Tuesday Spread Option

1. The Celtics found out yesterday that Rajon Rondo suffered an ACL sprain and will be out for the rest of the year. Do you think that the Celtics will give up on the season and end the big 3 era?

Zach-

I think it's no longer an issue of will they end the Big 3 Era. I think they HAVE to give them up. These Celtics are old, past their prime, just short of being finished. I think it's a move that should have been made as early as last year.  The excitement of picking up Garnertt, Allen, and Perice is  over.  But Boston learned the hard way this year that all great things must have come to an end.  This season is as good as over. The best player is done for the year and barely anyone is left to pick up the slack unless one of the bench players becomes the next Jeremy Lin x10. It is time to clear the roster space and save some money for a few younger players to support a guy like Rondo. Also as a side-note: Miami should take notes. Unless handled better, this exact thing could happen to them in the future with their Big 3.

Spencer-

Give up on the season!? Absolutely not. I don't know any team that are in the playoff chase that would just give up on the season because they lose a core player.  You pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off and move forward the best you can.  Doc Rivers knows better than to just throw the season out the window cause of the injury to Rondo.  He recognizes its impact sure but he won't let his team quit.  That being said I they the Celtics will grab the 8th seed in the playoffs and not make it too far, maybe one round in 7 grind it our games but their team certainly takes a hit with this.  As far as their future goes I think it will end the era of the big 3 they were the first to kind of initiate.  Ray Allen already left, and I think the Celtics won't want to waste more money on Garnett for another season when they're losing their competitiveness as it is.  If anything they do owe it to Pierce to stay around for his option next year and let him maybe retire a Celtic but the NBA is a business and as recently as today I heard there was potential for Pierce to get traded to the Grizzilies for Rudy Gay who is constantly on and off the trade block.  We'll see how it plays out but I do think the end of the season will at the latest bring an end to a great run for the Celtics.

Ty-

I don't think the players will give up on the season but the front office probably will. The only reason that the Celtics kept Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce together was because of the long playoff run last year. They retooled their roster this year in hopes of having one last chance to win a title. Rajon Rondo has been the best player on the team for the last 3 years by far. He is arguably a top 3 point guard in the league and the only player on the team that can make teammates better. I think this injury will lead the Celtics front office to blow up the team and either Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett or even Jeff Green. It would almost be foolish to keep this team together after it has already been reeling and just lost it's best player. There is no way that they can contend with Miami or the Knicks this year and their team is too old to wait for next year.

2. The pro bowl was yesterday, did you watch? Do you think the Pro Bowl is good or bad for the NFL, if not do you have any suggestions for an alternative? Do you think Roger Goodell will get rid of it next year?

Zach- 

Nope. I was watching the new episode of Girls on HBO (best episode of the new season in case you were wondering). And I'll tell you why I decided not to watch. I turned it on for five seconds to see if CJ Spiller had done anything amazing. I was just in time for a kick-off in which I saw players walking, pushing (not tackling), and messing around.  This is the dumbest "All-Star" game ever. (I put "" because half of the selected players can't play anymore due of the move to make it a week before the Super Bowl.) You can justify having it because of the money it rakes in. For that reason Goodell won't scrap it.  But something has to change. You can't risk the players getting hurt. Fine. Less people watch it when it is after the Super Bowl. Fine.  Why not get rid of the "game" and do a skills competition? One conference gets a point every time a player from their team wins a competition. I don't know, do SOMETHING.

Spencer-

I didn't watch the pro bowl which honestly kind of disappoints me cause I usually watch the all-star type games for other sports.  Nonetheless I think it could be the last year of it but I did hear from some players quotes that this year, players weren't as lackadaisical and more active in the game, which is obviously good to hear.  Football being only a 16 game season is in a tight spot considering that other sports have their all-star games midway through the season but I think that is out of the question for the NFL to do.  I think making it a system where people are nominated for the game for their productive seasons is smart but not having the game wouldn't hurt the NFL much.  I don't really know what other options there are unless they play the game the morning of the Super Bowl or something making it an annual thing to do the morning of and build up into the hype of the game that night.  

Ty-

I watched some of the pro bowl (5 minutes) after I realized that it was actually on last night. The NFL is the most popular American sport but their version of the all-star game comes up very short. Although this pro bowl got the same rating as the world series it is pretty obvious that the game is a dud. That being said I think they wont get rid of it next year but in the foreseeable future Goodell will. The new Football event should be some sot of skills competition where quarterbacks do trick throws and maybe a 4 on 4 competition with 3 receivers and a QB. Maybe they should have one on one battles with offensive and defensive lineman. I don't know if those things are good options but they need to spice things up somehow because the main problem with the pro bowl now is their aren't any incentives to play hard.

3. The Super Bowl is finally here after a very long and exciting season, Who do you think will win the game between the 49ers and the Ravens and why? Also is there any hope that the Super Bowl ads will actually be funny this year?

Zach-

I've been dreading this question. I don't have a lot of information to justify a pick, but I'll try it anyway.  Odd makers have the 49ers as a favorite. I'm picking the underdog Ravens.  I hate to beat a dead horse, but the Ravens are playing for Ray Lewis' last game, blah blah blah blah. But I have other reasons! Joe Flacco is a more experienced QB than Colin Kaepernick. Has good as he's been, I think Kaepernick's youth has the potential to catch up to him. I mean it is the Super Bowl... The most pressure-filled game of the season! Plus, as the AFC Championship game proved, the Ravens aren't scared of being underdogs.  If anything, they are probably pumped. As for the ads, NO! They won't be funny. You will see a minimum 3 awful Geico commercials, 3 terrible Budweiser commercials, 1  Doritos commercial they claim won a contest but you saw some on youtube that were WAY funnier, and 1 bad Esurance commercial. In fact, I'm only holding out for the e-Trade baby ads. Those usually get me.

Spencer-

The 49ers will win and Kaepernicking will become the new official trend of NFL fans!  As solid of a team I think the Ravens are I don't think they're defense has what it takes to stop the elusiveness and strong arm of Colin Kaepernick.  I think back when the Ravens won their first Super Bowl and I think the old saying "defense wins championships" stands true, now about 13 years later I think that is far from the truth.  It's all about offense now a days and I think the 49ers offense posses a bigger threat than the Ravens does.  The Raven's offense, although props to Flacco, runs through Ray Rice keeping it semi one dimensional.  The Ravens are 35-11 when Ray Rice gets 20 touches or more in a game, and 13-12 when he does not get at least 20 touches.  I think those numbers speak for themselves when you see that without contributions game in and game out from Rice the Ravens would be no where.  No granted like I said Flacco has certainly stepped up this year in the playoffs particularly.  Do I think he's the greatest QB in the NFL like he said at the beginning of the year absolutely not, but he has performed and come through when his team needed him.  Either way the 49ers are 4th overall in the NFL for passing yards allowed per game (200.2) per game, and also for rushing yards per game (94.2).  The 49ers have to design a defense that can shut down Ray Rice and keep Flacco from feeling comfortable and I think they have what it takes to do that.  Add that with their strong offense and stellar play from Kaepernick and I think its an obvious 49ers win.  One side note though one thing that will always play a factor in any game will be turnovers and penalties.  After a bye week teams tend to make silly mistakes in the Super Bowl that cost them, they need to be smart and not get flagged and limit their turnovers if either of those swing in one teams favor I think that team will win regardless of my prediction and how good a team is.

Ty-
I think that it is crazy that the niners are 5 point favorites because to me this Super Bowl is a complete toss up. What makes it a toss up is that although the niners may look like they have a better team they had the easier road to the Superbowl. They went against a Green Bay team that just seemed to not know that the 49ers switched their quarterback because they did not look prepared for anything Colin Kaepernick did on offense. Then they played an Atlanta Falcons team that had already laid down a blueprint to blowing a lead the week before. Their road was tough but still easier than the Ravens who had to go to Mile High and defeat Peyton Manning who was aided by not one! but two! special teams touchdowns. They then traveled to Foxboro to beat the Patriot, a team that they lost to last year even though the Patriots improved on both the running game and on defense. knowing these things even these two teams out for me and make it a little hard for me to pick a winner with any conviction. My head is telling the 49ers will win but my mind is also telling me that the last two Super Bowl winners were not really the best team but the team that got hot and had everything go their way. We saw this with the Giants and with the Packers. My official pick is that the Ravens will win 24-20 and it will be the last time we see Ray Lewis go crazy after the game! Also chances are we've seen too many things in this day and aged to be wowed by the commercials anymore. There is a chance that we can be wowed and it usually comes from Bud Light or Doritos but am I the only sick of the Budwieser horse ads? They need to give that one a break but I commend the people that come up with them because it is extremely hard to come up with something creative and funny for 30 seconds.

4. Tiger Woods just won the Farmers Insurance open convincingly. His game seems to be rounding into form do you think that he will ever win a major again and will he be able to tie or pass Jack Nicklaus record for majors since he is only 4 behind?

Zach-

Tiger just won the Farmers Insurance open. Tiger is getting better, and I think he knows it.  He looked relaxed out there this weekend, didn't seem to flustered if he missed a shot.  Knocking on woods (ha), I think he wins a major this year. Golf isn't a sport where you just fall off the planet because you are older.  He has plenty of time to win a major before retiring for sure. He is way too good to not win another one ever again. And I'll use the same reason to say that I think he will atleast Tie Nicklaus' record.  I'm rooting for him, I really am.  I think he has the talent to do it. He is one of those guys who has to try to lose once he is used to winning.  I think this is his year to get back his groove.

Spencer-

Let me start by saying winning a major is no easy accomplishment.  I never liked it much when people got all over Tiger since his return for not winning and kind of framing him as washed up and what not, because if anything his time away from the game did hurt him but just kind of evened the playing field for other golfers to compete with him more.  That being said I think he can definitely win a major and multiple majors in the remainder of his career.  He has shown his game is improving and has shown consistency at times.  He just needs that all to come together on the grueling days of majors and he can get the job done.  Also from age 38 on Nicklaus won 4 majors into his late 40s.  Tiger is currently 37, with 14 majors to his name already.  I think if he can keep his level of playing close to where it is now and better he can still have success and possibly match or surpass Nicklaus.  That's the thing about golf, you can be successful at an older age than you can in most sports.  

Ty- 

Winning majors is probably the hardest thing to do in sports today. Golf has too many players for someone to continually win and even the rate that Tiger has won in his career is amazing.  That being said I do think that he will get a Major this year but not because of this tournament, because it doesn't mean much to me. Until he is able to have vintage Tiger wins at a major he is not officially back. I do think people made to much about how he was doing and whether he could win another major. He is not that old and he was coming off of surgery and time off that really effected his game but Golf isn't basketball it is more mental than physical so age is a little factor. Tiger Woods will win another masters this year because I think  that he is finally getting back to a good place mentally to be able to play the game at a level that he is used to playing. That means that within a few years he'll be knocking on the door for the majors record.