12/11: New England Rolls

Greetings!

• New England 42, Houston 14 - The Patriots showed the country who the class of the AFC is... and Houston still has pole position for the #1 seed. That's how these things work, but Tom Brady and company were masterful last night. 296 yards and 4 touchdowns (with 0 INT) for Brady and it would've been even better if Wes Welker had caught more than 3 of his 9 targets. For Houston, they ran the ball reasonably well, but because Matt Schaub didn't play well and the defense was gashed, they had to abandon the run and the score showed it. Not an entertaining 2nd half, but the Pats looked like a juggernaut. 
• NBA Check - Miami shot a blistering 58% from the field in dispatching of Atlanta by a 101-92 score. Lebron led the way with 27/7/6 but the real key was Wade, who shot 11 of 13 from the field for an ultra-efficient 26 points in 34 minutes. It was the first time all season that Atlanta had allowed an opponent to shoot 50+% and that was the x-factor. Tony Parker put up his first career triple-double in leading San Antonio to a 134-126 OT win over Houston on the road. Parker's line was 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, which is absolutely outstanding, and San Antonio also got 29 points from Gary Neal and 22 from Manu Ginobili in the win. And finally, Portland got 30 points and 12 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge in taking care of business against 4-18 Toronto in the Rose Garden. 
• Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant may miss the rest of the season with a broken finger. It was widely reported on Monday that Bryant was being placed on IR, but as of this morning, nothing was official. This would be a huge blow to Dallas and to Bryant, who was playing the undisputed best football of his career, having scored in 5 consecutive games. Something to keep an eye on for Tuesday.

What to watch for on Tuesday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NBA - Knicks @ Nets (ESPN) - The battle of New York takes to a special Tuesday night ESPN slot. New York is scorching hot right now and Brooklyn has lost 4 in a row, but the biggest key will be up front where Brook Lopez has missed the past few games.
• 9:30 - NBA - Clippers @ Bulls (ESPN) - Chris Paul vs. Derrick Rose!.... Oh wait... At any rate, Chicago's defense is still tremendous (leading the league in def. efficiency) and LA is a top-5 offense. Strength vs. Strength.

Enjoy!

12/10: Quick Hits

Greetings! Short on time today so here we go with the NFL First...

• The Falcons went down in a heap by a score of 30-20 in Carolina. Cam Newton was other-worldly in this one, but Atlanta couldn't move the ball in the first half at all and that was the culprit of the loss. I would take it as an aberration, and while no one is "terrified" of the Falcons these days, this is still a top-flight team. 
• Seattle beat Arizona 58-0. There is no analysis for that, but it was awesome.
• Dallas and Washington both won on last-second field goals to extend their NFC East and playoff chances for another week. The biggest story, though, is a knee injury to Robert Griffin III, but fortunately it appears to not be serious. 
• There were two fringe upsets on Sunday. Philly knocked off Tampa Bay on the road, which basically ends the season for the Bucs. Enjoy your off-season. And Minnesota knocked off Chicago at home behind 154 yards and 2 touchdowns from Adrian Peterson. He's officially on the march to 2,000 yards. 
• Finally, the Giants absolutely annihilated the Saints 52-27 to make everyone remember why they love the Giants. It was the coming out party for rookie RB/returner David Wilson who had 100 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing, and 227 yards and a TD in the kick return game. Impressive stuff.

Elsewhere...

• There was big news in the world of Major League Baseball as the Royals and Rays pulled off a trade last night. Wil Myers, the #1 prospect in all of baseball, heads to Tampa Bay along with Jake Odorizzi  and Mike Montgomery in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis. I've yet to see a credible person say that the Rays didn't absolutely fleece Kansas City here. Myers is basically a sure thing at this point, and because of MLB's salary structure, he's assured to be a bargain for years and years. He has the upside of a top-5 player in all of baseball, and those guys don't just come into the market. Kansas City acquires the best pitcher they've had since Greinke in the form of Shields, and there's certainly value there. Wade Davis is probably just a high-upside reliever at this point, but he's also a commodity. That said, Shields is paid handsomely for his production and has reached his ceiling at nearly 31 years old while Myers is going to out-pace his salary hugely for years. Kansas City got desperate to fill a starting pitcher need, and the crazy thing is that Shields/Davis for Myers (straight-up) would've been a win for Tampa and they still managed to get KC to throw in two upper-tier pitching prospects. I'm at a loss. 

What to watch for on Monday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NBA - Pistons @ Sixers (NBA-TV) - What an abysmal game. Great choice for national TV! Anyway, tune in to watch Andre Drummond for the first time if you haven't seen him.
• 7:30 - NBA - Hawks @ Heat (SportSouth) - The much better option for your early viewing. The red-hot Hawks have won 9 of 10, but Miami on the road isn't a fun place to go. 
• 8:30 - NFL - Texans @ Patriots (ESPN) - The best MNF game of the season so far. I think these are the 2 best teams in the entire NFL, and this should be awesome.

Enjoy!

NFL Week 14 Preview

Greetings! As you may recall, this is usually a "weekend" preview edition, but with college football on hiatus (with apologies to Army/Navy), it's time to hit the NFL on its first solo weekend.

• 1:00 - Falcons @ Panthers (FOX) - Carolina's Greg Hardy actually came out this week and said, with a straight face, that the 3-9 Panthers were a "better football team" than the Atlanta Falcons. He is not correct. That said, road games in the division are never easy, and with Cam Newton on the other side, it's a dangerous spot for Atlanta. 
• 1:00 - Cowboys @ Bengals (FOX) - This is unquestionably a win-or-go-home match-up for both teams. Both teams have outside shots at the playoffs if they can keep winning, but each has no margin for error. I think Cincy is probably the better team, and playing at home, it'd be tough to pick against them. One thing to watch for in Dallas is the big-time surge of Dez Bryant in recent weeks, and maybe he can go off here. 
• 1:00 - Bears @ Vikings (FOX) - Chicago's defense has been perfectly ordinary for about 3 weeks after that ridiculously hot 10-week start. They do catch a break in facing the Vikings without Harvin (gone for the year) and with Ponder struggling, but don't forget that Adrian Peterson may be playing better than anyone in the whole league at this point. I like the Bears, but don't quote me. 
• 1:00 - Chargers @ Steelers (CBS) - Ben Roethlisberger is back. San Diego has quit. Godspeed.
• 1:00 - Ravens @ Redskins (CBS) - Probably the game of the day. They are battling for an entire region! (lol) At any rate, Robert Griffin III is absolutely on fire right now, and this Baltimore defense is sketchy without Ray Lewis and a banged up Terrell Suggs. I also have zero faith in Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense on the road, so even with my built-in skepticism of rookie QB's and the Redskins, I'm taking Washington. 
• 4:00 - Dolphins @ Niners (CBS) - Colin Kaepernick has a very, very big spotlight on him this week. If San Fran falls to 8-4-1, they're suddenly on the verge of going on the road in their first playoff game.
• 4:25 - Saints @ Giants (FOX) - If the "good" Giants show up, they'll cruise. If the "bad" Giants show up, New Orleans is more than capable of knocking them off, and Drew Brees is probably still angry about the stink bomb he dropped in Atlanta.
• 8:20 - Lions @ Packers (NBC) - Detroit is wretched. This is a game where Green Bay gets their "buzz" back and wins by 20+. I feel it.
• Monday 8:30 - Texans @ Patriots (ESPN) - Easily the game of the weekend, and this may be the first time all year that that distinction can be given to the Monday night game. Houston is 11-1, but they're playing without a bunch of key guys on defense, and that's a bad recipe against the juggernaut Patriots' offense. With that said, Gronk and Edelman are out for New England, but I'd still expect a big game from Brady and the possible re-emergence of Brandon Lloyd could help that. These are two of the top 5 teams in the league and that's tremendous, but I'd take the home-team in this spot. 

Enjoy!

12/7: Butch Jones, New York Triples, etc.

Greetings! Let's go!

• Tennessee has hired former Cincinnati and Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones to take over for the fired Derek Dooley. I loved this move, and it's the best possible outcome for a coaching search that had flown off the rails quickly in Knoxville. Nice recovery.
• NBA! New York went into Miami, without Carmelo Anthony (!), and won by 20 points. The Knicks hit a mind-boggling 18 threes in the game, but also held Miami to just 42% shooting on the night and the combination of those two things was enough to overcome a 31/10/9 from Lebron. The biggest issue from Miami (other than allowing 18 threes) was a combined 6 for 25 shooting night from Bosh and Wade. That spells trouble. In the late game, OJ Mayo put away the Suns late in a 97-94 win for Dallas. The Mavs got huge bench contribution that sparked their offense including 16 points each from Brandan Wright and Darren Collison, as well as 15 points and 7 boards from Chris Kaman. Phoenix was led by a 15-point, 17-rebound night from Markieff Morris, but it wasn't enough to hold on for the win. 
• The Denver Broncos took care of business in Oakland last night with a 26-13 win over the Raiders. Peyton Manning threw for 310 yards and a touchdown, while Knowshon Moreno had his best game in years with 119 yards on 32 carries for the Broncos. Nothing really stood out for Oakland except for the shocking disappearance of the red-hot Brandon Myers from the offense, as he murdered all fantasy owners (myself included) with a 2-target, 1-catch night. At any rate, Denver is better than Oakland and they showed why. 

What to watch for on Friday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NBA - Celtics @ Sixers (ESPN) - Both teams are 10-8 and scuffling a bit. I still think Boston is a legitimate East contender, and Philly doesn't have the size (without Bynum) to beat them up inside. 
• 7:30 - NBA - Wizards @ Hawks (SportSouth) - Washington stinks. Atlanta is playing well. Seems like the perfect spot for an upset!
• 9:30 - NBA - Lakers @ Thunder (ESPN) - I really wish Steve Nash was on the court. Kobe vs. Durant and Westbrook is nice, but I'm intrigued to see how spry Dwight Howard looks here against Ibaka and company. 

Enjoy!

12/6: Kobe Bean Bryant, etc.

Greetings! Let's dive in...

• Kobe Bryant is the 5th player in the history of the NBA to score 30,000 points and he is the youngest to ever do so. It would be irresponsible to not point out that Kobe, despite being the youngest to reach this milestone, also played the most games before reaching it as he is the only guy on the list to come out of high school and he's been going ever since. It was fitting that he had 29 points and was generally the best player on the floor last night in New Orleans, and it's amazing that he's still going at this rate after the amount of minutes he's played. A lot has been made of discussion on whether he is the "Best Laker Ever" so I'll address that. He isn't. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are better, and even if you dock points for Kareem's early work in Milwaukee, there's no argument for Kobe over Magic. At least not yet. 
• In an awesome turn of events, former Wisconsin head coach and current AD Barry Alvarez will coach the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. I realize that this doesn't matter at all but I thought it was fantastic, so I'm sharing it here.
• MLB Hot Stove - Joe Blanton is headed to the Angels for 2 years and $15 million. I quickly crapped on this deal in my brain when I heard it, but Blanton was actually pretty decent last year with 2 teams, posting a FIP under 4.00, and he has tremendous control as he's walked less than 2 batters per nine for the last 2 seasons. I'm not saying that I love the deal, but a control pitcher can be aided by a pitcher's park, and LA qualifies. Jason Bay heading to the Mariners made laugh because he had no power in New York... so just picture him in Safeco. And finally, Jeff Keppinger (former Parkview Panther) inked a 3-year, $12 million deal with the White Sox. His greatest attribute is positional flexibility, but Keppinger also murders lefties, and it makes him an ideal platoon candidate. 
• NBA Check - I covered the Hawks game in-depth here but it was a very nice 108-104 win over Denver last night. Al Horford continued his stellar play with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the Hawks gang-rebounded to outlast Denver 47-40 on the glass. JR Smith hit a buzzer-beater to lift the Knicks over Charlotte 100-98 last night. Klay Thompson got healthy against the wretched Pistons with a 27-point night in Golden State's 104-97 win. San Antonio got 22 points each from Tony Parker and Gary Neal while out-rebounding Milwaukee 53-36 in their 110-99 win over the Bucks at home. And finally, Utah knocked off Orlando 87-81 at home behind a 31/15 performance from Al Jefferson, but Jefferson had to exit the game late with a back injury, and that's something to watch for. 
• One college hoops note.... Florida systematically took Florida State apart last night in Tallahassee. The 72-47 margin of victory looks lopsided, but I assure you the game wasn't this close. I'm very, very impressed with Florida and still firmly believe they're the team to beat in the SEC.

What to watch for on Thursday (in chronological order)...

• 8:00 - NBA - Knicks @ Heat (TNT) - What a great game. New York is playing great basketball this season but on the 2nd night of a back-to-back on the road in Miami, I don't think they can beat the Heat.
• 8:00 - NFL - Broncos @ Raiders (NFL Network) - Eesh. Oakland is a wretched watch, but on the bright side, home teams seem to be the favorite on these short weeks, and Carson Palmer will be winging it all over the field. At any rate, Denver should win here regardless.
• 8:00 - NCAAB - Long Beach State @ #4 Syracuse (ESPN2) - This isn't the same, dangerous Long Beach team of the last few years, but this is a chance to see Syracuse, and they're a real national title threat this year. 
• 10:30 - NBA - Mavs @ Suns (TNT) - This game would've been much, much better in years past. Yep.

Enjoy!

12/5: College Coaching Carousel, etc.

Greetings! Full slate today...

• The wheels are turning in full force on the College Football Coaching Carousel! First, Bret Bielema shocked a ton of people (myself included) by leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas. I'm sure that the $3.2 million per year that was reported yesterday is a huge raise for Bielema, who went 68-24 at Wisconsin, but is Arkansas really a better job than coaching in Madison? Next, Gus Malzahn is taking his talents to Auburn. This one didn't surprise me at all as he was the OC on the title team with Cam Newton before being exiled to Arkansas State. His innovative offense is a nice fit at a school like Auburn who will always be competing with Alabama for players, and I like the move. Now? The focus shifts to Tennessee, who is reportedly courting Charlie Strong. Stay tuned.
• NBA Check! - Washington pulled the biggest upset of the young season by beating the Heat 105-101 in Washington. The biggest surprise was that they did this in spite of LBJ posting a crazy triple-double (26/13/11) and without any crazy shooting numbers. Weird. Elsewhere, Oklahoma City got 32 points from Kevin Durant in a 117-111 road win over Brooklyn that extended their win streak to six games, Indiana was led by Paul George and his 34 points in their 80-76 win in Chicago, and Houston overcame 39 points from Kobe Bryant to knock off LA by a 107-105 margin. 
• The New Orleans Hornets are reportedly changing their name to the "Pelicans". I don't even have a joke here, just know that I think this is absurd.
• MLB Hot Stove - Shane Victorino joins Mike Napoli in Boston, having inked the exact same contract. 3 years and $39 million would've been a fine commitment to Victorino 2-3 years ago, but he's now 32 years old and coming off of a season where he was worth less than 3 wins and he's a guy who relies on his legs for value. Godspeed! Dan Haren inked a 1-year, $13 million deal with Washington, and I hated this move... for the Braves. I'm always a Haren guy and while there are injury concerns, if he's healthy he's worth significantly more than this contract. Blast. And finally, former Braves Yunel Escobar got traded again, this time heading to Tampa after being flipped by the Marlins. At least he's a great clubhouse guy!

What to watch for on Wednesday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NCAAB - #6 Florida @ Florida State (ESPNU) - Really a quality game and an in-state rivalry. Florida is the SEC favorite and FSU is defending home-court with their normally tenacious defense.
• 8:00 - NBA - Nuggets @ Hawks (ESPN) - A quality Western conference team comes to Philips Arena, and this should be a very interesting and entertaining match-up.
• 10:30 - NBA - Mavs @ Clippers (ESPN) - If Derek Fisher starts for Dallas again, I'll begin to openly question Rick Carlisle's sanity, and that says a lot because he's normally a fantastic coach.
• 11:00 - NCAAB - #10 Gonzaga @ Washington State (ESPNU) - An awesome late-night battle. Gonzaga is a legitimate top-10 team, and in a true road game, they can prove it here. 

Enjoy!

12/4: RG3, A-Rod, Heisman, etc.

Greetings! Straight to the point today...

• Happy RG3 Day! With a hint of over-hype as he threw for only 163 yards, Robert Griffin III led Washington a come-from-behind 17-16 win over the Giants to get within 1 game of the NFC East lead last night. Alfred Morris added 124 yards on 22 carries and continues to be the most unheralded rookie who is having a great season. On the Giants side, Eli actually played well (20-33 for 280 yards and 0 INT) but NYG had to settle for 3 Lawrence Tynes field goals, and it wasn't enough. The NFC East is wide open after months of assuming that the Giants would win it, as now Dallas has life along with both of these teams. Stay tuned. 
• A-Rod is having hip surgery again. The hall-of-fame 3B will miss 4-6 months following the surgery as he rehabs. This is a dangerous slope for NY as they owe him a bazillion dollars on that contract, and he'll now have had serious procedures on both hips. Godspeed. 
• Johnny Manziel, Manti Te'o, and Collin Klein are the Heisman finalists. It's a crazy Heisman year as the front-runner is a freshman (Manziel), his biggest challenger is a linebacker (!), and Klein is a distant 3rd after leading the race for more than half the year. Both Manziel and Te'o would be ground-breaking winners, as a freshman has never won it, and an all-defense guy has never won it (with Charles Woodson's 1997 victory greatly aided by his punt return work and an occasional look at wide receiver). Should be interesting. 
• The Red Sox will reportedly sign Mike Napoli to a 3-year, $39 million deal. I'm pretty confused by this one, because they've already inked David Ross as a right-handed catching option and they still employ Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate as well. If he's cast as a first baseman, I understand it, but he'll still be bad defensively there, and his bat doesn't profile nearly well enough at that position to warrant $13 million a year. Curious decision in my opinion. 
• NBA Round-up - New Orleans blitzed Milwaukee 102-81 last night behind 22 points and 7 rebounds from Ryan Anderson. I still think NO has one of the worst rosters in the league (as long as Eric Gordon is out, at least), but they are competitive. Blake Griffin had 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a rare (and impressive) road win in Utah 105-104. It was Utah's first home loss of the year despite 20 points and 12 assists from Mo Williams. And finally, Orlando won another impressive game on the road as they bested Golden State 102-94 in Oakland. Glen Davis (24), Arron Afflalo (24), and JJ Redick (22) all lit up the scoring column for the Magic, but Nikola Vucevic may have been the MVP for Orlando with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Steph Curry added 25 and 11 for Golden State, but Jacque Vaughn and company really have Orlando competing and playing well. 

What to watch for on Tuesday (in chronological order)...

• 7:00 - NCAAB - Texas vs. #15 Georgetown (ESPN) - This is game 1 of the Jimmy V Classic. The game is solid, but not impressive. The biggest thing to watch for is the yearly airing of the fully speech from the legendary Jim Valvano between games. This a must-watch, and I recommend it highly. Gets me every single time.
• 7:30 - NBA - Thunder @ Nets (NBA-TV) - Two upper-echelon teams on national TV. Sign me up.
• 8:00 - NBA - Pacers @ Bulls (WGN) - WGN comes through again! Indiana is really struggling, but if they get right, they could be a playoff team even without Granger. 
• 9:00 - NCAAB - #25 NC State vs. UConn (ESPN) - Game 2! CJ Leslie leads NC State against a spunky UConn team. 
• 9:00 - NCAAB - Northwestern @ Baylor (ESPN2) - Two unranked teams, but both are fringe tourney contenders and this should be a decent game. 

Enjoy!