Stanley Cup

And now we come to the main event, the featured attraction. After three weeks we are now ready for some Stanley Cup action! For some its a dream that started on lakes and ponds in there youth and for some they are trying to add to their legacy.

Stanley Cup Finals (2)Detroit vs (4)Pittsburgh-An exact rematch of last years Stanley Cup final and for those of you who don't know Detroit won it last year. That puts a challenge on for the Redwings as there has not been a repeat Stanley winner in eleven years. In case your wondering it was Detroit that did it last back in 97 and 98. This years playoffs was full of intense action and drama filled games. The conference finals.....were a let down. Carolina came into the Eastern finals having upset 1 seed Boston while the Penguins had a dog fight with Washington. Pittsburgh destroyed the Hurricanes in a 4 game sweep. Carolina could not answer the Pens offensive assault. Crosby and Malkin both are 1 and 2 in goals scored this playoffs, Malkin with 14 and 11 for Crosby. Detroit had a tougher time facing Chicago but where still able to handle them in a easy fashion. This series was more competitive with Detroit and the Blackhawks going into overtime twice in the series. However this series was suppose to be great and it seldom was with only games 2 and 5 being close. Chicago with all of it's offense couldn't score on Detroit. Nicklas Lidstrom and goalie Chris Osgood. Breakdown- Pittsburgh brings the tandem of Crosby and Malkin but in addition to them Bill Guerin is a 400 goal plus veteran and center Jordan Staal can provide great defense. Detroit is anchored by Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg. Pavel Datsyuk was injured in game 4 with Chicago and is already out for game 1. Yet keep and eye on Dan Cleary. Cleary was a big factor in the win over Chicago. Edge-Detroit. Defenseman- Detroit brings Nicklas Lidstrom who in his career has won the Norris trophy 6 times in his career. Backing him up is Niklas Kronwal whose hit on Hawk's ace Martin Havlat is still being talked about. The Penguins bring  Sergei Gonchar who is great at power play kills and Rob Scuderi who has flown under the radar these playoffs but I think the veteran defense of the Redwings will outplay Pitt in the end. Edge-Detroit. On paper Detroit goalie Chris Osgood has the edge but lets take into the factor of Penguins net minder Marc Andre Fleury's opponents. He had to contend with Alexander Ovechkin no easy feat. Osgood was critical in Detroit's success over Chicago. One could even argue that without Osgood Detroit and Chicago could still be going on right now heading into a game 7. Both have similar stats but the one key for both teams will be how they play the power play. Edge-Pittsburgh. Keys- Detroit is a very puck control team. This is their key, by keeping it out of the hands of Crosby and Malkin. Detroit also will need to capitalize on power play opportunities. The Penguins will need to keep the puck away from their third of the ice. Staying on offense will be key for Pittsburgh letting their great offense try to wear out the injury dogged Redwings. Verdict- It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh has learned anything from last year. Pittsburgh can easily make this a fitness test with Detroit but I still think the Redwings can skate with the Penguins. I believe the injuries that surfaced during the Blackhawks series will come back to haunt Detroit. Penguins in 6.

photo courtesy of Carlos Osorio

Conference Finals

Two stars, only one can go on...
And so we were left with four; one team loaded with star power that held the nations attention, one team an upstart destroying every odd against them, one the defending champs trying to make it a repeat and give their town something to cheer about, and the other the youngest but hottest team right now. One series with one of the stars of the game against the underdog, can do team that everyone, including myself, thought would be done in the first round. The other a rivalry as old as the NHL itself. This is the conference finals....

East

(4)Pittsburgh vs (6)Carolina-With the games two biggest stars in the same series, it was a no brainer that Pittsburgh and Washington would gain the most media coverage. Crosby vs Ovechkin as it was dubbed. And it did not disappoint for the most part. Syd the kid and Alex the great both lead their teams with 12 and 11 goals respectively. 3 games went into overtime with the Penguins taking two of them. The Capitals David Steckel forced a game 7 when he sailed the puck past Pitt goalie Marc Andre-Fleury in overtime. Many thought with all the action that this would be a great game 7. One that would be the big explosive ending for this series. It ended up being a sparkler on the 4th of July. Pitt destroyed the Capitals 6-2 scoring 5 unanswered goals until Ovechkin answered with 2 minutes left in the 2nd. Carolina on paper should not be here. But they are a prime example if when a team gets hot its hot. Whether you think the Canes beating New Jersey was luck they still had the talent to force 7. Then they stun everyone in the room by knocking off Boston. Carolina's Scott Walker sealed it with a goal late in the first overtime in game 7. Walker you might have heard was the guy who dropped Bruin Aaron Ward with a good right hook that many are calling a cheap shot. The win gave Carolina its 4th game 7 win in a row. Now Carolina has a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup just 3 years removed from their 2006 championship. Verdict- The Penguins naturally have the edge heading into this matchup. Carolina has a case for defying the odds but one can't escape the feeling that luck is about to run out. Carolina seems to not matchup with Pittsburghs offense so their goalie Cam Ward will have to carry the load much like he did against New Jersey. The Penguins just need to stay the course and rely on Crosby and Malkin to carry them, Pittsburgh in 6

West-

(2)Detroit vs (4)Chicago-The Anaheim Ducks turned the post season on its head by beating 1st seed San Jose. Anaheim fought hard, game 2 went into triple overtime and fell in favor of the Ducks. The Ducks followed up with a game 3 win but Detroit then showed why they're the defending champs. The Redwings outscored the Ducks 10-4 over the next two games. Goalie Jonas Hiller forced a game 7. But in the end Dan Cleary's goal cemented that there was more hockey to be played in Joe Louis arena. Chicago had something to prove against a talented Vancouver side. Heading in it was a question on if the Blackhawks offense can get past Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. The answer was a dramatic yes. There were times it seemed as though the Hawks could score on will. Vancouver had its moments but they couldn't contend with the fact that all 4 Hawk lines can score, and they did. Chicago's young talent, youngest team in the NHL, showed the critics that they were not phased by the postseason atmosphere. The team put a exclamation mark on their series clinching win in game 6. Scoring 7 goals including a hat trick from Patrick Kane against one of the premier goalies is nothing to sneeze at. Verdict- This is an "Original 6" matchup pitting two of the oldest hockey teams against each other. You could argue this is the NHL version of the Red Sox and Yankees. The Blackhawks are officially back from obscurity. The past decade has not been kind to Hawk fans who had to deal with poor play and the owner refusing to air games on TV. The Hawks success has done something rare in Chicago, they have stolen the spot light from the baseball teams. The Hawks will try to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1991 were they lost to Pittsburgh. Detroit is the veteran, with players like Marian Hossa, Cris Osgood, and Nikolas Lidstrom. They are the champs and seeing the Hawks growing better with each game gets their attention. Detroit fans are hoping for one last ride out of their players. In tough economic times the Redwings mean a lot right now to the city of Detroit. And what better way then to battle with a familiar foe. Detroit's experience is what will win this series for them. The Hawks need to keep wave after wave of offense at Detroit's defense to have a chance. In some respect this could be a passing of the torch game for both sides. The roar may be back in Chicago but Detroit is still Hockey town. Detroit in 7 to set up a rematch with Pittsburgh.

image courtesy of Bruce Bennett 

Round 2

Devils look on in disbelief as game 7 slips away

And then there were 8. After an upset and two series goin 7 its time for the second round. I accurately predicted most of the outcomes of the series but as with most playoffs this one has had plenty of surprises. First lets take a look east.

(1)Boston vs (4) Carolina- Boston, as predicted, swept through Montreal and did it with relative ease. Every game was won by two or more goals anchored by leading scorers Michael Ryder and David Krejci. Bostons depth carried them easily over the Habs. Simply put the Habs were just completely out matched. Carolina played in one of the game 7 series. Carolina meant trouble for New Jersey from the start. Games 2 and 3 went into over time with each team taking one game. Carolina goalie Cam Ward helped shut down the top line of New Jersey to help push a game 7. Then things got weird. In game 7 the Devils at home took the lead in the first period with goals from captain Jamie Langenbrunner to tie the goal from Carolina center Tuomo Ruutu. Followed by a goal from winger Jay Pandolfo. The Devils extended their lead with a powerplay goal from Brian Rolston. Carolina would pull with in one heading into the third. Future hall of famer Martin Broudeur shut down Carolina completely........until the last two minutes. With a buck 20 on the clock Carolina's Jussi Jokinen one timed a goal right past Brodeur to tie it. With the series third overtime game on the horizon the crowd at New Jersey was silent. Then with time winding down Chad LaRose floated a pass to Eric Staal and shot the goal with 31 seconds left to send Carolina to the next round. Brodeur, the all time goalie with wins, could simply stand with his team mates stunned. Boston has not lost against Carolina this season. Boston is riding on a few days rest while the Canes are still catching their breath. Verdict-Carolina will put up more of a fight than Montreal did but Boston is rolling, Boston in 6.

(2)Washington vs (4) Pittsburgh- Washington played in one of the more chippy series so far this playoffs. Even the coach for the Rangers was wielding a stick at the Washington fans. Rangers staying in the series to 7 can mostly be attributed to goalie Henrik Lundqvist fantastic play. This series had tough checks, both legal and illegal. But when all the smoke cleared the Caps advanced off of veteran Sergei Federov scoring the game winner in game 7. Of course having the great duo of Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin helps also. Despite the Flyers winning 2 games the Penguins where in control. Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led the way combing for 8 goals. And that is what the media is paying attention to. Rather than its Washington vs Pittsburgh; it's portrayed as Sydney Crosby vs Alexander Ovechkin. These are the two top stars right now in the NHL. Having them in the same series is huge for TV. Verdict- This is another tough matchup that I think potentially will go 7. Washington and Pitt have equal the amount of offensive potential. This will come down to the goalies play and I like the Caps Simeon Varlamov, Capitals in 7.

Western Conference

(2) Detroit vs (8) Anaheim-Detroit breezed into the second round playing a Columbus team that was inexperienced and really just happy to have made the playoffs. Detroit crushed the young Blue Jacket team. Columbus rallied a bit in game 4 but it was all Detroit. I missed the San Jose prediction but I did say that if one of the number 1 seeds were to fall it would be the Sharks. Anaheim was the worst opponent for San Jose due to all of the home games San Jose had, Anaheim won the most. Anaheim silenced the loud crowd of the shark tank with stellar goalie play from Jonas Hiller and wing Bobby Ryan. Detroit lead the series in the season 3-1 with one win coming close. I can definitely see Anaheim winning a few games but I don't see them winning the series.Verdict-Detroit still has too many weapons for Hiller to handle, the Red Wings will score eventually, Redwings in 6.

(3)Vancouver vs (4)Chicago-As I write this game one has just wrapped up with Vancouver taking the first game at home. Vancouver had a similar route like Detroit with the Canucks sweeping St. Louis. Their success can be measured due to goalie Roberto Luongo. Vancouver and Chicago split the season 2 games a piece. Chicago delt with Calgary well winning in 6 as expected and I expect a similar series from the Black Hawks against another decent Canadian opponent. Vancouver is a stronger team than Calgary however. Verdict-This series could easily go to 7 games but the inexperienced Hawks could slip early and not recover. Vancouver in 7

photo courtesy of Bill Kostroun

Playoff time!

April means for some that baseball has started but for others its the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 16 teams will enter but only one will hoist the famed trophy. So I'll lay down my predictions for the first round.

Eastern Conference

(1)Boston vs (8) Montreal- Boston won the season series 6 games to 2 and Boston was the first team to break 100 points as well. It doesn't help the Habs that Boston has nearly twice as few losses as them. Montreal barely made the playoffs and with a 4 game losing streak are in a dead skid while Boston has coasted the past month. At the time of this article Boston has taken the first game 4-2. Verdict- Sweep, Boston can easily take this in 4 games and they will.

(2)Washington vs (7) New York R- The Rangers axed their coach about 2 months back after seemingly collapsing from the top of the East. Rangers had a great start but fizzled due to injuries around January. Washington owns the season series 3-1 but the games were close. The Rangers have taken the first game in surprising fashion. Thanks to the goal tending of Henrik Lundqvist the Rangers held star Alexander Ovechkin and co off to win. The air around the Caps though is calm. Verdict- Rangers can win but not this series, the Capitals in 6.

(3) New Jersey vs (6) Carolina- On paper this was the worst opponent the Devils could get. The Hurricanes own the series 3-1 and were on a roll into the playoffs despite dropping the last two games of the season. Yet the Devils took the first game with no trouble. Goals by captain Jamie Lagenbrunner and others stopped the Canes 4-1. Carolina answered right back earlier tonite with an overtime victory with Tim Gleason scoring the game winner. Verdict- This one is gonna come down to the wire, The Hurricanes in 7.

(4) Pittsburgh vs (5) Philadelphia- Ah the old Pennsylvania rivalry. Pittsburgh with its stars facing off against it's in state rival should provide for some great games. The Penguins lead the season with a 4-2 record. Phily unfortunately is now in a hole. They've dropped the 1st two games of the series and now need to bounce back at home on Sunday. Verdict-Pitt is too strong for Phily to contend with, Penguins in 6.

Western Conference

(1) San Jose vs (8) Anaheim- San Jose owned the west and even earned the President's Trophy. Drawing rival Anaheim assures the first all California series since 1969. San Jose with Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi anchor the first line and hopes the loud home ice advantage of the Shark Tank will propel them towards the Stanley cup. Anaheim, 2007 Stanley Cup Champs, are 7-2-1 their last ten games including a win at the Shark Tank. Anaheim stunned the San Jose crowd in the first game with a 2-0 win. Verdict-Unlike other playoffs, in hockey it is not uncommon that an 8 seed can knock off a 1 seed. This could happen but San Jose should hold their own with the home ice advantage, San Jose in 6.

(2)Detroit vs (7) Columbus- Detroit has rocked all year. The team is stacked with Zetterberg, Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Pavel Datsyuk. The team won 50 games this season for the 4th year in a row. Columbus is an underdog. This is their first postseason appearance ever. To be fair the team isn't even 10 years old but still. Their goalie Steve Mason has carried the load the whole season combined with smart play from the whole team. The only chance Colubus has realistically is to play every game perfect. So far that hasn't happened, they dropped game one 4-1. Verdict-No need for a bailout in Hockey Town, Detroit in 5.

(3) Vancouver vs (6) St. Louis- The Canuks had a stretch where they only lost 7 games in regulation. Having star goalie Roberto Luongo helps too. Vancouver had to hold off a stubborn Calgary much of the last have of the regular season. Thus the team is ready for the playoffs. St. Louis had been hit with injuries the whole season. There also young, four of their top scorers are under 26. This team kicked into gear at the perfect time to just get into the playoffs. Experience has shown, St.Louis is down 2 games in the series. Verdict-St.Louis has a bright future but not right now, Vancouver in 5.

(4) Chicago vs (5)Calgary- Chicago is returning after a 7 year absence of the playoffs. This team is lead by forwards Johnathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, and Martin Havlat. Combine that with the wall that is Nikolai Khabibulin and you have yourself a dark horse in the west. Calgary has experience on their side. Anchored by Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla and NHL leading goalie Mikka Kiprusoff and you have a decent playoff match up. Verdict-Chicago just has more weapons offensively, Hawks in 6.

Check in when the 2nd round is about to take off for my analysis. 

image credited to Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press

When we last left the NHL

Nick Russ here to report on the events of hockey. Normally in the world of sports a visit to your championship is good in terms of job security as a coach. Even if you lose your championship they want you back to finally get the final push. Apparently in hockey this is not the case. The Pittsburgh Penguins who are the current defending Eastern conference champs fired coach Michel Therrien. Pittsburgh despite its talent with Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin the Penguins find themselves struggling at 4th in the Atlantic. They sit on the outside looking in, if the season ended now Pitt would miss the playoffs. The Penguins have gone 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Some of those wins came against the Rangers and San Jose yet they dropped games against Toronto. Firing their coach has come off as a drastic move as we are now about two months away from the playoffs. Pittsburgh has Montreal tonight and rival Philadelphia on Saturday. 

One of the hottest teams on the ice right now has to be the Washington Capitals. Winning seven of their last ten against teams like New Jersey and the Rangers and twice against division contending Florida. Powered by Alexander Ovechkin and the defensive efforts of Mike Green, Washington is starting to stake its claim as one of the best in the East. Washington has some true tests down the road for them with a still dangerous Pittsburgh followed by the Flyers. The last of their home game stretch ends with Atlanta before visiting Boston to wrap up the month.

Out west Detroit continues with their impressive season. They kicked off February with a 6 game winning streak. However they had a hick up with games against Columbus and a shoot out with dismal Colorado. Detroit keeps winning yet the teams they are beating are not exactly blue chip caliber. Some of their wins came at the expense of Nashville, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Phoenix all but Minnesota are bellow 500. and most are at or near the bottom of their divisions. The only real threat on the radar for Detroit is San Jose next week but they can't take it easy with their opponents due to the fact that Chicago has kept up with Detroit. 

That'll do it for this time hockey fans!

Image courtesy of Haraz N. Ghanbari

The Beginning of the Season

As I discussed last week, after an offseason that saw no testing at NASCAR sanctioned tracks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is getting ready for the first race of the 2009 season. Now although it is a non-points event, the Budweiser Shootout is one of the most anticipated races of each NASCAR season. It is a chance for drivers to let it all hang out in a bid for the glory of victory (and the lion's share of a 1.2 million dollar purse).
From the inaugural Busch Clash in 1979 to the Budweiser Shootout in 2008, this has been a race for the drivers who won a pole position in the previous season. 2009 will be different as the Shootout has become a race between drivers representing the four manufacturers that race in Sprint Cup. The top six cars in 2008 Owner Points from Chevrolet,Ford, Dodge, and Toyota are joined by a "wild card" from each make which is either the most recent Series Champion or seventh highest points finisher from the 2008 season. This has caused the starting lineup to swell to an event record of 28 cars, which beats the previous record of 23 cars that took the green flag for last year's Budweiser Shootout. On Thursday night the field was set by a drawing and saw Paul Menard select the pole for his first race in a Yates Racing Ford. Elliot Sadler joins Menard on the front row in a Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports.
It should be a wild race with a lot of excitement and perhaps a few fireworks. However, this race is merely a prelude to the 51st edition of the Daytona 500 to be run a week from Sunday. Join me next week for a preview of "The Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing!"

The month of January

As the NFL packs away its pads for the next seven and half months, you might ask your self what now? How bout some Hockey! Last month kicked off things in grand fashion for the Hockey league with the playing of the now traditional winter classic. Pitting central division rivals Detroit and Chicago against each other, saw the home town Blackhawks jump out to the early lead in front of a national audience at historic Wrigley Field. After both teams entered the ice, crossing home plate bye the way, the game got under way. The Hawks jumped out to the early lead with a goal roughly 3 minutes in by Kris Versteeg but it was evened up with a Detroit goal from Mikael Samuelsson. Martin Havlat and Ben Eager would score before the end of the 1st for the Hawks. Detroit took over the next period with two goals from Jiri Hudler and Pavel Datsyuk to erase the Chicago lead. In the third Brian Rafalski nailed the dagger for Detroit and Brett Lebda threw the salt to push Detroit's lead to three. Duncan Keith managed to score one last goal for the Hawks with ten seconds to go to give the final of 6-4 for the defending Stanley cup champs. Although they lost the game the Hawks continue to pursue the Redwings behind by about ten points but are currently battling to be number 3 in the western conference. Looking ahead they have two crucial games coming up on the road, one tonight against Calgary; ranked 3rd in the conference, and one at Vancouver. Detroit started off after the classic with a great 4 game win streak they followed with a tough loss against League leading San Jose. Detroit faces off with an Edmonton team trying to find their way into the top eight before visiting Pittsburgh.

The New York Rangers started off as one of the best teams, now they have slipped out of 1st in the Atlantic. This is more to the play of the New Jersey Devils who rattled off an eight game win streak last month. The Devils scored huge wins over Pittsburgh, Montreal, and league leading Boston. The Devils have Atlanta and Los Angeles before a huge game against the Rangers. The Rangers are out of first but only by a mere 4 points or two wins. 

Boston has vaulted itself to be the top team in the NHL. Boston stands with 82 points something that San Jose thought would be obtaining first. Boston road a ten game win streak right into 2009 and followed with wins over Pittsburgh, Montreal, and Toronto. Next week the Bruins have two important games that should be a great test. One game at home against the best of the west San Jose. Then they visit New Jersey.  That'll do it for me until next time Ice fans.

Super Bowl XLIII

And so we come to the grand stage. Arizona, the underdog through out the entire postseason has won over people across the nation. Pittsburgh, the old guard looking for their sixth Super Bowl victory a feat that has not been accomplished in the Super Bowl era. These two teams will meet tonight in the pursuit of adding their names to the history of this sport. 

Arizona handled the Eagles well and proved that they belong in this game. The key for Arizona will be their offense. The Cardinals need to test the Steelers defense on every play to succeed. Using running backs Tim Hightower and Edgerin James early will help draw up the powerful safeties of Pittsburgh. Doing this will help free up receivers Larry Fitzgerald and the now healthy Anquan Boldin. Play action will be key for Kurt Warner as the pass rush will be fierce all night. On Defense the Cards will have a work load tonight. Quarter back Ben Roethlessberger will have an easier time with Arizona's defense. While Arizona has a decent run defense they allow 221 yards in the air. Arizona has to blitz Roethlessberger consistently and they will have to lock down recievers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes and others as well. Arizona should be able to contain Steelers running back Willie Parker but he is a big gain threat, they will have to watch him.

Pittsburgh has as much offense as Arizona but the Cards can answer their onslaught. The Steelers will have to fall back on their battle tested defense. Blitzing and rushing the Arizona offense will keep them guessing. Roethlissberger MUST avoid interceptions against this defense. Through out the playoffs the Cardinals managed to win their games using quick blitzes that threw off the QB's timing and left balls up for grabs. Willie Parker's success against Arizona will be pivotal for the Steelers offense. Running the ball will wear down the Cardinals front eight. The Steelers cant just rely on passing not knowing how Hines Ward's knee will affect his performance.

I predict that this will be an offensive game early on with a lot of back and forth action. In the second half expect Pittsburgh to start to pull away. It has been an amazing ride for Arizona but they wont pull off this one. Steelers 31-Arizona 23.

 

Offseason Almost Over

As many of us take a look out the window we see conditions outside that could make us think that nicer weather will never come. However, for some of us this is a sign that racing season is just around the corner. In fact it has never really ended for some people with indoor races and races contested in Australia and New Zealand, where it is currently summer.
I was lucky enough to attend the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the second year in a row. For those of you who love racing ,and midget racing in particular, the Chili Bowl is truly a sight to behold as they are able to have a trade show, room for about 290 cars, a quarter-mile dirt track, AND about 15,000 seats under the big roof at the Tulsa Expo Center! It is absolutely a must see event in the world of racing. I was in attendance for the last three nights of the five-night affair and saw Tony Stewart Racing's Tracy Hines take Thursday night action and 2008 USAC Sprint and Silver Crown champion Jerry Coons Jr. was the Friday night winner. After a long day of racing on Saturday afternoon and evening, Sammy Swindell ,in a radical looking car, took his fifth Chili Bowl A-Main in the 23rd running of the event.

Sammy Swindell (1) passes Tracy Hines on the way to victory at the Chili Bowl (photo by Sean Mizell)

It has been a Winter of Discontent for many in North Carolina as the economy has hit NASCAR teams hard. Layoffs have been the common theme down south and no team has been safe from them as even the big teams like Hendrick Motorsports have had to make cuts. The economy has also caused some teams like Bill Davis Racing look like they won't be able to answer the Sprint Cup bell. Now new teams are beginning to pop up like Tommy Baldwin Racing, Nemco Motorsports, and a team spearheaded by former driver and current announcer Phil Parsons in an attempt to fill the fields that could potentially be short this season.
Many questions will be answered next week when things kick off at Daytona International Speedway a week from Saturday night with the Budweiser Shootout. Be sure to check in next week for a preview of the goings on in Florida!

Divisional Week

Russ here with your NFL Recap. And then there were 4. Arizona is proving they belong. In my last blog I stated that turnovers will kill your chances in the playoffs. Carolina proves that. The Panthers allowed 6 turnovers. All can be credited to Jake Delhomme with 5 interceptions and a fumble that accounted to 23 of Arizona's points in their 33-13 win. Kurt Warner had two touch downs in the air connecting to Larry Fitzgerald and Tim Hightower. Hightower led the Cards in rushing with 76 yards on 14 carries with Edgerin James rolling for 57 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Neil Rackers managed to make 4 field goals to destroy Carolina. The panthers never got off the ground people scoring the first and last touchdowns in the game. With only 20 minutes of time of possession and only converting 2 third downs the panthers had no chance. 

The other game was set up to be a must see event. The Giants and Eagles didn't disappoint. It was a tale of two quarterbacks with Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb. Numerous opportunites were wasted on New York with the howling wind factoring into Eli's throws as he missed a couple of wide open receivers that could have easily scored. McNabb took matters into his own hands by even rushing for a touchdown. He would later hook up with Brent Celek for a 1 yard touchdown pass to seal it for the Eagles.

Both teams are hot heading into the NFC championship game. Arizona is 6-2 at home with Phily struggling on the road. However this playoffs have proven that home field means nothing. The Eagles are putting away the fact that they destroyed Arizona on Thanksgiving as they believe the Cards have changed so much and they have. Time of possession will be the key for the Eagles so they can keep Kurt Warner and the Cardinals offense on the sidelines. Running back Brian Westbrook will be getting a lot of carries to help with time and to limit any potential interceptions which have been critical to Arizona's success. The Cardinals will be able to add receiver Anquan Boldin after sitting out with a hamstring injury. The Eagles defense will have the twin running back attack of Edgerin James and Tim Hightower to contain. The Cardinals running game will open up their passing game. The Eagles will have to pressure Warner all game, the same goes to the Cards and McNabb. Truly this game will be Arizona's offense vs The Eagles defense.

Over in the AFC Baltimore, Tennessee was as good as I thought it would be. Immovable objects meet early early this year with Tennessee walking away the victor. Both teams swapped touchdowns early with Chris Johnson scampering on a 8 yard touchdown run while Baltimore answered late in the first with a Joe Flacco 48 yard bomb to Derrick Mason. From there it was all about defense as expected. Tennessee shot themselves in the foot turning the ball over 3 times in Ravens territory killing long drives. Matt Stover started off the 4th with a field goal to put Baltimore ahead. Rob Bironas of Tennessee answered with 4:26 left. Baltimore's Matt Stover kicked a 43 yard field goal to win the game. Flacco became the first rookie to win two playoff games with his game managing.

The Chargers simply were out gunned by the Pittsburgh offense. Philip Rivers out threw Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger by almost 200 yards but the Steelers had Willie Parker rushing for 142 yards with two touchdowns. The Steelers now face the Ravens for the third time this year. Much like the Titans Ravens game this will be a low scoring affair with both defenses trying to score. The Steelers will capitalize with their offense as they have more weapons. Ravens are going to pressure Roethliessberger all day to have any success at take away's. 

My  predictions are The Eagles over the Cardinals and Steelers over Ravens

Image courtesy of Kevin C. Cox

Wild Card Week

Russ here with your recap of the Wild Card weekend. 

After just barely getting into the playoffs the Chargers weren't expected to deliver much. Playing like a team with nothing to lose the Chargers managed to pull out a win in Overtime. The Bolts can hang their win on the play of Darren Sproles. In a story fitting a playoff game, the Chargers had to do without one of their marque players in Ladainian Tomlinison. The lingering injury sidelined the running back at about half way in the third leaving only 5 carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. Sproles was unstoppable. Rushing for 105 yards on 22 carries for 2 touchdowns including the game winner in OT. Not only did he hurt them running the ball but also returning the ball for 178 yards on punts and kick offs. The Colts entered the game on a 9 win streak but couldn't answer with a run game of their own. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for just 56 yards. Thus the offense was left up to AP MVP Peyton Manning. Manning threw the ball 310 yards on 25 out of 42 passes with a touchdown to Reggie Wayne. The TD to Wayne seemed like it would lock it up for the Colts but Philip Rivers led his team down the field to allow Nate Kaeding to kick the 26 yard field goal to send it into extra. Credit could also go to Chargers punter Mike Scifres whose punts averaged 52.7 yards kept Manning pinned deep in his own territory most of the game. San Diego has won five straight and now heads on the road to Pittsburgh where they will be without Ladainian Tomlinson. 

After proving early in the season that they were a contender Baltimore hit a skid into the playoffs. The Ravens shrugged it off by easily handling the Dolphins 27-9. The story here was Defense and it was all over. Ravens safety Ed Reed made it seem like Baltimore had 13 men out on the field. The Defense forced 5 turnovers and sacked QB Chad Pennington 3 times and was in his face all day. Reed had 2 picks including one for a touchdown to put Miami in their mirror. Rookie QB Joe Flacco wasn't stellar throwing just 9 of 23 for 135 yards but made no errors. And in the playoffs error free+ capitalizing on the other guys mistakes= victory and with it he becomes only the third rookie to win his first playoff game. Like Indianapolis, Miami was plagued by poor field positioning starting their first few possessions on their 20 yard line and converted on 2 of 11 on third downs. Baltimore visits Tennessee this week in what has shaped up as the highlight of this weekend. It will be a low scoring affair to be sure as it was earlier this year. The winner is gonna be the one who can take advantage of miscues first.

I'll admit I was wrong picking against Arizona. Arizona was struggling heading into the playoffs but managed to rally in the second half. The defense picked off rookie Matt Ryan twice and limited running back Michael Turner to just 42 yards. 14 of the Cards 30 points came off of Atlanta turnovers. Arizona's win is their first home playoff victory since 1949. Back then they were still the Chicago Cardinals. It has been a fun ride but Kurt Warner and company will probably run out of steam as they visit Carolina this week.

The Eagles Vikings game was a sloppy one. Both defenses stopped the rushing attacks of each other. Truly the game could be broke up into a few plays that mattered. The key play came from Eagles running back Brian Westbrook who broke a screen pass run for a 71 yard touchdown and they never looked back. This Sunday marks the rubber match between New York and Phily who split the season a game a piece.

This week I'll pick New York to beat the Eagles

Carolina to end the story book year in Arizona

The Steelers over San Diego

And my game of the week Baltimore over the Titans

image courtesy of Jeff Gross

Season Recap

With the playoffs in full swing its always fun to look back and see how we got here. I'll go ahead and kick off my season recap with my first award to Best up and coming team. 

Runner up Tampa Bay- The Bucs just missed the playoffs and held a respectable 9-7 record. However they lost all 4 games in the month of December and allowed the Falcons to sweep in to the wild card. Yet the Bucs started the season 6-3 by the bye week and included a 27-3 romp over eventual number 2 seed Carolina. Really what didn't help the Bucs was nagging injuries all year to QBs and both Starting running backs. Tampa Bay will be force next year I predict a playoff appearance for them.

Runner up- New England. Heading into this season New England fans couldn't realistically expected another perfect season. However the gasps filled Gillette stadium once the crowd saw future hall of famer Tom Brady on the ground clutching his knee. Immediately it became a question of what now. Matt Cassel showed the potential that this team has with out Brady. Just missing the playoffs despite winning their last 4. I predict them to win the division next year.

Winner- New Orleans finished 8-8 and did so without Reggie Bush most of the season. Drew Brees showed his stuff and won himself the offensive player of the year award. Factor in the Saints were the most scoring offense in the league and led in most total yards. The only hang up with them is their defense and they'll be shopping for a new coordinator soon. 

Where did they go?- Teams that got off to a great start but disappeared in the end

Runner up- Washington- Redskins started 6-3 by week 10 and were poised to challenge New York but an injury to top running back Clinton Portis really hurt the Redskins down the stretch.

Runner up- Tampa Bay just like Washington it looked as though the Bucs were a sure thing for January. But being bit by the injury bug limited their offense.

Winner- Buffalo- The Bills had their best start in over ten years winning their first 6 games. The Bills were turning as much heads as the Titans early on but going winless in the division killed them.

Most Disappointing team- Teams with the great seasons last year that couldn't repeat the same result this year.

Runner up- Jacksonville-Last year The Jags won a playoff game and gave the Patriots a good game in the next post season game. This year they went 5-11 and looked nothing like last years team. 

Runner up- Green Bay- Following Brett Favre is a hard act but he took the team to the NFC championship last season and the Pack followed it up with a 6 win season this year. 

Winner Dallas- This was the Cowboys year to make it back to the super bowl. After a decent finish last year they were poised as the favorite for the NFC to win. But internal bickering and injuries turned Americas team into a mediocre 9-7 team.

My MVP- Adrian Peterson. All Day had a great year. He rushed for over 1700 yards and had averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Without a decent passing game Peterson helped carried the Vikings into the postseason.

My Rookie of the year- Matt Ryan. In a town that first went threw Michael Vick last year. Then in the middle of the night their coach splits for Arkansas U after promising to stay. Matt Ryan seemed like he came from above. He actually came from Boston College. Ryan helped the town get over all of their trouble with Vick and their runaway coach. Sure Joe Flacco has had similar success but Matt Ryan had to start with nothing.

My Coach of the year- Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. It would be easy to factor in Jeff Fisher for taking his team undefeated for half a season but his team stumbled a bit in the end. Atlanta coach Mike Smith inherited a mess in Atlanta and brought them to the post season but Sparano took a team that had only 1 win last season to the division title. 

Image courtesy of Donald Miralle 

Week 17 Final Week

Happy New Year and here's your final week recap. What was supposed to be an epic end of the season game turned into a one sided affair. Despite Jay Cutler out throwing San Diego QB Philip Rivers by over hundred yards, the Chargers out scored Denver 52-21. San Diego was an offensive machine scoring on 6 of their first 7 drives and only punting once, with 57 seconds left in the third. The story of the game was Ladamian Tomlinson. LT had 3 touchdowns on 14 carries for 96 yards. A total of 3 Chargers rushers had touchdowns totaling 5 on the ground. Rivers connected with Tight End Brandon Manumaleuna and running back Darren Sproles for touch downs. The result is a few firsts; The Chargers become the first team to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record since the 1985 Browns, Denver becomes the first team since division play began in 67 to blow a 3 game lead with 3 weeks left in the season. And as a result coach Mike Shanahan got the ax. San Diego won the division which means they will host the Colts tomorrow night and LT might not be there. Tomlinson suffered a strained abdominal during the game and is questionable. The Chargers fought hard and Denver's blundering allowed them to turn around an almost disastrous season but it will probably end against Indy.

As impressive Matt Cassel has been he still is not Tom Brady. For the first time in 5 consecutive seasons the Patriots will miss the playoffs. It was a windy game that saw the goal post actually get blown off into an angle prompting an in game adjustment. The Pats have won 16 of their last 17 against Buffalo including the past 11 straight games but it wasn't enough to reach postseason. New England needed either a loss from Baltimore or Miami and a win to reach the playoffs but the Ravens and Dolphins both were victorious. Miami clinches the division creating the greatest one year turn around in what I think is ever. Last year they had just one win! Now they host Baltimore who stumbled into the playoffs after seemingly challenging Pittsburgh for their division. 

In the NFC Drama filled Dallas may finally have some relief to their problems. Dallas missed the playoffs in dismal fashion by being destroyed by the Eagles 44-6. The Eagles forced 5 Dallas turnovers and scored back to back on two of them. All of the turnovers led to Philadelphia points. The Eagles make an unexpected rally to the playoffs thanks in part to Houston beating Chicago, and Oakland upsetting Tampa Bay. Tampa missing the playoffs is a bit of a disappointment as they were considered a preseason favorite. Chicago on the other hand over achieved since they were predicted to be a 5 win team and in the end won 9 games. The Eagles will visit Minnesota on Sunday. 

Many question if Arizona deserved their playoff spot. They've won only two of their last 5 games and all their losses were seemingly blowouts. There is even a threat to black out the home TV market from their first home playoff game in 60 years.

For my last regular season picks I went 1-3 making my grand total 25-27

My playoff picks will be Atlanta over the Cardinals

The Ravens over Miami

The Colts over San Diego

And The Vikings over the Eagles 

Check back as I'll have a year in review along with my awards

photo courtesy of Jeff Gross