out of personal hatred or some moral indecency they might have had. It was out of a personal love for the city I had subconsciously been supporting since the day I was born: the City of New York.

New York and Boston are each other’s least favorites. The same could be said of Philadelphia and New York, but Philadelphia does not have nearly half the championship pedigree that either city has, so that rivalry simply stems out of Philly’s inferiority complex. Anyways, after growing up in the last decade I watched Boston bathe in a euphoric bath of championships and dynasties. Aside from the Red Sox, I had already grown a passionate hatred toward the Celtics and Patriots. Then once the Bruins won their Stanley Cup last year, I added the Bruins to my list. While Boston was throwing championships parades seemingly on a monthly basis New York was toiling over Carlos Beltran’s bat on the shoulder, the Yankees inability to buy championships, Isiah Thomas’s destruction of the Knicks and futility of the Jets and Giants.

By February of 2007, I found myself rooting for the Giants in their Super Bowl matchup with the Patriots, and for once in my life I heavily rooted for a team from New York not named the Bills, Sabres, Knicks or Mets. I have a distinct memory of telling the Giants fans I had watched the game with. Tom Brady had just hit Randy Moss with what was seemingly the game winning TD, and all the Giants fans around me were already throwing in the towel saying “It’s ok, it was a great run.” I responded simply, “The Giants are going to win this game.” Once Eli hit Plaxico with the actual game winning TD, I cheered like I was a Giants fan. Why? Cause it was a win for New York and a loss for Boston.

Small moments such as that have instilled a truly pro-New York stance in my mind. Don’t get me wrong though, I haven’t abandoned the Mets for the Yankees, the Bills for the Giants or the Sabres for the Rangers. I simply have gained an acceptance for those teams as representatives of who I am today, boisterous, loud and passionate. Whenever I see an opportunity to hop in on a Boston/New York sports argument, yo can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to pull every inch of spots knowledge to prove the New York fan right. When the Giants are playing the Patriots, I’m rooting for the Giants. When the Jets are playing the Patriots, I’m rooting for the Jets. Being in such a hostile sports city like Boston, I realize that all New Yorkers must band together against or rival fans, just like our sports teams do. I’ve also grasped the fact that my “defense” of other New York teams has allowed those teams to grow on me. I no longer hate the Jets, though they’re in the Bills division. I don’t despise the Yankees even though they are clearly the better franchise. I even can say I enjoy watching the Rangers because they play in the Mecca of sports, MSG.

Growing up in NYC’s summer destination, listening to all the New York reppin’ rappers, and being surrounded by Boston fans has made my appreciation for New York grow in all facets. I listen to the New York radio stations on a daily basis and read ESPNNewYork.com all day to constantly remind me that I am a New Yorker and that’s what I’ll always be. Going to school in Beantown has put me in a 24/7 N.Y. State Of Mind and I can tell you it’s always Illmatic.  

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