AFC Championship Game this Sunday!

On Sunday the New York Jets will play the Indianapolis Colts. I am completely shocked the Jets and championship are mentioned in the same sentence! It is absolutely unbelievable that the Jets have made it this far! They were fortunate to make it into the playoffs and faced two vulnerable teams in the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Diego Chargers as both teams played ugly and flat against the Jets because they seemed stuck making the games painful to watch for the viewers. PK Nate Kaeding, who hadn’t missed all throughout the regular season, missed three FGs of 42, 34, 45 yards. Marky Sanchize (yeah, thats what I call him) was pitiful in both games but did just enough to get the wins. In the game against the Bengals he had thrown for 182 yards and one TD. The game he played against the Chargers he had 100 yards, a TD & 1 INT. The Jets have reached this far on the strength of their offensive line and the outstanding play of Darrelle Revis along with the rest of the defense. Now I love defense but I also love points scored and exciting games. The Jets have done just enough to get by and as an NFL fan its extremely painful to watch the garbage games they play! Rookie Shonn Greene has run the ball with a vengeance; He had close to 200 yards and a TD in both of the games.

NY Jets Rookie RB Shonn Greene #23 rushes for a touchdown in the 4th Quarter against the 13-3 San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.

 I think the Jets luck will run out this week. The Colts are a better team with a Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning because I don’t think a rookie quarterback who had 12 TDs and 20 INTs will be able to play at the level he has to. We will be cheated out of a potential classic game if either Manning, Drew Brees, or Brett Favre isn’t playing in the Super Bowl.. It would make me absolutely sick to see Sanchize throw for 95 yards  and 2 INT in the Super Bowl. Lets go Colts! Beat them sorry J-E-T-S, Jets…Jets…JETS!!

Akron Caps Season off with Victory over EMU

  The Akron Zips concluded their undesirable season with a 28-21 win over the hapless Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-12) on Nov 27th at InfoCision Stadium in Akron, Ohio. With the victory, the Zips finished their season (3-9) and (2-6 MAC). The young teams will have a lot of maturing to do throughtout the offseason and through Spring Training.

Akron Zips symbol

  Senior RB Alex Allen would lead the team with two touchdowns and finished with 50 yards on 14 carries. Akron pushed its lead to 14 points on Senior WR Dashan Miller‘s 29-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as Miller finished with 49 yards rushing on two carries. His successor Freshman RB Broderick Alexander would gain only four yards more with no touchdowns. Young freshman QB Patrick Nicely was playing as such and was not playing “nicely”, as he almost threw the game away with 2 INTs and one fumble. Before the first half, DB Miguel Graham intercepted Eastern Michigan Freshman QB, Alex Gillett pass and returned it 62 yards for touchdown to make the score 21-14 at halftime.

Gillett, who went 16-for-30, passed for 148 yards and two interceptions for the Eagles (0-12, 0-8). The quarterback also ran for 102 yards on seventeen carries, including a 27-yard touchdown run in second quarter. Dwayne Priest also had two rushing toushdowns for Eastern Michigan.

Stat Attack:    Akron: 1st Downs-14 ; Total Yards-310 ; Passing-117 ; Rushing-193 ; Penalties-6 for 54 yards ; 3rd DWN CONV: 4-11 ; 4th DWN CONV: 0-2 ; Turnovers-3 ; Possession-25:14

Eastern Michigan: 1st Downs-19 ; Total Yards-320 ; Passing-148 ; Rushing-172 ; Penalties-3 for 25 yards ; 3rd DWN CONV: 10-17 ; 4th DWN CONV: 1-2 ; Turnovers-2 ; Possession-34:46  EMU has lost 17 consecutive games within the past 2 seasons (08-09).

Giant NO show

It seemed as if the Giants didn’t even show up to todays game against the Panthers. The Giants just looked flat the whole game. They gave up 24 points in the first half. A Steve Smith TD in the First quarter was called back as a result of a hold by FB Madison Hedgecock. Mario Manningham followed this series of unfortunate events with a fumble. The Giants never got back on track. It was like watching a bad movie id seen before. The Giants put their stamp on a bad season and waved goodbye to their playoffs hope. It now takes not 1 but 2 losses from the Cowboys and a win by the Giants. I don’t think the Giant have any chance of beating the Vikings. If this is how they show up to the final game at Giants Stadium, with the playoffs on the line, I don’t see them playing well in their season finale.

Jonathan Stewart torched the Giants for 206 yards and a TD. They also made third year backup QB,Matt More look like a stud. He was 15/20 for 171 yards and 3 TDs. Steve Smith had 5 REC for 60 yards and a TD. Muhsin Muhammad had 3 REC for 56 yards and a TD. The Giants really have no stats worth mentioning other than Eli Manning was 29/36 for 296 yards TD 2 INT. This was a uguly,painful game for Giants fans. Final score (41-9) better luck next year.

Osi lets it out

 Lots of emotion in the post-game locker room, but no one seemed more upset than DE Osi Umenyiora, who complained about his lack of playing time and said this was not only his last game in Giants Stadium, but “probably as a Giant.”He said his lack of playing time was “an unbelievable situation” and that the way things have gone for him this season has been “complete nonsense.” He added “the way everything else unfolded it was really unbelievable. It is what it is. We live and we learn.”
Then he abruptly ended the session by saying “I can’t answer any more questions. I’ll probably say something that will get me really messed up.” Reported by the NY Daily News.

Giants Stomp Skins

On Monday night at chilly Fed Ex Field, the Giants stomped out the Redskins(45-12). The Giants dominated in all aspects of the game. Ahmad Bradshaw started the game off with a bang scoring 2 TDs in the first half. He finished the night with 9 CAR for 61 yards and 3 REC for 29 yards. Brandon Jacobs was not nearly as effective with 16 CAR for 52 yards. Hakeem the dream Nicks continues the impress with 2 REC for 66 yards. Kevin Boss had a nice game as well with 3 REC for 57 yards. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham had quiet nights aside form scoring a TD a piece. Former Miami Dolphin Derek Hagan had his first TD as a Giant.

The Defense played as a punishing unit with 5 sacks and 3 INT. CB Terrell Thomas Took one to the house 14 yards off QB Jason Campbell. It was very exciting to see the Giants finally play at such a high level on defence. They will have to play with the same intensity in their two remaining games if they have any chace of making the playoffs.

It has been said that this season reminds people of 2007 when the giants came out of nowhere and won the Super Bowl. I don’t Agree with this at all. That was a very different team that struggled throughout the year they really didn’t find themselves untill the end of the season. This team has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the year. The offense has been on fire at times. Eli Manning has definitely arrived and is securing his place as one of the league’s top QBs. In 2007 he was still testing the waters and really grew up right before our eyes during that amazing run to become a world champion. Like DE Justin Tuck said “Theres no quit in this team” they are in it to win it. Any time a team reaches the playoffs they have a chance to achieve something special.

This Sunday the Giants( 8-6) play their final game ever at Giants Stadium. They will be matched up against the Carolina Panthers(6-8). If this game is anything like last years high scoring affair we are in for a treat. The Panthers played great last week upsetting the Vikings (26-7). The Giants should be able to overpower Carolina on defense. If they can contain Steve Smith, and the rushing attack of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart the Giants will win big. The Giants just need to continue to do what they did against the Redskins. I expect them to continue to fight for the right to represent the NFC in the playoffs.

Giants @ Redskins Preview

Tonight the Giants (7-6) Travel to Fed Ex Field in Landover Maryland to face the Washington Redskins (4-9). The temperature is projected to be a frigid 28 degrees. I expect this game to be a typical hard-fought NFC east battle, with the Giants coming out on top. The Skins have been playing better football lately with near wins over the Cowboys, Eagles, and Saints. Last week they took care of the Raiders in dominating fashion 34-13. The problem that the skins have is: They have a bad coach, bad QB, Portis is hurt, they have no receivers, Santana Moss is coming to the end of his career and has been invisible this year. On the bright side of things they have a good all around defense which gives them a chance to win games.

I expect the Giants to play well. The remainder of their games are must wins if they have any chance of making the playoffs. They need to give the skins a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants played great against Philly on offense, so I expect them to come out with the same intensity. Look for Hakeem the dream to have another big night. I also expect Steve Smith and Kevin Boss to have solid games. If the Giants Can get pressure on Jason Campbell and not let guys blow by them in the secondary they will win by at least a TD. CB Corey Webster and Tackle Kareem McKenzie are both listed as doubtful. CB Aaron Ross is listed as questionable.

Giants put up 526 yards of offense and come up empty

 

It was an offensive explosion for both the Giants and Eagles, unfortunately the Giants couldn’t pull out the win. Eli Manning was 27/38 for 391 yards and 3 TDs. Standout rookie Hakeem Nicks was given the nod for his first career start and made the coaching staff look great. He had 4 rec for 110 yards and a TD. He showed why he was drafted in the first round. Steve Smith had 7 rec for 74 yards. Hixon had 1 rec for 61 yards and it was a TD. The running game did its job. Jacobs rushed for 60 and a TD and Bradshaw 55 and a TD. The Giants had 526 total yards.

The real story of this game was the defense, which was non-existant. McNabb threw for 275 and 2 TDs. DeSean Jackson had 178 of those yards and a TD. He scored another TD on a 72 yard punt return. The Giants special teams allowed him to sprint straight down the sideline untouched. Throughout the entire game Jackson was allowed to roam in the secondary. He was basically skipping rope waiting for the ball. He caught a wide open 61 yard TD and showboated into the end zone. It was just bad defense in fact is was the worst I have ever seen the Giants play in 20 years. I don’t understand how their defense got so bad so quickly. I think it has to do a lot with the loss of D coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who left to coach the god awful Rams. Bill Sheridan the new D coordinator is clearly not doing a good job. The Giants continue to get little to no pressure on opposing QBs. The only thing they are doing well lately is stopping the run and it comes at the expense of leaving the middle of the field wide open. The Giants have not been able to stop any good teams. They have allowed a record number of points to opposing teams this year.

There were some very bad calls by the officials. The first was a forward fumble by McNabb caused by DE Osi Umenyiora. It was clearly a fumble that was nearly caught by LB Mike Boley and was blown dead when it hit the ground. It was still a live ball and would have been recovered by the Giants. This is not the first time I have seen an official crew blow this call. The NFL needs to get on top of this and give the officials the proper training on how to make the right call. They act as if they don’t know that a ball can be fumbled forward. The other call in this game that really got me mad was when Eli Manning scrambled for ten yards and slid forward with his knee touching the turf. He then let go of the ball and stood up. Philly dove on the ball and it was ruled a fumble. How is it a fumble when his knee touched the turf when he had possession of the ball??? The Giants challenged the call on it was not reversed. Another blown call, PATHETIC!!

Central Michigan Beats Northern Illinois in a High Scoring Affair

The entire team rushing onto the field minutes before kick-off.

Central Michigan (10-2, 8-0) showed on Nov. 27th why it is the class of the Mid-American Conference when it defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 45-31, in a close rivalry match-up at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. It was a thrilling victory for Senior QB Dan LeFevour and the Chippewas because it marked their record-tying ninth straight win for the school.

Almost a week before this game the Chippewas would secure the MAC West title for the third consecutive year and they will head to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan to play for the conference title against Theo Scott and his Ohio U. Bobcats. The Chippewas are the heavy favorite in this years game considering they have been victorious the past two seasons and have made three straight visits to the stadium.

Dan LeFevour, the record-setting quarterback that will enter the NFL Draft at the end of the season.

Bryan Schroeder would open the scoring of the game when he caught a 13-yard touchdown reception early in the first quarter, the Sophmore RB would finish with a career-high 128 yards and 2 touchdowns with his longest gain being an 80-yard run for the score. After exchanging field goals, the Chippewas added to its lead over the NIU Huskies (7-5, 5-3) to 17-3 when record-setting LeFevour found Kito Poblah for a 16-yard score. LeFevour would conclude his final home game with 255 yards, 3 TDs and went 27-for-41. He has literally rewritten the record books for his school and has been a four-year starter for CMU. You shall almost certainly see him in the near future on an NFL team.

Northern Illinois scored its first touchdown of the game with 5:12 left in the first half when Junior WR Landon Cox caught an absolute bullet from Junior QB Chandler Harnish to cut the score to 17-10, but CMU would answer right back when they had a 13-play, 78 yard drive and capped off the first half with Schroeder’s leap into the endzone for a 24-10 half time score. After the second half began, NIU would continue to struggle but found their momentum a little late. Schroeder would score on the next offensive series for CMU with the 80-yard dash to the endzone and Lefevour would throw his last touchdown of the game to WR Bryan Anderson for sixteen yards to put them up for good, 38-10 in the 3rd quarter.

A featured Huskies RB rushing against the tired worn down defense in the fourth quarter.

In typical MAC fashion, the Huskies would mount a comeback and proceed to light up the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but would add on three more touchdowns. They would earn two offensive TDs and one defensive pick-six when defender Patrick George intercepted a tipped pass from second-string CMU Freshman QB Ryan Radcliff and returned it eighty-yards to the endzone. Junior RB Chad Spann added a 6-yard touchdown to make it 38-24, he would finish on 15 carries for 76 yards. Harnish would tack on one last touchdown to conclude his game, but would be intercepted late in the fourth quarter when Senior defensive end Frank Zombo capped the scoring for CMU with the 27-yard grab and sprint to pay dirt.

Junior RB Bryan Schroeder

Stat Attack:   The Chippewas would finish undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history. Bryan Anderson caught three passes for CMU to set an NCAA all-divisions record of having at least one reception in 52 consecutive games. The previous record was 51 and was held by Tauren Henderson of Texas Tech and Michael Larkin at Miami-Ohio.

LeFevour’s third TD pass to Anderson was the 99th of his career, only one shy of Marshall’s Chad Pennington for the MAC record of 100. Huskies QB Chandler Harnish would finish the game with 17-28 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions each.

1st Downs: CMU – 28, NIU – 19 Total yards: CMU – 512, NIU – 332 Passing:  CMU – 225, NIU – 206   Rushing: CMU – 257, NIU – 126  3rd DN COV_: CMU – 12/18, NIU – 4/12     4th DN COV_:  CMU – 0-1, NIU – 0-0 , Turnovers:  CMU – 2, NUI – 3  Posessions: CMU – 34:13 ; NIU – 25:47

Yanks land Granderson

The Yanks made a great trade to get All-Star CF Curtis Granderson from Detroit. They traded right-hander Ian Kennedy to Arizona and lefty reliever Phil Coke and prospect Austin Jackson to Detriot. Gradnerson had 30 homers, 71 RBIs and 20 steals last year. He will be a great addition to the Yankee lineup. He is a  great center fielder.

Fantasy Fix

Fantasy football is basically based on luck>I mean you could have an all pro team and lose to another team with a bunch of scrubs. It seems that everyone who is a football fan young and old are involved. It all starts on draft day where you scramble for quality players to go to battle for you.

This sunday the playoffs start in the world of fantasy.

Saints @ Falcons: Matt Ryan and Mike Turner are both questionable for this one. If Chris Redman plays for Ryan don’t expect much out of any of the ATL receivers. The only players worth starting are Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez and I don’t feel great about either. Check the Injury reports before kickoff. If Turner plays I expect his role to be limited. If you have to start a ATL RB go with Norwood. If Ryan doesn’t play Expect a blowout. Expect Brees, Colston, And Pierre Thomas to all have big games. Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson are not bad starts either. If you have Shockey your starting him to.

Packers @ Bears: The Bears are terrible If you have a choice don’t play anyone. If you are unfortunate enough to own a Bear,Olson and maybe Forte, who has had an awful season. Hester is Questionable and as of today expected not to play. The Packers will have another big game. Rodgers and Driver will continue to dominate the competition. Donald Lee and Ryan Grant will get you some points also. This one will be ugly, Packers win big.

Broncos @ Colts: Payton Manning will continue to show why he is a first ballad hall of famer. Reggie Wayne is due for a huge game. Pieere Garcon and Dallas Clark will definitely be in on the action. Addai should have a productive game. The Broncos will have to run the ball if they have any chance of victory. Moreno and Buckhalter should have average games. Dont expect them to go crazy the colts have improved their run Defense. Brandon Marshall should be the star of this one. I don’t like Orton but Marshall makes him look good so he may have a TD or 2. Something tells me the Broncos will get blown out but you may see an ok game if they can put pressure on Manning.

Bills @ Chiefs: I like Matt Cassel, Bobby Wade, Chris Chambers and Jamaal Charles for the Chiefs. Buffalo is another bad team with no QB. TO and Fred Jackson may have slight value if you have to start a Bill. The Chiefs should win big in this one.

Bengals @ Vikings: All the usual suspects for the Vikings are must starts: Farve, AP, Sidney Rice, and Harvin. The Bangals should have a good game if the O line can contain the Jared Allen and company. Palmer, Ochocinco and Benson are must starts. Coles may have some value. This should be a close game, look for the Vikings to pull out the victory.

Panthers @ Patriots: Brady,Moss,Welker and Maroney are all must starts. The Patriots have been very inconsistent, their secondary is in a world of trouble. They havent been able to get it done late in games. Carolnia is not a good team Delhomme is an INT waiting to happen and it looks like he wont play. Matt Moore will most likely get the start. Steve Smith, Williams and Stewart are the only players of value. The Pats should blow them out they just need to stop the run.

Jets @ Bucs: The Bucs are not a good team. Josh Freeman is a rookie and playing like one. He has the potential to be good but he’s not there yet. Antonio Byant will have Revis on him so don’t expect a big day. The Jets have a great run D so Williams will get shut down. Winslow, if healthy is the only player I would start. The Jets should run the ball all day with Jones and the promising rookie Shonn Greene. If Clemens can get Edwards, Cotchery and Keller the ball they could have some value. I like Edwards the best of the 3. If Clemens takes care of the ball, Jets win.

Dolphins @ Jags: Chan Hennie Had a great week against the Pats but I still don’t trust him this week. Brian Hartline is their best receiver I think he will have a good day. Stay away from Ginn. I love Ricky Williams. The Jags will come out strong and run the ball with MJD. I like Sims-Walker to have a big day. The other Jags receivers are not consistent enough. Garrard definitely has some value. I think the Jags will win in a close one.

Lions @ Ravens: If you have the Ravens D expect 20 fan points. If they can shut down Calvin Johnson it could be another shut out. Ray Rice will have a huge day. I also like Kelly Washington and possibly Mason. Clayton has a hamstring injury and is questionable. Ravens win big.

Seahawks @ Texans: Both bad teams. Schaub will have a big day connecting with Johnson. Walter also has value. Chris Brown will do most of the work on the ground, look for Ryan Moats to hawk a TD. Forsett should have a decent game. The only receiver I trust is Burleson. I don’t like Hasselbeck at all. Seahawks can’t stop anyone. Texans win with ease.

Rams @ Titans: Vince Young looks like a new man he should have a big day running and passing mostly to Britt and Scaife. Johnson is running out of his mind right now expect him to continue I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran for 200. The only player with value on the Rams is Steven Jackson. Expect the Titans to blow them out.

Redskins @ Raiders: The Raiders have found new life with Gradkowski but they have no receivers. Miller is their best player on offense. Fargas will not do much against this D. Campbell is actually playing good and has value if you need a QB. Rock Cartwright seems to be getting most of the caries look for a big day from him. TE Fred Davis seems to be Campbell’s favorite target. I don’t trust Moss. Redskins will finish this one-off with a win.

Cowboys @ Chargers: The Charges are playing great I love Rivers, Jackson,Gates and LT. Sproles and Floyd could have some value. The Cowboys have issues in December. The only players I like are Austin and Barber. You could roll the dice with Roy Williams, Romo looks to him often in the red zone. Chargers will definitely take this one, to many weapons to deal with.

Eagles @ Giants: Here we go again. The Giants are playing better Eli should have a good day connecting with Smith. I also like Nicks and possibly Manningham. Jacobs is unpredictable this year I think he will definitely have some value. He ran better against the Cowboys it a huge game so he will be motivated. If you need a TE Boss has value. McNabb should have at least one big play to Jackson. I like Celek and McCoy.Maclin has value. This one will be a nail biter. I think the Giants will win.

Cardinals @ 49ers: The 49ers are so inconsistent, I like Vernon Davis and possibly Morgan. I don’t think Gore will do good, that run D is impressive. I love Warner,Fitzgerald and Boldin. I don’t think they’ll run it much. Warner looks to throw it in the red zone, so I wouldn’t start any AZ backs. Cardinals win in dominating fashion.

If you have any questions about the games or who to sit or start. Leave a comment and I will get back to you. Thanks.