The Only Football Blog

Dolphins Sign First Overall Pick, Jake Long

2008-04-22T17:13:00.002-04:00

As was speculated this past week, the Miami Dolphins have come to terms with their first pick, the #1 overall pick, in the 2008 draft. Their selection? None other than Jake Long, the stud offensive tackle out of Michigan. As I said in my previous post, I believe this to be the right move because anyone with football knowledge knows that the game are won in the trenches. And there's no better way to shore up a bad offensive line than by adding a big strong tackle like Long. He will immediately contribute to that line and help point them in the right direction.

Your move St. Louis.

My Mock Draft.... Picks 1-6

2008-04-14T12:08:00.003-04:00

With the draft coming up soon, everywhere you look you will see different Mock Drafts from the "experts" who manage to not be so expert most of the time. I'm not claiming that my picks are any better than theirs, but that many of the times I could have my dog put his paw on a name and have the picks be selected that way. That being the case, here is my official Mock Draft, picks 1-6, based on my opinion and perceived need for those teams.

#1. Miami Dolphins- Jake Long, OT, Michigan
There had been rumblings and rumors for a while now about who might be the #1 selected pick this year. Now while taking an offensive lineman isn't exactly the sexiest of picks, Long is believed to be the best OT in a draft in a long time. Everyone knows that games are won and lost in the trenches, and having a big strong tackle gives your QB the time he needs to excel. It has been reported recently that the Dolphins are in contract talks with Jake Long, furthering speculation that this is their guy. I personally believe it's the right move.

#2. St. Louis Rams- Chris Long, DE, Virginia
The second of the Long's (no relation) will go #2. Chris is a rare talent that had been rumored to be the #1 pick for a long while. St. Louis will be thrilled to get such a force at this pick and will have very little to think about. Their only other consideration here would be DT Glenn Dorsey, but with his injury concerns, Chris Long is a no-brainer.

#3. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
This is where the draft can get turned upside down. It took me a long time to decide between Ryan and Dorsey here. It just seems like the Falcon's need for a franchise quarterback after trading Matt Schaub is too great to pass on a guy like Matt Ryan.

#4. Oakland Raiders- Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
Again, deciding between one guy and Glenn Dorsey seems to be a recurring theme in this draft. Knowing Al Davis, there is no way he passes on the best player in this draft. McFadden is that can't miss running back who can make an impact right away like Peterson did for the Vikings.

#5. Kansas City Chiefs- Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
To me, this isn't the hardest of decisions. Kansas City had one of the worst offensive lines I've seen in a long time. Ideally, they would have Jake Long slip to them, but that's obviously not happening. Grabbing the second best tackle in the draft would help upgrade their line significantly.

#6. New York Jets- Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
This is the perfect pick for a Mangini team; a versatile player who would fit nicely in the 3-4 scheme they insist on using. Gholston is considered by some to disappear in games at times, but he had such an incredible workout that he has been listed as going much higher than 6. With McFadden off the board, some would argue that the Jets should trade out of the pick, but I like adding a guy like Gholston to this newly upgraded defense.

The Super Bowl Breakdown

2008-01-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

The time is ALMOST upon us. The most hyped up sporting event there is draws closer and closer. The day when companies will spend more on advertising then any other single day of the entire year. The Super Bowl. Where tickets are currently reselling at an average price of $4,300 per ticket, hitting as high as $19,446 in some cases.

Is it the BEST sporting event in the world? That's a question for another day. Today we will look deeply into Super Bowl XLll (42 if you don't know roman numerals).

The biggest question that remains regarding this matchup is pretty simple: Do the Giants even have a chance at defeating the New England Patriots, who have a record of 18-0 this season coming into the game? The only way to answer that question is to break down some specifics. Here goes:

Comparing Tom Brady to Eli Manning is like comparing a Ferrari to a Toyota Corolla; the Corolla is a good car and all, but I think if given the option, just about everyone would go with the Ferarri. I mean no disrespect towards Eli Manning, but Tom Brady plays football at a level that hasn't been named yet. It's not elite. It's better. This will be the Patriots 4th Super Bowl in 7 seasons. Tom Brady has been the commanding general for all four and has been superb in finding ways to get his team to win. Oh and any thought that this boot on his foot you've seen lately will have any affect on his game next Sunday should just be dismissed now. Advantage: Brady of course.

The running backs breakdown is not so cut and dry. Laurence Maroney, after having an abysmal season for about 3/4 of this past year, has started to come into his own on the field. He has been near dominant when the Patriots have given him the ball over the last several weeks. But on the other side of the ball, you have the real "thunder and lightning" in Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. If anyone saw that hit Jacobs put on Charles Woodson in the NFC championship on his first carry, you know that NO cornerback in the entire league wants to ever try to tackle that man again. Bradshaw, on the other hand, brings an entirely different element to the running game. He is the pure lightning. The man can flat out move. Advantage: Giants

It is very hard to argue with what the Patriots have done through the air this season. Without anyone even coming close, the Patriots have been the best passing team in the league. You cannot do that without great receivers. Randy Moss, in many people's opinions, should have been the MVP. If you watched him play, which I did a lot, you saw him make Tom Brady look amazing. I'm pretty sure he goes into the huddle and says, "Tom, just throw the ball up. I don't care if the entire defense is guarding me. I'll catch it." Tom says "ok Randy" and does as he is told. That is clearly evidenced by Moss' record setting 23 touchdown catches. Add that with the great output by slot receiver Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth and you have one hell of a deadly receiving game.

You cannot, however, discount the Giants passing game. Plaxico Burress has been nothing short of amazing this season, all while playing injured the entire time. Amani Toomer is a sure-handed receiver who has been anchoring this squad for years. These two will need to come up huge for the Giants to have ANY chance of winning the game. Advantage: Patriots

One factor that is often overlooked in football is the offensive line. Anyone who knows a lot about football knows that the game is won in the trenches. Games are won and lost by how their offensive line fares against the opposing defensive line. That's what makes this game a lot more intriguing than people realize. You have in my opinion the best offensive line in years going against one of the best defensive lines in the game now. The Giants led the league in sacks this year, while the Patriots offensive line has been nothing short of the Great Wall of China. I do have to say, however, that this great wall has looked a little less prominent past few weeks in the playoffs. Advantage: Giants

So now that we have looked closely at the matchup itself, the question you should be asking me right now is, "So Justin, who exactly do YOU think is going to win this game?" Well I'm really glad you asked that. It's a very good, yet complex question. And here is my way of answering it: I believe this game will be closer than the 12 points Vegas is giving the Giants as underdogs. I will go as far as to say there is a chance the Giants can possibly pull this one off, even with the Patriots on a roll like no other team has been on before in the history of the game. Let's rememeber a few things here. The Patriots have had some VERY VERY close games towards the end of the season. The Ravens were a dumb timeout away from beating them. The Eagles were a stupid interception away from beating them. The Giants were some better clock management away from beating them. The JETS even had a chance to knock off this team. They are beatable. All you need to do is get to Tom Brady and knock him around. This is something the Giants defense knows a thing or two about. If they can find a way to sack him, knock him down, get in his head, they can force him to make mistakes. And remember this important stat: Randy Moss the great has exactly 2 receptions and 32 yards so far this postseason. To put that into perspective, those stats are about equivalent to Giants tight end Kevin Boss.

So I haven't really answered the question yet have I? All I can say is this; the Patriots are one game away from cementing themselves as possibly the best team to ever play the game. To go 19-0 in a season is one of the, if not the hardest task to accomplish in all of sports. If the Giants want any shot of winning, they need Eli to continue to not make a single turnover, they need their defense to hit Brady, they need to continue having Burress dominate the game, they need to continue running the ball effectively, they need to stop Brady from tearing up secondaries, they need to.......Get my drift?

Final Prediction: As much as I want the Giants to win this game due to an incredible disliking for Bill Belichick, I believe the game will go as follows: close game for most of the time, but the Patriots will prevail by a score of 34-27.

Hitler Loves the Cowboys

2008-01-26T19:34:00.000-05:00

One of the funniest videos I've seen in a while

http://youtube.com/watch?v=K2triiYXSY8

Brady seen Wearing cast on foot in New York

2008-01-21T23:25:00.000-05:00

Tom Brady was seen wearing a cast on his right foot in New York today while on his way to visit his girlfriend, Gisele whatever her name is. Although Brady was quoted saying that he would have to be in a stretcher to miss the Super Bowl, this could be a significant factor in favor of the Giants come Bowl time. Brady has looked less than stellar lately, and if not for their defense and play of Maroney, things might have been different. And all of this was against a team with a QB who had surgery the week before the game, an injury to the best running back in the league and an injury to the best tight end in the league. Imagine having an ineffective Brady versus a team that is healthy (minus Shockey..but that's old news already) and playing really well.

Coming To America Predicts Giants Winning

2008-01-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

I was sent this link earlier today and I was laughing my ass off. If anyone has seen Coming to America, you probably remember the scene but didn't think of it after the Giants beat the Packers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izArWUVtMC4

Favre Just Being Favre.....O and the Packers Winning too

2008-01-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

You think Brett Favre still loves playing in the NFL after ALL these years? It was pretty hard to tell with him celebrating everywhere and throwing snowballs at his linemen/running backs during the game. Brett Favre, today at the age of 38, looks like the Brett Favre of 95': completely dominant. How someone can be at the top of his game after all this time continues to blow my mind. It would be safe to say that I am developing a slight man crush for the man. How can you not after all he has done this season?

And oh yeah, the Packers just destroyed the Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs. That was one hell of a game to say the least. So many story lines, so little time and space to write about them.

Let's start with the word redemption. Fumbling the ball two times on your first two possessions leading to 14 points for the opposing team. Not exactly the most ideal of starts for my boy Ryan Grant. How about these ending numbers: 201 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Now THAT'S redemption. Those 201 yards were a franchise record in the postseason for the Packers.

Next word: record-breaking. Okay. That was two words. Or one. What is the rule with hyphens anyway? On top of Ryan Grants postseason rushing record of 201 yards, Brett Favre passed John Elway for 2nd most passing yards ever in a postseason game, & the 42 points scored were a Packers postseason record as well.

Last word: skull-breaking. Only phrase I could think of when having to describe Atari Bigby. That first half was all about Bigby on the defensive side of the ball. He was knocking people out left and right, starting with that perfect hit on Bubba Franks to cause the fumble that was recovered by Kampman. That set the tone for the half. He had several over bone crushing hits. His presence was felt so strongly that Bobby Engram dropped the ball in the red zone because he felt Bigby approaching. Talk about hearing footsteps.

All in all, great game by the Green Bay Packers, all around. Nothing signified that game better than Brett Favre nearly getting sacked, stumbling around about to fall and just tossing the ball into the hands of an open Donald Lee for the first down to lead to a touchdown. You just knew the game was in the Packers' hands.

Bring on the Cowboys...... I mean the winner of the other divisional game.

** feel free to Digg the article on Digg.com so others can enjoy the story as well. (pardon shameless promotion)
http://www.digg.com/all/football/upcoming

*** UPDATE***
For starters, my appologies to all Giants fans, I definitely did not see that coming. I'm not too sure half the Giants fans saw that coming. Good stuff though.

Second, my bad on the reference to Bigby hitting Bubba Franks and not Marcus Pollard. That's what happens when I try to sneak in a post while on a vacation with the girlfriend yelling at me for being on the computer the whole time.

Owens Looks as Though he Might Play

2008-01-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look as though Terrell Owens will be playing in this Sunday's game against the New York Giants. The star receiver returned to practice today for the first time since injuring his ankle. Although he was seen to have a slight limp at certain times, he was running routes and catching balls, all good signs.

This is monumental news for both sides, amazing for the Cowboys and horrible for the Giants. We all know what T.O. has done to the Giants this season, and it hasn't been pretty. Keep him off the field and I truly believe the Giants can win. Keep him on the field, and it's looking a little in the favor of the Boys'.

End of the Year Awards.....the way I see it

2008-01-08T22:39:00.000-05:00

So now that our lovely regular season has been in the books for a little, it is definitely time to take a look at at the season that was. This season was far from normal in any way, shape or form. The following are the awards that I see fit. We'll start it off with the cliche one.

MVP: To be honest, when I sat down to right this piece, I was putting in Randy Moss. To me, he was the reason that Tom Brady was so ridiculously amazing. Then I did my research and found some really, really scary stats: Let's say we were to take away ALL of Moss' stats. I mean all of his near 1500 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns and pretend they never existed and no one else made up for those yards. In this world I just mentioned, Brady would STILL be in the top 9 of QBs in touchdowns and top 10 or so in passing yards. That is just about the scariest thing I've ever heard in my life. That being the case, there is no way I can make a valid argument for MVP for anyone other than Tom Brady.

Biggest Dirtbag of the Year Award: Now this was definitely a tough one. So many choices, so little time. Who am I kidding? There is one and only one choice for this award, if you want to call it that: The one. The only. Darth Hoodie himself.

Belichick: "Wow. It is such an honor to win this award. So many people I'd like to thank. First off, all of the teams that allowed me to be a scumbag and run up the score when already up 90-0. O, and all of the refs that helped pave the road towards perfection. Eric Mangini for ratting me out. I thought we were boys. That is all."

Rookie of the Year: Short and Sweet. Adrian Peterson. Next! Out of Nowhere Player of Year: This was a tough one to decide, due to there being 2 players I felt really deserved this award. I had to go with my boy, Ryan Grant, however. Let's toss some stats at you: 986 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Not that impressive, right? Wrong. He did this in 10 games. Grant was not the team's starter until week 8. Do some deductive reasoning and you could put his season's totals around 1600 yards rushing and 13-14 touchdowns had he started the whole season. I can't wait to see this kid play a whole season next year.

Fantasy Stud of the Year: You probably were the #1 or #2 seed in the playoffs if you had this guy: none other than the Golden Boy himself again, Tom Brady. Back to his scary stats: Brady scored 390 fantasy points this season. The second best player? 307. That's one hell of a difference when you look at the rest of the leaders and notice their differences are about 5 points or so between them. Not 83 points.

(he only gets one picture of him. He doesn't need two)

Fantasy Surprise of the Year: As a consolation if you will for not winning the Out of Nowhere Award, Derek Anderson is a no-brainer for the fantasy surprise of the year. When he had that ridiculous game against Cincinnati way back when, no one in their right minds thought that he was going to perform at a high level all season. Well I guess score one for the people not in their right minds. With the exception for the last few weeks (when I needed him the most....damn you Anderson) Anderson was a fantasy stud.

Biggest Joke of a Team Award: This award is not as simple as it may appear. First off, I can't even discount my own beloved Jets for this award considering their pathetic play. The nominees include my Jets, the lowly Dolphins, Chiefs, and Falcons. After much consideration I feel that no other team truly deserves it than the Kansas City Chiefs. Allow me to explain. Although the Dolphins appear to be the clear-cut winners, if you look closely, they had MANY games decided by 6 points or less. They just happened to come out on the losing side every single time. That's what happens when you lose your franchise running back and your quarterbacks as well. The Falcons were the next consideration, but they lost one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the game and actually had a pulse towards the end of the season. The Chiefs truly won it for me after watching the last game of the season, vs. the Jets. I haven't seen a bigger joke of a team in years. They could barely pick up a first down, let alone score any points. I understand you lost your running back and all for a while, but come on. That and their "coach" seemed to be "trying" real hard that last game against the Jets. Sandbagging anyone?

So that wraps up another wonderful regular season of the NFL. We still have some games to be played and some New England Patriots Super Bowl Championships to be won.

Garrard Leads Jags over Steelers

2008-01-06T03:56:00.000-05:00

Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This game was both, for both teams. First half it looked as though the Jaguars would win by 30. Ben Roethlisberger looked like Eli Manning out there, and the Jags were dominant. Then the fourth quarter rolls around and all of a sudden the Steelers look amazing, and the Jags look like they want to blow an 18 point lead.

But in the end, the team I was hoping would win, did just that. The Jaguars accomplished something no team has ever done before: beat the Pittsburgh Steelers two times in a season in Pittsburgh. I can see why. It's an incredibly tough stadium to go into, between the field and conditions themselves and the fact that the Steelers have always been a very well run franchise.

So as myself and many other people have been saying for the past month or so, I really don't believe I'd want to play the Jacksonville Jaguars if I were any team. I don't care if you are the Colts or the Patriots, there is something about these Jags I don't want to mess with. They possess a scary combination of great defense and great run game, while having an incredibly efficient quarterback. Although he was far from perfect tonight, Garrard still kept his cool and ran for that 40 yard run on 4th and 2 with the season on the line. That's no easy task for anyone.

So all in all, very nice game for the Jags. They blew a huge lead, but kept their composure and took care of business. I wish them the best of luck in the next round; they'll need it.

The Comeback that Keeps on Giving

2008-01-03T18:39:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the holiday season that was, the Dolphins have been given a late gift, the renewed contract of a certain "ex" pothead, Ricky Williams. Williams had been suspended many times over for his repeated violation of the league's substance abuse policy and was at the time thought to have given up football for good. This season he attempted to come back and lasted a monstrous 6 carries before suffering a torn pectoral muscle.

Apparently the Dolphins are so desperate for talent that they'll be toyed around for the 17th time by Williams' alleged dedication to not only staying clean, but getting/keeping himself in playing shape.

I personally don't buy this at all. I believe that you are who you are. Certain people love to play football. Ricky Williams loves to smoke marijuana. From what I've "heard" about marijuana, it doesn't mix well with playing a gladiator's sport like football. For this reason, I believe that the Dolphins are setting themselves up once again for disappointment, thinking that they can have a nice duo or trio of Ronnie Brown, Jesse Chatman, and Ricky Williams.

Tuna makes Quick Disposal of Cameron

2008-01-03T18:19:00.000-05:00

Bill Parcells is moving pretty swiftly in Miami. Shortly after firing the GM, Parcells has decided that Cam Cameron is not the man for the job, after this abysmal 1 win in his first year as coach. Just to put things in perspective, next season will mark the 5th different coach in 5 years in Miami. Now if that's not the model of stability, I don't know what is.

http://www.espn.com/ is reporting that Cowboys assistant head coach Tony Sparano is the early front-runner to fill the vacancy. Other possible candidates for the job include Rex Ryan (Ravens defensive coordinator), Maurice Carthon (Cardinals running backs coach), Mike Tice (Jaguars assistant head coach/tight ends coach), Todd Haley (Cardinals offensive coordinator) and Leslie Frazier (Vikings defensive coordinator).

The only two members of the Dolphins coaching staff to be retained during the purge were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards.

May I wish good luck to whoever is so "lucky" to fill the vacant head coaching position. You'll need it.

Belichick Named Cheater of the Year

2008-01-03T18:15:00.000-05:00

Bill Belichick was named Cheater, i mean Coach, of the year today. This is the Hoodie's second time winning the award in 4 years, something only the best of cheaters can accomplish. I guess the voters were not considering his being caught cheating, the personal $500,000 fine, the team's $250,000 fine, and loss of one of their first round picks, that were all caused by Belichick himself. Oh well, it's not like they're going to the win the Super Bowl or anything. (sarcastic comment detected)

2008 NFL Draft Order so Far

2008-01-01T18:04:00.001-05:00

As of right now, these are the guaranteed positions for this upcoming draft. By the way, thank you Jets for beating a team that was trying to lose so that they could steal away a better pick from you. Nothing like securing the 6th pick in the draft instead of the 3rd. Atlanta, Oakland, and Kansas, by having the same record as well as the same strength of schedule tie-breaker, will have a series of coin flips to determine who drafts where from the 3-5 spots.

#1. Miami Dolphins (1-15) No shocker there
#2. St. Louis Rams (3-13) I can't believe they didn't pull off a few more wins
#3. * Atlanta Falcons (4-12)
#4. * Oakland Raiders (4-12)
#5. * Kansas City Chiefs (4-12) Thank Herm, always knew how to stick it to the Jets
#6. New York Jets (4-12) Offseason Plans: Team Overhaul
#7. New England (from SF) We take away their 1st rounder and yet they still get to pick #7. Those damn cheaters always have something up their sleeves.
#8. Baltimore Ravens (5-11) Bye Bye Billick. Defense couldn't carry this offensively challenged team anymore.
#9. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9) Carson Palmer was quoted saying that he thinks the Bengals need coaching changes. Nothing like throwing your coach under the bus Carson.
#10. New Orleans Saints (7-9) You know the NFC is bad when the Saints on their last game of the season just missed making the playoffs, yet they secured the 10th overall pick.
#11. Buffalo Bills (7-9)
#12. Denver Broncos (7-9) Huge step backwards for the team. Many questions to answer this offseason.
#13. Carolina Panthers (7-9) Just as many questions to answer, especially at the quarterback and defensive positions.
#14. Chicago Bears (7-9) Defensive powerhouse no more. Thank god they have a great offense. Oh wait......
#15. Detroit Lions (7-9) It was obvious that by 10 wins, Jon Kitna meant 7. I don't know how you have that offense and not win more games. I guess firing Mike Martz is a start.
#16. Arizona Cardinals (8-8) They're in a position to either have a decent offseason and finally move forward to respectability, or backtrack to the Cardinals everyone knows and loves.
#17. Minnesotta Vikings (8-8) So close, yet so far from making the playoffs. If they could only get a half-decent quarterback and some people to throw the ball to, this would be a dangerous team.
#18. Houston Texans (8-8) Although I wouldn't call 8-8 a great year by any stretch of the imagination, I think the Texans are poised for a huge year next year. The pieces are finally coming together over in Houston.
#19. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) The biggest question of the off-season: who will be quarterbacking the Eagles next year. I'd say it's definitely possible to likely that a guy named McNabb will NOT be.

The rest of the order will be based on how teams fare in the playoffs. One thing to note, the Cowboys will receive two of the remaining 12 picks, having received Cleveland's first round pick.

Playoff Picture

2007-12-31T01:11:00.000-05:00

So now that everything is settled, let's look at how it all dusts off. With their destiny in their own hands, both the Redskins and Titans took care of business and won to secure their respective wild card berths.

Saturday January 5th: Jags vs. Steelers (going to be a great game)
Redskins vs. Seahawks (not as great)

Sunday January 6th: Titans vs. Chargers
Giants vs. Bucs

The first round byes go to the Patriots and Colts in the AFC and the Cowboys and Packers in the NFC.

Check back during the week for an up close analysis of all of the matchups.

The Perfect Season

2007-12-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

The Patriots have done it. The perfect regular season. 16-0. As much as I despise them as a team, I'll tip my cap to the accomplishment because it is so incredibly rare and hard to pull off. Congrats to Brady and Moss for setting single season records at their respective positions; Brady's 50 passing tds breaks Peyton Manning's record of 49 and Randy Moss' 23 receiving touchdowns breaks Jerry Rice's 22. The Patriots also broke the 1998 Minnesota Vikings single season record for points scored at 556 points. The Patriots ended the season at 582 points. So all in all, it was one hell of a season for those cheaters...I mean players.

Thank you NFL......sort of

2007-12-27T15:04:00.000-05:00

It was announced yesterday that the NFL has decided to broadcast the New England Patriots vs. New York Giants game on two additional channels, NBC and CBS. This is a big deal because otherwise, you would have 85% of the population struggling to find a way to watch history in the making. Granted it would have been nice of Mr. Goodell to allow the same thing for the much anticipated Cowboys Packers game, but beggars can't be choosers.

So allow me say thank you NFL.....sort of. Just to briefly get into it, let's all be honest here. As much as everyone, myself included, would like to think of this as the NFL being so nice and generous to its customers, let's not be fooled. There is one and only one reason that Roger Goodell is allowing this game to be viewed by the general public: fear of the United States Congress. There have been anti-trust issues/complaints regarding the broadcasting restrictions of certain games to the NFL Network. Due to this, Goodell is being sensible of avoiding an outcry by the people, which would lead to an outcry by Congress (most notably John Kerry) to make the game viewable by all.

So in response to Goodell's claims of this move being made because it is in the "best interest of our fans," I say give me a damn break. We're not fooled by this move at all. You care about money, money, protecting your ass, and more money. If this wasn't the case, there would have been deals in place to have the NFL on regular cable networks a long time ago.

Regardless of the intentions, which I'll never believe to be benign on the NFL's behalf, I'll still say thank you for letting us all watch the Patriots(cheaters) finish off their perfect regular season.

The Giant Dilemma

2007-12-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

A predicament of monumental proportions has graced us with its presence. We stand less then a week away from the possibility of history. The New England Patriots, currently sitting at 15-0, have an opportunity to achieve the incredibly elusive perfect season. The perfect season is so hard to achieve because there are so many things that work against it. You have tough matchups, injuries, and then you have the resting your players for the playoffs decision. When added together, these factors make the accomplishment extremely rare. All of this being the case, here we have the most hated team in the National Football League on the brink of doing the impossible. I say most hated because it's safe to say the combination of Bill Belichick's demeanor and his desire to run up the score on teams all season probably have placed the team in the darker of lights.

Back to where I was going with this. The predicament I touched upon before lays in the hands of the New York Giants, not the New England Patriots. I already believe that the Patriots should be careful with the use of Randy Moss and Tom Brady. Naturally Bill Belichick will do nothing of the sort on Sunday. The main issue here is what the New York Giants should do. They've clinched the playoffs. In some schools of thought, there is not a reason in the world Jacobs, Burress, Manning, Strahan, and Umenyiora should even sniff the field. But let us look at this at a higher level. Let's all be honest here. The Giants should consider themselves lucky if they even make it out of the wild card round. They cannot beat the Cowboys. They cannot beat the Packers. I don't even believe they can go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks. So if Tom Coughlin sees the reality of the situation, that his team does not have a shot in the world to make it to the Super Bowl, why not set out and do something special.

Why not leave all of your starters in and do everything in your power to be that team that stops the New England Patriots from going perfect this season? You will be remembered for it. Amidst a season of turmoil for the Giants, having pulled their usual disappearing act in the 2nd half of the season, they can salvage some true pride from the rest of the league and the fans if they can find a way to go out there and defeat the hated Patriots. OR, you can rest your players, get blown out and embarrassed by the Pats, and lose in the first of if your lucky, 2nd round of the playoffs and call it a season. The choice is yours.

Championship Sunday Injury Updates

2007-12-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

Today's the big day. If you are like myself, you are playing in a championship game today in at least one of your leagues. That being the case, you need to make sure no one currently on your starting roster may be out or limited in the game to give you the best shot at glory. Here are some current injury issues:

1) Larry Fitzgerald: He is expected to play although he was used in a limited role in practice all week, while Boldin was seeing more and more action. I wouldn't expect a big week from him at all. Use another option if at all possible.

2) Marques Colston: Again, he is expected to play. He did, however, wake up with a back issue on Friday, which doesn't bode well for the game. If the back problem flares up, I don't expect too much from him. If it doesn't, it's going to be business as usual with him.

3) LenDale White: Probable. Will Play

4) Brian Westbrook: This is the biggest problem in my eyes (well that's probably because he's on my starting roster right now). He burned me once this season when he was listed as Questionable because he always plays when questionable, or so I thought. Again he is listed questionable with a knee problem. As of now, always assume that he is playing. Check back here around 12:30 to see if I have updated his status. If not, expect 100+ total yards and a TD or two.

5) Laverneous Coles: OUT. IR. Expect a big day from Jerricho Cotchery

6) Jesse Chatman and and Samkon Gado will be splitting carries

Good luck everyone in your fantasy championship games.

If I were the Patriots............

2007-12-23T04:10:00.000-05:00

Very rarely do I ever sit around and think to myself, "you know Justin, I think it's necessary to give the Patriots some advice right now so they are better off." Well, this is one of those rare moments. Let's take a look at what has happened over the last few days and put things into perspective. Several days ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers get a needed win, but lose their #1 running back, the running back with the most yards in the league. Tonight, the Dallas Cowboys get a much needed win to help them clinch home-field advantage, but possibly lose their #1 play maker, T.O. Starting to catch my drift?

So let's say I'm the New England Patriots (something that hurts to even consider) and I'm about to play Miami this week and the Giants next week. I've already locked up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I am the best team the NFL might have ever seen. It's great to be me. Keep in mind this is the NFL: things can change in the blink of an eye. What happens if either superstar Tom Brady or just as superstar Randy Moss get injured over these next two weeks? The Dolphins are playing for pride and the Giants have a hard-hitting tough defense. It's not crazy to think that either of these events could happen.

You know what happens if either go down with a serious injury? They do not make it to the Super Bowl. As crazy as this can sound, but the Indianapolis Colts have been quietly getting healthier and playing better and better completely unnoticed. Everyone is so fixated on the Patriots that no one seems to notice the Colts play of late. I mean, come on. What's a 5-game winning streak when another team has their own personal 14-game one going?

All of this said, here is what I would do if I were Bill Belichick: play Tom Brady and Randy Moss tomorrow for the first half only. Let Brady throw three touchdown passes to Moss and then call it an afternoon/early evening. The Dolphins are going to score 6 points tomorrow. Maybe even let them play the first quarter than pack it up. THEN, next week when the Giants come in having already clinched the playoffs because they're going to beat Buffalo tomorrow, you don't even play Brady or Moss. The Giants are not going to need to win that game, and will therefore rest Burress, Jacobs, and some other key guys so they can get healthy for the playoffs. I'm sure that a Brady and Moss-less team can still beat the Giants without their key players. This way, you still get your lovely perfect season, but more importantly you keep your Super Bowl rings in sight.

I probably stand rather alone in this view because the opportunity to go perfect in a season comes along very very rarely. But what the Patriots need to ask themselves is this: Is going perfect but possibly losing a top player for the playoffs really worth it? I know what my answer would be.

T.O. Injures Ankle

2007-12-23T04:06:00.000-05:00

They managed to beat the lowly Panthers without him for half of the game, but Terrell Owens went down in the first half with what is being called a "high ankle sprain" as of the moment. In NFL language that can mean anything from a little twist to torn cartilage for all we know. Hopefully for his and Cowboys sake, it's nothing a little week 17 and first week bye rest can't solve. The Cowboys are an explosive team with T.O. on the field and they would lose any chance to make it to the Super Bowl without him in my opinion.

The Only Baseball Blog

2007-12-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

For all those out there interested in baseball as well, I will be expanding into a baseball blog, naturally by the name of www.TheOnlyBaseballBlog.com. I'm still working on putting everything together, but it should be up and running in the next day or so.

It will be run by myself, while having a few baseball intellects joining me for interesting posts daily. We will cover everything, from team analysis to fantasy advice to debates over certain baseball issues. So come check it out over the next week. Just because it's December doesn't mean it's ever too early for baseball.

Willie Parker out for Season

2007-12-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

The NFL's leading rusher, Willie Parker, will miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg last night in the game against the Rams. The injury took place on his first carry of the game.

Although Najeh Davenport played very well in Parker's absence, this is definitely going to be a very big blow to the team. Pittsburgh is in a position where they needed to gain some momentum going into the playoffs. Losing one of the best running backs in the game is not what they had in mind.

Davenport is more of a one dimensional runner, while Parker had several skill sets. This was definitely hurt the Steelers in the next few weeks.

MidWeek Pick'em

2007-12-19T19:56:00.001-05:00

Rams: 7 1/2 Underdog to Steelers (Thursday)
Cowboys: 10 1/2 Favorite over Panthers (Saturday)
Browns: 3 1/2 Favorite over Bengals
Packers: 8 1/2 Favorite over Bears
Texans: 7 1/2 Underdog to Colts
Chiefs: 4 1/2 Underdog to Lions
Giants: 2 1/2 Underdog to Bills
Jaguars: 11 1/2 Favorite over Raiders
Eagles: 3 1/2 Underdog to Saints
Cardinals: 10 1/2 Favorite over Falcons
Ravens: 9 1/2 Underdog to Seahawks
Jets: 9 1/2 Underdog to Titans
Dolphins: 23 1/2 Underdog to Patriots
Bucs: 7 1/2 Favorite over 49ers
Vikings: 6 1/2 Favorite over Redskins
Chargers: 8 1/2 Favorite over Broncos

NFC Pro Bowl Selections (offense)

2007-12-18T23:15:00.001-05:00

Starting Quarterback- Brett Favre (my boy)
QB- Matt Hasselback
QB- Tony Romo

Starting Running Back- Adrian Peterson
RB- Marion Barber
RB- Brian Westbrook

Starting Wide Receiver- Terrell Owens
Starting Wide Receiver- Larry Fitzgerald
WR- Donald Driver
WR- Torry Holt

Starting Tight End- Jason Witten
TE- Chris Cooley