SportZone Podcast 3.

Who are the Greatest athletes of all time? I talk some RGIII, also I talk Brady and Patriots and the rest of the season with no Gronk! Click on the link to take a listen.....

https://archive.org/embed/SportZoneEpidsode3

BCS Bust Down

  College Football is coming to a close, and in the last week of regular season play (rivalry week) we witnessed what we thought to be an dynasty in the University of Alabama, fall to an Auburn team in one of the greatest college football games ever, due to a returned missed field goal by an Auburn player, Chris Davis at the end of the game for the win. Alabama went into the game as the no.1 team in the country and Auburn went in ranking as a strong no.4. Elsewhere in the college football world, The Ohio State Buckeyes played in their rivalry game (which may be the greatest rivalry in sports history), traveling up to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on a Wolverines team that has not looked very impressive over the past month or so. The Buckeyes went in ranked as the no.3 team in the country, and the Bucks seemed to be dominating in the second half as they had a two possession lead on the Wolverines, but due to turnovers in the 4th quarter and a defense that didn't look very impressive, the Wolverines came back. The score was 41-42 with less than a minute to play, and the field goal ties the game for overtime right? No, Michigan coach, Brady Hoke made the decision to go for the two point conversion and possibly take the lead, maybe even the win. However, quarterback, Devin Gardner throws the ball short and it ends up being an interception, Ohio State wins.

  I know the first thing a lot of people believed, was that it makes perfect sense for this Undefeated Buckeyes team to move from no.3 to 2 after Bama's loss to Auburn. That's exactly what happened, the Bucks moved up to the second spot in the BCS rankings. However, I am one of the people that believe this is a mistake, the Auburn tigers should have jumped the Ohio State Buckeyes in the rankings, they were already ranked no.4 in the country and just beat an Alabama team that was projected to three-peat on the national championship. The Buckeyes in my opinion are a strong no.3 team, they are very good and have one of the best athletes in the country in quarterback, Braxton Miller, that doesn't change the fact that at times the defense struggled this season against division opponents and they played poorly for most of the Buffalo game at the beginning of the season. I know not losing a game in two seasons is impressive for any team to do, but the schedules they've played in those two seasons consist of out of conference games that are very weak. (i.e. Akron, Toledo, Cal.). Head coach, Urban Meyer, who is a former SEC coach seems to have adopted the Big Ten style of football, instead of having the team adopt to the SEC style. I believe that makes a difference when making the decision to put a team in the position to compete for a national championship. Auburn has been proving over the season that they are serious, they already play in the best conference in college football, and they just beat the best team. Yes, the Tigers have a loss. They did lose to an LSU team at the beginning at the season, who was ranked at no.6 in the country at the time.

 

We are now going into the conference championship games, it will be Ohio State taking on Michigan State for the Big Ten title, in the SEC it will be Auburn taking on Missouri. If Ohio State can defeat Michigan State by a comfortable margin, and Auburn struggles with Missouri, I will retract my statement and I will believe that the BCS made the right decision by putting the Buckeyes of Ohio State as the no.2 team in the country.

As the rankings stand right now (1-5): 1. Florida State, 2. Ohio State, 3. Auburn, 4. Alabama, 5. Missouri

Sports Zone Podcast ft/ James Rapien

In Sports we always discuss what makes someone a "Legend" and what separates the good from the great, and the great from the elite..... We usually just narrow it down to winning. But, is winning really everything? we discuss that and a little bit more on this edition of Sports Zone Podcast.

https://archive.org/embed/SportsZonePodcast

NFL Week 11 Big Match-Ups

 Now that we are more than half way past the middle of the season, things become a little more interesting for some teams. At this point some teams are out of it and know that they are either playing for the first pick and really have lack luster effort to put forth, or they are playing for pride and they really don't like to lose. However, there are teams going into week 11 of this NFL season facing off teams that are fighting for that driver seat of either the division or the playoffs, i.e. Bengals vs Browns.

Left: Green and Right: Haden

  Going into week 11, I am focused on three big match-ups. First, the Cincinnati Bengals are taking on a very hungry Cleveland Browns team that seems to be ready to compete right now under first year head coach, Rob Chudzinski. The Browns have been looking pretty good even after a shaky start to the season and playing musical chairs at the quarterback position with Brain Hoyer (torn ACL), Brandon Weeden, and Jason Campbell who is now the starter. This Browns team took a lot of criticism for trading former first round pick, Trent Richardson, but now it seems as if it's paying off as the Browns are competing for the division without him. The Bengals are not a team to sleep on though, they are a highly talented team still and even after two straight tough losses (one to Miami, one to Baltimore) this team is still in first place in the AFC North. The Bengals are without All-Pro Defensive Tackle, Geno Adkins who is arguably their best defensive player, However, I believe that second year linebacker Vontez Burfict is the key to that defense and he makes the wheels on that Bengals defensive bus go round-and-round. Burfict leads the NFL in tackles and he has an incredible football IQ, and nose for the ball, it really puts you in disbelief that a guy this highly skilled could go undrafted. However, the match-up that will determine the outcome of this game is one that is carried over from a college football rivalry. Wide Receiver, A.J. Green against Cornerback, Joe Haden. Last game they played in, earlier this season Haden had Green almost removed from the Bengals offense ( 7 catches, 51 yards), he didn't allow him a TD catch and rarely does he ever when the two meet up. Green has the home field advantage this week and I hope that he can utilize it to the best of his ability because if the Bengals are going to pull this win off, Green has to win this battle against Haden and to do so, he needs to get in the end-zone and I believe that he has to have at least 80 yards receiving on less than 7 catches.

Robert Griffin III

  The second match-up that I will be looking at is the Philadelphia Eagles against the Washington Redskins. The Eagles are flying high right now, Nick Foles is playing like a man possessed right now, he has 16 touchdowns on the season and no interceptions and has only started 4 games this season but has the Eagles on a two game winning streak and atop of the NFC East at 5-5 with the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins aren't a team to be taken lightly by any means, it's still a division game and the team started off at 3-6 last season before making a run to the playoffs. With Robert Griffin III looking more comfortable on the field every week it could get back for a very weak Eagles secondary, and I know after an opening day loss at home, Washington is out for revenge against Chip Kelly's Eagles. The match-up in this game that I will be looking at is Lesean McCoy against the front line of the Redskins, they have a very tough front line on their defense, with McCoy being the leading rusher in the NFL, I wonder if they will focus more on him or if they will balance the defense out with different blitz packages, or will they play more conservative and drop linebackers back into coverage. If the Eagles win this game they will be 6-5 in the division ( I called 8 wins at the beginning of the season) and this could be a team that was just 4-12 last season and now a playoff team. However, if the Redskins win, they will still be third in the division and very much alive and still competing for the division.

Alex Smith

  The Third and final game that I will be looking at closely in week 11 is, the Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs. Peyton Manning is getting ready to take on the best defense in the NFL, they have the most sacks on the season so far, led by Justin Houston and Tamba Hali on the defensive line. This Chiefs team is really good and very surprising under new head coach, Andy Reid and new quarterback, Alex Smith. This Chiefs team is very unique in my opinion, I believe that they are a very good team but I don't believe that they are as good as their record. I do believe that they have the formula down to win games, which is run the ball, control the clock and play good defense, which they do all of those things. My concern for them in this game is Manning. Peyton Manning may not be 100% going into this game with a hurt ankle, however, he's still Peyton Manning and the fact that he has two all-pro receivers- Thomas & Welker- which helps him a lot in being able to call the plays that he wants to. Manning I believe will force Alex Smith to throw the ball in this game to play catch-up, which I don't believe Smith could do successfully against a Broncos defense that hasn't looked that bad since getting Von Miller back. My match-up in this game will simply be Peyton Manning vs the Kansas City defense. If the Chiefs defense can get to Manning early and often they just might have a chance because if teams force him to step out of the pocket, he is less accurate and he begins to make worse decisions with the ball. This game will be almost help to decide the division, the Broncos at 8-1 are second in this division and conference to this Chiefs team who at 9-0 need this game to show the entire NFL that they are as serious as people are putting them out to be. If Alex Smith can get this win and do it while actually having to pass, I believe that everyone will have to look at him in a brand new light.

Sports Zone- Podcast 1.

https://archive.org/embed/Podcast_20131114_2128

The Time is Now..... My Podcast is now here.

 I just recently put up my link for my Podcast, that's right! Not only do you get to see me write about sports but if you click on the Sports Zone link on the side of my page and it will direct you to my archive page, on the side it's an http that you can click on and it will pull up my podcast and  you can here me talk about the sports that we all know and love..... I have only released one podcast so far, but I will be giving you guys more, that way we can get through our sports troubles together. I'll be with you through the highs and lows... Love, Live, Sports! Thank you for viewing the blog and I hope you all enjoy my podcast.

PS. If you have any issues getting to my podcast just let me know and i'll be more than happy to help guide you to it.

Dallas Cowboys: Ready to Take the Next Step?

After coming up short last season(not making the playoffs), by losing to the Washington Redskins in the last game of the 2012-13 season, the Dallas Cowboys(5-4) are picked to win the NFC East this season. A division with the Philadelphia Eagles(4-5), who are coming off a 4-12 season and have new head coach, Chip Kelly and they have to learn his new offense. The Washington Redskins(3-5), who's last years first round and number 2 overall pick, Robert Griffin III is coming off of a devastating leg injury and doesn't appear to be himself thus far this season, and their defense is still not really good. Also, the New York Giants(2-6), this team has started off looking the worst it ever has under coach, Tom Coughlin, they started off this season 0-5 and can't really hope to be in any type of division championship conversation or playoffs for that matter.

  Realistically speaking, the Dallas Cowboys have the proper tools in hand to win this season, Tony Romo has looked like Tony Romo has been looking the past several seasons. Through nine games, he has 20 touchdown passes, 6 interceptions, 2,553 passing yards, and has a passer rating of 100.0. He gets criticized a lot by critics because they say he doesn't have the "clutch factor", but Romo has played just as good as any other quarterback the past several seasons. However, their defense was always could really have been to blame for some of their short coming. Receiver, Dez Bryant is becoming the player that Dallas fans believed that he would be and he is really making the number 88 (Michael Irvin's old number) really come to life and showing that he deserves to wear it. Right now I would label Bryant as a top 5 receiver in the NFL, with already 8 TD's (3rd in the league), 51 receptions, and 705 receiving yards, and these numbers should only continue to improve as the season progresses as him an Romo continue to build a better chemistry through every game. However, after losing to the Detroit Lions in week 8, Bryant got a lot of scrutiny for being vocal on the sidelines after only having three receptions, two of which were for touchdowns. Reporters and analyst were saying things like "he needs to mature" and "his attitude is what's going to hold him back from progressing in this league". However, I see it as a young man wanting to win games and get everyone else on the sidelines emotionally involved in the game as he was. I do believe that his past issues may have led to some comments and reactions that Dez received but I don't believe that he is cancerous to this team in any way.

The Cowboys offense is being consistent thus far, they seem to have found their "mojo". DeMarco Murray if he can find a way to stay healthy for the rest of this season, seems to be the answer to their running back situation, he's missed sometime already this season but when he has played has been very productive overall, he's averaging 4.8 yards per carry and has 3 touchdowns. The main area of concern for me would be their defense. I know, this year they went out and they got defensive specialist, Monty Kiffin, well, I haven't been very impressed. This defense gave up 51 points to the Broncos. Peyton Manning is great and has great talent but when you put up 48 points as an offense and you're winning that game until the very end and you sit and watch Manning pick apart the defense, there has to be some type of frustration or emotional dissatisfaction with Monty and that defense, whether it's by the offense, Jerry Jones or fans. Or when you're playing against Detroit and you give up 329 receiving yards to Calvin Johnson! I know it's Megatron, but 329 yards to one player, really? and on top of that already horrific performance by the secondary, you lose on the last drive. With under a minute and you watch Matt Stafford this time, march right down the field and get his team to the one yard line, catch your defense "off guard" and calls his own number on a fake spike ball and scores the game winning touchdown. I hope that Monty can correct these issues on the defense by the end of the season, because both Philadelphia and Washington seem to be improving every week.

 If Dallas wants to prove to everyone that they can compete in the NFC and take it to the next level, which would be the playoffs (first step), they really need to continue to play offensively like they have been so far on the season, and someone needs to call Monty Kiffin and let him know that pre-season is over and we are half of the way through the regular season already. So, he might want to start having the defense cover somebody. Romo has convinced me that he is not the downfall of the franchise, but he is instead the glue to the offense, if the defense could catch up to speed, I believe this team could be one to compete into January, but we still have two months or so to see if they can correct some of their overall team mistakes. If Romo gets this team to the playoffs, he might be able to finally get his name cleared from the non-clutch list by analysts and media personalities everywhere. So, Dallas fans I have one word for you........... BELIEVE!

NBA Tip_Off Time

NBA Tip-Off week is now among us, and what a week it is, this season looks to as good of a season as there's been in nearly a decade. I know that people say that every season, but truly I don't believe I've been this excited for a season since like the 2006 or 2007 season. The Western Conference this season is wide open, and almost everyone is looking to see if there is a team in the Eastern Conference that can put a stop to the Miami Heat, who are coming off of their second straight NBA championship and looking for a three-peat, and if the Heat can pull it off, they will be the first team to have done it since the L.A Lakers in the early 2000's. 

  In the Eastern Conference, there seems to be a handful of teams looking to take down the Heat and put a stop to their reign. The Chicago Bulls, who have a returning superstar and former MVP, Derrick Rose who took a lot of criticism last season for not coming back and playing after being medically cleared by team doctors. The team made it to the playoffs without him and actually were able to give the Heat and Lebron James a good series led by Nate Robinson, everyone believes that had Derrick Rose played maybe he could have been the piece to get them past that series. This season, the Bulls don't have Nate Robinson in town (now in Denver), but Rose is back and says that "he feels better than ever" and he has a playoff team around him already with Boozer and Noah both being all-star caliber players. The New York Knicks are another team that are going to be looking to compete in the East, led by mega-star Carmelo "Melo" Anthony, the Knicks are going to see if this is the year that they can live up to Spike Lee's expectations, and possibly go to the NBA championship. The Knicks had a really good team last season, Melo was a top 5 scorer in the NBA and even got a first place MVP vote from one of the judges, they seemed to have found a number 2 guy in J.R Smith, who they locked up for the next 4-5 years with a contract extension and they made a big trade this off-season, acquiring Andrea Bargnani. If forward, Amare Stoudemire can stay healthy this could actually be a highly contending team. The Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers both look like teams that could be in the Eastern Conference Championship game this season, The Nets now have the pieces in place to do it, they were able to pull off one of the biggest trades in NBA history, acquiring Legends of the game, Paul Pierce "The Truth" and Kevin Garnett "The Big Ticket" from the Boston Celtics, and they still have Derron Williams, who is an all-star point guard and at times looks like the best point guard in the league, they also still have Joe Johnson who they traded for last season, but now with Garnett and Pierce added to the Roster, it's time to see this if this can be the team to make a push for the title. The only thing that is questionable about the Nets winning it all, is the inexperience of Rookie coach, and NBA legend, Jason Kidd. The Indiana Pacers are looking to return to take the next step this season and takeover the number one spot in the East, they were very close to dethroning the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals last season but end up losing after a very hard fought series. With Paul George emerging last season and David West and Roy Hibbert looking like the best Forward/Center (well, at least the most physical), They will have the same team returning for the most part but will be getting forward, Danny Granger back at some point this season, after sitting out the entire last season and his scoring will only add another dimension to their team, and they also got forward, Luis Scola from the Phoenix Suns and he adds great depth to the already dangerous bench of the Pacers. 

   The Western Conference looks to be wide open this season, there is really a handful of teams that could get hot at any point of the season or playoffs. The San Antonio Spurs, who came up short in the NBA finals to the Heat, will more than likely be the favorites going into the season, they haven't really made any changes to their starting line-up, which might not really be a good thing seeing as they are only getting older with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. The Oklahoma City Thunder is another team that could possibly represent the west, they came up short of a lot of peoples expectations last season in the playoffs, after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies and it doesn't help that all-star guard, Russell Westbrook is coming off of a very bad knee injury but they still have the lethal scorer and superstar, Kevin Durant "KD". The Thunder have to prove that they can win as a team first, they can't just rely on "KD" and Westbrook, they need some of the young players on the team to step-up before I can be sold on them this season with the west being as strong as it is. I myself believe that this years, L.A. Clippers will be very tough, once they find their rhythm, they have Chris Paul still as the leader of the team and driver of their journey, and Blake Griffin has another year under his belt and they say he's been working on his post game all off-season, as well as center Deandre Jordan who is a young stud of a center, he can rebound with the best of them, block shots and can jump out of the gym! when you add in former sixth man of the year, Jamal Crawford, as well as Matt Barnes, who came on strong last season, and they acquired Coach, Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics, I believe that this team could end up represent the west in the NBA finals, if they can stay healthy and stay consistent. A couple of other teams that people will be looking to contend in the west are The Memphis Grizzlies, who failed to resign coach, Lionel Hollins but still have a physical and much talented team, led by Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The Golden State Warriors are also being talked about in this conversation, they have a nice young core with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Harrison Barnes. The Warriors got much improved in the off-season with the addition of all-pro forward, Andre Iguodala, who can truly be a triple double player any night with his style of play. The Warriors are very young exciting team to watch but you know the saying, "you live by the three and die by the three" and they are a team that likes to unleash from beyond the three-point line, which will either hurt them or help them when they get to the playoffs. 

 The team that everyone wants to take down this season is the defending champions for the second time in a row, The Miami Heat. They are being led by mega-star, Lebron James, who right now is the greatest player in the world! He's coming off of his fourth NBA MVP season and his second NBA Finals MVP. Also, they have mega-star Dwayne Wade who is coming off his third NBA championship, and had rested this entire off-season and it's been said that this is the best that Wade has looked in years, may since 06' when he won his first NBA championship. They still have the same roster as last season for the most part, they used the amnesty clause on Mike Miller after the finals, but they replace him with the former Miami Heat player, Micheal Beasley and they also signed big man, Greg Oden who has been highly criticized through his career because he can't stay healthy. Oden has yet to finish one full season, and as a former number one overall pick, people were expecting him to be a 20 point and 10 rebound type of center. Oden, who hasn't played in 3 years, now has a chance to prove himself once again to the league and if he can stay healthy, this Miami team could be even more dangerous as they already are and that's almost scary. 

  The NBA season is now here. Who will be the team to take down the Heat? or Do we witness Lebron and the Heat get their three-peat? Guess we will have to wait but don't be surprised if some teams start slow this season, you have to remember "it's a marathon, not a sprint". During this long 82 game NBA season, we should see a lot great games. So, go get your favorite team/players apparel and sit back and lets watch this season unfold in front of our eyes and enjoy!  

NFL: What We Know So Far Going Into Week 5

 We are know at about the quarter mark of the 2013 NFL season, it seems to have started off on a great note for some teams and other teams, well not such a great start. So far, Peyton Manning has been Peyton Manning with an amazing start through the first 4 weeks of the season, he has a record 16 touchdowns to just zero touchdowns, all while leading the NFL in passing yards! Tom Brady had a rough first 2 weeks, but now it seems that he has gotten more comfortable with his new receiving core and is beginning to look more like Tom Brady, he has 7 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. We also know that going into week 5 that Lesean McCoy has more rushing yards than anyone, Julio Jones and Jimmy Graham are leading the way with receiving yards and that three players already have 4 interceptions on the season ( Alterraun Verner. TEN/ Kirk Alonso, Buf./ Aquib Talib, NE.)

  This season has a lot of twists already early. The NFC East went from one of the best divisions to what seems to be the worst now, the Dallas Cowboys lead the way at 2-2, the Eagles and Washington are tied at 1-3 and the New York football Giants are 0-4....... That's right, 0-4!!! They talk about Tom Coughlin being on the trading block every two season or so but he ends up turning the season around, but the Giants defense has looked terrible and they've also had a issue with turnovers as well, Eli Manning leads the NFL with 9 interceptions already. I guess both Manning brothers are on track for two different records, Peyton for passing touchdowns and Eli for interceptions. We also know that the Kansas City Chiefs are making a big splash on the season at 4-0, they've seemed to have found the right combination with Andy Reid and Alex Smith but for some reason he can't seem to find Dwayne Bowe on the football field, he just caught his first touchdown of the season last week and hasn't reached a 100 yard performance all season, but if Smith and Bowe can find a chemistry on the field that would be a very dangerous offense but for now the defense and special teams seems to be doing a great job of holding them up. The 2013 season was suppose to be all about the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North, well as of right now they're doing good at 2-2 but it has been about the Cleveland Browns who traded their first round draft pick from last season, Trent Richardson after an 0-2 start and surprisingly have gone 3-0 since then as they are just coming off of a win against the Buffalo Bills, which in that game they lost their starting quarterback Brian Hoyer and now their former starting quarterback Brandon Weeden looks to have his job back by default since it was announced that they've lost Hoyer for the season.

 Going into week 5, i'm most impressed with the New Orleans and it's not Drew Brees whose got me on the "WHO DAT" fan train, it's the defense that has my attention, because it's a team whose defense didn't exist last season and with Rob Ryan calling the shots on that side of the ball now, I was concerned early on because he had the Cowboys defense looking only mediocre for majority of his time there. But the New Orleans Saints started out with a hot win against the Falcons and have been on a role since then at 4-0, so this might be a team to look out for come January. However, in that same division is the team that i'm the most disappointed so far through the season. That team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they had a perfect duo in Josh Freeman and Vincent Jackson and with the emergence of young back Doug Martin, this offense was sure to be explosive and on the other side of the ball, they traded for Darrelle Revis and they signed safety Dashon Goldson from the 49ers and last season they were at the top of the board for their run defense so they were suppose to be able to shut teams down in 2013, but in reality this team fell apart early. The team benched Freeman at the beginning of week 4 and cut him after, the defense hasn't been impressive at all and the players have even been saying negative things about the head coach, so I guess it's safe to say they wouldn't "run through a brick wall" for him and it seems that at 0-4 in the NFC you can pretty much count them out of the playoffs this season.

 Going forward, I want to see what else will happen, and I want to see if anyone can figure out this Broncos offense because as of right now, I can't! one week it's Decker, one week it's Welker and another Damaryius Thomas or Julius Thomas. And can someone please tell the Eagles that it's okay to play Defense, they won't get a fine for it, I promise!

Mario's NFL prediction after week 1.

 Okay, the way most people usually do it, they make picks before the season starts and before seeing what a team actually looks like. I myself will not make a prediction for every single team in the rankings until seeing them play at least one game, because let's be honest, what does the preseason really show us? NOTHING! at all.

 Now that week one of the NFL season is over, I can now go through and list where I believe that every team will end up come the end of the season as far as rankings go in their division.

  AFC NORTH
1. Bengals
2. Ravens
3. Steelers
4. Browns (Sorry Cleveland)

AFC SOUTH
1. Texans
2. Colts
3. Titans
4.Jaguars

AFC EAST
1. Patriots
2. Dolphins
3. Bills
4. Jets

AFC WEST
1. Broncos
2. Chiefs
3. Chargers
4. Raiders (Will make progress though)

NFC NORTH
1. Packers
2. Vikings
3. Lions
4. Bears (Da Bears)

NFC SOUTH
1. Falcons
2. Saints
3. Bucaneers
4. Panthers

NFC EAST
1. Cowboys
2. Redskins
3. Eagles
4. Giants

NFC WEST
1. Seahawks
2. 49ers
3. Cardinals
4. Rams

There you have it! I have ranked where I believe the teams will finish in their divisions for the 2013-14 season.... It seems to be a very interesting season that we are getting ready to watch! 

Are you ready for some football?

 That's right! The NFL season is now among us, no more guessing after this week when we dive into the regular season of the NFL. The season will kick off with a special game, a rematch of the AFC championship from last season when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Denver Broncos. Baltimore are coming off an amazing super bowl run and the Broncos are coming off of a great season which was ended by the Ravens when Joe Flacco hooked up with Jacoby Jones on a miracle touchdown pass over the head of the Denver defensive back. This game should be very intense and there will be a lot of questions on both sides. For instance, How will the Ravens defense look like without having hall of fame linebacker, Ray Lewis(Retired) and Safety Ed Reed(Now with Houston) on the field for them? How will Joe Flacco look without having his security blanket, wide receiver, Anquan Boldin (Now with San Francisco)? On the other side, How will this Broncos defense look with their all-pro linebacker, Von Miller suspended for the first couple of games, Hall of fame corner back, Champ Baily being ruled out due to injury? Also, how will that Broncos defensive line look with no Elvis Dumervil(Now with the Ravens)? I believe the only thing that we don't have to really question is Peyton Manning.

 The NFL season will get underway with what should be an amazing game to capture the attention of football fans everywhere, and get us ready for what should be a great season.

 Now, I will share some of my predictions for this upcoming season...............
Bold Prediction: Peyton Manning will throw for nearly 60 touchdowns! I'm calling 55 at least.

Most Improved Player: Mark Ingram (RB), New Orleans Saints.

 Offensive Rookie of the Year: Robert Woods (WR), Buffalo Bills.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Tyrann Mathieu (DB), Arizona Cardinals (My boy hawk made me a believer).

Offensive Player of the Year: A.J Green (WR), Cincinnati Bengals.

Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning (QB), Denver Broncos.

Surprise Team (most improved): Philidelphia Eagles. I believe they can win at least 7 games this season...

Early AFC Championship game prediction: New England Patriots vs.Denver Broncos

Early NFL Championship game prediction: Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Early Super Bowl prediction: Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons

 I know that come tomorrow all football fans can finally stop watching old highlights from last season and watching old re-runs of preseason games just to get their fix. I have been waiting for this week since the day the super bowl ended and it's finally among us, so now football fans go get your new televisions, get your groove ready for your couch spots, get some refreshments for your tailgates and kick-off weekend parties,  the only thing you have to do this weekend when all of those NFL games come on is............. ENJOY!

Where is Michael Turner?

 After having a down season in 2012 with the Atlanta Falcon, Michael the "Burner" Turner was released after the team came up short in the NFC Championship game to the San Francisco 49ers. Turner who rushed double digit touchdowns in the last five seasons, while having over 1,300 rushing yards in three of the five season, ended the 2012 season with just over 3.5 yards per carry and 800 yards rushing. The Falcons obviously upgraded with future Hall of fame running back, Steven Jackson but I still have concerns as to why no other teams have been looking at Turner. 

 I'm not surprised that the Falcons let him go after the season, because I know that he is an aging back and they felt as if he wasn't the same back as when he got there, but I am very shocked that it's August, it's teams out there that have very big questions that need to be answered on the offensive side of the ball. For instance, the New York Jets might have the biggest question mark on offense, their projected starting running back, Chris Ivory, is still having injury concerns and after that the depth at running back seems to be a very sub-par group. Why not bring in Turner? He's a tough down hill runner and a bruiser out of the back field, maybe he can add some true toughness to the offense. Also, the Chargers have some issues in an offense that seems to be very quiet this season, Ryan Mattews is a good running back, however, he has been injured every season since being drafted. Why not bring Turner back to the place he got his start at? 

 Before the start of the season, I would really like to see a team bring Turner in and give him a chance to make the roster. I believe he is very capable of making an impact on a team from day one! He is a smart and very tough back, the "Burner" has some energy in the tank still and he could help a team possibly play in to January, and if on the right team maybe February. Some possible teams that I could see him land on in the 2013 season are: Indianapolis, San Diego, and the New York Jets. 

The Colts have 'Luck' on their side in 2013.

 In 2011, the Indianapolis Colts suffered a major setback, when they announced that quarterback Peyton Manning was going to be out for the entire season due to a serious neck injury that he would need surgery for. That season they had replaced their Franchise quarterback with former Houston Texans back-up, Dan Orlovsky who went 2-3 in the five games that he started, Curtis Painter who went 0-8, and they brought in veteran, Kerry Collins who went 0-3 in his short run as a starter. The Colts finished the season on miserable note, they went just 2-14. 2011 was the first time the Colts had finished with less than 10 wins since 2001, when they went just 6-10. One good thing did come from that season though, in April, the Colts got the number one pick in the NFL draft, with that selection they took the Stanford all-american and Heisman runner-up, Andrew Luck.

 In the 2012 season, with Peyton Manning being released from the team that he helped to build a legacy with and signing with the Denver Broncos, Rookie Andrew Luck, appeared to have some big cleats to fill in Indy. Peyton Manning carried that team to two Super Bowls(won 1), is a four time league MVP and made the playoffs almost every season after his rookie season, Luck had to come strong in his rookie campaign. In his first game as an NFL pro, Luck passed for 309 yards with one touchdown and three interception to go with it and a loss. He finished just 2-3 in his first five games, one of the losses came against the New York Jets, which was one of the worst teams in the league in 2012, which was a blowout score of 35-9. It seemed to be trouble early on in Indy.

 After week six, Luck showed why he was the number one draft pick. In weeks 7-17 Luck and the Colts only had two losses, and in the last 3 games Luck has five passing touchdowns and no interceptions. The Colts fans showed a tremendous amount of respect to Andrew Luck since the day that he was drafted, there were a lot of people who felt like they should have drafted Robert Griffin III out of Baylor, but after Luck took a team that was 2-14 in 2011, and seemed to be rebuilding and made them into a playoff team (11-5) just one year later, I guess it's safe to say the Colts organization made the right pick.

 Now that his rookie season is over, he's made the playoffs and passed for an impressive amount of 4,373 yards, Luck proves to be a promising young leader for Indianapolis and he has shown that he can win at the next level. I like almost every part of his game when I watch him play, he just really needs to improve on decision making and not take so many risks down field. He did pass for 23 touchdowns his rookie season but he also had 18 interceptions, that's pretty high ! But Colts fans can now cheer again, they are in a division that should be obtainable with the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars still seeming to be rebuilding, the only challenge seems to be a very good Houston Texans team that can't seem to live up to their potential in big games. Peyton Manning will and should forever be remembered as a Colt, but he is now the past and Luck, well he is the present and the future for Indy and I see nothing but improvement from this young quarterback.

What's Brewing for Braun?

  After all of the media speculation, and the investigation was placed on Milwaukee Brewer, left fielder Ryan Braun, he finally owned up to violating the illegal substance policy in baseball.

  Braun, who was the 2011 NL MVP, had confessed earlier this week to using illegal substances which he and a list of other major league players had been accused of doing, and they have an investigation pending against them by the MLB. Braun, who was one of the bigger names on the list, made a public speech in February of 2012. Saying repeatedly that he did not use any illegal substances and that he was innocent of all accusations. Now, in 2013 just after the all-star break, it has been confirmed that he is 100 percent GUILTY! After going public with this entire spill about not "doping" and almost acting as if he were offended that they would accuse him of such a thing actually makes me feel like he is just a big fraud, and doesn't deserve to play at the major league level. Braun is currently under suspension, by the MLB for the remainder of the season for now, going further they still haven't reached a verdict as to what to do with him. I feel that major league baseball needs to now make a point to all of the players, Braun who is a five time all-star has been one of the faces for the MLB for the back end of the decade (2007- present) and he was one of the fan favorites, just one of those guys you liked to root for. Obviously, his reputation has been tarnished for the remainder of his career. I am not judging him as a person, because I believe he could be an exceptional person but, what he has done on that field is disrespectful to all of the "clean" athletes and players, but also the Brewer organization and the fans as well who supported him throughout his career thus far. I know a lot of people now have been saying, "let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame". NO! that has nothing to do with what Braun did, Pete Rose gambled on Baseball and got his penalty for that. Ryan Braun won't being going to coopers town for any reason but to visit now, so it's not like they were going to let him in and not Pete, and letting Pete in should not be Braun's punishment. If major league baseball wants to clean up the sport and have all of these doping cases out of their organization they need to make an example of Braun, they need to think about possibly taking away all of his trophies, and maybe even putting a(n) asterisk by all of his stats, because realistically there is no telling how long he has been using illegal substances and they need to treat it as if he has been using them since day one, in 2007, when he made his debut.

  People say that this issue is one that made people start losing interest in baseball, "because they're all "doping"" but I say if they can make an example of one of the most beloved players/athletes of the recent decade, maybe this is what can help to clean up the game and get those who are thinking about using away from that thought all together, this shows you that no matter who you are, you will be caught at some point in time and it's really not worth it. If you're a professional that means that you have the talent, you shouldn't want to cheat your way to the awards and outlandish stats, that's why people usually use the term "Hard work pays off." Next in line for Braun? Well, we don't know just yet, but, they currently still have an investigation going on with another big name, New York Yankee third baseman, Alex Rodriguez or "A-Rod" and if it comes out that he has also been doping, it will truly be a very sad time for major league baseball.

Ryan Braun Talks About Winning Appeal

Thank you to sportsguy716 for the Video. But now knowing what we know, can anyone really believe a word he has said about his career anymore? He needs to get the same treatment that Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong received.

"Hard Knock" Life for the Cincinnati Bengals

  The Cincinnati Bengals are getting ready for the start of their training camp, but also they're getting ready, once again, to bring in the camera's for the NFL "Hard Knock" series which they allowed in to camp just a couple of years ago. This group of Bengals is a much different team than the one from the last time that Hard Knocks captured back in 2009, for instance, in 2009 the Bengals had players on the team that seemed to be very profound of the camera and liked all of the media attention, such as, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (Johnson), who was undoubtedly the stand out star of that season.

  This years Bengal roster has people wondering. Who will be the "star" of this season? and how will this year on Hard Knock impact the teams season? This year the Bengals have a lot to play for, maybe more so than they have in the recent past, with the Steelers labeled as "old" and in a rebuilding stage, Baltimore looking like they've taken a step back or two with basically a depleted roster from the one they had just a season ago (mostly defense), and well, the Browns are still the Browns, even though they'll look to have a better season than last, they're still picked to finish last in the division. So, who does that leave at the top of the list? Oh yeah, the Cincinnati Bengals, who are coming off a roller coaster of a season in which they did make the playoffs but had yet another early exit at the hands of the Houston Texans, a lot of analyst believe that it will all fall on the play of quarterback Andy Dalton to carry this team to a playoff win and not just an appearance which he has done the past two seasons. Let's not forget, the last season of Hard Knocks the Bengals appeared in they were also picked to not only win their division but also go deep in the playoffs, with Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Carson Palmer leading the offense but we soon saw that the season would actually end up going in the opposite direction. Hopefully this season will turn out much different than it did in the past. AJ Green is a very hard working and humble young receiver who has had just as many touchdowns in the past two seasons as Calvin Johnson, Andy Dalton isn't much of a guy looking to get on the camera either, I believe that if it is one person that would be the "star" or stand out of this season it would be, Adam "Pacman" Jones, and that will only to show people how much he has growns as a person on the field and off, and this season may be one for the ages for the Cincinnati Bengals if they can have all of their pieces fall into place at the right time, they already have what looks to be a top 10 if not top 5 defense.

  My biggest question going in to training camp is, can Andy Dalton make the "big" play and make less mistakes down the stretch to help put his team at the top of the AFC?

Is the Pressure on Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay?

 Quarterback Josh Freeman is going into his fifth NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and a lot of critics and analyst believe that this is his year to show that he can win and be consistent, or else he won't get a contract extension like Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, or Matt Ryan.

  In the 2012 season Freeman passed for a career high 4,065 yards and 27 touchdowns, while also throwing 17 interception which is five less than he had the season before. His biggest problem seems to be that he can't be consistent with his game and last season I really began to think that he has found his groove in the pocket and was starting to breakout and be the elite quarterback that I know he can be. Freeman had a four week stretch in 2012 (week 5-9) where he had 13 touchdowns and only one interception, he had one interception  in the month of October, which came against the Kansas City Chiefs along with three touchdowns, in which they won that game 38-10. He had only eight interceptions on the season until the month of December came around, Freeman had nine interceptions in the last three games alone with only two touchdowns to show for them. It started out with four against the Saints, four against Rams and one in the last game versus the Falcons. He was able to keep the Bucs in fighting contention for the first 10 weeks of the season with a record of 6-4. Well, the last six games he wasn't that lucky or good for that matter, Tampa Bay went only 1-5 and they were on the outside of the playoffs looking in with a 7-9 record.

  In  the 2013 season, Freeman needs to pick it up on the back half of the season. I believe that in 2010 he showed that he can be an elite quarterback in the league when he had over 3,400 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions for the whole season and he was able to carry his team to a very good record of 10-6, in which he had more game winning drives than any other QB that season. Tampa Bay gave him pieces to work with last season when they signed all-pro receiver Vincent Jackson, veteran tight end Dallas Clark, and they have a running back that shows a lot of promise in Doug Martin who had an incredible rookie season who had over 1,400 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. It will really be up to Freeman to show everyone that he is a top tier quarterback in the NFL. I believe that with the addition of rookie, Mike Glennon out of North Carolina State who is projected to be his biggest competition, Freeman will show that he not only deserves to be the starting quarterback but also that he deserves to be the teams franchise quarterback. I hope that by this time next year we will see Josh Freeman sign a big contract extension with Tampa Bay and if not, hopefully someone else will be willing to give him the big pay day that I believe he deserves.

Russell Wilson In Line For A Sophomore Slump?

  Rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks jumped on to the seen last season out of nowhere. Wilson led the Seahawks to a record of 11-5, which was their best record since making it to the Super Bowl in 2007.

  In 2012, the Seattle Seahawks made a major move during the beginning of the off-season by signing Matt Flynn, former Green Bay Packer to a multi-year contract. Flynn was projected to be the future of the franchise and the new leader in town, until the NFL draft happened at least. With the 75th pick the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson, quarterback out of Wisconsin. Wilson was projected by a lot of reporters and analyst to go around the fourth round, he was highly skilled just seen as undersized by a lot of people, but we all know that Pete Carroll likes to take big risks. Going into pre-season Wilson was still third on the depth chart behind, Flynn and Tavaris Jackson (Starter the previous season). During the pre-season Wilson battled tough with Flynn and just out played Jackson, so going into the season Carroll had a decision to make between his two quarterbacks. Does he go with the guy that the franchise just signed to a multi-year contract, or does he go with the fresh Rookie who is more of a dual threat?

Going into week one Wilson was named as the starter, and that's exactly where he would stay the remainder of the season. In 2012, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were the first two draft picks overall, and were getting all of the media attention going into the season, Wilson went out and played and didn't complain about not getting much attention. During the Season he had 3,118 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns with just 10 interceptions (which was lower than Luck), he also had four rushing touchdowns to go along with that. What was most impressive to me is that Wilson didn't have to go out and throw the ball 40 times a game, nor did he try and do to much. There were four games where he threw the ball 20 times or less! In those four game the Seahawks went 4-0.  He simply just went out and played the game that he knows and loves and did his best to help his team win. It does help having one of the best defenses in the NFL but it was times where Wilson was called upon and he had to prove himself as well, like the Green Bay game for instance, with the last seconds on the clock and the Seahawks needed a touchdown, he found wide receiver Golden Tate in the back of the end zone to win the game, it was a very questionable and controversial call but they did rule it a touchdown and the Seahawks won the game. He also came up huge against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, throwing three touchdowns with no turnovers, and again late in the season when the division rival San Francisco 49ers traveled into town, Wilson passed for a season high four touchdowns, also while completing 71 percent of his passes against the number one defense in the league (according to a lot of analyst).  After beating the Washington Redskins, led by Robert Griffin III in Wild Card game of the Playoffs, Wilson and the Seahawks came up short against a highly talented Atlanta Falcons team that is led by their high powered offense.

  In the 2013 season, Wilson will have one more year of experience with this offense than he had last season and I believe that his numbers will only improve, a lot of people talk about a sophomore slump which plagued Cam Newton just last season. I don't think Russell Wilson will suffer from any slump or setback in his second season, he seems to be a very confident and mature young professional who is willing to give 100 percent every game. I think that his passing yards will improve next season, he may have a couple of more turnovers but I believe he will be as consistent in 2013 as he was in 2012. With a receiving core that has a healthy Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin (who was acquired in a trade from Minnesota) and Golden Tate, who had a breakout season in 2012, Wilson can look forward to putting up great numbers once again, and avoid a sophomore slump.

Top 5 Quarterbacks going into the 2013 NFL season

 The NFL season is getting closer, we're already a couple of weeks away from pre-season action. I've been thinking a lot about who we should be looking for this season to take their teams to the next level and which Quarterbacks will make their teams front runners, but which ones will produce the most on the field.

I took time to create a list of who I feel will be the top five Quarterbacks going into this years NFL season, I hope you enjoy it.

1. Peyton Manning- Coming off of his neck surgery, a lot of people wondered how he would hold up. Well, I believe after last year he proved he was 100 percent. In 2012, Manning passed for 4,695 yards, 37 TD's and only 11 Interceptions (INT). With another year under his belt in this offensive I expect his numbers to improve in yardage, and Touchdowns(TD) and stay around the same for INT's. Remember he did have Willis McGahee who rushed for over 700 yards last year but recently got released from the team, but they made a great addition to the team with former Patriot superstar receiver, Wes Welker. Manning is already known for making good players great, just imagine what he can do with Welker on a team where he has Eric Decker, and Demaryius Thomas who had an amazing season last year with over 1,000 receiving yards and double digit touchdowns. I expect this Denver team to go far this season and Manning to put up outstanding numbers.
2. Tom Brady-
   
   The Patriots have had a wild off-season beginning with the loss of Wes Welker who signed with the Broncos, to their stud tight-end Rob Gronkowski who has undergone a major back surgery, and also the Aaron Hernandez case. Through all of that however, they still have Tom Brady. In 2012, Brady passed for 4,827 yards, 34 TD's and only 8 INT's, and if you think that's impressive what about him throwing for a combined 109 TD's over the past 3 season with only 24 INT's, WOW! I am a big believer in Tom Brady and with the addition of former Rams wide out Danny Amendola, I think the Patriots will have a prety good receiving group still. through everything I believe that he and the Patriots offense will make proper adjustments and continue to be on the top of this AFC east division. This season I expect his Touchdowns to stay around the same area (30-35) but I think his Interceptions will have an increase. Overall, Brady is still Brady and is the second best QB going into the season.

   

   Brees has have three consecutive seasons with over 4,500 passing yards 

3. Drew Brees- In 2012 the New Orleans Saints had a lot of struggle, first with bounty gate and losing their head coach and when the season started, well it started slow for these Saints who lost their first four games of the season, but they had one consistent piece through it all, Drew Brees. In 2012, Brees passed for more yards than anyone and had a NFL best 43 TD's but had 19 INT's to follow. They didn't have any major additions to the offense this off-season but they did manage as a team to get head coach, Sean Peyton back for next season and that alone may be the best addition to any team this off-season. With the receiving group getting one more year of experience with Brees I think they will only get better, and Lance Moore coming to his own, will continue to get better and help Brees out. I expect his passing yards to go down slightly, but believe his touchdown number will be about the same (38-45) and I think his interception number will drop down to the (10-13) range. I rank him third because I believe he will have a much improved team but this division will be extremely close and competitive this season, with  both,Tampa Bay and Carolina getting better, and Falcons who were four minutes away from going to the Super Bowl last season. It will be interesting to see what Brees can do.
4. Aaron Rodgers-
   
   Green Bay fans have a lot to be excited about, Rodgers is a great talent to follow Brett Favre, which he has proved that the past five season or so, he took this team to the Super Bowl and has them on the top of their division every season. In 2012, Rodgers passed for 4,295 yards. 39 TD's and only 8 INT's, with a very young wide receiver group. Greg Jennings who was injured majority of last season, has signed with  the division rival  Minnesota Vikings, but Rodgers has a young stud by the name of Randall Cobb who showed last season that he can step and make big plays when he's called on. I look for Rodgers to pass for more yards, throw less TD's maybe between 30-34 (That's only because I believe they will run the ball more) and have about the same number of interceptions. My only concern about Rodgers is his ability to stay healthy, he has been sacked and hit more than any Quarterback the past two seasons, I just want to know how long he can stay standing. I still believe that he is a fierce competitor and will lead his team to the top of that division once again.
5. Matt Ryan-
   
   The Atlanta Falcon had an amazing season last year as a team, they set a franchise record with wins, by going 13-3 last season and they also got some pressure off of them since winning their first playoff game in nearly a decade. In 2012, Ryan passed for 4,719 yards, had a career best 32 TD's and 14 INT's. Every season since coming into the league his Touchdown numbers have gone up and his passing yards as well, with the Falcons being able to convince Hall of Fame tight end, Tony Gonzalez to re-sign with the team and you add the fact that he has two of the top ten receivers already on his team (Roddy White and Julio Jones). Matt Ryan is a sure pick to put up big numbers in 2013, I believe that his passing yards goes up (5,000) I believe that he throws more TD's than last season maybe between (35-40) , I believe that his INT numbers stay about the same, somewhere between (10-15). The Falcons made a tough decision when they released former pro bowl running back, Michael Turner but in return I believe they helped the team more with picking up former Rams pro bowl and veteran running back, Steven Jackson who I believe will show that he still has a lot in the tank and could help this team make a magical run to New York, for the Super Bowl in 2013 ( I could be reaching with that prediction!). However, I believe that his numbers will continue to grow and I honestly think that he is the fifth best Quarterback going into the 2013 season.  

  I hope that you all enjoyed reading this list, and if you have any changes you would make to the list make sure you leave a comment letting me know if you agree or not, I would like to hear who you all think are the top five Quarterbacks going into the 2013 NFL season. I can't wait for the start of the season!

Jay-Z Takes It To Another Level....

  Music and Hip-hop icon, Shawn Carter, or better known as Jay-Z has reached a new height in the entertainment world. He has went platinum on his 12th album titled "Magna Carter Holy Grail" before it was released in stores on July 9, 2013.

  Carter announced that he was going to be releasing his album during half-time of the NBA finals, game five. Crazy thing is, he partnered up with Samsung for this album and they had purchased over 1 million copies themselves, for  their phone users. People who owned a Samsung Galaxy S4 or SIII and note II could download and application for the album and would be able to purchase it from their phone(s) on July 4, before it came out to the public the following Tuesday.

  This album is one that Jay-Z has been thinking about doing for a while, and for the announcement he had some heavy hitting producers in the studio with him such as: Rick Ruben, Swiss Beats, Pharrell Williams, and Timberland. The announcement  for it was almost like a short film, but it was one of almost one of those things where you didn't want it to end because  you wanted to hear and see more. He definitely got a lot of buzz going around his album after that. He made people want this album like a pair of retro Jordans, and I believe it has lived up to the buzz. He has some of thought provoking songs such as, "Heaven",  and "Tom Ford" to name a couple. The album also has a couple of songs that may be a little different than what Jay-Z usually does, like "Oceans", overall I find it to be a very good album.

  But once again recapturing the number one spot in the music industry is not all that Jay-Z has going on these days. A couple of months ago, Jay-Z had sold his share of the Brooklyn Nets and started up a sports agency, Roc Nation. Right from the start he made noise by signing New York Yankee star, Robinson Cano'. Not impressed? Well, just after that he signed WNBA superstar Skylar Diggins, Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver, Desean Jackson and New York Jets quarterback, Geno Smith. Nobody could envision a rap artist getting into the realm of sports like Jay-Z has done. Most recently this summer, he has got the attention now of a lot of people with this sports agency after signing New York Giant, Victor Cruz, and Oklahoma City Thunder Mega-Star, Kevin Durant!

  He has gone by a couple of different names, people know him as Jigga, Jay-Z, HOV,  and S.Carter. Now people should probably get ready to start calling him the ultimate business man (If you haven't done so already).

  Now over the age of 40, Jay-Z has done a lot in his career and continues to grow it seems every single year, but I always find myself asking "What will he do to top the last accomplishment?". Well, he did sign Durant out of out of the blue. Jay-Z is known friends with another well known NBA superstar, Miami Heat Forward, Lebron James. Could it be possible that Jay-Z gets him to sign over to Roc Nation? Who Knows.......

Jay Z Magna Carta Holy Grail Samsung [Official Commercial]

The Giants are in "Cruz Control"

  It's been a long time coming but the New York Giant's finally made their biggest move of the off-season, which was to re-sign their all-star wide receiver Victor Cruz. 

 Cruz, 26, became a free agent at the end of last. After having seasons like his last two the Giants would have been foolish not to give him a big contract. We're talking about a guy who in the past two seasons has had 168 receptions, over 2,600 receiving yards,  and recorded 19 touchdowns. Oh yeah, did I mention he helped them to defeat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. According to numerous sources, Cruz will be getting $46 Million over the next five years.  

  Earlier in the off-season Cruz fired his agent and signed to Hip-Hop icon and New York native, Shawn Carter's (Jay-Z) sports agency-Roc Nation- this made a lot of fans wonder what that would mean for Cruz's future in New York, some believed that it would make him more likely to re-sign with the Giants (which he did), while others were thinking that it might make him go after a maximum contract with another team, if the Giants weren't willing to offer him what he was asking for. Well as of July 9, Giants fans you once again have something to cheer about, your young stud receiver is coming back to the big apple! Cruz had said according to sources,  that he was tired of going through all of the trouble with getting a deal done, he had said that he knew that he wanted to play with the Giants all along and he believes the contract is enough to take care of him and his family for the rest of his life.

  Now that Cruz has signed his new contract he can get back to focusing on football, and help this Giants team who had come up short on making the playoffs last year, get back to the postseason. So, Giants fans get your chips ready because hopefully Cruz can give you a lot of "salsa" to go along with them while he's scoring touchdowns this season. The next line of business for New York will be to focus on Hakeem Nicks, who will a free agent at the end of the 2013-2014 season. Who know's, maybe they'll have their newly re-signed wide receiver help to try and convince him as to why he should stay.

Are the Lakers done?

    Finally! It has been confirmed, Friday after telling sources that he would be leaving the L.A. Lakers for the Houston Rockets, and then throwing both teams through a loop, Dwight Howard announced on twitter to the public that his decision had been to indeed leave the Lakers and go play along side of James Harden in "H-Town" like sources had reported earlier in the day.

  Everyone now wants to know where this puts the Lakers at for the upcoming season. Kobe Bryant, who will be 35 years old at the start of next season, is coming off of a very serious Achilles injury, which he suffered in April, is expected to miss six to nine months of action which could rule him out the first month of the regular season. Bryant, sent out a series of tweets after hearing Dwight's decision and he also posted a picture on his instagram of him and Laker teammate, Pau Gasol, the Picture was posted to show that Gasol was his true "side-kick" the guy who will go to battle with him through the up's and downs.

Other Lakers teammates and fans made comments on Howard's decision, like Lakers guard, Jodie Meeks. Meeks posted a picture on Instagram that was a sight to see, lets just say i'm sure Howard heard about it. It was a picture of Howard in a blond wig, and wearing a WNBA uniform, soon after Meeks had taken down the picture.

Lakers General Manager, Mitch Kupchak, said in a press conference after hearing about Howard choosing Houston over returning to L.A, that they Lakers would continue on without him, they were highly disappointed in his decision, but they would build a team that the Lakers fans would be proud of.


The Lakers right now have a very mediocre team on paper besides a couple of aging All-Stars such as, Kobe Bryant (34), Steve Nash (39), and Pau Gasol (33). There are no other real stand out players on the team accept Metta World Peace (Ron Artest), and well, his name right now may be the only thing that makes him stand out the most right now, other than that he can't really add much to an offense that struggled last season when Kobe wasn't on the court.

With Howard choosing to go his separate ways with the Lakers, it may really give the organization its' lowest expectations maybe since the 05-06' season (7th seed in Playoffs). On the other hand they still have a man by the name of Kobe "Bean" Bryant, who maybe the most competitive player in the league and is all about over coming obstacles and doubt of others. They said he was too old this past season and would take a step back, how did he answer? by averaging almost 28 points per game.

Is this a great Lakers team like we're use to seeing them have, no, but they have Kobe, and Gasol still, and if Nash can stay healthy this year and give them one good season, they may have a chance to compete. They now have a significant amount of salary cap space to work with as well, since they were able to save some money with Howard leaving and all, so maybe they bring in some nice pieces to work with. There are still a lot of good free agent pieces out there, i'm sure a handful of them would like to play for the Lakers, I mean they are still the Lakers.