NFL Wild Card Preview

NY Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Breakdown: The only difference in this game is that instead of playing in New York, they are playing in Cincinnati. That and the week before doesn’t matter now. The Bengals had nothing to play for even though the Bengals played most of their starters. The Jets do have statistically the best rushing and total defense in the NFL. Stats don’t always help you get to the Super Bowl though. The Bengals will have a fresh Cedric Benson. The home crowd in their favor. The Jets do have that swagger that was missing in the middle part of the season. However it won’t help with a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez. Don’t get me wrong he is gonna be good, just not this year. The Bengals don’t have all the momentum, but they do have enough weapons and a good defense to offset the Jets statistical advantages. Bengals win a close one.

Matchup to watch for: Chad Ochocinco Bengals WR vs. Darrelle Revis Jets CB

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

Breakdown: This is what Cowboys fans have been waiting for. A winnable playoff game. Not to say the Eagles won’t show up, but as much as I hate to say it, the Cowboys have looked pretty good. Quarterback Tony Romo has been phenomenal. He is being given all the credit for their December success as he should. I think more should be awarded to the defense. They beat the Saints in New Orleans and shut out the Redskins and Eagles to finish the season. Not an easy thing considering their history in December. The Eagles are a much younger team than their many predecessors. Andy Reid has his work cut out for him to figure out the Cowboys attack after being shut out last week. Quarterback Donovan McNabb needs to not rush the offense in a pass happy scheme. Running the ball will help you win more than trying to shoot it out with the Dallas offense. Alas it will be too much for the Eagles which were in striking distance of a first round bye. Cowboys win in a shoot out.

Matchup to watch for: Donovan McNabb Eagles QB vs. DeMarcus Ware Cowboys LB

Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Breakdown: Baltimore couldn’t be happier with how the playoff seeding ended up. They get another shot at the Patriots. They met earlier in the year in New England that many would consider a one sided affair. Not by the score, but by the way the game was officiated. It was the most blatant attempt by the NFL’s referees to protect one of the games premiere players, Tom Brady. The Ravens could care less this time around. It will be a different crew and a different mind set. They will look to play smash mouth football. The Patriots will be without leading receiver Wes Welker, who went down with a knee injury last week. The Ravens will look to exploit that with constant pressure and double teams of opposite receiver Randy Moss. The Patriots will have a lot to prove most of all on the defensive side. Whether or not they make a run at the Super Bowl will run heavily on the defense. If the Ravens score more than 20 points, the Patriots could be in trouble. Ravens win in a brawl.

Matchup to watch for: Ray Rice Ravens RB vs. New England front seven

Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Breakdown: The Packers are the hottest team in the NFC entering the playoffs. They won 7 of their last 8 games to clinch one of two wild card spots. Like with the the first playoff matchups this weekend, this one was played the week before. Can we take anything from it? No. Will the result be the same? No. Are these the same teams? Yes. Aside from Matt Leinart playing for Kurt Warner, these are the same teams playing each other. The result was disastrous for the Cardinals, who have played horribly at home this year. The Cardinals are in even more trouble with an injury to one of their wide receivers Anquan Boldin. The Packers know this of course and will double if not triple team Larry Fitzgerald and force Warner to rely on someone else. The Arizona run game, which has been slumbering all year needs to have a big game against a Packers defense that constantly attacks until the whistle blows. The Packers are just as frightening for the Cardinals on the offensive side. Aaron Rodgers is looking to continue his hot streak against a struggling Arizona defense. The Packers win in a blowout.

Matchup to watch for: Charles Woodson Packers CB vs. Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals WR

The Modern Athlete Will Never Get It

A picture is worth a thousand words. Athletes now a days have it all. Fame, fortune and notoriety. We are quick to judge them on a bad game. A stupid comment. Or perhaps when they break the law. In Gilbert Arenas’ case, he has apparently done all of the above minus the bad game and replacing it with being an idiot.

Commissioner David Stern suspended Gilbert yesterday indefinitely without pay until the conclusion of the NBA’s investigation into his alleged incident in the Wizards locker room with teammate Javaris Crittenton. Now how this story all came about took more turns than Tiger Woods did in his driveway on Thanksgiving. Gilbert says that he received permission from the Wizards to keep his four guns (notice I said four) at the Verizon Center locker room. After that, he and Crittenton were having an argument over a gambling debt Gilbert owed him. Crittenton allegedly pulled out his own gun, chambered a round, but did not point it at Gilbert. Now after the reports were revealed, a criminal investigation had started. That’s when Gilbert started to do what only “Agent Zero” knows how to do. Be funny.

Now he went on his twitter account (which I do not follow) to laugh off the event and make fun of the media storm that had started over it. I do not care what he says on his twitter account, but what I do care about is the arrogance he has shown over the event. It wasn’t more than eight months ago that WR Plaxico Burress shot himself with a hand gun that wasn’t registered in the state of New York. He has since been sentenced to two years in prison. We thought that was the greatest example for the modern athlete. This statement should be played through their heads before they go somewhere:

“If I have to take my gun with me, do I really need to go?”

My biggest problem is that Arenas never got it. He released a lawyered apology for the incident. Then proceeded to make fun of it (pictured above) before the Wizards game Tuesday night. After the game, he said that his teammates were telling him to do the finger pistol display. He of course had to apologize for it and was still joking with reporters saying he is more scared of Commissioner Stern than the police investigators because the commissioner is “mean.” The following morning Stern came down on Arenas with the only form of punishment suitable for the situation. Stern said something very poignant in his statement:

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game.”

“Perhaps worse.” Does that mean possibly Gilbert’s contract could be voided? Who knows. That possibility is there and for what. A stupid incident that could have been avoided. Is it really worth it to throw everything away for storing your guns at your employers facility? If I asked my boss:

“Is it all right if I store my shotgun in the storage closet? I don’t want my newborn to be sleeping next to it because I kept it in the crib.”

I can imagine what the reaction would be and I can assure you I probably wouldn’t be working there anymore. If it is true that the Wizards were asked and agreed to let Arenas store his guns in his locker. There should be some layoffs galore at that franchise. I mean this is a slap in the face to owner Abe Polin’s memory. Abe changed the nickname of the team from the Bullets to the Wizards because of gun violence. Now in a terrible sense of irony, the threat of it has entered the teams locker room. For Gilbert to try and laugh it off is an outrage. He does need to sit for a while and hope this is the most severe punishment he gets out of it.

Now this isn’t the end of this story by a long shot. Until the police and NBA are done with their investigations, it will still be a top story. We still don’t know about Crittenton’s involvement if it is true about him bringing his own gun. New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris said that 70-75 percent of NBA players carry guns. That is a staggering number. Question you need to ask yourself is, are you really surprised? This is not a knock on owning a gun. It is your inalienable right to own a gun. It is also your responsibility to know the laws in your state about owning a gun. I understand the need for the people who are constantly in the public view to protect themselves and their family. I get that. What I don’t get is how you think you are invincible to your actions. Crittenton deserves the same wrath if what he did is true. The Wizards need to clean house (not roster related) and root out the retards allowing this. Gilbert can think of a new nickname while he is away. Agent Zero doesn’t suit him anymore.

Follow me on twitter: @TalkinSportsLB

NFL Season in Review

The NFL season is officially over. The playoffs will begin in a few days and we will have a new champion to crown. The defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers are not in the playoffs. They are the sixth Super Bowl winner that didn’t make the playoffs the following season. There were many great stories this year and many disappointing teams that didn’t live up to their potential. Either way it was a great season. Aside from the embarrassing showing of a few teams in the last two weeks, uhhem…the Colts…cough, cough. To go off topic for a second, how do you bench everyone when your winning in Week 16 and keep them out there in a blizzard to pad some stats in Week 17? If you have the answer please let me know. I haven’t been on the radio for almost a month, so I had to get that out. I give you the ones worthy of personal hardware for the 2009 NFL season.

Awards

MVP: Peyton Manning Colts
4,500 Passing yards, 33 TD’s Record 14-2

I know. I just criticized them, but it wasn’t his decision to sit. I’m sure of it. His body language told me all I needed to know. However, it can’t be denied how important he is to this team. Just look what happens when you put someone else out there. It doesn’t even have to be Curtis Painter (Who?). The Colts are not the same without Manning. Eight of their wins were come from behind wins. Yes, eight. Remember the Monday night game against the Dolphins. The Sunday night game against the Patriots. Granted Belichick helped, but Manning still had to get the Colts the go ahead score. Also the Thursday night game at Jacksonville to go 14-0. A classic shootout that showed there is no one that can stop the Colts when Manning is on his game. Do I really have to keep going? I could you know.

Defensive Player of the Year: Charles Woodson Packers
74 Tackles, 9 INT, 3 TD’s Record 11-5

I originally had Darren Sharper of the Saints as the Defensive Player of the Year. That was when there was still 4-6 weeks left in the season. In that time Woodson really took off. Literally, he and the Packers defense were winning games not Aaron Rodgers and the offense. Winning 7 of their last 8 games to storm into the playoffs as a Wild Card representative. That is thanks in large part to the defense. Woodson no longer has the speed, but is a crafty veteran who knows how to read the quarterback and jump the receivers route. That helps especially when the starter opposite him, Al Harris, went down with a knee injury just when the streak started. Funny how great players show up when they’re needed most.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin Vikings
60 Rec., 790 yards, 6 TD’s Record 12-4

Harvin is and will always be the steal of the 2009 draft. Everyone knew the potential of him when he was entering the draft. They were all afraid of the stability of his foot. Well, it looks fine to me. He ran all over defenses this year with impressive numbers for a rookie wide receiver. He also ran two kickoffs for touchdowns. Running the ball was a cinch racking up 135 yards on 15 attempts this year. He turned out to be the best performer in a class that had two rookie quarterbacks playing from the start and a slew of running backs that didn’t separate themselves from the pack.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Brian Cushing Texans
134 Tackles, 5 Sacks, 4 INT Record 9-7

Yes, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year today, but I would’ve given it to him regardless. He led all rookies in tackles. Was third in sacks and second in interceptions. The USC linebacker was the best of the trio in the draft, but Clay Matthews and Rey Maualuga were just as important to their teams success as Cushing. The Texans did miss the playoffs, but Cushing, Ryans and Williams will be the backbone of that defense for years to come.

Coach of the Year: Marvin Lewis Bengals
Record 10-6

Again, who thought the Bengals would win all their division games? Marvin ceases to amaze me. When it looks like he has lost all control of the team and franchise for that matter, he manages to turn it around. He has a great offense that didn’t live up to expectations for the most part. However, he turned around that defense with the help of coordinator Mike Zimmer who dealt with personal tragedy in the middle of the season. The entire team had to deal with more tragedy with the death of wide receiver Chris Henry. They rallied to make the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years. Amazing indeed. If the Bengals can win one or two playoff games, Marvin will have another three years to work with in Cincinnati.

Stay tuned for the NFL Wild Card Preview later in the week.

Moment/Game #1

We all know that when we root for our favorite teams, it doesn’t matter if they win or lose. It all comes down to whether or not you were entertained and that saying “There’s always next year.” Sports is basically an escape for us to forget about what’s going on in our lives for just a few hours. It became clear that all the sports would need to be more than just an escape, but set an example for how a country can recover after the tragedy and inhumane acts of September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were and what we were doing that morning. I was getting ready for school and happened to glance at the TV where it had “Breaking News” on the bottom of the screen and showing one of the Twin Towers in New York with smoke coming out of the top. After standing for only about a minute or two watching, suddenly a plane slammed into the other tower on live television. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I just saw what I thought to be a plane smashing the other building. It to my horror was true and I will never forget that image.

2001 World Series Game 7 NY Yankees vs. Arizona

Baseball like the NFL postponed games that week. While the country was still ravaged and scared, all the sports leagues in this country played a unique role in the recovery. Baseball always has a way of making the transition look so simple. Every baseball fan that year was rooting for the New York teams. And why not. It would bring so much joy to a city that like Washington D.C. and Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, had suffered through the events of 9/11. The Yankees had their All Star lineup of Jeter, Soriano, Posada and Williams. Arizona however wasn’t going down without a fight. Led by the pitching of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, it was a World Series with more drama than a play on Broadway.

The Yankees had won all three games in New York. Game 4 & 5 in dramatic fashion with extra inning home runs to win. Game 6 wasn’t going to go in the Yankees favor with Randy Johnson pitching lights out baseball in a 15-2 blowout. Game 7 was set for what is to be one of the best and most intense Game 7s in World Series history. Roger Clemens on the mound for the Yankees and Curt Schilling for the D’Backs. Both pitchers were exchanging out after out in a scoreless game through the first five innings.

Arizona got on board first in the sixth inning. The Yankees would answer in their half of the seventh. Tied up a 1-1. With Arizona coming away with nothing after the seventh, the Yankees took advantage with a HR from Alfonso Soriano off Schilling to go up 2-1. The D’Backs had no answer again in the eighth and they weren’t going to go out easily when they threw Randy Johnson out as a reliever for the last four outs against the Yankees. New York was still up 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth.

There were two on and one out for SS Tony Womack facing one of the best postseason pitchers of all time, Mariano Rivera. Womack sliced a cut fastball down the right field line scoring one and the winning run staying on third. The place was erupting with excitement as the game was now tied and the winning run just ninety feet away. 2B Craig Counsell was next, but was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Luis Gonzalez to this point was 0 for 4 in the game. He was batting .259 with 1 HR and 1 RBI for the Series. This was his moment and his time to shine. The Yankees were playing the infield in which is the smart move to prevent the leading runner from scoring. However, Gonzo (pictured above) as they call him blooped a liner over Jeter’s head into center field for the game and series clincher. A great moment for not just baseball, but for the country.

Super Bowl XXXVI St. Louis vs. New England February 3, 2002

The NFL couldn’t have had a better matchup in the Super Bowl just five months after 9/11. A team called the Patriots. The underdog against “The Greatest Show on Turf” the St. Louis Rams. The Rams were going for their second title in three years. The Patriots were making their third Super Bowl appearance and were looking to start their own legacy on the heels of an improbable win in the divisional game against the Raiders. The infamous “tuck rule” game. This wasn’t going to be as simple as counting to three. With the way the World Series went, this was going to be another great finish.

The Patriots were up 14-3 at halftime thanks to cornerback Ty Law’s pick six and the unknown quarterback Tom Brady throwing an 8 yard strike in the back of the endzone to wide receiver David Patten. The Rams were baffled, but not out by any means. New England added another three points to their total heading into the fourth quarter where all the magic was soon to happen.

Kurt Warner of the Rams was back to his old self. This time scoring on a goal line run to bring the Rams within a TD of tying the game. With exactly two and a half minutes left in the game. Warner would give his defense a chance to stop the Patriots from winning with a 26 yard pass to wide receiver Ricky Proehl to tie the game at 17. No one knew much of Tom Brady other than he was the luckiest guy in the world thanks to the “tuck rule.” However, he had a veteran team that wasn’t going to let him fail when they needed him to win the game for them.

Brady was on fire. Connecting on every pass attempt to bring the Patriots within striking distance of an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Now in the game against the Raiders a few weeks before, Vinatieri connected on a 45 yard field goal to tie and a 23 yard field goal to win the game in overtime. Would there be any doubt on this attempt? This one was from 48 yards away as time expired on the clock. Once it was kicked (pictured above) Vinatieri was the only that knew it was going in. It wasn’t one of those kicks that just got through the uprights. This could have gone another 20 yards no problem. Once it was all said and done, the NFL and the country got two great moments with two great finishes after one sad day.

The video below is just a clip of what sports was doing to help the country heal and recover from that tragic day when over 3,000 Americans were killed in New York, Washington DC and Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania. Not only did Baseball and Football help, but the NHL and the NBA were just about to start their seasons and were ready to help in the healing process. Salt Lake City, Utah played host to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Patriotism was abundant then and it still is now. Sports will forever be our treasured prize. Whether it’s for a championship or an escape for a part of your day. They all play an important role for the good times and the bad.

Honorable Mentions of the Decade

Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics

The 2008 games as a whole weren’t bigger than the hype surrounding Michael Phelps and his quest for eight gold medals in one Olympiad. He won eight total medals at the Athens games in 2004, but only six were gold. Two of the record eight gold medals Phelps won were in dramatic fashion. One took place in 4 x 100 relay where his teammate Jason Lezak came back to beat the French team by eight hundredths of a second. The other happened 100 meter butterfly where Phelps had just enough of a reach to touch the wall before Milorad Cavic. Phelps’ time 50.58. Cavic’s time 50.59. A damn good performance for the new record holder.

2008 & 2009 Wimbledon Finals

Roger Federer had it all in 2008. He was looking for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title and had beaten Rafael Nadal the last two years. In fact, Nadal had never beaten Federer on the grass surface. Nadal had Federer early winning the first two sets. Federer would rally to even up the match to a fifth set. There were three rain delays that threatened to suspend play due to darkness. It all came to an end though with just under five hours played Nadal wins the fifth set 9-7 when Federer’s forehand hit the net. Federer was denied a sixth consecutive Wimbledon, but Nadal made it a moment for the ages.

As if the 2008 Wimbledon wasn’t exciting enough. The following year saw Federer return to reclaim Wimbledon and was going for a record 20th grand slam title. There was no Rafael Nadal this time due to injury, but Andy Roddick was looking for his first Wimbledon title and wasn’t going to give in to history that easily. Roddick got the first set. Federer won the next two sets on tiebreakers. Roddick would force a fifth set winning the fourth 6-3. Roddick and Federer wouldn’t give an inch to each other. The fifth set alone went on for more than 2 hours. In the end, Federer outlasted Roddick for his record 20th slam title. The greatest tennis player of all time had to earn it and Roddick solidified himself as a true gamer in tennis.

George Mason in the Final Four

The 2006 tournament had its Cinderella story. They stormed through as an eleven seed not being on most experts radars. When it came time for their game in the Elite 8 of the tournament, they had to face Connecticut who had a record of 30-3 entering the tourney. The Huskies have been a formidable team the past decade in college basketball. Both rosters were worlds apart when it came to size and talent, but George Mason didn’t care about those. They played hard the entire game going into overtime. Shocking the basketball world and Connecticut they advanced to the Final Four with a 86-84 victory. A mid major had done the unthinkable and earned a spot for the national title.

Red Sox win not one, but two titles

Who would’ve thought it would ever happen. Eighty six years since the last title. The Babe Ruth curse. Bucky bleepin Dent and all that great history makes for an even bigger event when they finally do win a title. 2004 was the first one in dramatic fashion just to get there. Down 3-0 to the hated Yankees in the ALCS, they came back to win the series 4-3 to advance. They swept the Cardinals in the World Series to clinch the first one. The second came in 2007 in relatively less dramatic fashion, but another sweep in the Series against the Colorado Rockies. The ALCS again that year was tougher than the Series. Down 3 games to 2 to the Cleveland Indians, they came back to win when the Indians were so close. Amazingly Boston became a powerhouse when they were a laughing stock for 86 years.

2003 Fiesta Bowl

A great game that tragically had a controversial pass interference call ruin some, but not all of it. It was the national title in College Football between Miami (Fla.) and Ohio State. Miami was looking for its second consecutive title and become only the third school to accomplish that in the last 35 years. Alas it didn’t happen as the Buckeyes thanks to the controversial call, tied the game at 24. It took double overtime for the Ohio State to score the winning touchdown winning the title 31-24. The only title game to go into overtime to decide the winner. It’s too bad most remember the call and not the game. Great from start to finish.

Lance Armstrong

It’s simple. Seven straight Tour De France titles, six in this decade. In half of them he had to make a comeback or avoid crashes that could have halted his chance of winning. We all know his story, but we do forget how grueling this race is not just for a cancer survivor, but for the average joe. Over 2,200 miles that spans through the country side, mountains and city streets that lasts almost a month. And you thought riding your bike back and forth to work was tough. Lance is a true hero and a legendary athlete. Not many get to have both of those titles.

Tiger wins on one leg

Torrey Pines was the sight of the 2008 US Open Golf Tournament. Tiger Woods was to many peoples surprise not himself. He had returned sooner than expected from reconstructive knee surgery, but in the process suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia. He winced through every tee shot, chip and putt to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. They had to play 18 more holes to decide the winner. How you can play through such pain is unknown to most. Jack Youngblood comes to mind. A defensive lineman who played through a broken leg in the conference championship game and the Super Bowl for Rams back in the 1980s. Tiger showed determination and grit when others would’ve called it a day.

Annika Sorenstam 2003 Colonial

She was on her way to becoming the greatest golfer on the LPGA. She was given the invitation to participate in the Bank of America Colonial golf tournament. A tournament on the PGA tour. Annika become the first women since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to participate in a PGA tournament. Some on the PGA tour wrongly criticized her participation, but she played her best and was a crowd favorite. She finished short of the cut, placing 96th out 111. Her best accomplishments are her 10 major championships in the LPGA. Eight were won in this decade alone. Her retirement was a sad time for not just the LPGA, but the entire golf world.

Super Bowl XXXIV

The Rams and Titans were two relative nobodies in the NFL. The Rams had recently moved from LA to St. Louis. The Titans moved from Houston as the Oilers to Tennessee to become the Titans. Tennessee went through the AFC with ease. St. Louis had to win with their defense, not their offense to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship. They both met in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia with a lot of uncertainty as to what kind of game would you be seeing. Alas it was a defensive game until the Rams blew the game wide open with a quick 70 yard plus touchdown pass by Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce putting the Rams up 23-16 with two minutes to play. The Titans Steve McNair would not give in as he led them on a perfect two minute drill to set up wide receiver Kevin Dyson who was unfortunately just one yard short of tying the game. The decade of great Super Bowls started with this one and it should be noted.

Kobe Bryant 2nd to Chamberlain

The only reason I can say why I missed this game is that the Super Bowl was on. I know, a lame excuse, but it was during Super Bowl XXXVI. Anyway Kobe was his usual self scoring at will. He had 26 points at halftime losing 63-49 to the Toronto Raptors. No one had thought the fury of Bryant would be unleashed in the second half as he single handily brought the Lakers back in the game and in the process was going for history. A total of 55 points was scored by Kobe in the second half. If you do the math, he scored 81 of the Lakers 122 points. He outscored every Raptors player in the second half. Kobe adds to his soon to be Hall of Fame resume with a stunning performance on perhaps the best night in sports this decade.