Audio: The Bengals Have A Huge Three Weeks in Front of Them and The State of the NBA

 No Andy Dalton for the Bengals for the remainder of the regular season. What does that mean for their season? Playoff hopes? Could Dalton lose his job? Bengals fans asked for McCarron during the offseason, right? Well, here you go... Also, the NBA is pathetic right now. I like some teams but don't see more than four teams able to win the championship. And well, three of the four are from the same conference.

I Want To See Peyton Throw One More Touchdown

      2015 has not been the best year for Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Actually, it's been the worst statistically. 2,180 yards passing (6.8 avg) nine touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a quarterback rating (QBR) of 67.6. All of that came through just nine games this season. In his last game played this season, against the Kansas City Chiefs, Manning was 5/20 pass completions (25 percent) with no touchdowns and four interceptions - Manning was pulled from the game and was later diagnoses with a torn planter fascia in his left foot - in that game, Manning passed Brett Favre for most all-time passing yards. He [Manning] has been rehabbing and getting treatment on his foot to try and come back from the injury. However, with Brock Osweiler playing so well, it's hard to tell if Manning will see the field again.

The Legacy of Dirk

In the 1998 NBA draft, there was a player from Germany that only a few truly knew about. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks (no.9 overall) and traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Robert Traylor (no.6 overall pick) on the same day. That players name... Dirk Nowitzki
 
 Dirk, now in his 17th season, is trying to get back to the NBA finals and compete with the top tier teams in the Western Conference. It's no secret that he's getting older and he isn't the same player that he was 10 years ago, or even five for that matter. However, Dirk isn't looking as bad as some of the other aging players *cough, cough.. Kobe Bryant* but he's got a little bit of a better team around him, also. If you've watched any NBA game or ESPN or Fox Sports, you know that Kobe Bryant announcing this will be his final season is the talk of the entire league. People are talking about where Kobe ranks on the all-time list, naming off their top five all-time players and some top 10. I seldom wonder where a player like Dirk fits in on this list to the consensus. In his [Dirk's] rookie season, in an interview, Dallas' then point guard Steve Nash said "the sky's the limit for Dirk". He was right. I'm guessing he saw a lot of potential in the young European superstar back then that not a lot of people did at the time.

 "The sky's the limit for Dirk" - Steve Nash 

He [Dirk], for his career is seventh all-time on the scoring list (28,507) and is on pace to pass Shaquille O'Neal (28,596) for the sixth spot, pretty soon, if healthy. He also has a career total of over 10,200 rebounds and better than 3,300 career assists. When averaged out they're not dominating number but if you watched him play throughout his career you know Dirk's impact on the game of basketball. Historically, Dirk hasn't had major injury issues and every season after his rookie season he never averaged less than 17 points per game (this season included, so far).  Seeing Dirk and the Maverick's team  defeat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2012 was one of the greatest things I've witnessed as a sports fan. I like LeBron and D-Wade, no knock to either player. But seeing a player like Dirk win a title, after accomplishing almost everything in the NBA prior, was truly something that you can be excited for even if you're not a fan of his team. He's won the NBA MVP, he was named to the All-NBA first team (4), All-NBA second team (5), NBA all-star team (13) and he was even a three point contest winner (2006). However, even though he accomplished so much in his career, it just seems like winning the NBA title was needed to add to his, already, mammoth resume.

Dirk is, without doubt, the greatest player in Maverick's history and one of the greatest and most unique scorers that the NBA has ever witnessed - he even has his own patented shot - and has shot a very good percentage throughout his career, averaging just over 47 percent for his career from the field, 38 percent from the three-point line, also averaging an amazing 87 percent from the free throw stripe.

I know when we talk about the greats in NBA history, there are mentions of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, etc. But, I have two question. When can we start talking about Dirk in those same conversations?  Where does the European superstar rank in the history of the NBA?

NFL: Five Players That Need A Fresh Start

  In the NFL a lot of the success and failure can be based around the teams position (winning or losing), the system a player's in, or the teams dedication to a player. In the 2015-16 season we've seen some players that look like they could be considered a "bust" and we've seen some players look as if they've digressed in performance. I made a list of five players that I believe can still be very good or even great players, if they're given a chance on a new team.

1. Colin Kaepernick: Two NFC Championship appearances, a Super Bowl and two Pro Bowl's for this young quarterback didn't just happen by mistake. Kaepernick can still be one of the most dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, in the right system/situation. When he played under Jim Harbaugh we saw him destroy the Green Bay Packers in the 2012 playoffs, one of the strongest performances from any player in playoff history - 263 yards passing, along with 180 yards rushing with a total of four touchdowns on the day - and he's still capable of putting up numbers like that. Let's be honest, the 49ers are having a terrible season and the we all look at the quarterback position first. What's he doing wrong? is he declining in talent/skill? have teams figured him out? these are the first questions typically asked. When new Head Coach Jim Tomsula made the decision to bench Kaepernick, I did believe that it was for his [Kaepernick's] best interest and still do. However, I think that things won't be getting better in San Francisco any time soon and a new team would benefit Kaepernick more than anything, at this point. Possible teams he would be a good fit for: Philadelphia, Houston, St. Louis, Kansas City.

2. Johnny Manziel: Why draft him in the first round if you're not going to play him? Oh, that's right, because you're the Browns. The entire city of Cleveland thought that Manziel was about to begin a new era in the city for their struggling franchise. However, it didn't quit work out that way. Head coach, Mike Pettine has yet to really trust him [Manziel] with this team. And well, he has had a few off-the-field incidents that have helped him land a spot on the bench. In his 12 games played, he has five touchdowns, four interceptions and six fumbles. He was sacked 17 times through those twelve games. I don't know fully what Manziel is capable of doing, neither does the rest of the league. He is in a bad situation in Cleveland and it doesn't look like he'll be getting the chance to show any one for the remainder of the 2015 season, after being named the third quarterback on the depth chart. Possible teams he would be a good fit for: Dallas, Houston, New Orleans (He could learn a lot from Drew Brees).

3. Cordarrelle Patterson: A former first-round draft pick in 2013, Patterson has yet to catch on in the NFL as a starting receiver. Now in his third season, he has had only one one-hundred yard receiving performance (Dec. 12, 2013 vs the Ravens) his rookie season. It's clear that the new favorite target in Minnesota for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is rookie Stefon Diggs. Patterson doesn't even seem to be on the radar for targets, as he has only two receptions on the season, this season. Patterson has been very good on special teams as a kick/punt returner, but I believe he's more than a one-trick pony. I think Patterson deserves to be in an offense that will help him find his place in the NFL and I truly believe he still has the chance to be one of the leagues best. Possible teams he would be a good fit for: New England, New Orleans, Tennessee, Carolina.

4. Tre Mason: As a former Heisman Trophy contender it seemed that Mason would leave from Auburn and enter the NFL to be a premiere running back in the league for years to come. In his rookie season (2014), Mason ended up being the starting running back late in the season, well at least taking majority of the carries. In the 2014 season he had 179 carries for 765 rushing yards with four touchdowns to go along with it. It was sure to be Mason's job going forward. However, after the Rams drafted Todd Gurly out of the University of Georgia with the 11th overall pick, it now seems that Mason will have to wait for an opportunity to get carries. Mason really needs to be in a system that will allow him to show that he should be a starting running back in the league or should at least be getting more carries. Mason has had 10 or more carries one time in 2015, so far. Possible teams he would be a good fit for: Indianapolis, Houston, Oakland, Tennessee, Cleveland.

5. Tavon Austin:  They've clearly been trying in St. Louis to make Austin into a no.1 receiver and it hasn't worked. Well, nothing in their passing game has worked in St.Louis. Austin is a very explosive receiver and can be used in different parts of the offense and special teams. However, he was drafted fairly high (no.8 overall). I get that they're trying to show that they didn't make the wrong draft decision, I honestly get that. But when you try to force something, over and over, that clearly hasn't worked you make yourself and the player look worse, St. Louis. Austin could be one of the best slot receivers in the league, if put in the right system.  I do think he'll improve, regardless if gets moved or not, he won't be a "bust". However, wasting his youngest years in a bad situation isn't good for the five-foot-eight receiver. He  has had one receiving performance of one-hundred yards or better only one time (Nov. 10, 2013 vs Indianapolis - two receptions, 138 yards, two touchdowns) and one of the receptions was his career long of 81 yards. Possible teams he would be a good fit for: New England, Atlanta, New York Giants, Detroit, Indianapolis, Denver.