NFL Catch of the Week

The Kansas City Cheifs are 3-0 for those that weren't aware.

National League East Champs

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched their fourth consecutive National League East title with an 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday. The Phillies also clinched the league's best record winning their 94th game.
Roy Halladay led the way for the Phils yesterday pitching an phenomenal complete game allowing only two hits and striking out six. The newest acquisition for the Phillies has definitely payed off after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in December. It must be a great feeling for Hallayday who has never won a pennant race or ever pitched in October (postseason).
As big of an accomplishment the divsion title was, the Phillies' goals don't stop here. Their eyes on set on the World Series! The Phils fell short of their dream last year as the New York Yankees stopped them from winning two consecutive World Series. The Phillies are looking for a different result this year as Roy Halladay will look to lead the 2010 NL East Champs to another World Series and pitch in the playoffs for the 1st time in his 13th season.

Money Talks...

Playing professional basketball all-year around really takes a toll on the reigning WNBA league and former finals MVP, Diana Taurasi who feels she’s on a never-ending treadmill. Unlike NBA players who play basketball for nine months, a majority of the WNBA players play entire second seasons in places such as Europe, Russia, and Australia on top of their WNBA season.
This new trend among WNBA stars is due to their salary they receive playing basketball in America compared to overseas. The WNBA’s maximum salary for any player hovers around $100,000 when a player can make five times this playing in Moscow. If this is the case, why wouldn’t top-name players want to take a break off from the WNBA who have lost tons of investments and support since 1997 when the league began?
The basketball in WNBA may be more competitive than overseas, but assessing the long-term financial situation also comes into play. It comes down to being a personal decision for most players. Some players love getting a chance to see different parts of the world while getting compensated for it, while others rather rest and heal their body and just play in the states. Some players that play all-year around get breaks in the schedule if their teams are eliminated from the playoffs early, but players such as Taurasi rarely sleep because her team is always competing.
This ripple effect could leave the WNBA with the short end of the stick as many players are reevaluating playing in a league whose salary is dwarfed by overseas. Only time will tell how many people join this movement. I can only imagine how many will follow Taursai who is arguably the best college player ever and one of the best basketball players in the world.

Vick named Starter

After naming Kevin Kolb his starter on Monday, Philadelphia Eagles coach, Andy Reid, did a 180-turn and named Michael Vick his starter for Sunday's game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to a NFL source, the decision had nothing to do with Kolb's health who was cleared to play vs. the Jaguars after his concussion in the season-opener vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Vick will start his second game this Sunday and will look to lead the Eagles to another victory after a great performance this past game against the Detroit Lions.
Vick may understand his role as the backup, but it's obvious how much more of a chance the Eagles have to win with Vick under center. Vick gives the Eagles a whole new dimension as QB compared to Kolb and provides the team with his escapability when the pocket collapses. I'm rooting for the Comeback Kid.

Coach of the Week

Houstan Texans coach, Gary Kubiak, iced Washington Redskins kicker,Graham Gano who made the first attempt for the game winning field-goal, but it didn't count because Kubiak called timeout just before the snap. Gano ended up missing the second attempt wide right, putting the ball back in Matt Schaub's hands for the winning drive.

Vick named Starter

Due to Kevin Kolb's concussion this past Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, Michael Vick was named starter for tomorrow's game vs. the Detroit Lions. Vick hasn't started a game since 2006, but didn't seem to lose a step after displaying signs of vintage/reincarnated Vick last week. Vick once was called one of the top quarterbacks in our league when he played for Atlanta, now he has an even greater opportunity to prove himself again in the city of Brotherly Love.
Andy Reid may feel that Kolb is the future of the Philadelphia Eagles organization, but it was self evident that the offense moved better with Vick under center. It just wasn't Vick's legs slashing through the defense that outplayed Kolb's minimal reps, but his arm as well that hit more open receivers.
This game means alot more than just filling in for Kolb to Vick. This game could prove the future of Vick's stay in Philadelphia and who'll be the starter for the remainder of the season.
Kolb may turn into a tremendous quarterback and live up to all the Eagle's expectations, but maybe it isn't that bad of any idea for him to take the back seat now. Reid wasn't even sure who he wanted to play as both quarterbacks were sharing series throughout the game before Kolb's injury.
It's surprising that Philly is the city of brotherly love being that their football fans are ruthless and impatient. Vick has already been exposed to how quickly fans can turn on you when he was involved in the world of dog fighting.
Many may be quick to guarantee a win seeing as the Eagles play the Lions, but this is the wrong week to take them on. The Lions were robbed out of a win last week and are looking to take their revenge out on the Eagles.

Top NBA Posters of 2009-10 Season

Momma, there go that man!

Never turn your back on the ball

Jacked up Week 1

I guess Ray Lewis proved he isn't just a talker!

Birds suffer 1st game without Mcnabb

In their 1st game since trading Donovan Mcnabb to Washington, the Philadelphia Eagles looked flustered on numerous occasions at the quarterback position. Kevin Kolb may have been the clear starter when the game began, but the once three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Michael Vick, took over the offense later due to Kolb’s concussion.
For the reps that Kolb received before his injury, the once potent, high-scoring offense looked sluggish and slow with him under center. In contrast, Vick led the Eagles to a near comeback against the Green Bay Packers when taking over as QB. Vick may have not been the most accurate with his passing, but he got the job done in moving the offense down the field whether it was by feet or arm. Kolb has extremely big shoes to fill with Mcnabb being the all-time passing leader in Eagles history, but he’ll soon learn that Philadelphia fans become impatient pretty quickly.
Kolb wasn’t the only Eagle that left the game to due injury; Leonard Weaver, Stewart Bradley, and several other players left the game hurt. Weaver and Jamaal Jackson took the worst hit of them all with their injuries causing them to miss the remainder of the season. Both of these players are key to the Eagles’ offense and will be hard to replace.
Despite the Eagles’ loss to the Packers, the Eagles offense did look exciting with Vick leading them. Even slight memories of Mcnabb came to mind as Vick scrambled out of the pocket to create yardage with his legs. Maybe there could have been a different outcome if Vick played the whole game? All I know is when Kolb returns from his injury, he better bring his A game because his backup isn’t too far behind from taking his position as starter.
One thing that puzzled me during Sunday’s game vs. the Packers was the 4th down call by the Eagles. I’m not one to criticize play calling when it doesn’t work, but I will if it’s a nonsense play that seems to have no hope from the beginning. A shoutgun QB Draw? Really Andy?
Vick did play a good game and did an amazing job in bring the Eagles back with a majority of this coming from legs. To think the Packers, who were in the backfield all day, weren’t going to bring pressure on 4th and yard troubles me. Especially on the game-deciding play! I’m not saying Vick is a bad passer, but he could have been more accurate and missed a couple a receivers here and there. With that being said, why wouldn’t Vick run on 4th down? He’s not going to rely on his arm with the game on the line. If you’re going to do a QB run, do it from any formation other than shotgun. The team fought real hard to comeback and hopefully win, and this play call is let down to the players in my eyes.

Offensive and Defensive Gamebreaker of the Week 1

Monday Night Football

Tune into Monday Night Football at 7 p.m. as the two of the top contenders in AFC square off against each other. The Baltimore Ravens will take on the New York Jets for the first Monday night game in the New Meadowlands stadium.
Be ready for a smash mouth football game as two of the top defenses clash against each other. It'll also be interesting to see how Anquan Boldin does on Revis Island.

Catch or no Catch

Do you think the Lions were robbed?

Saints just Brees by Vikings

It wasn’t the prettiest of games played by the New Orleans Saints, but in the end they got the job done in beating the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener. Winning a close game, 14-9 compared to their thrilling overtime victory in NFC championship last year against the Vikings might have been surprising, but I’m sure they’re satisfied with the both wins rather than coming up empty handed.
Throughout game play, you could tell that Brett Favre’s ankle was bothering him as well as his timing issues with new receivers. This could have been fixed during training camp if he arrived earlier, but it’s just something the Vikings will have to deal with now that the season is underway. Favre may feel more comfortable when his favorite target, Sidney Rice returns, but Favre will have to learn to spread the ball out more instead of focusing on his primary option.
One person who did play extremely hard was Adrian Peterson who was running with revenge in his veins and blood. It was self evident that he had something to prove with his careless fumble mistakes last year and some people not calling him the best pound for pound running back anymore. Peterson ended with 87 yards on 19 carries and fought for each yard breaking tackles left and right. It’ll be interesting to see how many carries he receives once Favre receives his mojo back or if he ever does.
The Saints played how they usually played in attacking the air all throughout the game. They may have only had rushed three times in the 1st half, but pounded it down the Vikings throat in the closing minutes exposing the weak interior defense. The Saints offense was far less potent than we’ve seen them before, but they're still one of the most dangerous teams in the league with a plethora of offense options.
I don’t way too much on 1st games of the season because most teams are still building continuity and cohesiveness. The Saints could look like the best team in the NFL in the 1st half of the season and fall in the second half, so I don’t want to jump to any conclusions just yet. We’ll find out how good the defending champions are as the season goes on and if Favre can lead the Vikings to another extraordinary season.

NFL Kicks Off Tonight

The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings will open up the 2010-11 season tonight at 8:30 p.m. The Vikings are looking for revenge as the Saints edged them out last year in the NFC Championship game, 31-28.
There are lot questions concerning Brett Favre's ankle and if he'll still be able to provide the Vikings with the same magic that re-energized the whole organization last year. Questions also concern Adrian Peterson who has assured everyone that he has improved his fumbling issues that heavily impacted last year's NFC Championship.
As for the Saints, we'll find out if they're still suffering from their Superbowl hangover and how efficient Drew Brees will be who had a 70% completion rate last season.
This game will not be the same as last year with the Saints, Darren Sharper, and the Vikings, Sidney Rice, being inactive tonight.
Both teams provided us a game for the ages last year; we'll find out if they can live up to the hype once again this year.

Another Heisman bust

Only 75 people have been called the most outstanding player in all of collegiate football going back to 1935 when the Heisman trophy was established. Everyone knows how big an achievement it is to win the Heisman trophy and to enter the fraternity that has stunned and started people on the gridiron throughout college history. Unfortunately, most of these players don’t have similar success in the NFL. There have been numerous Heisman busts, Andre Ware and Eric Crouch to name a few, and now we might as well add one more to this list.
Matt Leinart, who was just recently cut by the Arizona Cardinals, signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans hoping to reestablish his career there. Leinart did have a chance in Arizona when he was starter, but quickly became the backup when Kurt Warner joined the team. Warner was clearly the better quarterback and led the Cardinals to their 1st Superbowl appearance. You would think that it was bad enough that Matt lost his job once, but now twice to Derek Anderson who was named the starting quarterback for the Cardinals during training camp.
Leinart had a lot of going for him when entering the league having won two national championships, winning a Heisman trophy, and being drafted 10th overall, but this all became old news as the NFL and NCAA are two completely different places. In Arizona, Leinart ended up throwing for more interceptions than touchdowns, not what you would expect from a Heisman winner.
Leinart hopefully can begin a new chapter in his career with Houston and maybe move his way up the depth chart to become starter eventually. Easier said than done as he’ll have to take Matt Schaub’s spot as starter who led the league in passing last year.

Tiger makes Ryder Cup team

U.S. Ryder Cup Team

Stewart Cink
Rickie Fowler
Jim Furyk
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
Matt Kuchar
Hunter Mahan
Phil Mickelson
Jeff Overton
Steve Stricker
Bubba Watson
Tiger Woods

The U.S. team will face the Europe Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

The Rain is Over

With Darrelle Revis finally ending his 36-day holdout to sign a 4-year deal for $46 millon, the New York Jets should feel confident entering this season with the return of their best player and arguably the best cornerback in the league. Being seven days away from their season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, the Jets will need Revis to matchup against Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who just recently signed to a one year deal.
The Jets have already been put under the microscope in top 5 preseason rankings and will be tested early against the Ravens who also join them amongst those ranks and are even a Superbowl favorite. I don’t think we’ll find out how well both organizations will do during this upcoming season after their Monday night game, but this game will definitely set the tone and bar high. Other than the Sunday night game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, this is the biggest game during Week 1!
There’s probably no person happier within the Jets’ organization than Rex Ryan who feels there is new energy in the building. The team understands how Darrelle is a big part of the team and extremely instrumental in them reaching the playoffs and holding up the Lombardi trophy. Not only will the Jets be tested early, but so will Revis as his 1st three weeks matchups are against Boldin, Randy Moss, and Brandon Marshall. I don’t know how successful opposing receivers will be on Revis Island this year, but if Revis plays somewhat similar to last year, wide outs are in for a world of trouble!

Underrated or Overrated

From the booing chants on draft day to being traded within his own division, #5 has never truly been accepted by the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Eagle fans had ridiculed Donovan McNabb for his play, decision-making, swagger, intensity, effort, basically EVERYTHING. The list doesn’t stop on what Philadelphia fans thought McNabb could improve on in order to lead their organization to their 1st Super Bowl ring. I guess all of this irrelevant now, as the Eagles' wish has finally come true with the trading of McNabb to the Washington Redskins.
As McNabb starts a new chapter for the Redskins, the young gunslinger, Kevin Kolb, will take the new position under center for the Eagles and hopefully become the organization’s new leader for the young inexperienced team.
When you look at someone’s stats of having the third highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks, 2nd best touchdown to interception ratio of all-time, and least intercepted quarterback of all-time, you would think that the city appreciates this player’s contributions and respects him. Ironically, this is not the case. McNabb is hated and despised in the city of Philadelphia. I’m not saying that McNabb’s popularity and like level has to be equivalent to Brian Dawkins, but at least somewhat close. Sadly though, there is no love for him there and there never was. Fans have probably never gave the man a chance because they were blinded by the flashy and magnificent running back, Ricky Williams. Williams did have a tremendous college year for the Texas Longhorns, but did nothing in the pro’s compared to his collegiate achievements and records. This career could have been different if he played for the Eagles, but we can’t base it on that.
Donovan has poured his heart and soul out for Philadelphia and all they have done in return is turn their backs similar to the burning of the Lebron James jersey by Cleveland. McNabb has led a sub-par team to NFC Championship game on several occasions and has never been recognized for this. He’s also never been surrounded by players of his caliber to throw to. Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell aren’t the receivers you surround around a superstar quarterback if you have your eyes set on the Lombardi trophy. The only year that the Eagles surrounded with him a good wide out (Terrell Owens), they made it to the Super Bowl. Even though they lost by 3 playing a C game to the New England Patriots, it simply illustrated how good McNabb could be with some type of talent surrounded around him.
If the Eagles thought McNabb was washed up, they were highly mistaken. Donovan has been criticized by every individual since he’s entered the league and is looking to improve them all wrong once again. The Eagles may be contempt with Kolb leading their offense, but McNabb has nothing but revenge in his eyes when he plays his former team on October 3rd. I hope the Eagles are prepared to fly high on that day!

Mayweather takes shots at Pacquiao

This is just plain immaturity by Floyd Mayweather. Grow up.