Apple Cup 2013 - WSU Cougars vs UW Huskies

The time has come once again. The leaves have fallen, there's a cool frost in the air, and the smell of turkey and pies fill the air, it can only mean one thing when you live in the great Pacific Northwest. Its time for the Apple Cup!

The Apple Cup for those of you who don't know, is the biggest in-state rivalry game in Washington, where the Washington State Cougars take on the Washington Huskies. This game has been played since 1900 and this will be the 106th meeting between the two schools. This is also the first time since 2002 that the (7-4)Huskies and (6-5)Cougars both have winning records and both are pretty safe bets to be bowl-bound.

Last year the Apple Cup was in Pullman, WA and boy was that a wild show. The game started pretty good for the Cougars, going into halftime with a 10-3 lead. Then the Huskies went for the kill putting up 21 unanswered points in the 3rd to give them the lead 28-10 going into the 4th quarter. That's when things seemed to fall apart for the Huskies, who allowed the Cougars to put up 18 unanswered points of their own including a successful 2-point conversion to tie the game up 28-28 and sent the game to overtime after a missed field goal attempt by the Huskies at the end of regulation. In overtime Husky QB Keith Price threw an INT on his first pass attempt that helped set up a game winning field goal for the Cougars for the win, final score 31-28.




DEAN RUTZ / The Seattle Times

 

The Huskies are coming into this game after one of their biggest wins in the history of the university against a conference opponent (Pac-12), when they put up 69 points and 692 yards against the Oregon State Beavers (Also the most the Huskies have scored in a game since 1944 against Whitman, final score 71-0). The Freshman QB did not halt the offense one bit, albeit he only threw for 162 of UW's total 692 yards and one TD. The real star of the show and the season for the Huskies is junior RB Bishop Sankey out of Spokane, WA, rushing for 179 yards on 23 carries and three TD's. Sankey is ranked 4th in rushing yards with 1,575 and tied for 6th in TD's with 18 (17 rush, 1 rec). He is now tied with Nip Kaufman (Former UW RB 1991-'94) with 34 rushing TD's and will still have two more games to try and capture the title since they became bowl eligible with their win over Colorado on Nov. 9th. After the blowout win over the Oregon State the Huskies were already looking ahead to the Apple Cup, and getting revenge for their gut wrenching loss last year. The Huskies may be starting freshman QB Cyler Miles for the second straight game since their starting QB Keith Price may not be fully ready to go after suffering a shoulder injury against UCLA the week prior.

DEAN HARE — AP Photo

The Cougars are fresh off a win over Utah in which they became bowl eligible for the first time since 2006, but have not played in a bowl game since their last winning season in 2003 (Holiday Bowl - Win over Texas 28-20). QB Connor Halliday is 3rd in the nation in passing yards with 3,905 and has 26 TD's with 19 INT's. The Cougs love to throw the ball averaging 372 passing yards per game, 5th in the nation and ranked 123rd in rushing, averaging only 60 yards per game. The win over (4-7,1-7 Pac-12)Utah showcased the passing attack even more with sophomore WR Dom Williams catching 5 receptions for 154 yards and 2 TD's. They were able to rack up 578 yards with 488 coming thru the air in that game. Halliday threw the ball in the endzone 4 times in that game with no turnovers while on the other side of the ball Utah QB Adam Schulz threw two pick-6's which helped the Cougs come out with he win 49-37.

This Friday after your done with Black Friday shopping, or up from the great rest you got from last nights food fest be sure to check out the Apple Cup 12:30 PST on Fox. I will be in attendance and enjoying every second of it. This game will be a good one and the points should rack up quick with both teams averaging over 30 points per game. A big question in this one will be whether Keith Price will be starting at QB or if Cyler Miles will get his 2nd start of his collegiate career. I believe the Huskies are going to run away with this one and when I say run away with it I mean it I mean it. The Huskies have a much better defense than Utah and LB Shaq Thompson, who returned a INT for an 80 yard TD, will be a major x-factor in this game and if he can keep up his good play and the running game continues to thrive like last week (3 RB's rushing over 100 yards) then they will come out with a victory and have revenge from last year's embarrassing finish.

Joe Nicholson - USA Today Sports

Prediction:
UW over WSU 41-27

Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis as well as Fantasy Football advice throughout the week. Share it, Like it, Tweet it, Vine it, Instagram, whatever social networking tool you use, spread the word so everyone else has the opportunity to bask in all of this Sports Stats and News!

2013 NFL Thanksgiving Day Preview - Week 13

This Thanksgiving we have three games going on. So while you're stuffing your face with turkey legs and enjoying all of that family time you're going to be getting in, make sure you check some of the NFL's Turkey Day games on all day long. This is going to be a little preview of what to expect out of all three games scheduled for Thanksgiving. The morning starts with the (5-5-1)Green Bay Packers traveling to the motor city to take on NFC North division rival (6-5)Detroit Lions at 9:30 am PST(12:30 ET) an early start for all of us west coast fans. Following that game we will have the (4-7)Oakland Raiders traveling to JerryWorld to take on the (6-5)Dallas Cowboys, that game will be at 1:30 PST(4:30 ET). The final game of the holiday will be a classic AFC North rivalry when the (5-6)Pittsburgh Steelers travel into hostile territory to take on the (5-6)Baltimore Ravens, that game starting at 5:30 PST(8:30 ET).

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions:

Both of these teams are coming off of disappointing games. The Packers got caught up in a Tie with the (2-8-1) Minnesota Vikings while the Detroit Lions were laying a goose egg at home against the (3-8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Green Bay is now 0-3-1 since QB Aaron Rodgers went down with a collarbone injury against the Chicago Bears back in Week 9 and have had 2 different starting QB's since. That number may go up this Thursday with the way newly acquired/former backup QB Matt Flynn helped bring the team back from a 16 point deficit last week although he could not come thru in overtime and the game ended with a tie. The Lions are on a 2 game losing streak, with both losses coming to teams with a combined record of 8-14 (Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay), not to mention the Lions are on a 9-game losing streak on Thanksgiving Day. This game will be a pretty good one as long as the Packers QB, whoever that may be, doesn't cause too many mistakes.

Prediction:

DET over GB 25-21

Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys:

The Dallas Cowboys have had a regular season in their standards, with no winning or losing streak lasting longer than 2 games all season. The Oakland Raiders have also had a pretty regular season for their standards as well, losing up to 2 games after every win this season. The Raiders have struggled on the road all season, 1-4 on the road, and the Dallas Cowboys are coming off a great win over NFC East division rival New York Giants and will be looking to keep momentum in their favor. Surprisingly, the Raiders actually average more yards a game than the Cowboys (OAK avg - 334, DAL avg - 326) but only a little over half of the points the Cowboys are averaging per game (OAK avg - 19.4 pts, DAL avg - 27.1 pts). To me that stat says that the Raiders can not capitalize on any momentum they get during their games. Rookie QB Matt McGloin will make his 3rd straight start of the season for an injured Terrelle Pryor, and has started fairly well for his circumstances, throwing for 4 TD's to only 1 INT. The last time these two teams met was on Thanksgiving 2009 with Dallas coming up victorious 24-7 with QB Tony Romo throwing for 309 yards and 2 TD's. This game should follow suit to that one and I believe the reason is because the Raiders have too many factors working against them, unless of course Romo does his usual thing at the end of games where he gives his opponents a great opportunity to take a win away from him. I'm predicting against that from happening but it is always a possibility with Romo.

Prediction:

DAL over OAK 27-19

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens:

Alright, here we go! The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be making a claim for comeback team of the year, going 5-2 in their last seven after starting the season 0-4 and the entire nation thinking it was time for some personnel changes. As for the Baltimore Ravens, they have went 3-4 in their last seven after starting the season 2-2 and have not looked anything close to the Super Bowl Champion team they were less than 11 months ago.These two teams along with the Titans, Chargers, Jets and Dolphins are all competing for the 6th and final wild card spot in the playoffs, the Titans currently hold the advantage over all of the others. Pittsburgh is currently on a winning streak of 3 games in a row, and in that time Big Ben has thrown for 7 TD's to only 1 INT, which should scare AFC North division rival Baltimore Ravens who lost to the Steelers before they were even on the roll they seem to be on now (Loss in Week 7, 19-16 in Pittsburgh). Baltimore is 4-1 at home this season but have not looked like a playoff contender all year, and now with Joe Flacco questioning the play calling who knows what's going to happen with last season's Super Bowl champs. Flacco, when asked if he likes the Wildcat offense that the Ravens deployed against the Jets last week, said this, "I don't like that stuff. ... I'm the quarterback... I want to be behind the line of scrimmage, I want to be taking the snaps." So I would be surprised to see them run it again but since Flacco is paid so handsomely I would expect a little more effort if they were to try it again.

Prediction:

PIT over BAL 17-14

Well I hope you enjoy all your Thanksgiving festivities and hopefully you get to enjoy a couple of these games during your day. It should be a great day and with Football on it can only get better, right? 

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Kobe Gets Extension; Talks Return

Kobe Bryant signs contract extension with the Lakers through 2016. (@Lakers)

Kobe Bean Bryant has to be having a great week. Do you know anyone else who starts out their week getting a $48 Million extension thru 2016? Well that is exactly what Kobe got.

Kobe had originally planned to retire after his contract was up, but since his injury the word has been that Bryant will not be going out on a sour note when he leaves the game. His extension could have even been more lucrative than what it is but because the Lakers organization plan to pursue a top Free Agent this offseason. Steve Nash and Bryant are now the only two players signed to significant contracts thru next year (2nd year C Robert Sacre is also signed thru next year but his contract does not break the million dollar mark) with the Lakers, who plan to make a major push for another All-Star caliber player this offseason since they failed to win in the DwightMare sweepstakes.

Bryant is scheduled to make more than $30.4 million this year, which was the final year on his contract. Jim Buss, the executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss said that signing Bryant to his extension was an easy decision that they wanted to take care of before Kobe made it back to the court to show their loyalty to a man who has brought the team 5 championships along with many more accolades.

Here is Jim Buss statement:

"This wasn't something I decided to do; this wasn't something (General Manager) Mitch Kupchak decided to do. This was a Buss family decision,"
"We made him the highest-paid player in the NBA because we felt like it was the right thing to do. This wasn't about what somebody else would pay him or outbidding anyone for him.

"He doesn't have to prove to us one thing," Buss said. "He's proven everything to us over the last 17 years. We've seen what he's done with broken fingers and torn ligaments. There's no stopping the guy. We have 100 percent faith in him."

Kobe stated Tuesday that he is "probably weeks" away from returning to the Lakers sideline but is deeply grateful for his contract extension. Kobe went on to say, "It makes me want to run through a wall for them," when talking about how he felt about the 2 year extension. His contract is set to give him $23.5 million in the 1st year and $25 million in the 2nd, which would also be his 20th with the Lakers, passing up the Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton who set an NBA record with all 19 of his seasons with the Utah Jazz (1984-2003). Bryant has already said that when he does return he would feel comfortable if coach D'Antoni decided to restricting his playing time (Bryant averaged 45.7 mins in his last 7 games before his injury)

Kobe tweets out a picture of his signed contract with #Laker4Life.

At the end of the day all it came down to was Kobe, the Buss family, and the Lakers organization wanted him to retire as a Laker, possibly the greatest Laker of all time.

Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis as well as Fantasy Football advice throughout the week.
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San Francisco 49ers Crush RG3 And The Redskins

San Francisco defense SHUTDOWN Washington QB Robert Griffin III.

This game turned ugly fast for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins were held to only 2 field goals the entire game with QB RG3 throwing a cringe-worthy 17 passes on 27 attempts for 127 yards and one INT. This was Griffin's worst performance of the season and a great performance by the San Francisco 49ers. The offensive line of the Redskins had a rough outing, giving up 4 sacks for -37 yards which had a huge role in why Griffin struggled. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick had a great game throwing for 15 passes on 24 attempts for 235 yards along with 3 TD's, as well as rushing for 20 yards on 9 attempts. This was Kaepernick's first time in five games that he was able to go over 200 yards passing (3rd time all season) and had a career best passer rating at 134.5.

Now I hope you are not going to get fooled by Kaepernick this game. Yes, he had a great game but who was he throwing it against? That's right one of, if not the worst defense in the league. While I was watching the pre-game show they were putting up twitter feeds for the game and one came across the screen and read, "The Redskins defense is as good as a noodle strainer!" Now I don't know how the Redskins feel about that statement but from what I saw last night that statement isn't too far off from the truth. Their defense has yet to hold an offense to under 24 points on the season and is giving up on average a little over 270 passing yards per game. The Redskins were able to contain 49ers RB Frank Gore, holding him to 31 yards on 13 attempts, but if they stop the run that means the 49ers must pass and that is exactly what they did. San Francisco WR Anquan Boldin lit the defense up on 5 catches for 94 yards and two TD's, his first 2 TD performance since Week 12 of 2012 while he was with the Baltimore Ravens.

The San Francisco 49ers were able to help their playoff chances with a win that put them at 7-4 and set them into the last wild card spot for the NFC wild card for now, Arizona has the same record but San Fran holds the edge with their win over the Cardinals in Week 6. The Redskins will be looking in on the playoffs this year with a record of 3-8 and a firm hold on last place in the NFC East, one year removed from RG3's rookie of the year season and NFC East Champions.

Prediction:

SF over WSH 30-24

Final Score:

SF over WSH 27-6

Up next for the 49ers will be a NFC West division showdown with the red hot (5-6)St Louis Rams who are coming off two very impressive wins over the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. This game will be a real slobber knocker and a great test for both teams. We should be able to find out a lot from this game including if the Rams are really that good and also how consistent can Colin Kaepernick be? As for the Redskins, they will be on primetime again for Sunday Night Football to take on division rival (4-7)New York Giants, who are coming off a very disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys after a 4 game win streak. The Redskins will look to rebound and put an end to their 3 game losing streak while the Giants are still fighting to end the season with a winning record after starting 0-6.

I hope you enjoyed my Monday Night Football Recap - Week 12 - San Francisco vs Washington. Check out my recap of all the games from Week 12 of the NFL as well, "NFL Week 12 Mayhem 2013"

Thank you for reading and come back for more Sports News & Analysis as well as Fantasy Football advice throughout the week.
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NFL Week 12 Mayhem 2013

We had some great, and I really mean GREAT games yesterday. Here is a quick update of the headlines from Week 12.

Chiefs Keep Rolling Downhill

The Kansas City Chiefs went from starting the season 9-0, to now being on a streak of 0-2. I am not writing the Chiefs off just yet, but if that is the way they are going to play to finish out the season then they might as well not even try and show up to the playoffs. Their defense went from being regarded as the best in the league to now beginning to look like the defense of recent Chiefs past. Their defense has really begun to unfold since around Week 7 or 8 when they played the Texans and Browns and had a tough time beating those two, then one of their worst first halves of the season when they played the Buffalo Bills, but their defense stepped up that 2nd half and were able to run away with a win. Once the Chiefs played a team with a winning record, it put an end to their winning streak and after the Chargers ripped them apart yesterday I don't know if it can get better for them. I said a couple weeks back that I didn't believe Kansas City had all the other intangibles to make them a serious threat in the AFC and that they wouldn't make it past the 1st round of the playoffs, now hopefully everyone is aware of the flaws of this Chiefs team.

Manning vs Brady XIV Lived up to the Hype!

Oh yeah! Now that is some good football. The 24 point shut out, the ensuing 28 point come back, Overtime down to the 2 minute warning along with a controversial play to set up a game winning field goal, oh yeah and did I mention it featured 2 of the NFL's Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time! If that is not all you can ask for to end your Sunday evening then you should not be wasting your time reading this. This game exceeded all the expectations any Sports Fanatic could ask for. If we could witness this game every week of the season I believe the NFL would still be a success and possibly even more popular than it is now. Patriots prevailed over the visiting Broncos 34-31, check below for a more of a recap of the game.

Thursday Night Football

NO @ ATL:

Check out my recap here "Saints Fight Back For Win; Falcons Free Fall Continue"

Final Score:
NO over ATL 17-13

Sunday Afternoon Game
SD @ KC:

Who saw this one coming? After suffering their first loss of the season last week to Denver I thought that the Chiefs would come out with something to prove to not only themselves but the nation, that they were not just a fluke that they were the last team to be undefeated. Well from everything that I saw Sunday afternoon, that is exactly what it is seeming like to me. The Chiefs took a 14-3 lead with 3:03 left in the half but the Chargers would make it a 4-point game going into the half when Phillip Rivers finished off a 81 yard drive with an 11 yard pass to RB Danny Woodhead. The Chargers would take the lead to open the 2nd half on a 1 yard run from RB Ryan Matthews. The lead would then switch from team to team 6 more times before the final score. The Chiefs did lose two LB's in Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, who combined are one of the top duos in the league in sacks with 20 on the year (Houston has 11, Hali has 9) which played a pivotal role in the 2nd half. With Hali and Houston out, Chargers QB Phillip Rivers had plenty of time in the pocket to direct his passes anywhere they needed to be. This game had 8 different lead changes, the most in a game since 2011, including the last lead change when Phillip Rivers threw a pass to WR Seyi Ajirotutu with 0:24 seconds remaining to take the lead 41-38, although the Chargers seemed to have injured rookie RT DJ Fluker on the extra point afterwards.

Final Score:

SD over KC 41-38

CAR @ MIA:

Carolina had a scare Sunday afternoon when they traveled down to Miami to take on the Dolphins. The Dolphins controlled most of the 1st half with a TD pass to WR Mike Wallace and 3 field goals in the 2nd quarter to go into half time with a 16-6 lead, the Panthers were able to muster up a field goal in each of the first 2 quarters. The second half is when the Panthers defense began to settle in, not allowing a score for the remainder of the game. The Dolphins crushed Carolina in the passing game with Ryan Tannehill throwing for 310 yards to Cam Newton's 174, although both QB's threw for one TD and one INT each. The Panthers did however crush the Dolphins in the running game with 136 yards rushing to Miami's 52 total yards rushing. The Panthers have now won 7 straight, their longest streak since their 2003 Super Bowl run. The Panthers were down 13-16 with 4:13 remaining in regulation when Cam Newton orchestrated a drive that would go 12 plays for 72 yards and finished off with a TD pass to TE Greg Olsen and left Miami with 0:43 seconds left. Miami would fail to convert on their final attempt and would go on to lose the game, making them 2-2 since the unforgettable "BullyGate"
Final Score:

CAR over MIA 20-16

Sunday Night Football

DEN @ NE:

If there is ever a game for someone to learn to love football it was this one. We all knew that this would be a good game just based on big names alone. The game didn't start in normal Manning-Brady fashion with both teams running the ball the majority of the 1st half. The 1st half was dominated by the Broncos who put up 24 points and helped cause 3 very costly turnovers for the patriots which lead to the first 17 points for the Broncos. Peyton Manning would then get a TD he earned with no turnover help to give his team a 24-0 lead going into halftime. Now I knew the game wasn't just over yet with Tom Brady on the other sideline but I had no idea that I would be watching one of the greatest comebacks in the Brady/Belichick era. The 2nd half was all Patriots as they were able to score 31 unanswered points in the 2nd half including 2 TD passes to WR Julian Edelman and 7:37 remaining in the 4th quarter. Peyton Manning answered with a TD of his own on an 11 yard pass to WR Demaryius Thomas to tie the game with 3:06 left in regulation. They would go into overtime and play down to the last 2 minutes before New England would kick a field goal for the win. The game winning field goal was set up when the Patriots had come to 4th and 4 at their own 43 and decided to punt the ball away. When the ball was punted, returner Wes Welker called for everyone to move away from the ball but CB Tony Carter ran into the ball while trying to block New England thinking Welker would try the return. Then we had a live ball on the Broncos 13 yard line that DB Nate Ebner would recover to set up the 31 yard game winning field goal.
Final Score:
NE over DEN 34-31 OT

Monday Night Football
SF @ WSH:

*Click here for Recap*

Final Score:

SF over WSH 27-6

Here are the final scores from the rest of the games played this week:

PIT over CLE 27-11
TB over DET 24-21
MIN Ties GB 26-26
STL over CHI 42-21
CAR over MIA 20-16
BAL over NYJ 19-3
JAX over HOU 13-6
TEN over OAK 23-19
ARI over IND 40-11
DAL over NYG 24-21


Well I hope you enjoyed my quick recap from the NFL Week 12 Mayhem 2013!

If you have any thoughts or questions, leave a comment and we can talk sports, because well, that is what I do!
Thanks for reading and be sure to check back often for all of your Sports News & Analysis as well as some Fantasy Football Help!

Jordan Announces Charlotte Will Bring Back Hornets Colors With Name

The Charlotte Bobcats will be changing their name next season to the Charlotte Hornets, if you haven't heard yet check out the story "Charlotte Hornets back in 2014-15" courtesy of ESPN.

Michael Jordan (Charlotte Bobcats majority owner since 2010) has announced that when his team gets their Hornets name back, they will also be bringing back their old purple and teal colors along with it.

The Hornets name became available after New Orleans had been approved to switch to the Pelicans back in April. Charlotte will be using the same color scheme the Hornets team had during their previous tenure in Charlotte from 1988-2002 before being relocated to New Orleans. Their colors of purple and teal will also be accented with black, cool gray and light blue.

Michael Jordan released a statement Sunday saying, "it was important to us to acknowledge the heritage of the Charlotte Hornets when bringing the name back to the market" and "the purple and teal color scheme was instantly recognizable as being associated with the original Hornets and we felt it was only appropriate to utilize the colors once again with this historic brand.”

The team also conducted surveys with the local community as well as their season ticket holders and found an overwhelming majority preferred the original colors of the Hornets. Starting Monday the organization is set to begin their "Buzz City" campaign where they will be doing digital, print and billboard advertising.

NFL Week 12 Preview and Predictions

Highlight game of the Week:

Alright so we have made it to the Brady and Manning Bowl XIV. Every time these players meet it is sure to be a battle. The last time these two met was last year in Week 5 when the Broncos went into Foxboro and lost a tough game to New England 31-21. This year the Broncos will be looking to avenge that loss after ending the Kansas City Chiefs unbeaten streak last week. Peyton Manning's stats so far this season tower of Brady with 34 TD's to Brady's 14 as well as 3,572 yards to Brady's 2,552 not to mention Manning's team is the #1 seed in the AFC. So that's one thing to get excited about for Week 12 of the NFL. A few other interesting games include the Jets S Ed Reed making his second trip to Baltimore (Played them in Week 3 while with the Houston Texans), as well as an NFC East battle between the surging New York Giants who have the Dallas Cowboys in town. So without further ado here is my NFL Week 12 Preview and Predictions!


Thursday Night Football Recap:
NO @ ATL:

*Click here for Recap*

Final Score:

NO over ATL 17-13

Now on to the part where I make my predictions as well as a one sentence preview of each game.

NFL Week 10 Preview and Predictions:

Sunday Games:

SD @ KC - San Diego is coming in on a 3 game losing streak, while they Chiefs suffered their first of the season last week; Chiefs should come out swinging.
KC over SD 20-13

PIT @ CLE - Both teams are sitting at 4-6 and looking to get to the playoffs and Big Ben is 15-1 all time against his AFC North Division Rival
PIT over CLE 24-21

TB @ DET - Detroit made the usual Detroit mistakes last week while Tampa Bay is starting to finally look like a professional football team
TB over DET 28-26

MIN @ GB - Packer's are without too many key pieces and their safeties may be out for this one as well, cue the Greg Jennings comeback.
MIN over GB 26-24

CHI @ STL - The team with the better back up wins; Josh McCown that would be you
CHI over STL 23-20

CAR @ MIA - Carolina's defense is just way too good to be outdone by a Miami team that is just not looking like the team they were when the season started
CAR over MIA 23-13

NYJ @ BAL - Geno has looked like a rookie all year, that won't be changing in Baltimore
BAL over NYJ 23-21

JAX @ HOU - Houston is lucky they play Jacksonville twice a year
HOU over JAX 28-20

TEN @ OAK - Both teams are sitting at 4-6 and hoping to make the playoffs, the only things is Oakland usually flutters away in these kind of situations.
TEN over OAK 24-22

IND @ ARI - These two teams should have some knowledge of how the other works with both coaches working together last season and ARI coach Bruce Arians filling in for Colts coach Chuck Pagano and bringing the Colts to the playoffs last season; Arians will be repayed for his fill in duties
ARI over IND 20-17

DAL @ NYG - These two teams love to run up the score on each other and the fireworks will continue this weekend
NYG over DAL 28-24

Sunday Night Football
DEN @ NE - Manning-Brady games are always great to watch, probably because these two will both go down as two of the best QB's of all time.
NE over DEN 28 - 24

Monday Night Football
SF @ WSH - Both teams are trying to reel in a win after 2 straight defeats; Colin gets some of his receivers back this weekend he may be without starting LG Mike Iupati who plays a major role in the 49ers ground and pound scheme but Washington just seems to be spiraling out of control.
SF over WSH 30-24

These are just my own thoughts on how these games will pan out, although I do base them off of statistics and I always feel good about my choices. Hope you all enjoy the wonderful weekend of football we have approaching.
If you need any help with your fantasy team feel free to check out my other posts

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed and have a great weekend!
Pass this along to all your other sports friends so they can have some ideas of how these games will likely play out.

Saints Fight Back For Win; Falcons Free Fall Continues

The New Orleans Saints were able overcome an early 13-7 deficit and went on to get their 9th win of the season. Falcons fall for their 5th straight to go 2-9 on the season and guaranteeing a losing record after having the best record in the NFC last season.

The Saints defense played a big role in this win, holding the Atlanta Falcons to 1 TD and 2 Field Goals all in the first half as well as sacking QB Matt Ryan 5 times for -28 yards. Drew Brees played an efficient game throwing for 23 completions on 33 attempts for 278 yards and 2 TD passes, a 44 yard pass to a wide open Jimmy Graham and a 1 yard pass to Benjamin Watson.

The Falcons had their chances to win this game in the 4th quarter but could not overcome the Saints defense, fumbling the ball once they reached the Saints red zone early in the quarter and failing to finish off a drive on the Saints 29 yard line with less than 3 minutes to go in regulation. The Falcons suffered their 9th loss of the season and 5th in a row, which sets them up for their first losing season since 2007, the season before they drafted Matt Ryan. The Falcons did have a very impressive first drive of the game, which was their only TD scoring drive of the entire game, when Matt Ryan ran the no huddle offense and set up a 10 play 70 yard drive that was capitalized by a Steven Jackson TD. That TD was the first time in almost a month that Atlanta has held the lead in a game (almost 15 quarters since they had a 3-0 lead on Arizona in Week 8).

Prediction:

NO over ATL 30-20

Final Score:

NO over ATL 17-13

Saints Key Stats:

TE Jimmy Graham posted another solid game with 5 receptions for 100 yards and a TD. DE Cameron Jordan played an outstanding game getting 2.5 sacks to the 5 total put on Matt Ryan. New Orleans also rushed for 103 yards on 23 attempts with most of those yards coming from RB Pierre Thomas who ran for 73 yards on 10 attempts with his longest run for 18 yards.

Falcons Missed-Key Stats:

K Matt Bryant was 2/3 on field goal attempts with his one miss coming on a 52 yard attempt that he originally kicked thru the uprights but Saints coach Sean Payton had "iced" him with a timeout and Bryant would go on to miss his next attempt. After gaining their first lead in almost a month, Drew Brees put an end to the celebration with a 15 play 78 yard drive capped with a TD to TE Benjamin Watson around the end of the 1st quarter. Atlanta would get a 3 point lead later in the 2nd quarter, but once again Drew Brees ended the party on their next possession with a 44 yard TD to TE Jimmy Graham to finish off a 5 play 80 yard drive and the Saints would go marching on to the finish line from there, only giving up a field goal for the remainder of the game.




So as you can see this was actually a pretty interesting game with a defensive showing in the 2nd half. The Saints next game will be an NFC Showdown when they travel to Seattle to take on the NFC-leading Seahawks who have not lost at home since Russell Wilson was drafted last year. This will be a great match up of the 2 teams with the best record in the NFC that will play a major role in each teams seeding heading into the playoffs. The Falcons next game will be in Buffalo to play the Bills who just recently got their rookie QB EJ Manuel back from injury.

Also check out my "NFL Week 12 Preview and Predictions" where I give a prediction for every game of Week 12.
I hope you enjoy my review of Thursday Nights game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. If you need any Fantasy Football help be sure to check out my other posts.
Thank you for reading and be sure to come back often for more Sports News & Analysis. Also, pass this along to all your Sports friends or anyone who may have missed last nights game.

Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not - QB's - Week 12

Sorry I missed last weeks Who's Hot/ Who's Not session but fear not I got it in this week. I will be posting the RB's later so be sure to check back. Since there is a game tonight as well here is a quick list of players that will be playing tonight worthy of starting in any league. Enjoy!

QB's
Drew Brees - Start
Matt Ryan - Bench *See Below*

RB's
Pierre Thomas - Start
All Falcons RB's - Bench

WR's
Harry Douglas - Start 
Roddy White - Bench
Marques Colston - Start in deeper leagues
All other Saints WR's - Bench, although Kenny Stills is a great Hit or Miss play because of his deep play abilities

TE's
Jimmy Graham - Start as usual
Tony Gonzalez - Bench, based on the short week and even tho he leads the Falcons in red zone looks, he has only caught 4 TD's all year.

Top Hot QB's Week 12

1. Scott Tolzien - QB Green Bay Packers - A very interesting stat has come to my attention about Tolzien, he has passed for more yards in his first 2 games (619) than both Aaron Rodgers (506) and Brett Favre (486). Now don't let that fool you into thinking he is of the caliber but what it does say is that the Packers are throwing it long. They play the Minnesota Vikings this weekend who give the 3rd most fantasy points to QB's and have given up 10 TD's to them in the past 5 games. He does have a horrible TD to INT ratio 1:5 but that ratio should even itself out a little bit this Sunday.

2. Case Keenum - QB Houston Texans - Keenum unlike Tolzien has a great TD to INT ratio thus far 8:1 and will be playing a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that is giving up on average about 20 fantasy points to QB's per game. Keenum was benched last week but Coach Gary Kubiak has said that the main reason for the benching is that the 2nd year QB needs to work on when to get out of the pocket and when to stay in. This Jaguars defense has given up 20 TD's to QB's this season and have only 4 picks total, compare those to Keenum's ratio and I would say he should be in for a great game.

3. Eli Manning - QB New York Giants - Eli has had a turnover filled season with 17 INT's on the year with only 12 TD's. Now I know those are scary numbers but 4 of those TD's came against the Cowboys in Week 1, well guess who the Giants play this weekend? That's right, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has given up 20 TD's to opposing QB's and give up the most fantasy points to QB's so I would say it would be safe to roll with Eli this week but beware he may have a turnover or two.

4. Ryan Fitzpatrick - QB Tennessee Titans -The Titans travel to the west coast this Sunday to play the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have given up 19 TD's on the year although 7 of them were from Nick Foles historic day a couple weeks back. Fitzpatrick has thrown 3 TD's in the last 2 games and no INT's, so against a very mediocre defense he should be able to get something rolling early, especially if they can get that run game working with it to help set up the play-action.

Not Hot QB's Week 12

1. Ryan Tannehill - QB Miami Dolphins - With the Carolina Panthers traveling to south beach this weekend I would say leave everyone on Miami's offense on your bench. The Panthers are giving up the least amount of fantasy points to QB's and that will not be changing come Sunday. The Panther's have yet to have a game where they give up more than 1 TD to a QB and have not allowed over 300 yards passing since Week 1.

2. Matt Ryan - QB Atlanta Falcons - Ryan has thrown 9 INT's in his last 4 games and will be playing a defense that has not given up more than 128 yards thru the air for their last 3 games. He will probably throw for a TD(see WR's list) but he will probably throw a pick or two as well and that is enough negative points for me to leave him alone this week.

3. Matthew McGloin - Yeah, I know he threw 3 TD's last week, but incase you were unaware he only threw for 197 yards because they relied so heavily on the run game to move the chains last week. He will be facing a very good Tennessee Titans defense that has only given up 1 TD to a QB in their last 6 games. He threw 18-for-32 pass attempts last week which puts him at a lousy 56% completion percentage. I wouldn't risk him this week, but I would consider him for some of his future match-ups (plays SD, DEN, & DAL all ranked in top 10 in fantasy points to opposing QB's)

4. Cam Newton - QB Carolina Panthers - Alright now don't overreact this is strictly a match-up based pick. Newton will be facing a very tough Miami defense that will look to keep the game low scoring with all of their offensive woes. I don't expect Newton to drop a goose egg but I do expect him to be held to a very low fantasy scoring game. The Dolphins have only allowed more than 1 TD twice this year and that was way back in weeks 3 & 4. Newton is more than capable of making me look silly for putting him here but I just don't like his match-up and I am doing this as more of a precautionary measure.

Like this post?

Then check out my list of WR's for this week too! "Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not - WR's - Week 12"

I hope this list can help you and maybe make some tough decisions you had a little easier. Be sure to check out my other posts and check back often for more Sports News & Analysis. Also check out my recap of Thursday nights game "Saints Fight Back For Win; Falcons Free Fall Continue"

Thanks for reading and be sure to share with all you Fantasy Football friends unless of course you're playing them, then I would wait a week before you show them.

Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not - WR's - Week 12

Sorry I missed last weeks WRs Who's Hot/ Who's Not session but fear not I got it in this week. I will be posting the QB's and RB's later so be sure to check back. Since there is a game tonight as well here is a quick list of players that will be playing tonight worthy of starting in any league.

QB's
Drew Brees - Start
Matt Ryan - Bench

RB's
Pierre Thomas - Start
All Falcons RB's - Bench

WR's
Harry Douglas - SEE BELOW
Roddy White - Bench
Marques Colston - Start in deeper leagues
All other Saints WR's - Bench, although Kenny Stills is a great Hit or Miss play because of his deep play abilities

TE's
Jimmy Graham - Start as usual
Tony Gonzalez - Bench, based on a short week and even tho he leads the Falcons in red zone looks, he has only brought in 4 TD's.

Top Hot WR's Week 12

1. Harry Douglas - WR Atlanta Falcons - Since Julio Jones' injury Harry Douglas has out shined all other options at receiver for Atlanta. Douglas has over 100 yards receiving in 3 of Atlanta's last 5 games with the only two teams he did not put up big numbers being two of the top defenses in the league in Seattle and Carolina. New Orleans is usually pretty stingy when it comes to giving up points to WR's, but have given up 3 TD's to WR's in their last 4 games. Against a division rival they are bound to give up another and I expect Douglas to be on the receiving end of it.

2. Vincent Jackson - WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Vincent Jackson and the newly surging Bucs have looked good as of late, especially last week where he brought in 10 receptions for 165 yards and a TD. Jackson will be stacking up against Detroit Lions defense that have given up 14 TD's to WR's since Week 4 including 5 in the last 2 games. The Lions defense is also allowing about 199 yards per game to the WR position so I would say its a safe bet that Jackson is breaking the goal line at least once this Sunday.

3. Dwayne Bowe - WR Kansas City Chiefs - Dwayne Bowe hasn't been a stud exactly this season because of the way that the Chiefs game plan has been focused on running the ball. Well expect that to change a little this weekend when the Kansas City Chiefs have the San Diego Chargers in town who allow the 5th most fantasy points to WR's. The Chargers are giving up over 200 yards per game on average to WR's and that should have an effect on the Chiefs game planning which should highlight the pass a little more than usual this weekend.

4. Larry Fitzgerald/Michael Floyd - WR Arizona Cardinals - With a receiving corps highlighted by All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald and 1st round draft pick WR Michael Floyd going up against a Indianapolis Colts defense that has given up 5 TD's to WR's in their last 3 games. The Colts have not stopped a receiving corps from breaking 100 yds except when they faced the 49ers back in Week 3. The Colts are giving up the 8th most fantasy points to WR's and I don't want to jinx it but Carson Palmer is becoming more and more consistent. If you have either Cardinal WR, Let em fly this weekend!

Not Hot WR's Week 12

1. ALL WR's Oakland Raiders - The Raiders at one point in the season looked as if they figured it all out and had their future QB as well as a healthy RB. Well times have changed since then and nowadays your pressing your luck just having a Raider on your squad at all. They will be facing a Tennessee Titans defense that has not allowed a WR to score since Week 2 against Houston. Their top receiver last week has not topped over 100 yards receiving all season and only has 2 TD's on the year, while their #1 receiver has only broke 100 yards once this season.

2. All WR's Miami Dolphins - The Dolphins have the Carolina Panthers coming to town and if your crazy enough to start a WR on a team with a depleted offensive line against one of the top defenses in the league then that's your issue, as for me I wouldn't look their way for Fantasy value this week.

3. Antonio Brown - WR Pittsburgh Steelers - I would have had all PIT WR's but given Big Ben's infatuation with Jerricho Cotchery in the red zone I just simply put the guy who will be covered by Joe Haden. The Steelers will be facing a Joe Haden-led Browns defense that have only allowed 8 TD's to WR's this year. Brown will be covered by Haden this weekend who just last week held AJ Green to 2 receptions for 7 yards, as well as two INT's with one being a pick-6.

4. Terrence Williams - WR Dallas Cowboys - Terrence Williams has been a hit or miss since his emergence in the Cowboys offense. He has caught 5 TD's in his last 6 games but other than that he has been a bust. He has caught only 5 receptions in his last 3 games! If that's not enough to scare you away then hey, give it a shot whats the worst that could happen besides its not like their playing their division rival New York Giants who have not allowed a receiving TD in their last 4 games, oh wait they are. Bench Him!

Like this post?

Then check out my list of QB's for this week too! "Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not - QB's - Week 12"

I hope this list can help you and maybe make some tough decisions you had a little easier. Be sure to check out my other posts and check back often for more Sports News & Analysis. Also check out my recap of Thursday nights game "Saints Fight Back For Win; Falcons Free Fall Continue"

Thanks for reading and be sure to share with all you Fantasy Football friends unless of course your playing them then I would wait a week before you show them.

Kobe Is Coming Soon

The time is near. You can stop looking at the clock, just know it won't be long now.

The Black Mamba is getting close to being game ready after completing his first full speed 5 on 5 drills Tuesday. Kobe went down with an Achilles injury on April 12 while playing against the Golden State Warriors. Before he went down with his season ending injury he had just brought the Lakers back in to playoff contention after the ugly way the team started the season (25-29 before All Star Break and 3 1/2 games behind Houston for the 8th seed). The Lakers would only lose 8 more games for the remainder of the season, thanks in large part to Kobe Bryant who guaranteed his team would make the playoffs. Kobe managed to average 38.6  minutes per game in his 16th NBA season, as well as 27.3 points per game (trailing only  Kevin Durant with 28.1 and Carmelo Anthony with 28.7).

I was lucky enough to attend his game on the 10th of April against the Portland Trailblazers where Kobe played all 48 minutes of the game, which was actually becoming a regular thing at this point of the season because LA honestly had no other choice if they wanted to make the playoffs. Everyone could tell that the minutes were wearing Kobe down and you had a feeling that something has got to give on this 36 year old man's body before too much longer and in his next game it did. The Lakers would hold onto the 8th seed in the Western Conference but would be swept out of the first round against the San Antonio Spurs along with the end of a Dwightmare when Howard was ejected out of his last game as a Laker.

(How could you not remember this?)

Well, it is now the 2013-14 season and the Lakers are 5-7 this season with their leading scorer being SG Jody Meeks who is averaging only 13.7 points per game, the lowest team scoring leader in the NBA. If there was ever a time to want Kobe back it would be now. When it comes to the end of a game the Lakers have not found a go-to-guy this season and have lost some close ones because of lack of a closer. Kobe should have some rust when he returns especially considering his injury and age, but it should only be a few weeks before the Black Mamba is again one of the most feared opponents in the NBA. Bryant has said that he has been working to modify his game and compensate for the things he can not yet do, and if you remember his injured finger to his shooting hand a couple years back you know that Kobe will make all the adjustments necessary to continue to be "Kobe" once he returns.

Bryant also said, "My responsibility is to make life easier for my teammates. That's my job and that's Pau Gasols job to command double-teams, command load defenses where we can get some guys some open looks and high percentage opportunities. If I can step out on the floor and do that, that's an accomplishment." which to me basically means he is OK with continuing his newly appreciated distributor role he became so familiar with last season.

Whenever Kobe does make his return it will be because he feels he is ready and can play without re-injuring himself and that is enough for any fan to trust that he will still be "The Black Mamba".


I hope you enjoyed my update on the Kobe situation. Feel free to leave a comment if there's anything you want to chat about. Check back often for more Sports New & Analysis as well as some Fantasy Football advice, which I will be posting tomorrow!
Please share with friends, family, neighbors, fellow Sports Fanatics or a stranger. It doesn't matter who you share it with as long as you do, because sharing is caring, right?

NFL Thursday Night Football Preview - Week 12 - New Orleans vs Atlanta

These two teams are on completely different paths at this point of the season.

The New Orleans Saints are working on winning the NFC South, as well as home field advantage during the playoffs while the Atlanta Falcons are just trying to work on breaking even this year, although that seems unlikely because in order for that to happen they would have to win out the rest of the year (Their remaining schedule includes SF, GB, CAR, and NO).

The Saints(8-2) are currently 2nd in the NFC, behind the Seahawks(10-1) who they will be playing following this week, and are riding a 3 game winning streak. The Atlanta Falcons(2-8) on the other hand, are having a tremendous amount of problems this season after losing some key players from injuries throughout the season. The Falcons are coming off a first class beating at the hands of division rival Tampa Bay who put up 41 points on them last Sunday with a first year QB and 3rd string RB. Matt Ryan is doing his best Drew Brees impression, throwing for a TD in his last 16 games (Drew Brees holds the record with 54 straight games with a passing TD) which is the only bright spot the Falcons have working for them at this point of the season.

Atlanta, who had an NFC best 13-3 record last season, has been marred by injuries as well as a terrible performance thus far by their defense who have been outscored by opponents 135-61 while on a 4 game losing streak. Their defense gives up about 132 yards per game on the ground which is ranked 30th in the league. Their rushing offense hasn't fared any better, averaging just over 73 yards per game, which may be because of the injury plagued season RB Steven Jackson has had since being acquired by Atlanta in the offseason.

The Saints are a different team than last year as well, when they went 7-9 in their BountyGate season without head coach Sean Payton. This year they have already eclipsed that winning mark and are tuning themselves up for a long playoff run. Drew Brees is second in the league in passing yards with 3,369, trailing only Peyton Manning who has 3,572 and should be able to shred the Atlanta secondary apart who are giving up about 249 yards per game thru the air. The real X-Factor for the Saints will be RB's Pierre Thomas who has rushed on 28 attempts in the last 2 games, going against an Atlanta defense that have allowed over 100 yards rushing during their 4 game losing streak as well as at least 5 rushing TD's during that span.

With this game being a division rival I believe the score will be a lot closer than some would assume with the way each team has played as of late. The Saints are the better team but when a team plays someone twice a year, every year, then you kind of learn the habits of your rivals. I still am picking New Orleans for the win but I don't think the score will resemble the beating the Falcons received in their last 4 games.

Prediction:

NO over ATL 30-20

I hope you enjoyed my preview! Check back often for more Sports News & Analysis as well as some Fantasy Football advice. Thanks for reading and pass this along to all your friends so you can be up to date with all the stats of the game we have coming up.

SuperCam and Panthers Hold Off Patriots On Controversial Play

Pass Interference or Good No Call? 

That is the big debate after these two teams played an excellent game Monday night. Ill get more into that in a little while, first off lets look into everything else that happened during the Panthers win over the Patriots.


3rd year QB Cam Newton played one of his most games throwing for 19 passes on 28 attempts for 209 yards and throwing for 3 TD's, as well as scrambling on the ground and gaining 62 yards on 7 carries (Newton rushed for the most yards out of any player on the field Monday night). Newton played an all around great game, causing no turnovers while the Panthers defense was able to cause a forced fumble on RB Stevan Ridley as well as picking off Tom Brady on that controversial last play of the game. Carolina and New England both were the victims of great defenses in the running game with neither team having a RB rush for more than 49 yards.





Tom Brady had a below par game compared to his standards, throwing for 296 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT* (Controversial). The Patriots ran 13 more plays than the Panthers, but only had the ball for a little over a minute more than Carolina in time of possession (30:46, 29:14 respectively). Both teams had 7 drives each the entire game for a combined total of 14, which is the fewest in a game since 2008 which also included Tom Brady but this time he was facing Peyton Manning, who coincidentally he happens to be playing next week.


The Panthers started the scoring first, putting up 10 points on a Brandon Lafell TD pass from Cam Newton as well as a Graham Gano field goal before the Patriots could get anything going although they did finally put some points on the board on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal to make it 10-3 going into halftime. In the 3rd quarter both teams were able to break paydirt on passes to their TE's with Panthers' Greg Olsen and Patriots Rob Gronkowski bringing in a TD to make it a 7 point game going into the final quarter (17-10). The Patriots got the ball rolling in the 4th when RB Stevan Ridley capped a 80 yard drive with a 1 yard TD run. The Panthers followed with quick 3-n-out that the Patriots were able to convert into a field goal to give the Patriots the lead 20-17. Cam Newton responded to that with a 13 play, 83 yard drive that ended with a 25 yard TD pass to WR Ted Ginn Jr, that left Tom Brady with 0:59 seconds to do what he does best.

This is where the controversy starts;
Brady put together a last minute drive, literally and brought the Patriots to the Panthers' 18 yard line with about 3-5 seconds left. As time expired Brady threw a pass towards TE Rob Gronkowski, who was being snatched up by LB Luke Kuechly, that caused a rookie Safety, Robert Lester, to intercept the pass. A flag was thrown at first after Gronkowski was held and it looked as if their was going to be a pass interference call and Brady would get one last shot, but the referee's huddled together and picked the flag back up, stating there was no pass interference on the play to end the game.

Prediction:
CAR over NE 20-16
Final Score:
CAR over NE 24-20

I have posted the video below so you can see for yourself.




My personal opinion is that the refs missed a call. I thought Carolina was going to win anyways but I don't think they should have won like that. The Panthers and Newton did have a better overall game than their New England counterparts and that was just one missed opportunity, but because it was the last play of the game it embeds itself into your head to make you believe that was the reason the Patriots lost. Well it wasn't and the Patriots will have to deal with that. Up next for (7-3)Carolina Panthers will be a trip to South Beach to take on the (5-5)Miami Dolphins. The (7-3)Patriots will have the (9-1)Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning and the rest of the gang coming into town for what is sure to be the game of the week, or at least the major networks will have you believing it.

I hope you enjoyed my recap of the Monday Night Showdown between the Patriots and Panthers. Pass this along to all your friends who missed out on the game or just want a little more info on it.

Thank you for reading and be sure to come back often for more Sports News & Analysis. If you need any Fantasy Football help check back later in the week for all of my Week 12 Fantasy Football Who's Hot/Who's Not.