NFL Preview: The NFC Favorites

Yesterday, I broke down the AFC, now I move on to the NFC.

1.  The New Orleans Saints - the defending Super Bowl Champions return a very good squad, have a great coach in Sean Payton, and QB Drew Brees is at the top of his game.  The addition of Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams last season propelled the Saints to the championship, and another year under Williams should make them more consistent on the defensive side of the ball.

The Key:  The key to the Saints returning to the promised land is the takeaways on defense.  They led the league in turnovers forced last season, and although I think their defense is improved, they aren't a dominating defense...they rely on getting turnovers.

2.  The Dallas Cowboys - the Cowboys have an excellent squad talent wise.  Very good running backs, offensive linemen, good receivers, and a talented defense.  Tony Romo is a playoff caliber quarterback, and it's now up to Wade Phillips and his staff to take this team to the next level.

The Key:  Finding an offensive identity.  Are they going to be a punishing running team with Marion Barber, and Felix Jones?  Or, are they going to sling the ball around the field to Dez Byrant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Roy Williams.  When I watch the Cowboys I wonder which team I am going to see.  Developing their offense to utilize their talent is the key for Dallas.

3.  The Green Bay Packers - the Packers return a very solid team from last year's playoff squad.  Aaron Rodgers has developed into one of the best young signal callers in the game.  Their defense should be improved, and I have been impressed with Coach McCarthy.

The Key:  Pass Protection.  I thought Rodgers was going to get killed last season.  The Packers drafted a good Tackle in Brian Baluga.  His development, and the continued improvement of the offensive line is they biggest question surrounding the Packers.

4.  The Minnesota Vikings - the Vikings were just an errant Brett Favre pass away from going to the Super Bowl last season.  They return a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.  Stellar offensive and defensive lines, a dominating running back, exciting receivers, good  linebackers, what's not to like?  Well, there's the Quarterback position.  I'm of the opinion that Favre is coming back this year, but he's another year older and would be hard pressed to repeat last year's performance.

The Key:  Quarterback.  If Favre does actually retire, the vikings offense goes from great to average.  If Favre comes back, you can bet that teams took note of the Saints gameplan in the NFC Championship.  Hit him hard, and often.  Get in his face continually.  It's going to be tough for a 40 year old man to take that kind of punishment.  However, if the vikings can protect Favre, and he can play close to last year's level they would vault to #1 in my rankings.

5.  The San Francisco 49er's - The Niners have been building towards this the past few years.  They have a very good defensive team, LBer Patrick Willis is possibly the best defensive player in the league.  They have a nice running game with Frank Gore and Glen Coffee.  TE Vernon Davis is developing into a dominating offensive weapon. The big question mark is QB Alex Smith.

The Key:  QB Alex Smith.  Can Smith elevate his game to playoff level?  To be honest, I feel kind of bad for the guy, he had a different coordinator every season for his first 5 years in the league.  I don't think he needs to carry the team, he just needs to play smart and not make big mistakes.

The Darkhorse:  The Philadelphia Eagles - most people are down on the Eagles with the departure of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook.  However, I'm not sure this is a step back.  Kevin Kolb is a quality player and has had a few years to learn the system.  I anticipate this being something like when Philip Rivers took over the Chargers, they have a lot of weapons with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Anthony Avant at reciever.  Nice running back in LeSean McCoy, and underrated TE Brett Celek.    The Defensive will be under the tutelage of Sean McDermott for a second year.  I think Andy Reid is underrated as a coach, the Eagles have been competitive since he took over.

The Key:  most people would put this on QB Kevin Kolb.  But I'm looking at the defense.  They had a decent squad last season, but they need to improve.  If you can put a good defense on the field, and establish a decent, not great, but decent running game... Kolb has enough weapons to keep you in the game.  Eagle Defense, it's up to you.

NFL Preview: The AFC Favorites

As we approach the start of another football season, the sports doofus has taken it upon himself to breakdown the favorites from each of the conferences.  I'm going to list who I think are the top 5 contenders in each Conference, and a dark horse candidate.

When looking at the AFC, there are 3 teams that have sort of dominated the conference the past 5 years.  The Colts, Patriots, and Chargers.  They are always contenders, they are always in the playoffs (except the Pats the year after spygate), and they continue to be favorites.  The reason is quarterback play.  Year in and year out, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Philip Rivers keep their teams in contention.  (the one playoff year missed by the Pats was the year Brady was injured)  When you look at the teams who are in contention, in both conferences, this will be a recurring theme.... do they have a quarterback who can take the team on their shoulders and carry them through in tough times?  Can they lead a comeback?  Do their teammates trust them without hesitation?

So, here are my top 5 teams, with one dark horse for the AFC.

1.  Indianapolis Colts - The defending AFC Champions will pretty much remain in contention as long as they have Manning running the team.  The thing with the Colts is, they play a simple cover 2 scheme on defense, which allows their defenders to learn and know their roles quickly.  Their offense is almost impossible to stop, as Manning calls nearly every play at the line of scrimmage.

The Key:  The key for the Colts this season is to develop a little better running game.  They need Joseph Addai and Donald Brown to provide more of a threat on the ground.

2.  The Baltimore Ravens - The Ravens rode a tough defense and punishing ground game into the playoffs the past two seasons.  They have probably the most underrated coach in the league in John Harbaugh.  The one thing the Ravens do well, as they showed in the playoffs against New England last year, is just out-physical you.  They will beat you up at the line of scrimmage.  This is a tough team, and the addition on Anquan Bolden should help their passing attack.  T

The Key:  QB Joe Flacco has got to improve.  Although he has led them to the playoffs in both of his seasons, they are a bit too one dimensional on offense, and this cost them in the playoffs against the Colts.

3.  The San Diego Chargers - a team that has, I think almost erroneously been labeled the most talented team in the league for the past few seasons.  The Chargers really struggled to run the ball last year, which led to the departure of future hall of famer LaDanian Tomlinson.  Their Defense has been suspect up the middle, and they have not had much of a pass rush the past two seasons, or since Shawne Merriman's knee was injured.

The Key:  The Holdouts.  Veteran starters Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill, and Shawne Merriman have all held out of training camp, upset with their current contract status.  The Chargers will still have a good team but I doubt they will be good enough to go the distance unless these guys report.

4.  The New England Patriots - a team that is in "flux".  Tom Brady is a great QB, and Randy Moss is a great receiver, but there are a number of big question marks in New England.  Will Wes Welker bounce back from his knee injury?  Will the youngsters on defense get up to speed?  Can Bellichick continue his mastery of all things?  (He's lost a ton of coordinators and staff over the years)

The Key:  The Defense.  Many of the key players in the Patriots run to dominance are gone.  (Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Mike Vrabel, Teddy Brushchi, Adalieus Thomas)  They have been replaced by younger players.  Now these are good players, but Belichick's system of defense is very elaborate and difficult to learn.  Last season, they did not look as dominant as they had in years past.  If this team can improve on the defensive side of the ball, look out.  And don't think they are ignoring all the praise people are heaping on the Jets.

5.  The New York Jets - the "sexy" pick of the new season.  First year coach Rex Ryan led a team of upstarts to the AFC championship game last season, and have added several big name new faces to their team.  However, I can't rate them any higher than 5th, because of their Quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The Key:  Mark Sanchez has got to elevate his game.  He played well in the playoffs, but he had only 10 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in the regular season last year.  He is going to have to improve, and make big strides if this team is going to sniff what many of the media are making them out to be.

The Darkhorse:  The Cincinatti Bengals.  I know it's not a big stretch to pick a defending division winner as a darkhorse candidate, but how many people do you hear listing the Bengals as contenders.  The Bengals ran the ball very well last year, and played a very tough, physical defense.  They are very young at a number of key defensive positions, and should only be better.

The Key- the passing game.  The addition of Terrell Owens is getting all the headlines, but I really liked the drafting of the TE Jermaine Gresham.  This is going to add a nice big target over the middle for Carson Palmer.

So, there you go.  I'll try and post my "top 5" for the NFC tomorrow.

Rest in Peace Don Coryell

Yesterday, an NFL coaching legend passed away. Don Coryell was a coaching genius who changed the NFL forever.

I'll never forget the first time I saw a Coryell coached team. I was 9 years old, and sitting at home when I turned the television to a football game. The San Diego Chargers were whooping up on the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. I was entranced. I'd never even heard of the Chargers to that point. (keep in mind this was pre-espn, and pre-cable) The Chargers moved the ball up and down the field on the champs, and ended up winning the game 35-7.

As a young boy from South Dakota who had no team of my own to support, I became a charger fan that very day. Little did I know what an innovative mind was behind the success of what became known as "Air Coryell".

Coach Coryell was the first coach to win 100 games at both the collegiate and professional level. He was the father of the modern passing game. Under his guidance the Chargers led the league in passing for 6 consecutive years (1978-1983) His prolific offensive mind led to Hall of Fame careers for Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, and Kellen Winslow.

The two major factors in deciding how great a coach is would be their impact on the game, and the memories of the players and fans who were around him. Don Coryell was successful in both areas.

Consider the men who coached under him at one time or another. Both John Madden and Joe Gibbs went on to win Super Bowls as head coaches. Ernie Zampese and Al Saunders were both Super Bowl winning coordinators, and the coaching tree goes on and on... current coaches such as Norv Turner and Mike Martz still run basically the same Coryell offense.

Upon hearing of Coach Coryell's death, former charger player and broadcaster Hank Bauer said "I feel like I lost a member of my family and the unique thing about that is that there are probably two million people in this city who feel the same way. That's the kind of impact that Don Coryell had here. For anyone who ever played or coached for coach Coryell, and I had the honor of doing both, it's an unbelievable loss."

Hall of Fame Quarterback Dan Fouts said, "I would not be in the Hall of Fame myself had it not been for my nine years as Don's quarterback ... It was Coryell - with his revolutionary vision, his unique style of leadership and his successful implementation of the most innovative offense the NFL had ever witnessed - that led me and my teammates, Kellen Winslow and Charlie Joiner, to the steps of the Hall of Fame."

While he won't get as much notice as Bill Walsh did because he never won a Super Bowl, Don Coryell will live on as a man who changed the way the game was played. Hopefully, the Hall of Fame voters will finally see fit to enshrine a true coaching legend.

Thanks Coach.

Are you ready for Game 7?

So, the NBA finals have been as advertised. Closely contested, hard fought, and it has come down to the seventh and final game. I'd be lying if I said I was surprised. I anticipated the Celtics stealing one of the first two in LA, and also thought the Lakers would get one back in Boston.

Typically, in a game 7, the team with the best player at home, will win the game. But these finals have been anything but typical. While it would easy to predict a Lakers victory in game 7, I tend to think both teams have an equal chance.

The keys for Boston are simple. They need to rebound better than they did in game six, they need to get a high quality performance from Rajon Rondo, and they need two of their "big three" to show up. None of these things happened in game six. The Lakers dominated the glass, Rondo looked terrible, and only Ray Allen had a good game. If you are a Boston fan, you are feeling pretty good because it's doubtful that these players will do the same thing two games in a row.

The keys for the Lakers are not as simple. They are not going to be able to count on Boston playing like they did in game six. The Celtics looked slow, tired, and to be honest they pretty much looked like they threw in the towel after Kendrick Perkins went down. The Lakers are going to have to continue the defensive effort that started their early spurt in game 6, and continue to efficient on the offensive end, which is not easy against this Celtic team.

Key players for the Celtics in game six are Rondo, and Kevin Garnett. Garnett is going to have to play greater minutes than he's used to, whether Perkins can go or not. Garnett is going to have to play like he did in Boston. Rondo looked nothing like the guy who ran roughshod over the Eastern Conference in game 6. He's going to have to simply, be Rondo. Penetrate and dish, get going in the open floor, and bring the energy his team needs him to bring.

For the Lakers, it comes down to Ron Artest and Lamar Odom. I'm not concerned about Gasol, he'll be ready to play. Artest is going to have to be in his "comfort" zone out there. He doesn't have to shoot like he did in game six, but he needs to be a viable option and play with confidence. He looked completely lost in both games 4 and 5 in Boston. Lamar Odom is going to have to come up big again. He had a nice, although not dominant game six, and this is what the Lakers need from him. With the injury to Bynum severely affecting his play, Odom is going to have to play more minutes and he's going to have to play inside on stronger players like Garnett and Davis.

The injury to Perkins to the Celtics is a bigger blow than Bynum's to the Lakers. The Lakers have played without Bynum for significant stretches both during the season, and he has been limited almost the entire playoffs. Perkins is Boston's best post defender and one of their top two rebounders. Without Perkins in the game, and signs point to him not playing at all, the Celtics vaunted depth along the front line does not look nearly as scary.

I am having a tough time calling this game. I really think if there is a team, who can win a game 7 on the road, it's this Celtics team. They are smart, experienced, and tough. They will be up for the challenge even without Perkins. However, the Laker team showed in game six that they can play great defense as well, and if they defend it's going to be tough for Boston to score with them.

My pick is the Lakers, for the following reason. When the Lakers played very poorly, on the road, with no one but Kobe showing up, they were still within six points (with a few minutes to go) of the Celtics who were playing great on both ends (shooting 56% from the field in game 5). However the Lakers were still in the game. Turn the tables around to Tuesdays game, and the Celtics didn't show up for game 6, and the Lakers blew them out of the building.

If both teams play their best, or both teams play poorly, I have to give the Lakers the advantage in either scenario. So, therefore I see the Lakers claiming another title, giving Phil Jackson 11 overall, and Kobe Bryant his fifth. Could I be wrong? Of course I could.

Lakers/Celtics – Breaking down the Myths.

Let me begin by stating for the record, that I am a Lakers fan, and have been since the summer of 1979 and my Father let me know that the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson from Michigan State. I had watched Magic that spring roll through the NCAA tournament, and as a 9 year old, I was enthralled with “everything Magic”. So, I became a Lakers fan that day, on the spot.

So I remember vividly the battles of the 1980’s. The Bird and Magic rivalry was everything you could want. Between the two of them, they won 8 titles in 10 years, and faced off against each other 3 times (Magic winning two of the three).

As the rivalry has been renewed with this second meeting in the last three years. It has become apparent to me that there are some certain “myths” out there regarding both the current teams, and the teams of the 80’s. I wish to tackle the top two of these.

Myth 1: The Lakers aren’t tough.
This is an absolute media fallacy that needs to end now. Both sets of Lakers teams, current and the 80’s version are much tougher than given credit for. Looking at the current crop: Kobe Bryant is playing through three different injuries right now (ankle, knee, and finger) and has still averaged nearly 30 points a game in this year’s playoffs. Pau Gasol has played so much basketball the past few years(the Lakers making 3 finals, and playing on the Spanish National team in the off season), that team doctors have told him to take the Summer off to let his body recuperate. Andrew Bynum has played pretty much the entire playoffs with a torn meniscus. To put it simply, you don’t make the finals three straight years without being tough, both physically and mentally. It’s ridiculous idea that needs to be stopped.

Myth 2: The Celtics are a blue collar, hard working team, and succeed based on that, not talent.
This is even more ridiculous than the idea that the Lakers are soft. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett aren’t talented? Each of the three will probably be in the Hall of Fame. Garnett is arguable one of the top 20 players in the history of the league. And yes, he is on the downside of his career, but wasn’t Kareem also on the downside of his career when the Lakers won their last two titles? He is still a great player, and the development of Rajon Rondo into one of the top point guards in the league make this point just reinforces the idea of how talented this Celtics team is. They are very talented and very deep.

When I look at the series, I think we have the makings of an absolute classic. We have the team that plays great defense (the Celtics) who have enough size and power on the interior to give the Lakers problems. Keep in mind that this was the Lakers top advantage over all three of their playoff opponents so far: the Thunder, Jazz, and Suns were simply outmanned in the post, even with a limited Andrew Bynum. You have a young, dynamic point guard in Rondo, who is precisely the type of player that the Lakers have struggled to handle. On the other side of things, can the Celtics score enough to keep up with the Lakers? We know that their defense will limit the Lakers offensively, but will it limit them enough?

The key player for the Lakers in this series is Lamar Odom. Ask any Lakers fan and you will know that when Odom plays well, the Lakers are tough to beat. He is going to bring his defense on Garnett and Wallace, and he is going to have to use his mobility and play making ability on the offensive end. If Odom continues to play inconsistent like he did in the Phoenix series the Lakers are in trouble. However if he plays well consistently, he’s a tough matchup for the Celtics as their bigs are older(Garnett/Wallace), or don’t move nearly as well(Perkins/Davis).

The Celtics key player is Garnett. If he’s the guy like he was in the Cleveland series the Lakers are in big trouble. He will always bring the defensive intensity and rebound, he is going to need to be an offensive weapon. If he is hitting his jump shots(always an underrated part of his game) and playing strong in the post, forcing Gasol and Odom to play physical defense inside, he gives the Celts four reliable scoring options.

Here’s my prediction: Celtics take one of the first two games in LA, and the Lakers respond by winning one of the next 3 in Boston. The series goes back to LA, with the Celtics leading the series 3-2. It’s going 6 or 7 games. And as a Lakers fan, it kills me to say this, but I have to give the advantage to the Celtics. Bynum’s knee is just too bothersome, the resurgence of Rasheed Wallace is too scary (giving the Celtics another reliable big body). Put simply, the Celtics are deeper than the Lakers at the key positions, and depth always plays an issue in a 7 game series, at some point reserves and role players are going to need to step up and make key contributions and the Celtics seem to have more players capable of doing so.

Welcome to the blog

OK, here's the deal, after a few friends have suggested that I take to doing this, I am actually going to create a blog.

I plan to tackle mostly sports topics here, with my slant to things, and an attempt to be humorous, you know, like the sports guy on espn.com used to be.

Hopefully, you can take the time to read some of my asinine ideas, and be able to chip in a few of your own.

Tune in this week for my first "real" post, which will concern the Lakers/Celtics NBA finals.