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Top 5 Match-ups for Ravens vs. Steelers III

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both gearing up for Steelers-Ravens III on Saturday afternoon as their rubber match will not only decide division superiority and bragging rights until next season, but who moves on to the AFC Championship game as well. To get you ready for the game I'm going to give you the best 5 match-ups to keep an eye on on gameday.

1. Terrell Suggs vs. Ben Roethlisberger

The last time these two teams met they played in Baltimore and Suggs was a nightmare for the Steelers' O-line to block. Roethlisberger made a couple of great escapes after Suggs rushed past the line and Suggs made a couple of nasty sacks as well. Even though the Steelers won that game, Suggs was the best player on the field for the Ravens and it will be interesting to see if he can replicate the effort. It shouldn't be too much trouble because he hates the Steelers. The big question will be if Ben can stay away from him long enough to make plays.

2. Ed Reed vs. Troy Polamalu

Yeah, I realize these two will never truly go head-to-head, but they have a healthy rivalry all the same. They represent the two premier players at the safety position in this league and they both are invaluable to their respective defenses. Both Reed and Polamalu are known for making game-changing plays. I believe the game on Saturday could very well boil down to which safety makes the most big plays.

3. Ravens' D-Line vs. Steelers' O-Line

It is common knowledge that the offensive line of the Steelers has been their weak point all season. If the Ravens can stop Rashard Mendenhall and put pressure on Roethlisberger it will go a long way towards a win for them. However, if the offensive lineman of the Steelers can hold them back to give Ben time and open up a few holes for Mendenhall, then the Steelers could put up some points and frustrate the Ravens.

4. Mike Wallace vs. Ravens' Secondary

It's no secret that Mike Wallace is a dangerous receiver. He is one of the fastest players in the NFL and has developed into an all-around receiver this season. This match-up is very simple: for Wallace - get a step on the cornerbacks, for Ravens' secondary - don't let him get by you. If Wallace gets one of his patented 40 yard TD catches it is going to be a long day for Baltimore.

5. Ray Rice vs. Steelers' Front Seven

Rice is really the only play-maker for Baltimore. Flacco can still show signs of being a young QB at times (and fumble at in-opportune times) and the receivers are slow and don't get separation. Therefore, Rice is key in every Ravens' game. He can break big gains on the ground and is very dangerous catching passes in the flat and underneath. If you haven't noticed, the Steelers run defense is one of the most dominant in NFL history. They allowed 62.8 ypg this year, the best in franchise history and the third best in NFL history. If they Steelers stop Rice they essentially stop the Ravens' offense.

I hope you enjoyed the analysis. If you're good I'll come back before the weekend and write another match-up post (most likely for Jets vs. Patriots). I love divisional playoff weekend and I can't wait for this Steelers-Ravens grudge match.

Irresponsible Predictions for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Osborne) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:18:00 +0000

Well in case you didn't notice, the calendar rolled over yesterday to bring us the beginning of 2011. And with it comes an exciting chance to make ridiculous predictions that you are sure to make fun of but are certain to come true. To make things interesting, I will endeavor to make a prediction or two for each major sport. Here we go *Bud Light commercial voice*...

FOOTBALL
Your Super Bowl Champions will be the.....................Green Bay Packers. Yes, a bit of a crazy selection seeing that the Packers have not secured a playoff spot as of yet, and yes it pains me to pick Green Bay because of my love for da Bears, but the Pack are finally getting healthy and are on a bit of a roll. The Packers dropped a close game at New England despite playing with backup quarterback Matt Flynn and then bulldozed the New York Giants at home with Aaron Rodgers back in action. Yes, the Packers will have to win three road games to go to Dallas, including an NFC Championship victory at Soldier Field, but the Cheeseheads will be very happy this February.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee will win the SEC East next year. I like Derek Dooley and I think he will turn around the Volunteer program, but no one will expect him to win like this so quickly. Tyler Bray has been extremely impressive in his freshman year, and with plenty of offensive weapons returning, the Big Orange will make a move back in the national spotlight. Expect Georgia to challenge but have difficulty replacing A.J. Green on the outside. South Carolina will be average again and Florida will be in transition. Vandy will be Vandy, and as for the Cats, it may be difficult getting back to six wins next year with Randall Cobb likely gone.

PRO BASKETBALL
The Miami Heat will not win a championship...this year. There's really not much parity in the NBA these days because I only see five teams that could win it all this year -- Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando (a stretch), and San Antonio (an even bigger stretch). But I don't think karma will allow Miami to win a championship in their first year. Besides, the playoff moxie that the Celtics and Lakers have will be difficult to defeat. With Boston getting very old very quickly, and with Kobe about to enter the twilight of his dominant days, Miami looks unchallenged on the NBA landscape...but not this year.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kentucky will go undefeated in SEC play. Yeah, why not? The SEC is terrible, let's be honest. The only thing worse than the SEC West was the SEC East in football this year. South Carolina is awful, Florida is average, and Tennessee is imploding. That leaves Georgia and Vanderbilt, but let's remember that Billy Gillispie isn't coaching anymore -- UK can beat the Dawgs and Commodores. What I saw in the Louisville game yesterday was a team coming together as a singular unit, one that takes joy in passing and defending as much as scoring the ball. With Terrence Jones putting passing at a premium, and Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb continuing to rain threes, these Cats look like they could do something special.

PGA TOUR -- No American will win a major this season. International golf is kicking butt right now.

NASCAR -- Jimmie Johnson will not win his sixth straight title. For the love of God, please be true.

BASEBALL -- The Pirates will be bad.

That's all I have for now. Go ahead and book all of these as true. It will save you time and energy later.

Checking up on the new guys

noreply@blogger.com (Jazmin) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:55:00 +0000

Though UK basketball is well under way, not much has been said on SAI about this year's team. We may not have a John Wall or a Demarcus, but we do have some new guys making a splash in the college basketball world (and of course, a few who still find themselves at the end of the bench). Here's what's up with the new faces of Kentucky basketball:

Terrence Jones: Thank goodness this guy chose Kentucky over Washington. He's already picked up a few SEC Freshman of the Week honors, been projected as an All-American, and has been placed the top 5 among draft boards. Jones has been an integral part of the team's success, and when he had his first bad game, Kentucky fell apart. Since then, the team has proven that they can still take over a game without Jones, but I hope that doesn't have to happen very often. He's definitely had a couple poor games. He had a terrible shooting percentage against Winthrop, no rebounds in the first half of the Mississippi Valley State game, and he's been in foul trouble several times, but everyone seems able to overlook all of these things because he's had enough great moments to make up for poor play. He averages over 18 points a game, close to 10 rebound a game, and has an impeccable ability to draw fouls. I'd like for Jones to be able to take on John Wall's role of taking over a game when Kentucky is in trouble, but there is work to be done for this to happen.

Brandon Knight: Knight is finally proving that he is who we thought he was. After a couple terrible games in Maui, B. Knight has stepped it up and is becoming the point guard that Calipari is looking for. I've been especially impressed with his defensive effort as of late. He averages 17.5 points a game, but needs to improve on assists (only 3.5 per game). At the beginning of the season, I would've said that Knight will be back next year, but it's looking as if we could lose him to the pros as well.

Doron Lamb: Well, he just broke the freshman scoring record for points in a game with 32. Lamb has been excelling off the bench and it's refreshing for UK fans to see a player who can drain threes after our outside shooting struggles from last year. He averages over 14 points a game, an average that has been skewed by a couple unproductive games, and has a 55.6% 3-pt shooting percentage. There have been questions about his defensive effort, but he has greatly improved on defense in the last few games.

Eloy Vargas: Man, this guy. He's played close to 20 minutes in several games, but rarely ever has more than three rebounds and/or two points. He has looked absolutely lost on the court at times and has been pretty disappointing for his size. Until yesterday. Vargas had his first decent game yesterday afternoon against Winthrop. He scored eight points and three blocks, boosting his average to 2.9 points per game and 1.0 block per game. We can only hope Vargas continues to play this way and continue to improve as we enter into conference play.

Stacey Poole: It seemed like it was going to be Poole's time to shine when Cal stated that he was disappointed with the play of John Hood and that he would be giving some of his minutes to Poole. In the game following this statement, Poole got in the game, didn't play well, and was taken out quickly. We have yet to see much of Stacey Poole since then, but hey, he made a three against Notre Dame!

Jarrod Polson: Jarrod is fulfilling the role of the player that everyone cheers for at the end of blow-out games. I even spotted Josh Harrellson chanting his name during the Mississippi Valley State game. Yesterday, Cal remarked that he needed an eight-man rotation and Polson could see more minutes, so that's some pretty big news for the little guy.

Enes Kanter: Free him. Please.

Look for more UK and SEC basketball posts coming in the next few weeks.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: CBs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:13:00 +0000

Hello SAI Readers! Welcome to the final installment of my 2010 NFL player rankings. I'm going to wrap it up today with the cornerbacks.

1. DeAngelo Hall

One thing I have learned from ranking players is that the Washington Redskins defense is terrible, but has some very good individual players. Hall is second among all cornerbacks with 6 INTs and leads them all with 83 tackles. CBs can sometimes have a tendency to make plays on the ball only and shy away from physicality (see Deion Sanders). However, Hall does not do that. Additionally has defended 20 passes and forced and recovered 2 fumbles. A very nice statistical year for someone who probably wishes he was back on the division-leading Atlanta Falcons.

2. Devin McCourty

Not only is Mr. McCourty having a very good statistical year for the New England Patriots, but he is still only a rookie and has tremendous upside. In regards to these rankings, when a rookie or young player has a stand-out year he gets bonus points due to potential upside he shows for the future. He 67 tackles, 20 pass defenses, and 6 INTs on the year.

3. Ike Taylor

I have the benefit of seeing Taylor play for the Pittsburgh Steelers play on a weekly basis and have been super-impressed with him all season. He does not show up at the top of stat sheets simply because he is a shut-down corner and because the other cornerback slot for the Steelers has been consistently targeted and exploited. The main reason people are not as familiar with Ike is the same reason he has not made a Pro Bowl in his career - he can't catch and therefore doesn't pull down many INTs.

4. Aqib Talib

Talib is another young player that seems to be the real deal. Another cornerback with 6 INTs on the year, Talib has contributed a ton for a middle-of-the-road Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. One of the more amazing things you will find in his stat line is that out of his 40 tackles, 39 of them are solo. Right there, that tells me he has very good discipline and good tackling form. Talib will be a good corner for a very long time.

5. Asante Samuel

Samuel is one of those infamous cornerbacks that shies away from physical contact and prefers to make plays on the ball. I let him fall a bit in the rankings because of this, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he is very good at what he does. He currently leads the league in INTs with 7, but has only recorded 23 tackles.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you feel like I have messed up these rankings or left someone off.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: Safeties

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:13:00 +0000

Hello SAI readers! As promised today I am giving you my rankings of the top 5 Safeties for this 2010 NFL season.

1. Troy Polamalu

In my opinion, this is another case where the number one player at the position is miles ahead of everyone else. Polamalu does things on the field that no other safety has ever done. Off the top of your head how many safeties can you thing of that consistently make plays to swing games in his team's favor? This week's pick-six off Carson Palmer and the strip-sack against Joe Flacco in week 13 both stand out. He is one of the best at reading the QB and covers more field than any other player in the league.

2. LaRon Landry

Landry falls into that coveted "Beast" category. Landry is a terrific tackler and excels in breaking up would-be catches. It is really tragic that Landry is wallowing on the worst defense in the NFL of the Washington Redskins. There are several other safeties that have better statistical numbers, but few that make as many significant plays.

3. Michael Griffin

Playing on the Titans in what was, earlier in the season, one of the better defenses in the league Griffin is filling out the stat sheet very well. He is third in tackles out of all defensive backs with 90 tackles. He has also recorded 13 pass defenses, 4 INTs, 1 FF, and 1 FR. Through week 14 in just his fourth season he has 15 more tackles already than any previous season.

4. Kerry Rhodes

Rhodes is a another player that is having a very nice statistical season for a bad defense on a terrible team. The Cardinals are 29th in the league in total defense, but Rhodes has been one of the lone bright spots so far this season. He has 74 tackles, 15 pass defenses (2nd in the league for safeties behind Polamalu), and 4 INTs. He has also recovered 3 fumbles and returned two of them for touchdowns. I understand a lot of situational luck is involved in that, but still.

5. Charles Godfrey

I know, I know, another good safety on a bad team. It's not my fault though! The good statistical defenses this year have not had outstanding play from their safeties. Godfrey, however, has put up significant numbers for the lowly Panthers. 72 tackles, 12 PDs, 5 INTs, and 1 FF. In his 3rd season out of Iowa Godfrey is definitely having a break out year.

Honorable Mentions: Donte Whitner, TJ Ward, Tyvon Branch

Thanks for reading. Check back next time and I will finish up this year's rankings with Cornerbacks.

Robert's Weekend College Basketball Catchup

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Kahne) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:55:00 +0000

Lot's of stuff happened in the basketball world this week, so let's get to catching up on it:

Kentucky tops Notre Dame, people get drunk.

The most important item of interest to everyone who will visit our portion of the Internet is that Kentucky took down Notre Dame 72-58. In the first half, Ben Hansbrough went off for 19 points--but in the second half, UK totally shut him down. The brother of Psycho T went 0-5 from the field in the 2nd half, but made two free throws. Notre Dame was lost without him, scoring only 18 points in the whole second half. Kentucky showed the ability to adjust defensively, as the shut down came by implementing a switching box-and-one defense. Not only was it a good call by Coach Cal, the team executed it extremely effectively.

The game was played in Freedom Hall, which was, of course, the home of the Louisville Cardinals for more than 50 years. I love Rupp Arena--its a historic place where amazing teams played. It's also gargantuan and extremely foreboding for opponents from smaller schools to see so many fans in one place. But Freedom Hall is the best place in the state to watch a game. The arena has no bad seats--and it has the feel of a high school gym, where you can see just about everybody in the joint. Freedom Hall is full of good memories for me--I saw the Harlem Globetrotters there, we went to the annual UK game in Freedom Hall every year when I saw a kid, and even going to see UofL games was always a good time. It freaks me out to see a Kentucky floor at the Hall, but I love it. I hope Kentucky plays 3 games a year there from now on.

Also, Freedom Hall sells beer and liquor. It was HILARIOUS to see Kentucky fans so drunk while watching their beloved Cats. A lot of our fans got so drunk that they couldn't even spell out "C-A-T-S."

Kyrie Irving injured, done for season?

I hate Duke, as every red-blooded American ought to. I have hated them my entire life. They epitomize everything that is wrong with college basketball. Mike Krzyzewski is more entitled than Roy Williams and has the air of superiority of Bob Knight. Their players are annoying and frustrating. And they always win. I hate hate hate hate hate Duke.

But I really like Kyrie Irving. He seems like a great kid, and he can really ball. Unfortunately for poor Kyrie, he injured a toe badly and may be gone for the entire season. That sucks. As much as I hate Duke, I like watching good basketball, so when one of the best in the country goes down, that's a shame for everybody. It will be interesting to see what Irving does. The NBA is likely headed to a lockout, so he may opt to stick around another year. He is also eligible for a medical redshirt, which would be about the most useless redshirt ever awarded. Here's hoping he can come back to play this year, and that he see 100% recovery.

Temple takes down Georgetown, Mizzou escapes Vandy, Syracuse rolls Mich State, and other things.

I watched Temple beat Georgetown yesterday. Temple lead the entire game, despite being obviously less talented. The Owls rode Ramone Moore's 30 points to a big W over a top 10 team in what I think might be the biggest upset of the year so far. John Thompson III is showing again his ability to over-recruit and under-coach. He and Rick Barnes ought to start a club.

Missouri managed to beat Vanderbilt, but only after overtime. The Tigers are considered to be in the upper-tier of the Big 10 this year, along with Ohio State and Michigan State. I didn't see the game (I was watching Arkansas take down Seton Hall at the time), but it looks like Vandy will be a tough out this year.

Michigan State entered this season ranked #2 in the nation, which is exactly where they were ranked at the beginning of last season. Last season, MSU dropped early games to Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, and fell precipitously in the rankings. This year, Michigan State have already lost to UConn and Duke, and this week lost by 14 to Syracuse. All three of those teams are top-10 (maybe top-5) caliber. Ben consistently argues that playing stiff competition early in the season prepares a team to win at the end of the season. The Spartans are his best argument, having been to the past 3 Final Fours despite losing two games out of their first 10 each of those seasons. Will they do it again?

Kansas was 7-0 entering the week, but their most difficult competition so far has been Arizona and UCLA, who are (at best) decent. But this week, they took down a good Memphis team by a healthy margin. The ceiling is high for Kansas, but they are proving to be the opposite of Michigan State, playing an extremely weak non-conference schedule. But then again, they do have to play a brutal Big XII schedule. They see Kansas State and Missouri twice, and also have to go to Waco to play Baylor.

The SEC West is Awful

Many people on TV and the Internets have pointed out that the SEC is weak, but truthfully, most of the weakness comes from the West. Auburn has already lost to Campbell, Samford, and Jacksonville. Alabama lost to St. Peter's College. LSU lost to Nicholls State. Mississippi State lost to Florida Atlantic. The only slightly embarrassing loss by a team in the East belongs Florida, who dropped a game to Central Florida by 3. UCF's leading scorer was Michael Jordan's son. So, really, I think the SEC isn't as bad as some make it out to be--it will just be a lopsided first day of the SEC tournament.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: OLBs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:04:00 +0000

Good afternoon SAI readers! Today I am ranking the top 5 Outside Linebackers through week 13 of the 2010 season.

1. James Harrison

He is a beast, plain and simple. I'm going to list his stats which, for a large part speak for themselves: 79 tackles (59 solo), 10.0 sacks, 6 PDs, 2 INTs, 6 FFs (no one else has more than 4 and only 4 players have more than 2) and 2 FRs. He does it all and won Defensive MVP in 2008 and should be on the short list again this year. The Steelers coach Mike Tomlin calls him "violent" which is the primary reason he is flagged and fined more than anyone else in the league. I truly do not believe he is a dirty player, what he is though is a competitor and vicious athlete. One final comment: if you look at Harrison, he may be one of the most physically imposing figures in football. Dude's huge.

2. Clay Matthews

Matthews was having a sick first half of the season (8.5 sacks through 5 games), but has tailed off a bit down the stretch. However, he is still the anchor of that Green Bay Packers' defense. In only his second season he has become one of the premier pass rushers in the whole NFL. This is one guy that will cause problems for offenses many years into the future.

3. Cameron Wake

Another guy in just his second season in the league, Cameron Wake is having a coming out party in Miami. He is currently leading the NFL in sacks with 12 - a very solid number through only 12 games. Miami has not had a 'big-name" guy on defense since they lost Jason Taylor and are hoping Wake will fill that role. Very impressed with him so far.

4. Terrell Suggs

Suggs absolutely obliterated my Steelers' offensive line last week playing for the Ravens. He was simply unblockable and presented in that game something you want your OLB to do: he forced Pittsburgh to adjust their offense based on his pressure on Roethliberger alone. When one player on a defense can dictate what an offense does that is huge. Suggs had a very down year last year and promised to come back strong in 2010. So far he has done that with 55 tackles and 9 sacks.

5. Shaun Phillips

Phillips is a guy that has not gotten a lot of attention this year, but is putting up very impressive stats down in San Diego. Through week 13 he has 48 tackles, 10 sacks, 8 PDs, and 1 INT. He definitely plays in an environment where the offense gets all of the attention with big name guys like Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates. Yet he is still playing hard and making a name for himself.

Honorable Mentions: DeMarcus Ware, Tamba Hali, LaMarr Woodley

Thanks for reading! Check back next time and I will rank this year's top 5 players at the Safety position.

Previous Rankings:

Christmas Come Early: Winter Meetings Winners and Losers

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Cherry) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:39:00 +0000

As the 2010 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings come to an end, I think it is fitting that we review all the wheeling and dealing that took place. Basically, these meetings exist for every team's GM to meet with agents and other teams in order to expedite much of the offseason processes. It is a week of baseball transactions and I love it!

Anyway, every team goes into the meetings with a plan. Some were able to execute and others leave disappointed. This post will outline the winners and the losers of the Winter Meetings.

Winners:

1. Boston Red Sox.
How do you make the #1 spot on this list? Acquire arguably 2 of the 3 best players available this offseason. On Monday, the Red Sox completed a trade for All-Star firstbaseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres. Then, yesterday (Wednesday), the Red Sox signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford to the richest deal for an OF in baseball history. Filling two holes in their lineup, plugging in an above average defender at first, and keeping both of those players out of the Yankees hands make the Red Sox the clear cut winner of the Winter Meetings.

2. Chicago White Sox.
Let's be honest, there's a HUGE drop off between #1 and #2 on this list. The White Sox do come in at #2, however, because of two players. First, they were able to re-sign long time White Sox (Sock? I dunno) Paul Konerko. He is very valuable for this team on many levels and it was important that they keep him. Second, the White Sox were able to bring in Adam Dunn, who has the 2nd most homeruns in all of baseball (behind only Albert Pujols) over the course of the last few seasons. Adding Dunn to the middle of their lineup in that ballpark could be huge for this team.

2a. Washington Nationals.
Huh? The Nats? Yep. That's what happens when a seemingly irrelevant team lands the 3rd best free agent in this class (1. Cliff Lee 2. Carl Crawford). Jayson Werth is a great player, and the Nationals did well to bring him in (although they did have to throw way too much money at him to make it happen). He's locked in for the next seven years, although I'd be really surprised to see him live out that contract in a Nats uniform.

Honorable Mention: St. Louis Cardinals (signed Lance Berkman, but failed to get the backup catcher they wanted and to trade Brendan Ryan)

Losers:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The Angels had their sights set very high, yet they don't seem to have figured out this whole free agent thing just yet. They wiffed on Carl Crawford, they most likely won't get Cliff Lee, and they haven't been able to complete an Adrian Beltre deal yet. A team with lots of money and a good reputation should be better at bringing in big names than they are. They are clearly the top choice for this #1 losers spot.

2. New York Mets.
Having trouble remembering who the Mets signed/traded for/picked up off the street this year at the Winter Meetings? Don't worry, it's not your fault. The Mets did make a move this past week, but I don't think signing Boof Bonser to a minor league deal counts for much when they are now real threats to be the worst team in their own division.

Honorable Mention: Cincinnati Reds (re-signed Bronson Arroyo, but did nothing else to help their division winning club except add IF Miguel Cairo)

Keep in mind, this is a list of winners and losers for the Winter Meetings only. Some teams made good moves before, and there is still time for good moves going forward. Keep looking for more and more offseason updates.

Nothing Like a Good Rivalry

noreply@blogger.com (Jazmin) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:18:00 +0000

With a North Carolina game behind us and an Indiana game coming up, I have been giving some thought to Kentucky’s basketball rivalries. A KSR writer posted about rivals last week, and she was given a ton of crap about her rankings. It mostly came from old people who think that Indiana is still a HUGE rival and that Duke shouldn’t even be considered a rival whatsoever. What I’ve realized is this: our rivalry opinions are dependent upon age and location. Kentucky fans near Louisville and Lexington view Louisville as the team to hate. Apparently people in Western Kentucky really hate Indiana. Eastern Kentuckians may put Tennessee at the top of their list. You can argue all day about who’s a bigger rival, but everyone has their own reasons to hate another team. I certainly have my reasons, so here is my list of Kentucky rivalries at this point in time. Absolutely feel free to disagree because these rankings are probably only true to me (and possibly other college-age fans from the Louisville area).

1. Louisville: This is not a list of teams that I hate the most. I do not hate Louisville, but I definitely believe this rivalry to be the greatest in Kentucky. Growing up near Louisville, you seriously cannot escape this rivalry. We even had school fundraisers where you put your spare change/dollars in a UK bucket or UL bucket. It made A TON of money. No one wanted their team to lose! I also love this rivalry because it doesn’t matter if one team is infinitely better than the other...UK/UL games are usually close no matter what. And they’re always dirty. And UL, you’ll always be little brother. :)

2. Tennessee: Man, I hate Tennessee. This one has always been up there. Anyone remember when Jodie dropped 54 on them at home? Even though these rankings are mostly about basketball, losing 26 straight to Tennessee football makes the Vols even easier to hate. This year should be very interesting for the UK/Tennessee rivalry. As of yesterday, they were ranked above UK and have been favored to win the SEC.

3. Duke: I don’t care that we haven’t played them in years, this rivalry matters to UK fans. They’re the best team in the country right now, so Duke hate is growing even stronger in Kentucky. And we won’t EVER forget Christian Laettner.

4. North Carolina: This one hasn’t been a chart-topping rivalry in recent years, and I think we hate North Carolina more than North Carolina hates us. But the last two meetings have been incredibly close games proving that UK being way better than UNC doesn’t really matter.

5. Florida: Florida has made its way onto the list in recent years, beginning when Billy Donovan led the Gators to two straight national championships. How dare Florida be awesome at football and basketball! And remember that Nick Calathes guy? He’s the worst.

6. Indiana: I’m not old enough for this rivalry to be a big deal to me. In the years that I’ve followed Kentucky basketball, Indiana hasn’t even been competitive. I kind of wish this rivalry would return to its greatness because it used to be a pretty big deal.

7. South Carolina: This is probably the one that no one will agree with. It’s kind of a personal rivalry for me. I have friends in South Carolina that give me a lot of crap. Then they shattered our dreams of an undefeated season the day after we reached #1 in the rankings. And then they sent that ridiculous letter to UK. And I hate Devan Downey.

Honorable Mention:

Vanderbilt: They’re the only other SEC team besides UK that isn’t a football school, so I feel that UK/Vandy should have greater importance than it does. Vandy turned into a rival when we lost four straight (I think) in Memorial Gym. And one of those losses was the worst loss in conference play in SEC history.

Washington: They hate us a lot more than we hate them. We took Enes. Then we took Terrence Jones after he committed to the Huskies. Then we beat them just a couple weeks ago in Maui.

Kansas: Another school with a great basketball tradition, so naturally UK fans closely follow their success and failure. They were with us in the race to 2,000 and though we never really play them, there’s often a fight for the rankings with Kansas. And we play them in our home opener next year!

Agree? Disagree? Other thoughts?

Everyone Gets a Little More Wilbon

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:42:00 +0000

It's now official that ESPN has locked up Michael Wilbon to an expanded role:

Longtime Pardon the Interruption co-host and ESPN NBA studio analyst Michael Wilbon, one of the nation’s most respected sports journalists, will expand his role with ESPN as a featured columnist for ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, ESPN’s local online destination for in-depth sports coverage of his beloved hometown, in addition to appearing weekly on ESPN Radio 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show in Chicago. Wilbon, a veteran sports columnist who most recently concluded three decades with The Washington Post, delivers his first column and chat at 1:30 p.m. ET today on ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com.
“We’re thrilled to have a writer and a voice of Mike’s stature joining ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, where his strong opinions and thoughtful commentary on the most important issues in sports and culture will engage our fans in new ways across our platforms,” said Rob King, vice president and editor-in-chief for ESPN Digital Media.

I never read the Washington Post, but I do read ESPN.com so I look forward to reading some of Wilbon's features.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: ILBs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:43:00 +0000

Today, I present my rankings of the top 5 Inside/Middle Linebackers for the 2010 NFL regular season.

1. Ray Lewis

In the interest of full disclosure I will tell you that I don't like Ray Lewis. This is mostly because I am a Steelers fan and he performs every time they Steelers play the Ravens. However, this doesn't stop me from admitting that he is one of the top linebackers in the league and, considering his age (35), this becomes even more impressive. He is solid playing both the run and the pass, is one of the premier locker room leaders in the NFL, and is one of the best players one of the best defenses.

2. Lawrence Timmons

Timmons is one of the most promising young 'backers in the whole NFL primarily because of his near picture-perfect tackling form and his superior athleticism. It has been said by people around the Steelers organization that he is one of the fastest accelerating players on the team. Note I said "players," not linebackers or defenders. That statement is comparing him to running backs, Mike Wallace, and Ike Taylor. His entire stat sheet is filled up: 103 tackles (74 solo), 3 sacks, 10 pass defenses, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 2 FR. He is very good at covering receivers and I will mention now that I take that heavily into account when rating these ILBs.

3. Jerod Mayo

Mayo is having a fantastic 3rd year for the New England Patriots and is leading the league by a wide margin with 144 tackles (94 solo). Now, even though he has a lot of tackles and is very good at tackling, he fell to #3 because he does not cover receivers very often and does not rush the pass very much - he has only 3 pass defenses, 0 INTs, and 1 sack through 12 games. This hurt him in my book, because I am of the opinion that as an interior linebacker one must be able to perform any task and cover the whole field.

4. Stephen Tulloch

I'm not going to lie, I didn't know who Stephen Tulloch was before writing this. Apparently he know what he is doing though because he is second in the league in tackles with 127 (88 solo), 7 pass defenses, and 1 INT. However, he has yet to register a sack, which hurts his ranking. Tulloch has had 6 games this year with at least 12 total tackles. This tells me that the guy simply has a nose for the ball - something that is very important in a ILB.

5. E.J. Henderson

After receiving a devastating injury in week 13 of the 2009 season in which he broke he femur that threatened to end his career he came out of surgery and rehabbed in time for the 2010 training camp. He doesn't have the most tackles this year (80 total), but he has been very sold as the Vikings' defensive captain and he does lead all linebackers with 3 interceptions on the season. Look for Henderson to get a lot of consideration for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

Honorable Mentions: Paul Posluszny, London Fletcher, Patrick Willis, Dhani Jones

Previous Rankings:

As always if you disagree with a selection or feel I have left someone off, please let me know in the comment section. Check back next time for the Outside Linebacker rankings.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: D-Linemen

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Moving along with my rankings of position players throughout the NFL we are switching sides of the ball to defense. (Yes, I skipped fullbacks and O-linemen on offense, but I didn't think I would be able to rank them effectively) The best place to start is on the defensive line. Here we go:

1. Haloti Ngata

As much as it pains me as a Steelers fan to write this (although last night provided much needed revenge) Ngata has been the best, most dominant defensive lineman all season. He has even shown up on some MVP short-lists. Ngata resides in that all-important category of D-linemen that you must double-team or they will kill you. Not much else to say, you won't know how good Ngata is until your team plays him.

2. Kyle Williams

Continuing the theme of guys that made the Steelers O-line look stupid is Williams. He currently plays for a no-name Bills defense and expectedly not many people know his name, but they will soon. Williams is a load at nose tackle and has the ability to give any center-guard combo in the NFL issues. He also leads all defensive linemen in total tackles. Keep an eye out for this guy to get a lot more attention in the near future.

3. Justin Tuck

Tuck is having a very nice statistical season - he is second to Williams in total tackles and second to teammate Osi Umenyiora in forced fumbles with 6 (he has recovered 4)! It really is quite amazing how quality and consistent the New York Giants defensive line is year in and year out. Oh, did I mention Tuck is second in the league with 8.5 sacks? I didn't? Well he is.

4. Ndamukong Suh

Suh is a rookie, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from watching him play. The man is a beast, pure and simple. He is third in the league with 8 sacks and has given the Detroit Lions defense a vicious presence that they have lacked for some time. Look for him to be a mainstay in "best defensive players in the league" conversations for a long, long time.

5. Jared Allen

The man who rocks the mullet had an absolutely terrible start to this season. Don't believe me? Through week 8 he had 1 sack, just 1. However, in the past 5 games he has 7.5!! That is a substantial bounce back and ranks him second in the league with Tuck, Chris Clemons and Robert Mathis. Allen is a do-it-all DE, evidenced by his INT, FF, and multiple passes defensed.

Honorable mentions: Charles Johnson, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Babin

As always if you disagree, let me know in the comment section. Check back tomorrow as I rank the Inside Linebackers.

UK at UNC Basketball Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Cherry) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:04:00 +0000

Ok, so I'm sitting in my Evangelism and Mission class right now. It's three hours long, it's hot, and it's kinda boring. What that means for you is that I have plenty of time on my hands and nothing to do except tell the SAI nation my thoughts. On tap for the moment, a preview of the big game on Saturday: UK vs. UNC.

Now, as the only representative of Tar Heel-dom (and non-UK-dom) on this blog, I feel like it is my job to offer a preview that does not come out of the Lexington, KY circles of fantasy. (stay with me, UK fans, I think you'll like what is to come)

I'll start with an honest statement, and one that I have been saying to anyone who will listen since the preseason polls came out: The University of North Carolina's College Basketball Team 2010-2011 Edition was so far overrated at preseason #8, it wasn't even funny. Even more honest: Carolina has no business being ranked at all. Why? Well, 1. they are playing like total garbage. Period. And, 2. they lost lots of talent off of last years already bad NIT team. Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson graduated. Ed Davis (last year's best player) is in the NBA. David and Travis Wear transferred to the west coast to be closer to their family who needed them nearby. And Will Graves was dismissed from the team for violating teams rules. So, take an NIT team, subtract 6 key players, including 4 big men, add 3 very talented freshmen (none of whom are big men), and what do you get? A team that is still bad, has only 1 legit inside presence, and are most likely NIT bound again.

Now, I know I said this would be a preview of this weekend's game, and it will be, you just have to let me soapbox for a little bit. A season of football frustrations because of morons who got too much help with papers is not the best precursor to an inevitably frustrating basketball season where the limited roster of talented players underachieves because the expectations on their heads was to be the 8th best team in the country. Anyway, on to the preview:

The game is in Chapel Hill, which, in most years, would be a homecourt advantage worth at least a handful of points. This year, however, the wine and cheese, rich, old white dude crowd in the lower part of the Dean Dome has been dead (literally and figuratively, it seems). The good thing about it is that games in Chapel Hill sell out, so the chances of UK fans getting in there is very low compared to most occasions. Don't get me wrong, there's still going to be those UK people who pay 10 times face value for a ticket so they can get in there and harass people (and I mean that in the nicest way possible, really). [note: UK fans love their team. They get loud and they make their presence known. Sometimes they do overstep their bounds and I also get frustrated when they boo their own team/coach (ask Tubby), but they are passionate and God knows they are not a wine and cheese crowd.]

Essentially then, this is a neutral court game for UK (I really hope that is not the case, I would love to see it get loud in the Dean Dome, but I just don't see it happening). The numbers also favor Kentucky, which should come as no surprise.

Carolina is averaging 77 points per game and UK 79. The real difference is on the defensive side. Carolina gives up 70 ppg and UK 64. Now, there are better teams than UK on defense without a doubt, but Carolina is not one of those. Carolina has also struggled to score for minutes at a time in every game they've played this year. That doesn't bode well for the home team. In my mind, there are two keys to this game: Carolina's Harrison Barnes and UK's Terrance Jones. I know that may seem obvious, but, let's be real, it is obvious.

So far this season, Carolina's offense goes as Barnes goes. When he's playing well, Carolina can run and score and shoot. When he's struggling, everything gets sluggish. He was the #1 overall recruit in the country last year, and deservedly so. So far at Carolina, however, he has not lived up to that hype. No excuses, he has just been very inconsistent. If he's on, no one on UK's team will stop him. But if he's not, he will stop himself. If Carolina has any hope at all of winning this game, Barnes needs to go for at least 20 points and help to open lanes for other key components of this team.

Terrance Jones, on the other hand, has played great all season so far. I live in Atlanta now, so I haven't been able to watch UK games like I have in the past, but it's hard to miss the highlights of Jones's season. I'm kinda scared that Jones could score 1000 points on Saturday cause I honestly have no clue who is going to guard him. Zeller is capable and is a good player, but I don't think he's quick enough to stay with Jones. Henson is incredibly athletic and a great shot blocker, but he weighs about 6.5 pounds and Jones could throw him around like a rag doll. Justin Knox has been serviceable as a backup big man and he is a legit stud body in the post, but he is just plain not good enough to play with Jones. So yeah, Jones will get his points and rebounds, probably continue to play invisible style defense (the seemingly only thing missing in his game), and make the Heels look like the small team that they are.

In the end, UK comes in to Chapel Hill and leaves with a win. Carolina drops to 4-4 and I continue to be frustrated. Prediction: UK 86, UNC 72. (And a 14 point win for UK might be generous in my favor because, even though I think UK would be somewhat overrated in the top 10, they are clearly a better team than North Carolina.)

UK fans, I am not a UK fan. I realize that some of the things I said may not be super nice to your favorite team. Do not forget, however, that I am a very realistic fan of my team. I know when we are bad, and this is one of those times. I'm not going to pretend like I pull for your team on a regular basis, and I don't think this year's team is as good as last year's, but in this matchup, they have a clear advantage. I'm going to go ahead and say it on Wednesday, December 2nd (3 days before the game):

Congratulations on your win on Saturday. UK and UNC have the two best programs in the history of college basketball. It is not a natural rivalry, but is one that has been built out of greatness from both sides. I'm sure, whatever the final score is Saturday, the winning team deserved the victory. That is all. Rant/Soapbox/Game Preview over. And I'll leave you with one thing we both can agree on. Suck on this, Duke:

Thursday Quick Hits: The Communists are winning version

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Hughes) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:09:00 +0000

And now for the much anticipated return of SAI's Quick Hits. Try to contain your excitement.

The Commies are winning...at least in a bid to host the World Cup. This morning, Russia was announced to be the host of the 2018 World Cup. Read here. SAI believes it could be because of the funny hats:

Qatar was announced as the host country for 2022, defeating a bid by the United States. What is Qatar, you might ask? A country about the size of Connecticut. This officially proves the U.S. may never win a bid, and let's be honest, they probably never should.
Cam Newton is 'reinstated' to play for Auburn. Can someone explain the consistency of the NCAA to me? Deadspin tries to here, but I'm still not buying it.

And that's the news, at least the Thursday morning edition.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: TEs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:31:00 +0000

Good Morning! Today I present my ranking of the top 5 tight ends through week 12 of the 2010 NFL season.

1. Antonio Gates

It has been said before, but I will say it again: the gap between the best TE (Gates) and everyone else is larger than any other position gap in football. He's simply the best. He has been hampered by injuries lately, but to give you an idea of the kind of production you get from Gates here are the stats from the first 5 weeks of the season: 29 rec. for 478 yards, 7 TDs. Trust me, he's on my fantasy team, I know how valuable he is. A couple more stats: most TDs among TEs, 86% of his receptions go for 1st downs (NFL high), and he has the most 20+ yard gains among TEs.

2. Jason Witten

Witten gets targeted a LOT. He leads all TEs with 60 receptions and is second only to Gates in yards per game. The only things I would like to see more out of him are more redzone targets. Of course, he plays for a dreadful Dallas Cowboys team and a bad offense (though it has shown signs of life the past few weeks). Look for his numbers to stay strong or improve once Tony Romo returns healthy.

3. Chris Cooley

Cooley falls into the third spot due to his providing Donovan McNabb with a reliable receiver to throw to. No one would call the 2010 Washington Redskin's offense explosive, but Cooley is, if nothing else, a solid receiver for McNabb to rely on. His stats are solid across the board and he has the third highest yardage number behind Gates and Witten.

4. Vernon Davis

Another case of a good player doing what he can for a bad offense, Gates has emerged this year as one of the 49ers' most vocal team leaders. That went a long way to insure him the #4 spot on my list. He had a few rough years to begin his career and was even kicked out of practice at one point by coach Mike Singletary. However, he has since got him game on the right track and is one of the best players on that team.

5. Dustin Keller

Dustin Keller has the second most 20+ yard receptions in the league and turns 61% of his catches into first downs. His stats are solid and he does what I believe is most important for the tight end position: he provides his QB, Mark Sanchez, with a reliable receiver that he can go to to be bailed out.

Honorable Mentions: Todd Heap, Jermichael Finley, Tony Gonzalez

Previous rankings: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: WRs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Today I give you my ranking of the top 5 wide receivers of the 2010 NFL season.

1. Roddy White

Sure White has some of the better statistics among wide receivers in the NFL. However, the most impressive thing about White is his ability to make every catch that he needs to. If you watch an Atlanta Falcons game it is clear QB Matt Ryan has complete trust that if he puts the ball in Roddy White's vicinity he will pull it in. If this ranking is on pure ability I imagine White is still near the top, if not in this same spot.

2. Brandon Lloyd

Look, I don't like Brandon Lloyd any more than you do. In fact, no one does. He has played with 4 teams in 8 years because no one has really enjoyed his presence as a teammate anywhere he has been. However, the numbers he is putting up the year demand for him to be listed in the top 5. He averaged 19.3 ypc (second only to Mike Wallace) and is the only receiver in the NFL that averages more than 100 yards per game. Sure, his success is in part due to the fact that the Broncos can't run the ball, but I cannot fault him for that.

3. Dwayne Bowe

Bowe did not have a very strong start to the season. The week 5 game against the Colts comes to mind where he dropped about 2 sure touchdowns. But these past few weeks the fans of Kansas City have finally seen what they hoped he could be when they drafted him: a premier #1 wide receiver. He leads the NFL with 14 TD catches and has 3 straight 100 yard, multi-TD games. We shall see if closes out the season performing the same way.

4. Terrell Owens

Owens is getting the number 4 spot largely based on the fact that the production we are seeing from him at his age is very impressive. He does have a relatively low number of receptions to the number of targets he has seen, however, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because frankly he is playing with a bad QB - Carson Palmer. Playing with a bad offense on a bad team it is clear his physical tools still separate him enough to make plays.

5. Andre Johnson

Johnson is sort of having a down year to this point which I attribute a large part of to Matt Schaub playing like a middle-of-the-road QB. But, his production has still been solid and he is clearly still one the most physically talented WRs playing today. And he punched Cortland Finnegan in the ear, that gets him number 5.

Honorable Mentions: Greg Jennings, Reggie Wayne, Mike Wallace, Steve Johnson, Calvin Johnson

You can find my previous rankings of QBs here and RBs here.

Check back tomorrow and I will rank the top 5 tight ends!

We love you, Cal!

noreply@blogger.com (Jazmin) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:04:00 +0000

As you probably already know, John Calipari's mother passed away this week. Team Wildcat has encouraged fans to wear black tonight to honor Cal's mother, and they asked SAI to help spread the word. So if you're heading to Rupp tonight, wear black to support our coach! Keep him in your prayers this week as well.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: RBs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Good morning all. Today I present my RB ratings for the 2010 NFL season. This is the second installment of my series of posts rating player performances for this year.

1. Arian Foster

While the Houston Texans have been mediocre this year, Foster has been breaking out in a big way. He currently leads the league in total rushing yards, touchdowns, yards per game, and number of first down rushes. He runs in a very elusive manner and has shaken the fumbling stigma he carried from his days at the University of Tennessee. His stats are too big to ignore and he has shown himself to be one of the premier backs in the league.

2. Adrian Peterson

Peterson is quietly putting together another pro-bowl caliber season playing for an awful Minnesota Vikings team. Early in his career he fumbled way too much, but he has locked that down this year - he currently has 0 fumbles. He currently sports the third best yard per game number in the NFL and has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark through week 12. He also continues to be a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield for Brett Favre.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew

Jones-Drew is a player that has not received a lot of notice this season, but has been one of the more reliable backs in the league. He is sitting at 4th place in rushing yards, has the second most 1st down rushes, and has been the workhorse of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Look for Jones-Drew to lock up a spot the pro-bowl.

4. Jamaal Charles

Charles has been doing some serious work for the better-than-expected Kansas City Chiefs. He has so far rushed for an amazing 6.3 yards per rush - over 1 yard better than anyone else with at least 100 rushes. He is second to only Arian Foster in total rushing yards and yards per game and, like Foster, has shown himself to be one of the premier running backs in the NFL.

5. Peyton Hillis

One of Bill Simmons' (ESPN.com) readers suggested that Hillis' nickname be The Avalanche because he is white, runs downhill, and annihilates people. I like it. Seriously, Hillis has been a force in the Cleveland Browns' backfield rushing for 4.5 per carry and 11 touchdowns. The Browns absolutely stole him from the Denver Broncos in an offseason trade and he certainly given them their money's worth and much more.

Honorable Mentions: Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson, Michael Turner, Darren McFadden

Once again, if you disagree or think I left anyone off please let me know in the comment section. Check tomorrow for wide receivers.

The Embarrassment of the NFL

noreply@blogger.com (Jazmin) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:59:00 +0000

But at least we're not the Cowboys or the Bengals, right?

It’s January 2010. I’m happy as can be because my beloved Vikings have just defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-3 and are on their way to the NFC Championship. The Vikings have played to win all season and it’s been obvious that our veteran quarterback has been playing for another Super Bowl ring. Brett Favre has played one of his best seasons yet and also made the Vikings name known, Adrian Peterson is probably the best RB in the league, and rookie Percy Harvin is emerging as a star. Vikings fans could not be more overjoyed.

Fast forward to November 21, 2010. The 3-6 Vikings sit in third place in the NFC North. There is still an ounce of hope for the playoffs if the Vikings win out. Then, they get absolutely stomped (31-3) by the rival Packers on home turf.

How on earth did we get from there to here? It was supposed to be Brett’s last chance for one more ring! Randy Moss was supposed to save the Vikings season and become a hero! Though it pains me to even write about this, let’s take a look at the factors that contribute to the disaster that is the Minnesota Vikings.

Factors leading to epic failure:

Injury and Old Age
Brett Favre entered the season recovering from his ankle injury in the playoffs, and still had not fully recovered. I checked out the injury report while writing this and Brett has been on it every week, with new injuries added to his list each week. Also, he’s just getting old, and cannot dominate the game as he used to. He’s limping off the field more often than not these days. Key players like Percy Harvin, Cedric Griffin, Chris Cook, Jamarca Sanford, and Anthony Herrera have also been plagued with injury this season. Sidney Rice, who is important to the success of the Vikings offense was out for the first ten games after having hip surgery.

Scandal
Brett, Brett, Brett. As one of the most talked about players in football, you would think he would know better. In early October, allegations surface that Brett Favre sent some dirty pictures to Jenn Sterger, who was a Jets reporter at the time of the incident. Favre apologized to the Vikings for “being a distraction,” but never denied the allegations. You would think personal matters shouldn’t affect what happens on the field, but as we’ve seen with Tiger Woods, whose game has fallen apart (46th at AT&T National, 23rd at Open, 78th at Bridgestone Invitational?!), personal drama can easily cause loss of focus. Brett said he would “play the lights out,” but he failed to do so.

Brad Childress
As an avid Vikings supporter, I try not to be a hater, but I was never on the Brad Childress bandwagon. He never meshed well with his players, and it was obvious. He and Favre had problems from the beginning, more disdain for Childress was expressed by his players throughout this season. After Percy Harvin had words with him, teammates told him he had said what they’d been wanting to say for a few years now. Also, his decisions made with Randy Moss during the four-week fiasco were irrational, and I believe Moss could have possibly excelled in Minnesota with a different coach.

A Glimmer of Hope:

Leslie Frazier
There is really nothing to lose for Leslie Frazier. He’s finally been given a head coaching opportunity, and it’s with a team he already knows well. He knows the Vikings have the running game, and he is going to use it, and that’s where they’re going to excel. Letting Favre have the ability to roll out is also part of Frazier’s plan. And I don’t know the guy personally or anything, but I think he will be easier to get along with than Chilly.

A Win!
The Vikings finally picked up their fourth win this weekend against the Redskins. Favre had a nearly perfect game and did not add to his 17 interceptions. An immediate win after a coaching change is always promising.

The Remainder of the Schedule
The Vikings’ next three games are at home, and next week is versus the Bills. The Giants and the Bears will be difficult teams to beat, but the Giants lost to the Cowboys just a couple weeks ago. The Vikes will likely lose to the Eagles on the road, and the season ends with a road game against the Lions, which will hopefully be a win. Finishing at 8-8 would actually be respectable considering how the season began.

So, there you have it: the destruction of the Minnesota Vikings. It’s been a season full of tears (eh, not quite) and depressing Sundays, but I can see light at the end of this tunnel (not playoff light, but light nonetheless).

I have some thoughts on sports.

noreply@blogger.com (Ben Osborne) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:40:00 +0000

I am in my first year of teaching, which is simple code for "I have no life and taking the time to even write this post will set me back tremendously in my preparation/grading/reflection for work and I will probably get fired for it tomorrow." But there was a time when I had thoughts on sports, and many branded me as a radical and a weirdo for my thoughtful, well-reasoned, and sophisticated opinions on the sports world. And friends with Sports Are Involved on the comeback trail and the internet chomping at the bit to hear what I have to say, I felt it was time to return with these thoughts...

--The Miami Heat are terrible (at the moment) and I love it. It's un-American to do what LeBron James did this summer for many reasons, from teaming up with other superstars (America does it alone biotch) to wrecking a red-blooded American city which, at the very least, isn't Detroit. For those who assume that Miami will improve from their current state, you may be wrong. I did not think Wade-James-Bosh would be a great match on the court, and as we've seen it hasn't been to this point, and I wondered if the supporting cast could be hastily assembled to play fourth fiddle to the "Big Three," and they haven't to an effective degree. I believe the Heat will rise to the #2 spot in the East, but they will lose in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Celtics, or the Magic, or the Knicks (haha j/k...or am I?)...it doesn't really matter because the Lakers will win the title again anyway.

--Ah, college. Ah, Kentucky basketball. After last year's episode of NBA's Inside Stuff with Ahmad Rashad, this season could leave a little to be desired for certain less sophisticated and emotionally-driven fans such as this guy. But this team, flawed in so many ways (as evidenced by the lack of ICE BLOOD {shoutout to Slade} against UCONN), will inevitably improve as the season goes along. Brandon Knight WILL learn how to run a team. Terrence Jones WILL learn...wait he can do everything already. Darius Miller WILL learn how to consistenly attack the rim with aggression, maybe. Eloy Vargas WILL learn how to jump. In any case, this team is more fun for me because this team will have to fight for most of what it gets this year because a) the talent is not as deep as last year and b) there is so little depth. At points last year, the Cats just had to show up to win by 8-10 points (see the Alabama game for a classic example) and there was no emotional joy from the win. If Kentucky can fashion itself into a team that consistently wins games like the war against Washington, then I will be singing its praises all year long. Fun times.

Now a couple of quick thoughts because I'm tired...

--Jimmie Johnson has killed NASCAR. Hell he killed it the first time he won. Now it's a dead skunk on I-75. Want proof? Look at attendence numbers at races all across the nation. You say, ah it's the economy. Bull crap. NASCAR fans are NASCAR fans. They will go to races, even if it means no food the next week. Of course, what is a NASCAR "fan?" It is arguable that any person living in a state that didn't rebel against the Union in 1861 is not a true NASCAR fan...Kentucky excluded of course.

--I like Derek Dooley and I am happy he got Tennessee bowl-eligible. But seriously national media, give it a rest about the feat itself. He beat Ole Miss, Memphis, Vandy, and Kentucky to get them there. Not exactly Murderer's Row.

--Chris Berman is talking on my TV right now and I wish he would shut up. I am going to do my BEST and WORST of sports announcers here soon because I feel I know my stuff there.

--My Super Bowl contenders from each conference, in order, is as follows...
AFC: Jets, Steelers, Patriots, Ravens, Chargers
NFC: Falcons, Saints, Bears, Eagles, Packers

--If the New York Yankees don't get their schvitt together and resign Derek Jeter, it would be a great mismanagement and travesty. Jeter is the Yankees and the Yankees are Jeter. One cannot live while the other plays elsewhere. I kinda he leaves then so the Yankees can die.

That's all for now. Enjoy life.

You Can Stop The Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Robert Kahne) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Dear Readers, when we last left you, the Heat had signed the most amazing of free agent classes in the history of the NBA: Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh. Although the "Big 3" experiment had been tried successfully in Boston just a few years earlier with the signing of Kevin Garnett and trading for Ray Allen to pair with Paul Pierce, never had three players nearing the primes of their careers been placed on a team together. Once the ink was dry on these new contracts, pundits cried out across the spectrum: many (including me) thought this pairing would be enough to set records and win multiple championships. Others (including Ben) believed this team would lack the supporting cast to win championships (at least right away).

Now that the season has begun, and the Heat are currently sitting at 9-8. They have lost to good teams (Boston, New Orleans, Utah, Orlando) and bad teams (Memphis). They have a signature win over Orlando, but their season has been marked by mediocrity. Erik Spoelstra, the Heat coach, currently has the hottest seat in the NBA. Critics see shades of the 2005 and Stan Van Gundy. Lebron James bumped (accidentally?) his coach after the end of their last loss to Dallas.

So what will happen? I say: not too much this year. I think the Heat gel near to the all-star break, Spoelstra stays on, and the Heat lose to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, Spoelstra decides he has had enough, leaves to coach an underachieving roster with fewer max contracts (Sacramento?) and Pat Reilly steps in to win his 6th NBA championship next year.

What say you, SAI nation? Will Erik Spoelstra keep his job all year? Will the Heat continue to underachieve? Will this team ever gel? You've heard my opinion, I'd love to hear yours.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: QBs

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Adams) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:19:00 +0000

Hello Internet world! I'm the newest contributor to the wonderful Sports Are Involved blog and I will introduce myself with a series of posts rating NFL players for their play so far during the 2010 season. These ratings will not be a reflection of a player's career body of work or future potential, only how well they have performed through Week 12 of this season. First, the quarterbacks:

1. Tom Brady

The New England Patriots are arguably the NFL's best team through Week 12 and they share the league's best record at 9-2 with the Jets and the Falcons. Brady has limited his mistakes, throwing only 4 interceptions compared to 23 touchdowns. One of the most impressive aspects of Brady's game is his drive and motivation to win and perform perfectly. If you watched the Patriots embarrass the the Steelers in Week 10 you witnessed it. He wills his team to win and accepts responsibility when they don't. He takes the top spot.

2. Phillip Rivers

The San Diego Chargers starts the year terrible at 2-5, but have since won 4 straight to get themselves back in the playoff hunt. I would not want to play this team right now and one of the primary reasons is that Rivers is playing his butt off. His best target, Antonio Gates, has been slowed recently by injuries and the rest of the receiving corps is fairly no-name, yet he is on pace to throw for 4,896 yards in the regular season. It is fairly well known that the Chargers peak late in the season. They certainly are and Rivers is leading the charge.

3. Michael Vick

After starting the season behind Kevin Kolb on the depth chart, Vick has played himself into the starter role after a Kolb injury. He has been incredibly efficient with a 13-1 TD-INT ratio and sports the NFL's best QB rating at 106. Even with the loss yesterday to the Bears the Eagles are still a very good team and are in good shape to make the playoffs and make a run at the Super Bowl. Personally, I haven't always liked Vick, but I have to give him props for taking the second chance Andy Reid gave him and making the most of it.

4. Aaron Rodgers

The Green Bay Packers came into the season picked by many to make it to the Super Bowl and after a slow start the Rodgers-led Packers are looking fairly strong. Rodgers takes care of the ball with a better than 2-1 TD-INT ratio and a 65% completion percentage. Though Rodgers has not lived up the pre-season MVP hype he has still performed well and looks likely to lead the Packers into the playoffs.

5. Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger returned to the Steelers after serving a 4 game suspension at the beginning of the year. He inherited a 3-1 and since then has led them to league's 2nd best record at 8-3. Roethlisberger has been very good with a 99.1 QB rating and passing at an impressive 8.3 yards/attempt. It took him a couple of games to get into mid-season form, but he now seems be comfortably in control of the offense and is looking to make a deep playoff run behind a very good Steelers team.

Those are the top 5 QBs as I see them at this point in the season. If you disagree or feel I have left anyone off, please let me know in the comment section. Check in tomorrow as I rank the top 5 Running Backs.

Best Team in the NFC?

noreply@blogger.com (Gabe) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:55:00 +0000

You can now make a case the Chicago Bears are the best team in the NFC. I know that some people would say the Falcons are but I am going to try to make a case for the Bears, mostly because I am a Bears fan but that is neither here nor there.

Wins – We will start with the win over the “better than their record” Bills. The Bears went up north in early November and beat the Bills, never an easy thing to do. They beat the Pack in a disgusting game early in the season (play them again the last game of the season but I hope it doesn't matter by then). They beat the Eagles tonight and they were one of the hottest teams in the league. If not for Vick's miracle pass into triple coverage that game would not have even been close. The rest of the wins are games I feel that they should have won. Not bad for a team picked to be last in the NFC north.

Losses- The Bears have 3 losses on the season and those were some pretty rough games to lose. The Redskins (rascist name) are ok, the Seahawks are bad and the Giants started a run with the Bears and are now bad again. They could have won all of those games but they did not. The sack fest that was the Giants game is my biggest worry about this team.

For the Bears to be the best team in the NFC they must win out the rest of their NFC oppenents (Lions, Vikings and Packers). They will also need to split games with the Jets and Pats to get some respect in beating 2 of the best teams in the NFL.

I am not saying that they will win the Super Bowl but they are starting to look real good and actually like a football team. If the O-line can play together this team could really go places.

Since We've Been Gone...

noreply@blogger.com (Jazmin) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:29:00 +0000

After a short hiatus, SAI is starting anew and picking up with the latest in sports news. But we missed out on some pretty important stuff. So if you've been lost without SAI, here's what you missed:

MLB
--The Giants won the World Series, but it seemed like no one really cared. At least it wasn’t the Yankees.

NFL
-- After playing in the NFC Championship game less than a year ago, the Minnesota Vikings have absolutely fallen apart. Injury, scandal, firing, losing, etc. More on this later.
--Two NFL coaches have been fired mid-season. The Cowboys have made a 180 since the firing of Wade Phillips. Leslie Frazier, the Vikings interim head coach has his first test tomorrow.
--Former Cats are dominating in the NFL, namely Steve Johnson (who got loose all over the Bengals) and Jacob Tamme. And Tim Masthay, an SAI favorite, officially became the punter for the Green Bay Packers!
--Batman and Robin (T.O. and Ochocinco) haven’t lived up to the hype, as the Bengals sit at 2-9.
--NFL players are getting fined for tackling. Exhibit A and Exhibit B.
--Richard Seymour of the Raiders punched Ben Roethlisberger in the face, and it was a little bit hilarious.

NBA
--The Miami Heat is another team that hasn't lived up to the hype, but it's still early.
--The Draft Cats have had mixed results in the NBA. Eric Bledsoe is playing great for the Clippers. Demarcus Cousins has been great at times, but been in pretty bad foul trouble at others. John Wall is awesome, but he was out with an injury for a bit. And poor Pat Pat got moved to the D-League. Go Vipers.

NCAA Football
--Operation Win didn’t QUITE go as planned. Cats won a huge game against South Carolina and played a close one with Auburn; however, we dropped games to mediocre teams like Ole Miss and Miss. State. Birmingham Bowl, here we come!
--This guy named Cam Newton came out of nowhere and led Auburn to an undefeated regular season. Oh, and he may have demanded money to play college football.

NCAA Basketball
--Enes was not freed, but the Cats are managing. Josh Harrellson is actually pulling down rebounds. Brandon Knight is supa fast. Doron Lamb is a great shooter. DeAndre Liggins has stepped his game up and is fitting into his role perfectly. Darius Miller is still a little lost in the mix, but has been great at times. And Terrence Jones is just awesome.
--The Cards beat an absolutely terrible Butler team. Without Gordon Heyward, the Bulldogs just don’t know what to do. Also, Louisville actually looked decent.
--Bruce Pearl lies about recruiting violations and gets suspended for eight SEC games. Then his wife compares him to Jesus.

Miscellaneous
--Pete Thamel wrote more ridiculous crap.

Sorry if I missed anything. I had to get this finished before halftime was over. End the streak!

Hamilton, More than an MVP

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Cherry) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 02:47:00 +0000

Last week, Texas Rangers Outfielder Josh Hamilton was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Hamilton, a 3-time All-Star, hit .359 with 32 homeruns and 100 RBI and collected his first batting title. Despite these great successes, the greatest accomplishment for Hamilton is something that cannot be measured by numbers on a baseball diamond or trophies in a case. Without a doubt, winning the MVP is a significant achievement in the career of any Major League Baseball player. For Hamilton, however, it is the representation of a second chance.

Hamilton was the 1st overall pick of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had all the talent in the world, but he never made it to the big leagues with Tampa, as his career was derailed by heavy drug and alcohol use. From 2001 to 2003, Hamilton's life was marred by injuries, drug use, alcoholism, suspensions, and repeated violations of team rules. From 2004 to 2006, Hamilton was completely out of baseball. He made several attempts to rejuvenate his career, but all fell short before 2006.

Hamilton's struggles with drugs and alcohol are clearly no secret, but what should not be missed in all this is his path to recovery. Hamilton credits the beginning of his recovery to being confronted by his grandmother, Mary Holt. He has been drug and alcohol free since October 6, 2005. Hamilton also became a professing Christian and readily shares his faith in Jesus. His powerful testimony off the field sparked his reinstatement into baseball and gave him a second chance at his dream. Hamilton describes his recovery "a God thing."

After making his return to baseball, Hamilton was taken 3rd in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago Cubs after being left off of the Devil Rays' 40-man roster. The Cubs then turned and traded Hamilton to the Cincinnati Reds for $100,000. Having been selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, Hamilton was required to stay on the Reds 25-man active roster for the entire 2007 season. The plan was to use Hamilton as a 4th outfielder, but his high level of play and an injury to starting centerfielder Ryan Freel quickly changed that. In 2007, Hamilton hit .292 with 19 homeruns and 47 RBI in 298 at-bats. The following offseason, Hamilton was traded to the Rangers where, when healthy, his career has taken off.

The 2010 AL MVP boasts a .311/.371/.544 career line with 93 homeruns and 331 RBI and a testimony that moves mountains.

Hamilton won the MVP vote with 22 out of 28 first place votes and finished with 358 total points (96 more than 2nd place finisher Miguel Cabrera, 1B DET). Click here for a link to a great interview with Hamilton that was on ESPN, in which he tells about his personal relationship with Christ in his own words. Definitely worth 4 minutes of your time.