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?