1. We are through more than a quarter of the NFL season. What team looks like the best team in the NFL to this point?
Ty-
I would guess that most people would say the Seattle Seahawks and I wouldn't blame them. I probably would have also considered the Bengals before they got beat down by a Patriots team that has looked bad for most of the year. But to me the best team or the team I have a great feeling about is the San Diego Chargers. I know I picked them to get to the Super Bowl for no reason but man are they making me look good for some reason. It is mainly because Philip Rivers is continuing his play from last season and has turned into an early MVP candidate. I would be surprised if this team beat the Denver Broncos when they meet each other. This team does have it's flaws though, like being one of the worst teams in the league running the ball. This has a lot to do with losing Ryan Matthews and Danny Woodhead but they are among the best teams in the league at least for now.
Spencer-
The San Diego Chargers. I know Ty picked them on a whim to win get to the Super Bowl and so far they have been terrific in all phases of the game. They're only loss to this point was Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals but they were in that game late and had a shot to win. They took down the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks 30-21. They're next test will be in playing division foe Denver, which isn't for another three weeks. They'll play each other twice but last year I remember San Diego gave the Broncos fits and I see that being the same this year. Either way I think the Chargers are the better of the two, at least to this point in the season.
2. The Royals and the Orioles took care of business and will meet in the ALCS. Who do you think will meet in the NLCS series and who do you think is going to win the ALCS?
Spencer-
Let me just start by saying this years playoffs have been fantastic so far, the most exciting I've watched in a while. It all started with that extra innings thriller between Kansas City and Oakland and the Royals advancing to the ALDS. The magic hasn't ended for Kansas City yet with them advancing to face the Orioles next, it's just been a lot of fun. First for my NLCS match-up, I'm going with the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants. It pains me to chose that match-up since I picked the Washington Nationals to win it all back in April and was pulling for them, but with the Giants up 2-0 and Madison Bumgarner on the mound tonight I don't see how the Nationals win this series. Just caught some tough breaks at times. I think the Dodgers win over the St. Louis Cardinals in five. I
think in the end they have the better line-up and Kershaw won't be rocked again like he was in game one. Now for my ALCS pick...sorry to rain on everyone's Cinderella story of the postseason, but I think the Orioles take out the Royals in six. Despite lacking a true ace, facing key injuries and losing one of their biggest bats to suspension they Orioles have stayed resilient under Buck Showalter and found a way to get it done time and time again. They just dismantled the Tigers while facing the LAST 3 CY YOUNG WINNERS. That's unbelievable. They just find a way to win no matter who they're going up against or what the stats say or who the experts pick. Facing Kansas City is going to be a challenge for sure. It's two resilient, poised teams going at it head-to-head. Kansas City has this wave of magic on their side too. The Orioles don't do any one thing great necessarily, but they do everything good. Baltimore moves onto the World Series.
Ty-
I would really enjoy it if the Nationals made a comeback but I really don't see it happening. The Giants are going to continue their playoff dominance in off years and advance. In the other series I think the Dodgers eventually pull it out over the Cardinals although I must admit i'm justifiably weary about picking against the Cardinals. In the ALCS this pick shouldn't really be this easy but I tweeted this the other day so....
3. This was upset weekend in College Football with 4 top 6 teams losing. Who are your top 5 teams now?
Ty-
College Football is definitely benefitting from switching to the playoff system. In the years past a
saturday like this last one wouldn't have seemed as impactful because the top team was still in place. Now with the top 4 teams in the mix it makes it a little more exciting because conceivably a team can jump from the 10th or 11th spot into the top 4 or really close if they play well against a good ranked team. That has essentially happened for Miss. State. and Ole Miss. My top 5...
1. Florida St.
2. Auburn
3. Baylor
4. Ole Miss
5. Notre Dame
Florida State and Auburn is arbitrary but I think Baylor has the offensive fire power to beat anybody at this point. You have to put Ole Miss up there after beating Alabama and Notre Dame has been steady with their win over Stanford. I did leave out Miss. State only because although I like their win over Texas A&M, I'm not sure how good they are when their signature win was over a South Carolina team that lost to Kentucky.
Spencer-
Let me preface this by saying Saturdays like this past one are exactly why I love College Football more than the NFL. No upset or match-up in the NFL carries as much weight as some of the games this weekend did and there are these huge crowds and fans watching at home holding their breathe till the last second. It's the best. That being said here's my top five after a crazy weekend...
1. Florida State
2. Auburn
3. Ole Miss
4. Notre Dame
5. Mississippi State
I left Baylor out because they haven't played a worthy opponent so far this season. Sorry but putting up 63 on Buffalo isn't a quality win to me. They'll get their first real test this Saturday against TCU though so maybe next week they'll crack my top 5.
4. What team in the NFL has been the biggest surprise? What team has been the biggest disappointment?
Spencer-
Biggest surprise for me has been the Baltimore Ravens. They started the year with a tight loss to the Bengals where they almost won. Then the Ray Rice video from inside the elevator was released and it felt like this was just the start of what was going to be a long season for the Ravens. They stayed together though, went on to win three straight before falling to the Indianapolis Colts 20-13 yesterday. They played terrible in that game and still had a chance to win so it could of been four straight for them, easily. I'm just very impressed that given all the distractions they've been able to focus and play hard and get some big wins. With a 3-2 record they are in pretty good shape so far. The biggest disappointment is easy in my opinion. The New Orleans Saints have been terrible. Absolutely terrible. People said they had a championship level defense, we know what their offense can do and yet here they are sitting at 2-3 and really struggling to keep up with teams. That "championship level defense" has allowed over 30 points three times in five games. They are struggling to stop anyone and their offense hasn't been the explosive unit we had come to know over the last few seasons. It doesn't look like they are going to get any better any time soon. They're just a bad team.
Ty-
The Biggest surprise to me has been the Dallas Cowboys. I hate to say it too but they have been really different from what I expected them to be going in to the season. Now apart of me is not sure that it last because DeMarco Murray is not the most injury resistant person in the league and he is on pace for the most carries in his career and I think eventually he breaks down running at this pace. He also seems to run crazy upright so that is probably why he gets injured so much. The defense is probably the most surprising. They have been extremely stingy at times even though they were predicted to be one of the worst defenses ever. Taking the ball out of Romo's hands a little bit has worked wonders for him but again it is tough to think it will last the entire season until they play some tougher teams.
.jpg)
The biggest disappointment is probably to me has been the Titans. Maybe other people didn't expect them to be good but I thought they had a chance to challenge the Colts for the division. They had improved on the defense and Ken Wisenhunt was fresh off of reviving Philip Rivers career so I thought the Titans could pull something together. Instead they just flashed in the first game against a decent Kansas City team and have stunk up the joint sense. That includes giving up the biggest comeback against a home team in NFL history against the BROWNS. The Browns are not a bad team but you have to be pretty shameful if you let the BROWNS make NFL history against you. Locker has been hurt but this team should be better.
What we learned
Ty-
The NBA just signed a new TV deal that could change the league in crazy ways.
It was announced yesterday that the NBA finally renewed it's TV deal with Disney/ESPN and TNT. This had been the talk of the league last year as many expected the new deal, which will take effect in the 2016-17 year, to really increase the salary cap. The new deal reportedly pays the NBA 2.7 Billion a year over it's 9 year span. Here is an article by Rob Lowe that further explains this if you click here.
This deal could lead to a lot of things. It could mean that teams that are currently in dire cap situations can have a lot more room. So much room to where teams can add not one not 2 but 3 max players on their books without prominent players having to take major pay cuts. This means that a lot more teams will be able to offer up the space for super teams. This will most likely benefit big teams in prime cities. Because now teams like New York and LA can now offer teaming up with 2 other superstars without taking crazy paycuts as well as the benefits of the markets they are in.
Now not everyone can have super teams so I'm sure that this means that some guys will begin to get grossly overpaid because more teams will have crazy amounts of money to spend. This will likely be the teams in not so great market as they will have to throw more money at players to stay with the team or to lore free agents. Which wont be much different from how it was a few years ago. The collective bargaining agreement will be the same so contract structures will remain the same too.
The biggest things fans should fear from this deal is the league possibly becoming more top heavy also a lockout looming again because the players will definitely want a better deal than they took in the last CBA.
Spencer-
The San Francisco 49ers are on another level idiotic if they get rid of Jim Harbaugh after the season
Rumors are swirling that the 49ers front office and players are unhappy with head coach Jim Harbaugh and looking to part ways with him at the end of the season, and I just don't get it. So what, because Jim Harbaugh isn't this laid back nice guy like Pete Carroll and he's hard on his players and has a competitive attitude that he deserves to lose his job? Stop with that. Say what you want about him losing the locker room and you know what maybe there are some players unhappy with him at times, but in my mind that is every football team. No team is always 100% happy with their coaching staff.
Regardless I think this is all white noise. Yesterday franchise CEO Jed York tweeted his support for Harbaugh saying "Jim is my coach. We are trying to win a SB not a personality or popularity contest. Any more questions?' That should speak for itself. What are they going to do go give Mike Singletary a call so he can lead a talented team to a 6-10 record? Give me a break.
Jim Harbaugh has 39-13-1 record since taking over on the sideline. Has lost in the NFC Championship game twice and the Super Bowl once. That doesn't happen by accident. And it most certainly doesn't happen if the players aren't buying into what the head coach is doing and execute his game plans effectively. I just don't get it.
Sure maybe he's a hard guy to get along with. Maybe he's a little tough at times. Maybe he did handle the Alex Smith situation the wrong way. But has it worked? Has it paid off? They haven't won the Super Bowl yet, but the best way to have a shot at it is getting to the playoffs and making runs at it right? The 49ers organization should be locked in an psychiatric ward if they let go of Jim Harbaugh. And if they do let him go, or trade him or whatever these rumors are implying, then it's their loss and another NFL teams gain.
Ty-
I would guess that most people would say the Seattle Seahawks and I wouldn't blame them. I probably would have also considered the Bengals before they got beat down by a Patriots team that has looked bad for most of the year. But to me the best team or the team I have a great feeling about is the San Diego Chargers. I know I picked them to get to the Super Bowl for no reason but man are they making me look good for some reason. It is mainly because Philip Rivers is continuing his play from last season and has turned into an early MVP candidate. I would be surprised if this team beat the Denver Broncos when they meet each other. This team does have it's flaws though, like being one of the worst teams in the league running the ball. This has a lot to do with losing Ryan Matthews and Danny Woodhead but they are among the best teams in the league at least for now.
Spencer-
2. The Royals and the Orioles took care of business and will meet in the ALCS. Who do you think will meet in the NLCS series and who do you think is going to win the ALCS?
Spencer-
Let me just start by saying this years playoffs have been fantastic so far, the most exciting I've watched in a while. It all started with that extra innings thriller between Kansas City and Oakland and the Royals advancing to the ALDS. The magic hasn't ended for Kansas City yet with them advancing to face the Orioles next, it's just been a lot of fun. First for my NLCS match-up, I'm going with the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants. It pains me to chose that match-up since I picked the Washington Nationals to win it all back in April and was pulling for them, but with the Giants up 2-0 and Madison Bumgarner on the mound tonight I don't see how the Nationals win this series. Just caught some tough breaks at times. I think the Dodgers win over the St. Louis Cardinals in five. I
Ty-
I would really enjoy it if the Nationals made a comeback but I really don't see it happening. The Giants are going to continue their playoff dominance in off years and advance. In the other series I think the Dodgers eventually pull it out over the Cardinals although I must admit i'm justifiably weary about picking against the Cardinals. In the ALCS this pick shouldn't really be this easy but I tweeted this the other day so....
Yeah the Royals are going to win the World Series.
— Tylante (@Tylante) October 6, 2014
3. This was upset weekend in College Football with 4 top 6 teams losing. Who are your top 5 teams now?
Ty-
College Football is definitely benefitting from switching to the playoff system. In the years past a
1. Florida St.
2. Auburn
3. Baylor
4. Ole Miss
5. Notre Dame
Florida State and Auburn is arbitrary but I think Baylor has the offensive fire power to beat anybody at this point. You have to put Ole Miss up there after beating Alabama and Notre Dame has been steady with their win over Stanford. I did leave out Miss. State only because although I like their win over Texas A&M, I'm not sure how good they are when their signature win was over a South Carolina team that lost to Kentucky.
Spencer-
Let me preface this by saying Saturdays like this past one are exactly why I love College Football more than the NFL. No upset or match-up in the NFL carries as much weight as some of the games this weekend did and there are these huge crowds and fans watching at home holding their breathe till the last second. It's the best. That being said here's my top five after a crazy weekend...
1. Florida State
2. Auburn
3. Ole Miss
4. Notre Dame
5. Mississippi State
I left Baylor out because they haven't played a worthy opponent so far this season. Sorry but putting up 63 on Buffalo isn't a quality win to me. They'll get their first real test this Saturday against TCU though so maybe next week they'll crack my top 5.
4. What team in the NFL has been the biggest surprise? What team has been the biggest disappointment?
Spencer-
Biggest surprise for me has been the Baltimore Ravens. They started the year with a tight loss to the Bengals where they almost won. Then the Ray Rice video from inside the elevator was released and it felt like this was just the start of what was going to be a long season for the Ravens. They stayed together though, went on to win three straight before falling to the Indianapolis Colts 20-13 yesterday. They played terrible in that game and still had a chance to win so it could of been four straight for them, easily. I'm just very impressed that given all the distractions they've been able to focus and play hard and get some big wins. With a 3-2 record they are in pretty good shape so far. The biggest disappointment is easy in my opinion. The New Orleans Saints have been terrible. Absolutely terrible. People said they had a championship level defense, we know what their offense can do and yet here they are sitting at 2-3 and really struggling to keep up with teams. That "championship level defense" has allowed over 30 points three times in five games. They are struggling to stop anyone and their offense hasn't been the explosive unit we had come to know over the last few seasons. It doesn't look like they are going to get any better any time soon. They're just a bad team. Ty-
The Biggest surprise to me has been the Dallas Cowboys. I hate to say it too but they have been really different from what I expected them to be going in to the season. Now apart of me is not sure that it last because DeMarco Murray is not the most injury resistant person in the league and he is on pace for the most carries in his career and I think eventually he breaks down running at this pace. He also seems to run crazy upright so that is probably why he gets injured so much. The defense is probably the most surprising. They have been extremely stingy at times even though they were predicted to be one of the worst defenses ever. Taking the ball out of Romo's hands a little bit has worked wonders for him but again it is tough to think it will last the entire season until they play some tougher teams.
What we learned
The NBA just signed a new TV deal that could change the league in crazy ways.
It was announced yesterday that the NBA finally renewed it's TV deal with Disney/ESPN and TNT. This had been the talk of the league last year as many expected the new deal, which will take effect in the 2016-17 year, to really increase the salary cap. The new deal reportedly pays the NBA 2.7 Billion a year over it's 9 year span. Here is an article by Rob Lowe that further explains this if you click here.
This deal could lead to a lot of things. It could mean that teams that are currently in dire cap situations can have a lot more room. So much room to where teams can add not one not 2 but 3 max players on their books without prominent players having to take major pay cuts. This means that a lot more teams will be able to offer up the space for super teams. This will most likely benefit big teams in prime cities. Because now teams like New York and LA can now offer teaming up with 2 other superstars without taking crazy paycuts as well as the benefits of the markets they are in.
Now not everyone can have super teams so I'm sure that this means that some guys will begin to get grossly overpaid because more teams will have crazy amounts of money to spend. This will likely be the teams in not so great market as they will have to throw more money at players to stay with the team or to lore free agents. Which wont be much different from how it was a few years ago. The collective bargaining agreement will be the same so contract structures will remain the same too.
The biggest things fans should fear from this deal is the league possibly becoming more top heavy also a lockout looming again because the players will definitely want a better deal than they took in the last CBA.
Spencer-
The San Francisco 49ers are on another level idiotic if they get rid of Jim Harbaugh after the season
Rumors are swirling that the 49ers front office and players are unhappy with head coach Jim Harbaugh and looking to part ways with him at the end of the season, and I just don't get it. So what, because Jim Harbaugh isn't this laid back nice guy like Pete Carroll and he's hard on his players and has a competitive attitude that he deserves to lose his job? Stop with that. Say what you want about him losing the locker room and you know what maybe there are some players unhappy with him at times, but in my mind that is every football team. No team is always 100% happy with their coaching staff.
Regardless I think this is all white noise. Yesterday franchise CEO Jed York tweeted his support for Harbaugh saying "Jim is my coach. We are trying to win a SB not a personality or popularity contest. Any more questions?' That should speak for itself. What are they going to do go give Mike Singletary a call so he can lead a talented team to a 6-10 record? Give me a break.
Jim Harbaugh has 39-13-1 record since taking over on the sideline. Has lost in the NFC Championship game twice and the Super Bowl once. That doesn't happen by accident. And it most certainly doesn't happen if the players aren't buying into what the head coach is doing and execute his game plans effectively. I just don't get it.
Sure maybe he's a hard guy to get along with. Maybe he's a little tough at times. Maybe he did handle the Alex Smith situation the wrong way. But has it worked? Has it paid off? They haven't won the Super Bowl yet, but the best way to have a shot at it is getting to the playoffs and making runs at it right? The 49ers organization should be locked in an psychiatric ward if they let go of Jim Harbaugh. And if they do let him go, or trade him or whatever these rumors are implying, then it's their loss and another NFL teams gain.
No comments:
Post a Comment