Monday, January 10, 2011

1/10: BCS Preview, NFL Wrap

Greetings all... Nice to be back... big-ups to Ryan for filling in over the weekend... let's get to it...
  • Ravens 30, Chiefs 7 - Full disclosure... I liked the Chiefs here... and it looked good early, but Baltimore's defense stiffened, and Matt Cassel and company weren't up to the challenge... 70 yards passing for KC.. 70!... and Joe Flacco played much better than I thought he would (250+ and 2 TDs)... sets up a hard-hitting matchup with Pittsburgh... those are always fun...
  • Packers 21, Eagles 16 - A mild upset here... Aaron Rodgers had a QB rating of 122.5 and he was fantastic with 3 TDs and 0 picks, but the story for me on the GB side was James Starks... 123 yards on 23 carries, and they had a legit running game that they haven't had... Alot of people will pin the loss on David Akers' 2 missed FGs but Philly just couldn't make enough plays offensively... Vick was effective, but he wasn't as electric as he had been mid-season, and they needed him to be that electric player that carries them... The Pack come to Atlanta....
Elsewhere...
  • The Carmelo Anthony saga is in flux again... it is now reported that the Nets are close to a gigantic 15-player deal that would send Melo, Rip Hamilton, and Billups to NJ with Detroit ridding themselves of the Hamilton albatross contract, and Denver getting Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, etc.... it isn't "done" yet, and there are reports now that Denver wants to include Al Harrington, but I'm just done with this story... let me know when it happens...
  • NBA Box Score Check - Lebron James throws up a 44/13/6 in a road win OT win in Portland... he was dominant in every phase (leading the Heat in all 3 categories) and it was nice to see some cutthroat play from him... The Lakers beat up on NY by 22... put the panic on pause for LA, as Kobe (27 points) and Lamar (18 boards) get right against a pretty good Knicks team... and Break up the Clippers! Blake Griffin with 23 and 12 in the Clips home win over GS... LAC is now 11-11 in their last 22 and really, I'm not sure they qualify as a bad team anymore... tons of talent, and Blake and Gordon give them a chance every night...
  • College Hoops - Kansas pushed to the brink @ Michigan... the Wolverines put together a long, fierce rally to force OT (despite shooting 4 for 28 from 3, sigh), but Marcus Morris (22 and 10) and company were too much... Duke remains unblemished... Maryland always gives them fits, but Kyle Singler (25 and 10) was fantastic, and they were able to outlast a brutal shooting day from Nolan Smith... Ohio State is very, very good... they have the freshman stud Sullinger (15 and 12 last night), but this is a talented, VETERAN team that scares me if I see them on the other side... Minnesota showed some fight last night, but OSU is a beast...
What to watch for...
  • BCS Title Game - Oregon vs. Auburn - ESPN 8:00 - Obviously this steals all the headlines today... 2 incredibly talented offenses make this game fun to watch in addition to important to watch due to shear magnitude... Auburn's secondary will be the key for me, and I think they are a sub-standard unit that Oregon will expose... Cam Newton will make plays, as he always done, but I think Oregon can keep Newton in the pocket with their speed, and I'm not sure Newton is "elite" if he's contained in the pocket... I like the Ducks here... 38-34 Oregon... and Add Oregon +3 to my picks (57-44-2 right now)
  • Rockets @ Celtics - NBA TV 7:30 - Nice matchup here... I wish Aaron Brooks was healthy, but Houston is playing much better basketball recently...
Enjoy it...

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