February 9, 2013

February 9, 2013

I'm a little late but I'll finally be discussing the aftermath of Super Bowl XLVII, which was won by the Ravens 34-31.  A few things popped out at me during the game that I consider one of the best in recent memory, other than the Pack obviously winning the Super Bowl two years ago. 

1.  Joe Flacco has arrived, sort of.  You can doubt him all you want, the man can win playoff games.  I would still only consider him the 9th or 10th best QB in the NFL.  Here goes: Rodgers, Brady, P. Manning, Brees, E. Manning, Ryan, Stafford, Romo, Flacco.  I guess he's 9th haha.   
2.  Jacoby Jones was a major X-factor.  Had he showed this sort of game-breaking ability in Houston he may have lasted there longer.  Arguably the Ravens MVP. 
3.  The power outage definitely made for some good entertainment, even though the game wasn't happening it was one of those stories that defines a Super Bowl, and apparently gave the 49ers the momentum they needed to make it a game. 
4.  Colin Kaepernick will be a beast, no doubt.  The more games he plays the better he's gonna get.  The 49ers may have found their franchise guy.
5.  Of these two teams, the 49ers have a far better chance of getting back to the Super Bowl.  The Ravens, while still a decent team, are NOT champion worthy in my opinion.  You can call them a team of destiny or whatever you will, but they should not have been in that game, so kudos to them for defying the odds. 
6.  Vernon Davis had a solid game for the 49ers, something that for some reason became rare during the course of the season.  For their offense to be running successful, Davis must be a part of the gameplan.

Thus begins the long offseason in the NFL.  Already teams are making cuts and moves for next season and they're should be some very interesting storylines for the offseason.  The draft and the combine are next on the agenda and I'll be talking more about that as they near.  

January 27, 2013

January 27, 2013

Two things on the blog today.  First, last night me and a few friends went to the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in St. Paul, only a 30 minute bus ride from our campus.  I was really excited to see a crazy new sport that I'd never heard of, and was not disappointed.  It's basically played on a luge sort of track, but instead of a sled the competitors simply skate, so its essentially downhill skating.  The course has various jumps, uphill climbs, and banked turns that do increase the difficulty immensely.  The initial drop is 48 feet high and at its steepest is a 45 degree angle!  There were quite a few Americans in the 64 man field so understandably they received the most cheers and had the support of the over 80,000 people in attendance.  Only one American, Cameron Naasz made it to the final round where he finished 3rd after being involved in a 3 man crash towards the finish line.  He's apparently one of the best the sport has to offer as he's currently in 2nd place in the season standings.  The winner was Kyle Croxall of Canada, who was last year's world champion as well.  The track was situated right underneath the St. Paul Cathedral and they worked very hard to incorporate the beautiful building into the event.  The cathedral was lit up throughout the night and had color changing lights that would bathe the building in several different brilliant colors, its was pretty awesome.  Overall, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a new and exciting sport.

St. Paul Cathedral lit up for Crashed Ice

Second, today is the annual NFL Pro Bowl.  I just don't understand why there is so much negativity directed towards what is not an actual game.  If you have ever watched the Pro Bowl with the intention of watching a realistic, intense NFL game then you are delusional.  The Pro Bowl is meant to be a fun and ENTERTAINING gathering of the best the NFL has to offer, and to just let them go out and ball, basically to have fun.  This should above else be a chance for the best players in the NFL to essentially meet up to play a friendly game of football.  The Pro Bowl is usually high scoring as defenses are extremely limited so in this regard the game lives up to its entertainment value.  Moreover, the Pro Bowl is not an actual game it counts for NOTHING, there's no reason for the players to go out and risk their bodies and livelihoods for a game that is only for entertainment.  I don't understand why people want the game eliminated, what would you replace it with?  You then would leave a hideous gap between the conference championship round and the Super Bowl.  Once the Super Bowl is done the long cold summer of no football begins, so people should be appreciative of a last chance to see most of the stars of the game in one location.  And even in its so called "diluted" form the Pro Bowl still draws more viewers than any other major sports all-star game.     

January 24, 2013

January 24, 2013

I've often wondered if the NFL is in some way, "fixed."  While I keep faith that the NFL is honest in its business dealings and that games aren't fixed and certain teams subject to favoritism there are cases that do offer evidence to the contrary.  Here's a blog I came across today while surfing.
 
http://spaces.covers.com/blog/MaximumWins/NFL/03042012-Reasons-Why-The-NFL-Is-Fixed-For-Profit.html

If the NFL is truly fixing games, they aren't very good at making it not obvious.  The last few Super Bowls are perfect examples of great story lines that potentially net the the NFL plenty of profit.

Super Bowl XLVII
Two words: Harbaugh Bowl.  Has fix written all over it as the NFL tries to drum up excitement for the upcoming Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLVI
A rematch between the Giants and Patriots that produced one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory is the perfect way for the NFL to further the Manning family legacy, as Eli wins his 2nd Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLV
A game featuring two of the most historic franchises in history was a great way for the NFL to hype up the Super Bowl at the huge Cowboys Stadium.  The Packers were victorious as the NFL was probably hesitant to give Ben Roethlisberger another Super Bowl after his escapades earlier in the year.

Don't get me wrong, I love the NFL and truly believe it is a truthful and model sports organization.  It is helpful to consider all sides though.   

January 20, 2013

January 20, 2013

First post of the new year!!!!  Finally got back to school yesterday for the spring semester so time should be a little more plentiful, at least for now. 

It's conference championship week in the NFL, here's my predictions for the Super Bowl participants

NFC
49ers 30, Falcons 24

AFC
Patriots 35, Ravens 20

Now that my Packers have gone down I shall be rooting exclusively for the Patriots, who are my 2nd favorite team in the NFL. 

December 25, 2012

Sorry for the long delay, finals and school have been taking up a lot of time but the semester is nearly over.  Anyway, I've been playing my dynasty with the Packers on Madden 12 and just wanted to comment on the crazy alternate reality that has come to pass.  As a note, the Pack has won the last two Super Bowls, defeating the Steelers and then the Texans.  We're now in the year 2014.  

One of the big things to look at is the starting QBs around the league:
Bears: Jay Cutler
Bengals: Andy Dalton
Bills: Ryan Lindley (apparently he is going to become much better than he currently is)
Broncos: Tim Tebow (RG3 is currently his backup, haha)
Browns: Colt McCoy
Buccaneers: Andrew Luck (already a 91 in his 2nd season)
Cardinals: Brandon Weeden
Chargers: Philip Rivers
Chiefs: TJ Yates (backed up by Ricky Stanzi, yuck)
Colts: Peyton Manning (they didn't get the memo that Peyton was a Bronco)
Cowboys: Tony Romo
Dolphins: Domanique Davis (head scratcher, though he's an 89 overall)
Eagles: Michael Vick
Falcons: Matt Ryan
49ers: Alex Smith
Giants: Eli Manning
Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert
Jets: Matt Cassel
Lions: Matt Stafford
Packers: Aaron Rodgers (He isn't going anywhere, let's just say that)
Panthers: Cam Newton (now the #2 rated QB in the league)
Patriots: Tom Brady
Raiders: Carson Palmer
Rams: Sam Bradford
Ravens: Joe Flacco
Redskins: Landry Jones (so this is the alternate RG3less destiny?)
Saints: Drew Brees
Seahawks: Tyler Wilson (starting right out of college)
Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger
Texans: Matt Schaub
Titans: Jake Locker
Vikings: Christian Ponder