Thursday, October 28, 2010
Update to the Update- October 28
So, I think I'm officially back to posting here for when I get the fancy to talk about video games/life. bitmob.com just wasn't doing it for me because I'd rather write review/news/experience stuff rather than the list type things they do. It's a great site, just not for me. I'm still pretty heavily invested in bleacher report though so this blog won't be updated as much as I would maybe like, but I'm going to try and write about games at least once a week as long as I have something to talk about. Of course, this is more for me to talk about cool things for fun than for people to look at them, but I plan to have some fun with this. Anyways, enough about that, expect a new post about Fallout 3 this weekend because I've been playing the crap out of that as of late.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Blog Update - October 16
So, lately I've been doing a lot of writing on bleacherreport.com because it provides a bigger audience than this blog and thought that maybe I'd just stick to writing about games on this blog. However, I just found a new website, bitmob.com that basically does the same thing bleacherreport does, but for video games. Since I'm going to posting a lot on both of those sites it's going to be difficult to find time to do both those and post on this blog. I think what's going to happen is I'll use this to post random thoughts and then try to post up links to bitmob and bleacherreport for any easy way to keep up with both. If I can think of another way to use this I will, but for now just expect the number of posts to go down a lot and just be a source to post links to stuff and maybe some thinks I don't want to post on the other two sites. Anyways, this is mostly for myself because it's not like I've put enough time in this to get any followers, but for now this is the end of my blog in it's current form. It was a short, but fun run. It will still serve it's purpose, just not near as often as it did before.
See ya next time. Some time, same place....actually now it's probably going to be a different place.
See ya next time. Some time, same place....actually now it's probably going to be a different place.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday Minecraft - October 11
Since I've started publishing articles on Bleacher Report I've had trouble finding time to do much else besides that so that's why this is a day late. Anyways, I haven't been playing Minecraft because of how unreliable my computer's been lately. Hopefully I'll get my new computer in a few weeks and be able to start playing before the Halloween Update.
Speaking of which I'm pretty excited for that to hit the public. The only thing that doesn't look cool is that Notch is going to make torches run out after some time. While this makes the game more realistic, but I use torches to tell me where I've been and I also like to carve out huge 30X30 strip mines. If I lose all my torches then it will be difficult to know exactly where I've been. Hopefully lanterns will be fairly easy to make, but we won't know for sure until it launches.
I'm really looking forward to this new "realm" that lets you travel quickly in the real world by braving this new ruthless realm. On his blog Notch posted a screen shot of the realm and it looks fairly scary, which seems to be what he's going for in this new update.
Notch has also said he's going to make new enemies that are actually difficult this time around and make it to where you need more light as you dig deeper to keep the baddies from coming. This should make the game even more interesting because right now the only enemy that even presents a tad bit of challenge is the skeleton. These guys aren't too tough, but if they get the jump on you they can do quite a bit of a challenge. I've seen on his Twitter that he has made a new enemy that we will all hate...which basically means I can't wait.
He's also said that he's going to include fish so you finally have a reason to use that fishing pole. I'm not really sure what he plans to do once you catch the fish, but I assume eating it is logical. He's also including a watch that helps you tell time, which I kind of don't see being that big of deal, and biomes, which basically means the weather will change, a cool cosmetic upgrade. Finally, it seems we're pumpkins, which is alright, but not that cool...and possibly some new block types. I'm hoping for something stronger than Diamond to be in there.
Well, that's all for now. See ya later. Some time, same place.
Speaking of which I'm pretty excited for that to hit the public. The only thing that doesn't look cool is that Notch is going to make torches run out after some time. While this makes the game more realistic, but I use torches to tell me where I've been and I also like to carve out huge 30X30 strip mines. If I lose all my torches then it will be difficult to know exactly where I've been. Hopefully lanterns will be fairly easy to make, but we won't know for sure until it launches.
I'm really looking forward to this new "realm" that lets you travel quickly in the real world by braving this new ruthless realm. On his blog Notch posted a screen shot of the realm and it looks fairly scary, which seems to be what he's going for in this new update.
Notch has also said he's going to make new enemies that are actually difficult this time around and make it to where you need more light as you dig deeper to keep the baddies from coming. This should make the game even more interesting because right now the only enemy that even presents a tad bit of challenge is the skeleton. These guys aren't too tough, but if they get the jump on you they can do quite a bit of a challenge. I've seen on his Twitter that he has made a new enemy that we will all hate...which basically means I can't wait.
He's also said that he's going to include fish so you finally have a reason to use that fishing pole. I'm not really sure what he plans to do once you catch the fish, but I assume eating it is logical. He's also including a watch that helps you tell time, which I kind of don't see being that big of deal, and biomes, which basically means the weather will change, a cool cosmetic upgrade. Finally, it seems we're pumpkins, which is alright, but not that cool...and possibly some new block types. I'm hoping for something stronger than Diamond to be in there.
Well, that's all for now. See ya later. Some time, same place.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday Stats - October 10
Another week, another shake up in my Heisman rankings this week. Some big teams lost and some hopefuls had less than stellar weeks. So, without further adieu let's get down to it, here's my Week 6 Heisman Rankings:
Honorable Mentions: Taylor Martinez, Justin Blackmon, Ryan Mallet, Andrew Luck
5) LaMichael James RB, Oregon- 848 yards rushing, 9 TDs- James had another electrifying week, but it was against Washington State. Because of that I almost gave this space to one of the three QBs in the honorable mention section, but decided to stick with James because he did have a three TD day and almost had 100 yards rushing and receiving.
4) Kellen Moore QB Boise State- 1336 yards passing, 14 TDs- If Moore wasn't undefeated he'd be off this list, no doubt about it in my mind because he just hasn't played the level of competition as Mallet and Luck. However, until he has a bad game or Boise loses he'll remain on the list, but won't be ranked too high.
3) Cam Newton QB Auburn- 1138 yards passing 12 TDs, 672 yards rushing, 8 TDs. I cannot ignore Cam Newton any longer after he rushed for four TDs and almost 200 yards rushing against Kentucky. He's like a poor man's Denard Robinson, but bigger. He plays in the SEC so it's going to be hard for him to stay undefeated, but for now he's here to stay.
2) Denard Robinson QB Michigan- 1223 yards passing, 8 TDs, 991 yards rushing 9 TDs. I knew this was going to happen, I could just feel it in my bones that Michigan would lose and Robinson would have a bad game. That said, he's still in this race and isn't done by a long shot. He may of thrown for 3 INTs this week, but he did have 2 TDs so it wasn't a terrible week for him. He has some work to do next week to regain his spot at the top of the charts.
1) Terrelle Pryor QB Ohio State- 1349 yards passing 15 TDs, 354 yards rushing, 3 TDS. The Buckeyes are going to be number one in the polls and they have an elite passer in Pryor. This past week he turned in his greatest performance ever through the air and as the season goes on he just keeps having big games. If he can have a solid performance against Wisconsin next week he could put a lot of space between him and the competition.
Well, that's all for today. See ya later. Some time, same place.
Honorable Mentions: Taylor Martinez, Justin Blackmon, Ryan Mallet, Andrew Luck
5) LaMichael James RB, Oregon- 848 yards rushing, 9 TDs- James had another electrifying week, but it was against Washington State. Because of that I almost gave this space to one of the three QBs in the honorable mention section, but decided to stick with James because he did have a three TD day and almost had 100 yards rushing and receiving.
4) Kellen Moore QB Boise State- 1336 yards passing, 14 TDs- If Moore wasn't undefeated he'd be off this list, no doubt about it in my mind because he just hasn't played the level of competition as Mallet and Luck. However, until he has a bad game or Boise loses he'll remain on the list, but won't be ranked too high.
3) Cam Newton QB Auburn- 1138 yards passing 12 TDs, 672 yards rushing, 8 TDs. I cannot ignore Cam Newton any longer after he rushed for four TDs and almost 200 yards rushing against Kentucky. He's like a poor man's Denard Robinson, but bigger. He plays in the SEC so it's going to be hard for him to stay undefeated, but for now he's here to stay.
2) Denard Robinson QB Michigan- 1223 yards passing, 8 TDs, 991 yards rushing 9 TDs. I knew this was going to happen, I could just feel it in my bones that Michigan would lose and Robinson would have a bad game. That said, he's still in this race and isn't done by a long shot. He may of thrown for 3 INTs this week, but he did have 2 TDs so it wasn't a terrible week for him. He has some work to do next week to regain his spot at the top of the charts.
1) Terrelle Pryor QB Ohio State- 1349 yards passing 15 TDs, 354 yards rushing, 3 TDS. The Buckeyes are going to be number one in the polls and they have an elite passer in Pryor. This past week he turned in his greatest performance ever through the air and as the season goes on he just keeps having big games. If he can have a solid performance against Wisconsin next week he could put a lot of space between him and the competition.
Well, that's all for today. See ya later. Some time, same place.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Saturday Shorts - October 9
Lots of big games happened today in the NCAA and I decided to skip going to the gym and eating dinner in order to watch them all. Here's my analysis of the games I watched and the games I only kind of watched.
Lets start with the big one, 19th ranked South Carolina came out and beat the defending champs, Alabama. When I flipped over to this game and saw that the Gamecocks were up 21-3 my jaw hit the floor. S. Carolina's Garcia was super accurate and went 17-20 for 201 yards and 3 TDs. I'd never heard of this guy before this game, but man did he play great early and then keep playing well enough to win the game. The biggest surprise though was that the 'Cocks held the Tide's running game to a measly 36 yards. Let me say that again...36 yards! Now that number is a bit warped because of McElroy having -28 yards rushing but, this is the same team that was dominating teams with their running game and had the defending Heisman Trophy winner in Mark Ingram. He only had 41 yards on 11 carries, that is just ridiculous. I'm not a Bama fan, but I was hoping they would just go undefeated and play Ohio State for the 'ship so we could stay away from the Boise controversy. Not because I don't want a play-off, but because I'm tired of hearing about it. Hats off to the Gamecocks though, they played a great game and did what I didn't think anybody could do.
Up next is the game that could kill Denard Robinson's Heisman hopes. Michigan State came into the Big House and dominated Michigan. This is what I was worried about two weeks ago when I posted my Heisman Watch, but last week did something to take those concerns away, but now I'm right back there. Robinson still had decent numbers outside of 3 costly picks, but with this game on national TV his chances could be hurt a lot especially with Terrelle Pyror playing so well today.
LSU and Florida had a really good game that went down to the wire. LSU won in the closing seconds with a big drive that had a sweet fake field goal in it. This was the game of the week for me just because of how great the ending was. LSU seems to of found some of an offense, but with how well it's D is playing it might not need a great offense.
The final game I watched that was excited was the Arkansas A&M game. Ryan Mallet did some good work in trying to erase that Bama game from people's minds, but I'm not positive he's done enough yet. This was a good win for the Razorbacks and could hurt the Big 12 as a whole. This A&M team is going to be a tough out and if they can sneak out a win against someone like OU that could hurt their chances to go to the 'ship because A&M has two loses. That's all speculative of course, but I don't think anyone in the Big is unbeatable so this does seem like it's shaping up to be the actual year that a non-BCS school is going to play for a championship.
I'm going to save my Heisman Watch for tomorrow so I can wait to get my stats right, so see ya next time. Some time, same place.
Lets start with the big one, 19th ranked South Carolina came out and beat the defending champs, Alabama. When I flipped over to this game and saw that the Gamecocks were up 21-3 my jaw hit the floor. S. Carolina's Garcia was super accurate and went 17-20 for 201 yards and 3 TDs. I'd never heard of this guy before this game, but man did he play great early and then keep playing well enough to win the game. The biggest surprise though was that the 'Cocks held the Tide's running game to a measly 36 yards. Let me say that again...36 yards! Now that number is a bit warped because of McElroy having -28 yards rushing but, this is the same team that was dominating teams with their running game and had the defending Heisman Trophy winner in Mark Ingram. He only had 41 yards on 11 carries, that is just ridiculous. I'm not a Bama fan, but I was hoping they would just go undefeated and play Ohio State for the 'ship so we could stay away from the Boise controversy. Not because I don't want a play-off, but because I'm tired of hearing about it. Hats off to the Gamecocks though, they played a great game and did what I didn't think anybody could do.
Up next is the game that could kill Denard Robinson's Heisman hopes. Michigan State came into the Big House and dominated Michigan. This is what I was worried about two weeks ago when I posted my Heisman Watch, but last week did something to take those concerns away, but now I'm right back there. Robinson still had decent numbers outside of 3 costly picks, but with this game on national TV his chances could be hurt a lot especially with Terrelle Pyror playing so well today.
LSU and Florida had a really good game that went down to the wire. LSU won in the closing seconds with a big drive that had a sweet fake field goal in it. This was the game of the week for me just because of how great the ending was. LSU seems to of found some of an offense, but with how well it's D is playing it might not need a great offense.
The final game I watched that was excited was the Arkansas A&M game. Ryan Mallet did some good work in trying to erase that Bama game from people's minds, but I'm not positive he's done enough yet. This was a good win for the Razorbacks and could hurt the Big 12 as a whole. This A&M team is going to be a tough out and if they can sneak out a win against someone like OU that could hurt their chances to go to the 'ship because A&M has two loses. That's all speculative of course, but I don't think anyone in the Big is unbeatable so this does seem like it's shaping up to be the actual year that a non-BCS school is going to play for a championship.
I'm going to save my Heisman Watch for tomorrow so I can wait to get my stats right, so see ya next time. Some time, same place.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday Night Lights - October 8
I'm going to try something different this week since my Oklahoma State Cowboys are on TV tonight and I'm going to do a live game reaction. This means that I'll watch the game and post updates as I see fit. (Note: I missed the first few minutes of the game because I was in the shower so this technically starts nine minutes into the first quarter).
1st quarter 9:00- Okay I missed the first few minutes, but here it goes. I saw that Dan Bailey hit a 52 yarder, which is a career long. I gotta say this guy is a stud.
1st quarter 8:08- Hate to see any player get hurt, even if its for the opposing team. It's not looking like Maurice Rolle is coming back in this game. Also excuse me if I get any of the Ragin; Cajuns names wrong...I'm not really familiar with their roster.
1st quarter 7:04- Man I wish Blackmon could have played this well when Dez was here...of course Dez would've needed to not get suspended last year. Blackmon already has nine TDs this year and he should get a few more this game, especially with how often their going to him early.
1st quarter 5:56- Three screens in a row? Hmm, I don't know if I agree with this strategy, but it could work since the Cajuns blitz so often....Update: 4 screens, I think I'm going to eat my words this is working well so far and really looks like it's going to hurt the Cajuns pass rush.
1st quarter 4:46- Oh my, Kendall Hunter is one of the best running backs in the game. I don't care that that play got called back because Chelf's hold had nothing to do with Hunter getting away from all those Cajuns in the back field...Just incredible.
1st quarter 4:40- There it is folks, Blackmon's first TD and probably not the last. By my count they threw Blackmon's way 5 times in this last drive and with how open he's getting I fully expect them to go his way even more. That was a great catch by the way, he wanted the ball badly on that play.
1st quarter 4:40- Update: The announcers just said it he caught 7 balls, not sure if that was just on that drive or overall, but still a mighty impressive 1st quarter.
1st quarter 3:52- Ouch, I fully thought Mason had the first down there, but he missed an open guy and it's 3 and out for the Cajuns.
1st quarter 3:45- Spoke to soon. Zach Craig got caught roughing the kicker. You just can't do that and now the Cajuns get another shot.
1st quarter 3:31- Finally Mason completes a pass, although the pressure almost got to him and it's still not looking too good for the Cajuns.
1st quarter 2:24- I love the shovel pass when it's used effectively and Aaron Spikes just ran it to perfection. Great play-call by the Cajuns.
1st quarter end- The Cajuns look like their at least going to get three points, but I expect they'll hit pay dirt and make this a 10-7 game early in the second quarter. Let's see what happens.
2nd quarter 13:14- Wow, I've been wondering since the Wildcat was invented when people were going to start using it in all goal line situations. I mean, think about it...you're basically running a QB sneak, but with someone who can actually run the ball. It just doesn't make sense to not put your running back behind the center and let him take a direct snap and punch it in. Hopefully this becomes the norm soon because it already should be. Anyway, real costly mistake by Craig, hopefully the Cowboys can answer.
2nd quarter 13:05- Welp, there's the beginning of an answer. What an electric return by Gilbert.
2nd quarter 12:04- Well, I was about to say you gotta love seeing those wide receivers blocking down the field, but it looks like they blocked a little too well and got called for a hold. Oh well.
2nd quarter 11:07- You just can't say enough about Justin Blackmon. That was a great catch that showed shades of Dez Bryant. In a year where there aren't too many great receivers Blackmon might be the best in the nation. For those scoring at home that's two TDs for Blackmon and a 10 point lead for the Cowboys.
2nd quarter 8:49- Mason is looking really good right now for the Cajuns and could keep them in the ball game if the Cowboys don't step it up on defense. Their pressure is just a few seconds late, but they need to get in there and hit him some to get him off his rhythm.
2nd quarter 7:38- It seems the Cowboys heard because the pass rush has gotten Mason off his game the past two plays and looks to of gotten the Cajuns out of scoring range.
2nd quarter 7:10- What the heck was Weeden thinking? That was way behind Blackmon and almost got taken to the house. You can't throw that ball...he looked like Brett Favre there.
2nd quarter 7:01- Terrible possession there, although there was a questionable no-call on that third down play.
2nd quarter 5:42- This seems to be the game of screens. I think about 75% of the play calls so far have been screens fro both teams...
2nd quarter 4:35- Jeez, you can't leave guys that open, I don't care how bad your competition is. This looks like it could be an actual game and OSU is going to have to step up if they want to win. It's now 17-14 Cowboys. Let's see if they can get some points before halftime.
2nd quarter 3:57- Crap, this is not looking good as the Cajuns just picked off a Weeden pass. I'm not going to put that on Weeden even though the stats will because he can't do anything about his man tipping a pass to the defender. Bad luck there and now the defense is in another hole and the Cajuns have major momentum.
2nd quarter 3:02- Great stop on third and short for the Cowboys. If I was the Cajuns I'd be going for it right now and it looks like they will. Good call on their coaches part.
2nd quarter 2:23- Wow, that was a generous spot, but I gotta give it up to the Cajuns for having the guts to go for it on fourth down. That had to be a little demoralizing for the defense, I hope they can get another stop.
2nd quarter :58- I'm loving that block by Spikes the Cajuns freshman RB. Even though it's not my team I got excited to see somebody out there putting his body on the line for his team. I still hope they don't score though.
2nd quarter :27- Hmm, that was some weird clock management by the Cajuns. They wasted about ten seconds instead of calling a play or a timeout and then went ahead and called a timeout. That was a little strange, but shouldn't really hurt them at all.
2nd quarter :21- This is embarrassing. The Cowboys shouldn't be losing to this type of an opponent, but it looks like they're going to be playing down to their competition as usual. I can't believe they're going into halftime down 21-17. Ugh.
2nd quarter :14- Good run, gives them a chance to hit Blackmon for a deep ball and at least three points. With their luck tonight they probably won't pull that off.
2nd quarter :08- They must be trying to play for a field goal there, that's the only way I can justify running the ball with 14 seconds left to go.
2nd quarter :01- Well, that's not too bad of a play considering they were either going to get a touchdown or get nothing with how long he held the ball. Weeden needed to get that out quickly, but getting an INT wasn't that big of a deal really, because they weren't going to kick a field goal from that far out.
2nd quarter end- Alright it's halftime and the Cowboys are down 21-17. I'm hoping they can come out and play well after getting kicked in the mouth. Weeden looked okay out there, but had a bad break with that INT, the 2nd one wasn't really a big deal, but he should come out playing better. Blackmon was playing out of his mind early, but needs to keep getting open to help out the team. Kendall Hunter barely got the ball in the 1st half and they really need to get him the ball more. The defense needs to get to Mason a few seconds earlier and they should be okay. A turnover would be great, but they need to keep the Cajuns out of the end zone at all costs. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half.
3rd quarter 15:00- Here we go, time to see what the Cowboys are made of! Come on Blackmon/Hunter, pull us out of this mess.
3rd quarter 13:31- Nice adjustment by Blackmon. Weeden's are is a little weak, but Blackmon is playing out of his mind tonight. Also, notice that they came out running with Kendall Hunter. This is a great sign of things to come.
3rd quarter 12:24- That's what I like to see. Way to feed the ball to Hunter on the goal line and he does what he does best. Great job on that drive getting Hunter some much needed carries.
3rd quarter 12:22- Ugh, I liked the call on that onside kick, but that stinks to give up that field position.
3rd quarter 12:10- Well, I guess it doesn't stink that bad. There's that turnover I said we could use. Great job by Steven McGee.
3rd quarter 11:44- Blackmon gets his 10th catch early in the 3rd quarter. 18+ catches might not be out of the realm of possibility.
3rd quarter 10:55- Good throw and catch by Weeden and Michael Harrison. This game looks to be turning into a blowout for the Cowboys, but the Cajuns can score quick too so until the Pokes go up by another score I'm still hesitant to rule out a comeback.
3rd quarter 8:57- Ouch, that's a call that's really going to hurt if the Cajuns can't pick up a first from a 3rd and 26. They were driving for a minute there, but that hurt them badly.
3rd quarter 6:30- The Cowboys look to be well in control of this game and I think it's got to do with the fact that they've gone to the running game more, which is opening up the pass some more.
3rd quarter 6:04- Hubert Anyiam scores a TD. This is looking like a blowout for the Cowboys. They need to keep piling on the score though because the Cajuns did have a 21 point 2nd quarter so you know they can score. The defense also needs to keep stopping the Cajuns like they have been. Most importantly Hunter's got to get first downs and run some time off the clock.
3rd quarter 5:49- Crap, look what I said. The Cajuns can score quick and they just did. This isn't terrible because our offense gets the ball back to, hopefully, put up more points, but the Cajuns scoring is not what we needed right now.
3rd quarter 5:42- Apparently this game is going to come down to who can get the most kick return yards. Good return by OSU, not quite as good as the Cajuns though.
3rd quarter 2:04- Oh, I could've seen that pass interference going either way.
3rd quarter end- Alright, going into the fourth quarter we're at 41-28 Cowboys. It's looking good right now.
4th quarter 13:21- Well, we're not outta this yet. Looks like we still might have a ball game on our hands.
4th quarter 11:52- This is what we got to keep doing, getting first downs and keeping the ball away from the Cajuns.
4th quarter 9:44- Dan Bailey has a cannon on his leg. That kick was good from 60 yards. He's a god. That makes the score 44-28 Cowboys.
4th quarter 8:28- It would seem Bo Bowling doesn't like being tackled. Pretty nice return.
4th quarter 6:22- Bad choice Brandon...you gotta just keep the clock rolling and not take a chance when up. In other news Dan Bailey can not miss.
4th quarter 6:01- Well if that last field goal didn't seal it up then this fumble recovery did. Pretty good job in this win for the Cowboys. A little too sloppy in the first half though. Let's get some garbage stats, boys!
4th quarter 4:59- I don't know about that touchdown to Youman. I think they should just run the ball and not even bother to pass when up this much late. It's kinda like rubbing salt in the wound, but I guess you gotta get some style points after that sloppy first half.
4th quarter end- Well that's all she wrote folks. The Cowboys came out with a vengeance in the second half and got a big game from their star skill position players. Hopefully they can take this back to conference play and get a few big wins. Hat off to the Cajuns though. They played hard against a superior team and gave me a scare for awhile.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
1st quarter 9:00- Okay I missed the first few minutes, but here it goes. I saw that Dan Bailey hit a 52 yarder, which is a career long. I gotta say this guy is a stud.
1st quarter 8:08- Hate to see any player get hurt, even if its for the opposing team. It's not looking like Maurice Rolle is coming back in this game. Also excuse me if I get any of the Ragin; Cajuns names wrong...I'm not really familiar with their roster.
1st quarter 7:04- Man I wish Blackmon could have played this well when Dez was here...of course Dez would've needed to not get suspended last year. Blackmon already has nine TDs this year and he should get a few more this game, especially with how often their going to him early.
1st quarter 5:56- Three screens in a row? Hmm, I don't know if I agree with this strategy, but it could work since the Cajuns blitz so often....Update: 4 screens, I think I'm going to eat my words this is working well so far and really looks like it's going to hurt the Cajuns pass rush.
1st quarter 4:46- Oh my, Kendall Hunter is one of the best running backs in the game. I don't care that that play got called back because Chelf's hold had nothing to do with Hunter getting away from all those Cajuns in the back field...Just incredible.
1st quarter 4:40- There it is folks, Blackmon's first TD and probably not the last. By my count they threw Blackmon's way 5 times in this last drive and with how open he's getting I fully expect them to go his way even more. That was a great catch by the way, he wanted the ball badly on that play.
1st quarter 4:40- Update: The announcers just said it he caught 7 balls, not sure if that was just on that drive or overall, but still a mighty impressive 1st quarter.
1st quarter 3:52- Ouch, I fully thought Mason had the first down there, but he missed an open guy and it's 3 and out for the Cajuns.
1st quarter 3:45- Spoke to soon. Zach Craig got caught roughing the kicker. You just can't do that and now the Cajuns get another shot.
1st quarter 3:31- Finally Mason completes a pass, although the pressure almost got to him and it's still not looking too good for the Cajuns.
1st quarter 2:24- I love the shovel pass when it's used effectively and Aaron Spikes just ran it to perfection. Great play-call by the Cajuns.
1st quarter end- The Cajuns look like their at least going to get three points, but I expect they'll hit pay dirt and make this a 10-7 game early in the second quarter. Let's see what happens.
2nd quarter 13:14- Wow, I've been wondering since the Wildcat was invented when people were going to start using it in all goal line situations. I mean, think about it...you're basically running a QB sneak, but with someone who can actually run the ball. It just doesn't make sense to not put your running back behind the center and let him take a direct snap and punch it in. Hopefully this becomes the norm soon because it already should be. Anyway, real costly mistake by Craig, hopefully the Cowboys can answer.
2nd quarter 13:05- Welp, there's the beginning of an answer. What an electric return by Gilbert.
2nd quarter 12:04- Well, I was about to say you gotta love seeing those wide receivers blocking down the field, but it looks like they blocked a little too well and got called for a hold. Oh well.
2nd quarter 11:07- You just can't say enough about Justin Blackmon. That was a great catch that showed shades of Dez Bryant. In a year where there aren't too many great receivers Blackmon might be the best in the nation. For those scoring at home that's two TDs for Blackmon and a 10 point lead for the Cowboys.
2nd quarter 8:49- Mason is looking really good right now for the Cajuns and could keep them in the ball game if the Cowboys don't step it up on defense. Their pressure is just a few seconds late, but they need to get in there and hit him some to get him off his rhythm.
2nd quarter 7:38- It seems the Cowboys heard because the pass rush has gotten Mason off his game the past two plays and looks to of gotten the Cajuns out of scoring range.
2nd quarter 7:10- What the heck was Weeden thinking? That was way behind Blackmon and almost got taken to the house. You can't throw that ball...he looked like Brett Favre there.
2nd quarter 7:01- Terrible possession there, although there was a questionable no-call on that third down play.
2nd quarter 5:42- This seems to be the game of screens. I think about 75% of the play calls so far have been screens fro both teams...
2nd quarter 4:35- Jeez, you can't leave guys that open, I don't care how bad your competition is. This looks like it could be an actual game and OSU is going to have to step up if they want to win. It's now 17-14 Cowboys. Let's see if they can get some points before halftime.
2nd quarter 3:57- Crap, this is not looking good as the Cajuns just picked off a Weeden pass. I'm not going to put that on Weeden even though the stats will because he can't do anything about his man tipping a pass to the defender. Bad luck there and now the defense is in another hole and the Cajuns have major momentum.
2nd quarter 3:02- Great stop on third and short for the Cowboys. If I was the Cajuns I'd be going for it right now and it looks like they will. Good call on their coaches part.
2nd quarter 2:23- Wow, that was a generous spot, but I gotta give it up to the Cajuns for having the guts to go for it on fourth down. That had to be a little demoralizing for the defense, I hope they can get another stop.
2nd quarter :58- I'm loving that block by Spikes the Cajuns freshman RB. Even though it's not my team I got excited to see somebody out there putting his body on the line for his team. I still hope they don't score though.
2nd quarter :27- Hmm, that was some weird clock management by the Cajuns. They wasted about ten seconds instead of calling a play or a timeout and then went ahead and called a timeout. That was a little strange, but shouldn't really hurt them at all.
2nd quarter :21- This is embarrassing. The Cowboys shouldn't be losing to this type of an opponent, but it looks like they're going to be playing down to their competition as usual. I can't believe they're going into halftime down 21-17. Ugh.
2nd quarter :14- Good run, gives them a chance to hit Blackmon for a deep ball and at least three points. With their luck tonight they probably won't pull that off.
2nd quarter :08- They must be trying to play for a field goal there, that's the only way I can justify running the ball with 14 seconds left to go.
2nd quarter :01- Well, that's not too bad of a play considering they were either going to get a touchdown or get nothing with how long he held the ball. Weeden needed to get that out quickly, but getting an INT wasn't that big of a deal really, because they weren't going to kick a field goal from that far out.
2nd quarter end- Alright it's halftime and the Cowboys are down 21-17. I'm hoping they can come out and play well after getting kicked in the mouth. Weeden looked okay out there, but had a bad break with that INT, the 2nd one wasn't really a big deal, but he should come out playing better. Blackmon was playing out of his mind early, but needs to keep getting open to help out the team. Kendall Hunter barely got the ball in the 1st half and they really need to get him the ball more. The defense needs to get to Mason a few seconds earlier and they should be okay. A turnover would be great, but they need to keep the Cajuns out of the end zone at all costs. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half.
3rd quarter 15:00- Here we go, time to see what the Cowboys are made of! Come on Blackmon/Hunter, pull us out of this mess.
3rd quarter 13:31- Nice adjustment by Blackmon. Weeden's are is a little weak, but Blackmon is playing out of his mind tonight. Also, notice that they came out running with Kendall Hunter. This is a great sign of things to come.
3rd quarter 12:24- That's what I like to see. Way to feed the ball to Hunter on the goal line and he does what he does best. Great job on that drive getting Hunter some much needed carries.
3rd quarter 12:22- Ugh, I liked the call on that onside kick, but that stinks to give up that field position.
3rd quarter 12:10- Well, I guess it doesn't stink that bad. There's that turnover I said we could use. Great job by Steven McGee.
3rd quarter 11:44- Blackmon gets his 10th catch early in the 3rd quarter. 18+ catches might not be out of the realm of possibility.
3rd quarter 10:55- Good throw and catch by Weeden and Michael Harrison. This game looks to be turning into a blowout for the Cowboys, but the Cajuns can score quick too so until the Pokes go up by another score I'm still hesitant to rule out a comeback.
3rd quarter 8:57- Ouch, that's a call that's really going to hurt if the Cajuns can't pick up a first from a 3rd and 26. They were driving for a minute there, but that hurt them badly.
3rd quarter 6:30- The Cowboys look to be well in control of this game and I think it's got to do with the fact that they've gone to the running game more, which is opening up the pass some more.
3rd quarter 6:04- Hubert Anyiam scores a TD. This is looking like a blowout for the Cowboys. They need to keep piling on the score though because the Cajuns did have a 21 point 2nd quarter so you know they can score. The defense also needs to keep stopping the Cajuns like they have been. Most importantly Hunter's got to get first downs and run some time off the clock.
3rd quarter 5:49- Crap, look what I said. The Cajuns can score quick and they just did. This isn't terrible because our offense gets the ball back to, hopefully, put up more points, but the Cajuns scoring is not what we needed right now.
3rd quarter 5:42- Apparently this game is going to come down to who can get the most kick return yards. Good return by OSU, not quite as good as the Cajuns though.
3rd quarter 2:04- Oh, I could've seen that pass interference going either way.
3rd quarter end- Alright, going into the fourth quarter we're at 41-28 Cowboys. It's looking good right now.
4th quarter 13:21- Well, we're not outta this yet. Looks like we still might have a ball game on our hands.
4th quarter 11:52- This is what we got to keep doing, getting first downs and keeping the ball away from the Cajuns.
4th quarter 9:44- Dan Bailey has a cannon on his leg. That kick was good from 60 yards. He's a god. That makes the score 44-28 Cowboys.
4th quarter 8:28- It would seem Bo Bowling doesn't like being tackled. Pretty nice return.
4th quarter 6:22- Bad choice Brandon...you gotta just keep the clock rolling and not take a chance when up. In other news Dan Bailey can not miss.
4th quarter 6:01- Well if that last field goal didn't seal it up then this fumble recovery did. Pretty good job in this win for the Cowboys. A little too sloppy in the first half though. Let's get some garbage stats, boys!
4th quarter 4:59- I don't know about that touchdown to Youman. I think they should just run the ball and not even bother to pass when up this much late. It's kinda like rubbing salt in the wound, but I guess you gotta get some style points after that sloppy first half.
4th quarter end- Well that's all she wrote folks. The Cowboys came out with a vengeance in the second half and got a big game from their star skill position players. Hopefully they can take this back to conference play and get a few big wins. Hat off to the Cajuns though. They played hard against a superior team and gave me a scare for awhile.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Throwback Thursday - October 7
This is going to be another non-video game throwback because of the recent transaction my Minnesota Vikings made. That's right, we reacquired my favorite player ever, the one, the only, Randy Moss. In honor of this I thought I'd do some research and make my top 10 wide receivers of all time list. So without further adieu, here it is, in order of 10-1.
10) Marvin Harrison: 1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards, 128 TDs. Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison is the most reliable tandem in NFL history. Harrison went to 8 Pro Bowls and was selected First-team All-Pro 6 times. His most memorable performance though came in 2002 when he caught 143 passes in a single NFL season.
9) Terrell Owens: 1,020 receptions, 15,225 yards, 144 TDs. Statistically TO should probably be higher, but his off the field stuff hurts him for me. He's a great player and went to 6 Pro Bowls and made All-Pro 5 times, but he killed teams from the inside out and that has to count against him somewhat. Still though, I've been very impressed with him this year so far.
8)Steve Largent: 819 receptions, 13,089 yards, 100 TDs. First off, Largent is from god's country, Oklahoma. Second he was a crazy good WR without a lot of height. Kind of an early day Wes Welker and put up huge numbers all the time. I wish I'd been around to watch him play because I've heard he was a joy to watch.
7) Issac Bruce: 1, 024 receptions, 15,208 yards, 91 TDs. Bruce was a major driving force behind the Greatest Show on Turf. Bruce led the new age of wide receivers, which are the type of players we are still seeing today. He and the rest of the Rams ushered in the first of the "spread"ish style offense Mike Martz brought to the game.
6) Paul Warfield: 427 receptions, 8,565 yards, 85 TDs. Warfield doesn't have near the stats of other guys on this list, but he was one of the first to perfect the art of making big plays down field. He played in a different era where teams ran the ball much more and still posted huge numbers. He was one of the first and one of the best.
5) Cris Carter: 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards, 130 TDs. All he does is catch touchdowns. He twice caught 122 in a single season and was part of one of the best offenses of all time in the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.Carter was an 8-time Pro Bowl and 3-time All Pro selection. Not only that, but he basically trained the number two person on this list as well as Larry Fitzgerald.
4) Michael Irvin: 750 receptions, 11,904 yards, 65 TDs. Irvin's career was cut a little short or his numbers might be even higher. That said his most important stat is his three Super Bowl rings. In the end winning is everything and Irvin's Cowboys won a lot.
3) Don Hutson: 488 receptions, 7,991 yards, 99 TDs. Much like Warfield his numbers aren't as high as others, but he was a pioneer of the position. Not only was he a great receiver, but he also played safety and kicked for his team. A great throwback, all-around player.
2) Randy Moss: 935 receptions, 14, 604 yards, 151 TDs. In the sense of pure ability Moss is probably the greatest WR to ever step on the field. He's 6'4, runs a 4.3 40, and has a vertical leap that's out of this world. Add to that great hands and an uncanny ability to come away with the deep ball. If he had the work ethic and injury luck of the man above him, I fully believe he would be number one in every statistical category. That said, he doesn't have that same drive and luck and will probably always be number two to the next man.
1) Jerry Rice: 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards, 197 TDs. These numbers probably won't be touched anytime soon unless Moss just starts piling up TDs. Rice might not physically be the best, but he's close. He does however have the most drive to be the best and it's likely that nobody will ever be as good as Rice was over his entire career.
Give 'em a few years: Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
10) Marvin Harrison: 1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards, 128 TDs. Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison is the most reliable tandem in NFL history. Harrison went to 8 Pro Bowls and was selected First-team All-Pro 6 times. His most memorable performance though came in 2002 when he caught 143 passes in a single NFL season.
9) Terrell Owens: 1,020 receptions, 15,225 yards, 144 TDs. Statistically TO should probably be higher, but his off the field stuff hurts him for me. He's a great player and went to 6 Pro Bowls and made All-Pro 5 times, but he killed teams from the inside out and that has to count against him somewhat. Still though, I've been very impressed with him this year so far.
8)Steve Largent: 819 receptions, 13,089 yards, 100 TDs. First off, Largent is from god's country, Oklahoma. Second he was a crazy good WR without a lot of height. Kind of an early day Wes Welker and put up huge numbers all the time. I wish I'd been around to watch him play because I've heard he was a joy to watch.
7) Issac Bruce: 1, 024 receptions, 15,208 yards, 91 TDs. Bruce was a major driving force behind the Greatest Show on Turf. Bruce led the new age of wide receivers, which are the type of players we are still seeing today. He and the rest of the Rams ushered in the first of the "spread"ish style offense Mike Martz brought to the game.
6) Paul Warfield: 427 receptions, 8,565 yards, 85 TDs. Warfield doesn't have near the stats of other guys on this list, but he was one of the first to perfect the art of making big plays down field. He played in a different era where teams ran the ball much more and still posted huge numbers. He was one of the first and one of the best.
5) Cris Carter: 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards, 130 TDs. All he does is catch touchdowns. He twice caught 122 in a single season and was part of one of the best offenses of all time in the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.Carter was an 8-time Pro Bowl and 3-time All Pro selection. Not only that, but he basically trained the number two person on this list as well as Larry Fitzgerald.
4) Michael Irvin: 750 receptions, 11,904 yards, 65 TDs. Irvin's career was cut a little short or his numbers might be even higher. That said his most important stat is his three Super Bowl rings. In the end winning is everything and Irvin's Cowboys won a lot.
3) Don Hutson: 488 receptions, 7,991 yards, 99 TDs. Much like Warfield his numbers aren't as high as others, but he was a pioneer of the position. Not only was he a great receiver, but he also played safety and kicked for his team. A great throwback, all-around player.
2) Randy Moss: 935 receptions, 14, 604 yards, 151 TDs. In the sense of pure ability Moss is probably the greatest WR to ever step on the field. He's 6'4, runs a 4.3 40, and has a vertical leap that's out of this world. Add to that great hands and an uncanny ability to come away with the deep ball. If he had the work ethic and injury luck of the man above him, I fully believe he would be number one in every statistical category. That said, he doesn't have that same drive and luck and will probably always be number two to the next man.
1) Jerry Rice: 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards, 197 TDs. These numbers probably won't be touched anytime soon unless Moss just starts piling up TDs. Rice might not physically be the best, but he's close. He does however have the most drive to be the best and it's likely that nobody will ever be as good as Rice was over his entire career.
Give 'em a few years: Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Warcraft Wedsenday - October 6
I've officially canceled my account at least until Cata comes out, mostly due to the terrible lag I've been getting in my dorms. I'm still going to do some write ups on wow, but they probably won't be very long. With that said there are two things I've read about this week that interested me and, while most of you already have probably heard of them, I'm going to post my thoughts anyways.
The first thing that caught my eye was that Blizzard released a release date for Cata. Now the day their planning to bring it out isn't to terribly surprising because it gives them a chance to use BlizzCon to build up some more hype (not that it really needs it), but the thing that did surprise me was that they announced it right now. I mean, if they really wanted to create giant amounts of hype they could have waited for BlizzCon to announce the date. That would've gotten a huge reaction amongst the crowd. I mean people would've gone rabid with anticipation, but they choose to do it fairly quietly, which leads me to believe they might be planning something HUGE for BlizzCon. The two most likely things are a Diable 3 release date or an announcement of the new MMO they're working on. It's possible that they didn't want Cata's release to over shadow this other possible big announcement. No other option really makes much sense to me because they could have used this announcement in a big way and they really just sent it out without too huge of a ripple.
The other big thing I saw was that Blizzard has decided to place a hard cap on guild size at 600. I don't really know if having big guild sizes makes it more difficult on Blizzard, but I really think this was a mistake. I'm not personally in a guild that goes over 600, but I think it stinks for those that are. And if the gripe is that it will be easier for them to get guild achievements I think that's lame. It's also easier for them to tackle content because they have more warm bodies to pull from and I haven't really seen that as a big reason for the change. I just feel like Blizzard is going to change this at some time in the future because it's going to kill those big guilds and those players are going to be pissed and possibly leave the game. I feel like they should be trying to make everyone somewhat happy, especially when it comes to people's in game friends in such a social game.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
The first thing that caught my eye was that Blizzard released a release date for Cata. Now the day their planning to bring it out isn't to terribly surprising because it gives them a chance to use BlizzCon to build up some more hype (not that it really needs it), but the thing that did surprise me was that they announced it right now. I mean, if they really wanted to create giant amounts of hype they could have waited for BlizzCon to announce the date. That would've gotten a huge reaction amongst the crowd. I mean people would've gone rabid with anticipation, but they choose to do it fairly quietly, which leads me to believe they might be planning something HUGE for BlizzCon. The two most likely things are a Diable 3 release date or an announcement of the new MMO they're working on. It's possible that they didn't want Cata's release to over shadow this other possible big announcement. No other option really makes much sense to me because they could have used this announcement in a big way and they really just sent it out without too huge of a ripple.
The other big thing I saw was that Blizzard has decided to place a hard cap on guild size at 600. I don't really know if having big guild sizes makes it more difficult on Blizzard, but I really think this was a mistake. I'm not personally in a guild that goes over 600, but I think it stinks for those that are. And if the gripe is that it will be easier for them to get guild achievements I think that's lame. It's also easier for them to tackle content because they have more warm bodies to pull from and I haven't really seen that as a big reason for the change. I just feel like Blizzard is going to change this at some time in the future because it's going to kill those big guilds and those players are going to be pissed and possibly leave the game. I feel like they should be trying to make everyone somewhat happy, especially when it comes to people's in game friends in such a social game.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Total Sports Tuesday - October 5
(Note: I didn't do a Minecraft Monday update because my computer blue screened and I lost my save world so I just couldn't make myself write about it, that said I'm very excited for the Halloween Update).
This post is going to be my first article on BleacherReport.com, but I figured I'd post it in both places, anyways here it is.
This post is going to be my first article on BleacherReport.com, but I figured I'd post it in both places, anyways here it is.
The Minnesota Vikings: The Chester Taylor Effect
Coming into the season the Minnesota Vikings seemed to be poised to make another run towards the Super Bowl after last year's effort ended in failure. However, things haven't gone the way the team had hoped. Many different theories have been making their rounds, which range from injuries to key players like Sidney Rice or Cedric Griffin and the fact that Old Man Brett Farve seems to have aged a decade in the past year. The one theory that has gotten next to no lip service in the media is the offseason loss of Chester Taylor.
In the past many wanted to trade Taylor for a top of the line wide receiver or quarterback. However, those people missed out on what an important part of the offense Taylor was. Not only was he the best back on the team as a receiver out of the back field, but he was also the best blocker at that position on the team. This made him one of the best third down backs in the league because of his versatility and earned him a valued spot on the squad. In addition to these roles he also played one more, which could of been his most important role of all.
With a back like Taylor, who had 1,200 yards the year before Adrian Peterson was drafted, the Vikes were able to bring in a capable back at key times to give Peterson rest. The key word in that last sentence was capable, because in the three years since Peterson was drafted Taylor average close to four yards per carry and had over 40 catches the past two years. With this production off the bench the Vikings could use Taylor in place of Peterson and not lose too much on the field.
This is key because anyone whose watched Adrian Peterson play knows that he gets a large chunk of his yards in the second half when he has worn teams down. With Taylor giving Peterson time to get a little rest, Peterson was able to come in even fresher than he would have and dominated defenses even more. In fact, I once did a check of the game logs and in the majority of the games the Vikings won since 2007 Taylor got at least 10 touches and in most of the games they lost he got less than 10 touches.
Now obviously the loss of Chester Taylor isn't the only factor in slow start to the season, but his loss shouldn't be overlooked because he meant more than people think to this team. Hopefully, someone like Toby Gerhart can step up into Taylor's role. Until that is proven we could be in for a very long season as Peterson wears down without his old trusty sidekick.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sunday Stats - October 3
I wanted to post a story in this post, but I think I'm going to use the space today to look back on yesterday's NCAA football games and post my updated Heisman rankings. You're also going to get some basketball in your football because I'm going to do what I forgot to do yesterday and give out my preseason NBA Award watch list. So, let's get to it.
Heisman Rankings-
1) Denard Robinson QB, Michigan- 1008 passing yards, 7 TDs, 905 rushing yards, 8 TDs. I think I'm going to take back what I said last week. I still don't think Michigan is going to keep winning...at least against teams like Ohio State, but I fully expect Robinson to win the Heisman. This guy could legitimately put up 2,000 yards passing and rushing. There's just doesn't seem to be any way this guy doesn't win the Heisman.
2) Kellen Moore QB, Boise State- 1069 passing yards, 11 TDs. Moore jumps up two spots for me this week not because of what he did, but because of what other guys did. I think Moore will be around all year, but I'm fairly confident that he's looking at finishing 4th in Heisman voting at best. That said, Moore can sling it and, even though the Broncos got jumped this week they might still have a shot at the BCS. Mostly because, unlike most other undefeated teams left, they don't play anybody.
3) Terrelle Pyror QB, Ohio State- 1015 passing yards, 12 TDs, 373 rushing yards, 3 TDs. Pyror only slipped because he got hurt and only had a decent game with 76 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 105 rushing yards.The good news is that came the Buckeyes won, the bad news is they almost lost to a pretty average Illinois team. He should be able to pick it back up this week and regain the second spot with a decent chance to challenge Robinson.
4) Ryan Mallet QB, Arkansas- 1438 yards passing, 10 TDs, 2 rushing TDs. Mallet only slips because the Hogs were off this week. I think he's going to come out swinging next week and regain his old spot in the rankings.
5) LaMichael James RB, Oregon- 712 rushing yards, 7 TDs. Going off for three TDs in a huge win over Stanford shot James up my chart. I have a feeling he'll fall a bit after that huge win, but he does play on one of the best offenses in the league so he might be able to hang on. Only time will tell, but for now I gotta give the Ducks props for dominating the second half of that game.
Just Missed: Andrew Luck, Mark Ingram, and my homer pick, Justin Blackmon.
NBA Award Predictions-
Defensive Player of the Year- Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks. As I've said I'm biased towards Smith, but I really think Dwight Howard's D is overrated and only wins because of his huge blocks and the fact he gobbles up defensive boards. Let's be honest though there's really not that many great big men in this day and age so you expect someone with his skill set to dominate that position. This award should go to someone whose covering the best players in the league, the Lebrons, the Kobes, the D-Wades...not someone who gets to play against guys like Salem Dalenbert and Marcus Camby. Hopefully the award that's been going to the wrong guys for many years (read centers) will show the little guys some love this year.
Sixth Man of the Year- Lamar Odom, LA Lakers. I really don't see any competition for Odom if he stays helathy. Nobody coming off the bench is as talented and as big of a match-up problem as Odom. This award is his to win.
Rookie of the Year- Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers. I'm tempted to put John Wall here because of the recent success of fast rookie point guards. However, he also has Kirk Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas on his team, both of which are proven point guards. Evan Turner on the other hand can play the 1-3 and be great at it so he will start immediately and be able to produce on a team that, on paper, could make a leap forward this season. A backcourt of him and Andre Iguodala is going to be nasty.
MVP- Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder. Lebron is going to lose stats to D-Wade and vice versa so if they don't get 72+ wins they're both out. Kobe is much more concerned with the 'ship and will save some for the play-offs. Nobody else is close to Durant right now. He's going to win this award barring injury and could win the next few if he keeps up his recent level of play.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Heisman Rankings-
1) Denard Robinson QB, Michigan- 1008 passing yards, 7 TDs, 905 rushing yards, 8 TDs. I think I'm going to take back what I said last week. I still don't think Michigan is going to keep winning...at least against teams like Ohio State, but I fully expect Robinson to win the Heisman. This guy could legitimately put up 2,000 yards passing and rushing. There's just doesn't seem to be any way this guy doesn't win the Heisman.
2) Kellen Moore QB, Boise State- 1069 passing yards, 11 TDs. Moore jumps up two spots for me this week not because of what he did, but because of what other guys did. I think Moore will be around all year, but I'm fairly confident that he's looking at finishing 4th in Heisman voting at best. That said, Moore can sling it and, even though the Broncos got jumped this week they might still have a shot at the BCS. Mostly because, unlike most other undefeated teams left, they don't play anybody.
3) Terrelle Pyror QB, Ohio State- 1015 passing yards, 12 TDs, 373 rushing yards, 3 TDs. Pyror only slipped because he got hurt and only had a decent game with 76 yards passing, 2 TDs, and 105 rushing yards.The good news is that came the Buckeyes won, the bad news is they almost lost to a pretty average Illinois team. He should be able to pick it back up this week and regain the second spot with a decent chance to challenge Robinson.
4) Ryan Mallet QB, Arkansas- 1438 yards passing, 10 TDs, 2 rushing TDs. Mallet only slips because the Hogs were off this week. I think he's going to come out swinging next week and regain his old spot in the rankings.
5) LaMichael James RB, Oregon- 712 rushing yards, 7 TDs. Going off for three TDs in a huge win over Stanford shot James up my chart. I have a feeling he'll fall a bit after that huge win, but he does play on one of the best offenses in the league so he might be able to hang on. Only time will tell, but for now I gotta give the Ducks props for dominating the second half of that game.
Just Missed: Andrew Luck, Mark Ingram, and my homer pick, Justin Blackmon.
NBA Award Predictions-
Defensive Player of the Year- Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks. As I've said I'm biased towards Smith, but I really think Dwight Howard's D is overrated and only wins because of his huge blocks and the fact he gobbles up defensive boards. Let's be honest though there's really not that many great big men in this day and age so you expect someone with his skill set to dominate that position. This award should go to someone whose covering the best players in the league, the Lebrons, the Kobes, the D-Wades...not someone who gets to play against guys like Salem Dalenbert and Marcus Camby. Hopefully the award that's been going to the wrong guys for many years (read centers) will show the little guys some love this year.
Sixth Man of the Year- Lamar Odom, LA Lakers. I really don't see any competition for Odom if he stays helathy. Nobody coming off the bench is as talented and as big of a match-up problem as Odom. This award is his to win.
Rookie of the Year- Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers. I'm tempted to put John Wall here because of the recent success of fast rookie point guards. However, he also has Kirk Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas on his team, both of which are proven point guards. Evan Turner on the other hand can play the 1-3 and be great at it so he will start immediately and be able to produce on a team that, on paper, could make a leap forward this season. A backcourt of him and Andre Iguodala is going to be nasty.
MVP- Kevin Durant, OKC Thunder. Lebron is going to lose stats to D-Wade and vice versa so if they don't get 72+ wins they're both out. Kobe is much more concerned with the 'ship and will save some for the play-offs. Nobody else is close to Durant right now. He's going to win this award barring injury and could win the next few if he keeps up his recent level of play.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday "Shorts" - October 2
This post will be by no means short, but I just can't wait to post it so screw the title this is my preseason NBA rankings and a bit of analysis. Enjoy.
30) Minnesota Timberwolves- With Michael Beasley, Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, and Kevin Love they have a decent young nucleus that could someday turn into a play-off team. That said the Wolves always seem a few years away and this team is no different. Sidenote: Anybody remember the days of Sebastian Telfair being heralded as the next great point guard? It's too bad homeboy didn't pan out.
29) Toronto Raptors- They lost Bosh and that's going to hurt for at least a few years, but they do have some good young bigs in Ed Davis and Joey Dorsey, with the potential for another one in Soloman Alabi, who could be a great shot blocker. Plus, with the continued development of DeMar Derozan this team will always be fun to watch. The veteran leadership of Leandro Barbosa, Andrea Bargnani, and Jose Calderon they could win a few games, but don't expect them to win a bunch of games.
28) Cleveland Cavs- They really should of traded Lebron to get some value out of them because now they're stuck with two guys in Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison who are number two options at best and can't carry a team. J.J. Hickson could develop into a good player, but outside of him there's not much in the way of potential on this team. Their best hope is to win the lottery and start over.
27) Detroit Pistons- I really think this team could be competing sometime soon. They have lots of young talent in Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Terrico White, and Greg Monroe. They also have some really good veterans, most notably the majority of the core from their old championship teams, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace who can take a leadership role for this team. In addition to those vets they also have Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva who can both score in bunches if nothing else. Honestly I could see this team jumping up quite a few spots this year if things pan out well.
26) Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger is going to win games on his own. He's one of the best scorers in the game and has been playing mean defense the past few years. The rest of the team is pretty dreadful. Paul George is a great player, but does pretty much the same thing Granger does so his effectiveness could be lessened. Roy Hibbert could turn into a good defensive big someday, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Hopefully Granger can get some talent to come help him out because he's a great player and deserves a better team.
25) Golden State Warriors- Steph Curry and Monta Ellis are going to score like mad, David Lee's going to be a double-double machine and the rest of the team will be super athletic. However, they won't win a lot of games unless they start playing much better D and that athleticism turns into great playing. That said, the combo of Lee and Ellis could improve both player's stats and will make these guys great fantasy players.
24) Sacramento Kings- Tyreke Evans is a legit superstar in the making and will soon become one of the best players in the West. They also added DeMarcus Cousins, who gives them a legit option in the post, something they haven't really had since Chris Webber was taking this team to the Conference Finals. However, the rest of the team is a long way from competing, but with some good draft picks the past two years they seem to be heading in the right direction.
23) New Jersey Nets- Devin Harris is a speed demon who puts up big time stats when healthy. His partner in crime, Brook Lopez, is not my favorite player, but he is becoming one of the best young bigs in the game. They picked up some good young players in Derrick Favors and Damion James in the draft who could help fill out the roster. Plus, they have one of my personal favorite players in Anthony Morrow, who is a long range sniper that will put up points in a hurry if you let him. They could make a jump this year depending on who stays healthy and how the young talent develops.
22) LA Clippers-So much young talent on this team it's crazy. This roster reminds me of the Warriors in the past, but hopefully for the Clips this talent actually turns into wins sometime soon. Blake Griffin could soon be an all-star and Al-Farouq Amini can ball when motivated. Eric Gordon is lights out from anywhere on the court, Willie Warren is a good scorer, Eric Bledsoe is a solid point guard and Jon Scheyer knows how to win, if nothing else. Not only that, but they have good vets in Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. All that said, I really have doubts, mostly because this is the Clippers and something always happens.
21) Washington Wizards- Gilbert Arenas is one of my favorite players to watch when healthy and John Wall was a great college player, whose game should easily transfer to the League. They also picked up Kirk Hinrich...wait, they have three really good points guards? And basically nothing else? Yep, they'll be exciting as usual, but probably won't be doing anything for quite awhile.
20) Memphis Grizzlies- This roster looks crazy good on paper. Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Zack Randolph, the list goes on. But Gasol is coming back from an injury and I'm not sure Gay and Mayo are going to mesh that well. I can see them competing in a few years, and could make a push this year, but realistically they're probably a year away. This team will be a force this next few years, especially if Xavier Henry and Hasheem Thabeet develop into good bench players.
19) New York Knicks-I really don't think Amare has the skill set to carry a team on his back and needs another superstar to help him win. Unfortunately, I don't see another superstar anywhere on this roster and can't see them doing any better than 8th in the East. Anthony Randolph has some crazy raw athleticism, which is always fun to watch, and Kelenna Azubuike has one of the best names in Leauge.
18) Philadelphia 76ers- This team is like the knock off Atlanta Hawks. The whole roster has good size and is really athletic. Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala are going to make a pretty fun pair to watch and Elton Brand will get his. Brand doesn't really fit in with this team, but he's still a good player who they should trade and get some value out of him. Their bench is also rounding out nicely with lots of good young talent and, if they can get in a big who better fits their style they could compete pretty soon.
17) New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul can do a lot, but the rest of his team is getting older and not really getting better. Although, putting Paul together with Trevor Ariza could become quite the exciting duo. But without any legit options down in the paint they probably won't go very far.
16) Phoenix Suns- Anytime you have Steve Nash on your team you're going to put up points...and a lot of them. I think they're going to fall back quite a bit after losing Amare, but they probably did the smart thing in not paying him and getting money to someday get another big stud and maybe this time that stud can actually take this team the distance. Until that day comes though Nash is going to throw out dimes and the Suns are going to rain threes and lose in the playoffs.
15) Charlotte Bobcats-These guys play mean defense and that will always get you wins and make you a tough out in the play-offs. But, I really don't see a guy on this team who can take over a game when you need him too. Gerald Wallace is an amazing defender and gets by on offense with his athleticism and Stephen Jackson can score, but isn't the kind of guy who can really just take a game over and close the door. Until they find that guy they'll be on the outside looking in, I'll watch every game I can though because I love to watch Tyrus Thomas play, because his raw athleticism just jumps off the screen.
14) Houston Rockets- If Luis Scola can keep up the play he had during the summer this team could become a player in the west, but with Yao Ming coming off an injury I don't seem them competing for any more than a playoff spot. They do have Patrick Patterson and Kevin Martin so they might be able to prove me wrong, but I just don't see it any championship gold in their future.
13) Milwaukee Bucks-I love this team. First, they have Branden Jennings who has mad swagger and game to back it up. Anytime he talks up his game I love it because I like to hear athletes talk trash and just be conceited overall. They also have John Salmons, Andrew Bogut, and Michael Redd...all good players. And then they went out and added Chris Douglas Roberts, Tiny Gallon, and Larry Sanders. All three of which have tons of potential to be good players in their own right. My favorite is Larry Sanders because he plays amazing defense. Besides my OKC Thunder and the Heat this is going to be THE team to watch for me this year because of all the good young talent I want to see.
12) Denver Nuggets-I don't care what Melo says, he's not going to be all there this year and the Nuggets could suffer from it. I think they have too much talent to not make the play-offs, but they probably won't challenge for the 'ship. At the very least they'll be fun to watch with J.R. Smith and Chris "The Birdman" Anderson.
11) Dallas Mavericks-Dirk is going to keep them in games and they have some good talent. Unfortunately the talent is all old. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Caron Butler are all getting up there and will probably start to downslide sometime soon. Some people think this team could challenge the Lake Show, but I just can't see it. It's about to be time to start rebuilding and they might want to look into trading off Dirk for some young talent before they're left in the cold.
10) Utah Jazz- Deron Williams is the best point guard in the League and I don't care what anyone says. With Jerry Sloan's system this team could be really good because Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson will probably be really good in the pick and roll with Deron. They don't have too many good shooters though so that will hold them back from going very deep in the play-offs though.
9) Atlanta Hawks-Ok, I'm going to level with you and say that I'm super biased towards the Hawks because Josh Smith is my favorite player in the league. They do have some great players with guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. Their bench is a little weak, but I still think they could make a move this year. I don't think they will crack the top four in the East, but I could see them beating at least one of them in the play-offs and making a decent run. With the talent in the East I don't think they have a shot at making the 'ship, but the Conference Finals could happen, if lots of things go their way.
8) Portland Trailblazers- This team used to be so hot and now lots of people seem to be forgetting about them. Much like the Mavs and the Nuggets they have one really good star player in Brandon Roy and a few good secondary players. The main reason I put them higher than those teams is because they have lots of quality bigs to throw at teams. that'll help a lot in playoffs. The other reason I have them higher is because I think Roy is a better player than Melo and Dirk.
7) San Antonio Spurs- As much as I hate the Spurs you can't count out Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Those three alone will get them in the playoffs, but they also have quality depth in Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, James Anderson, and George Hill. This will probably be there at the end and make at least the semi-finals depending on match-ups.
6) Chicago Bulls- I'm really high on the Bulls and almost put them third on the list, but I had to keep them back here at six because I don't know how well Carlos Boozer will fit in the offense. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's going to work, but it's not the sure thing the teams above them are. They will be right there with the big three in the East all year and could easily challenge for a spot in the Conference Finals. Derrick Rose will light the court on fire with his speed, Korver, Brewer, and Deng will get buckets, and Joakim Noah will try hard. That might not sound like high praise, but trust me, it is for him because nobody out tries that man on the hardwood.
5) Orlando Magic- This team will, yet again, be a tough out in the play-offs. Dwight Howard is the best big in the League and will be for the foreseeable future. When you add Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Chris Duhon you get a team that's going to cause lots of problems and be a match-up nightmare for anybody outside of maybe the Lake Show. They also have some good bench players in Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Reddick. It's going to be a tough year to win games in the East when this is the third or fourth best team.
4) Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant is going to win the MVP. It's that simple, Lebron is going to lsoe some stats to D-Wade and Durant has crazy hype coming out of the summer. Not only that, but this team is going to be GOOD. Russell Westbrook is poised to become a great point guard after a good summer and Jeff Green is one of the best do-everything players in League. They also have Thabo Sefolosha, who might be the best backcourt defender in the league. They also brought in a quality big in Cole Aldrich and that bench will just continue to get better and better. You know this team is going to play great defense and, with Durant dropping 30 points a game, they'll be challenging the champs in the West.
3) Boston Celtics- The Celtics are old and their window is probably going to close soon, but I think they have at least one more year before it shuts completely. You know what you're going to get with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. They also have some great younger guys in Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. Rondo is going to win games on his own and is quickly become one of the best guards in the League. I could see them beating the Heat because the Heat don't have a point guard close to Rondo's skill level and the Celtics have so many old quality bigs to throw at people in the play-offs.
2) Miami Heat- We all know about the Big 3 and how excited everyone is to see Lebron, Wade, and Bosh play together. But their bench and secondary players are what's going to make or break this team. They have quite a few quality bigs in Big Z, Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard, and Udonis Haslem. Add to that a great shooter in Mike Miller, a solid PG in Mario Chalmers, and a pretty good rookie in Da'Sean Butler this team is poised to make a legit run at the title and might have a chance to win quite a few over the next few years.
1) LA Lakers- The Show is the defending champs and probably still has the best total line-up in the League. They returned most of the key players from last year and added solid rookies that could've been lottery picks in Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks. Not only that, but they picked up Steven Blake and Matt Barnes, two solid role players. The rich get richer and the Lake Show will be going to the 'ship at the end of the year.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
30) Minnesota Timberwolves- With Michael Beasley, Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, and Kevin Love they have a decent young nucleus that could someday turn into a play-off team. That said the Wolves always seem a few years away and this team is no different. Sidenote: Anybody remember the days of Sebastian Telfair being heralded as the next great point guard? It's too bad homeboy didn't pan out.
29) Toronto Raptors- They lost Bosh and that's going to hurt for at least a few years, but they do have some good young bigs in Ed Davis and Joey Dorsey, with the potential for another one in Soloman Alabi, who could be a great shot blocker. Plus, with the continued development of DeMar Derozan this team will always be fun to watch. The veteran leadership of Leandro Barbosa, Andrea Bargnani, and Jose Calderon they could win a few games, but don't expect them to win a bunch of games.
28) Cleveland Cavs- They really should of traded Lebron to get some value out of them because now they're stuck with two guys in Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison who are number two options at best and can't carry a team. J.J. Hickson could develop into a good player, but outside of him there's not much in the way of potential on this team. Their best hope is to win the lottery and start over.
27) Detroit Pistons- I really think this team could be competing sometime soon. They have lots of young talent in Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Terrico White, and Greg Monroe. They also have some really good veterans, most notably the majority of the core from their old championship teams, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace who can take a leadership role for this team. In addition to those vets they also have Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva who can both score in bunches if nothing else. Honestly I could see this team jumping up quite a few spots this year if things pan out well.
26) Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger is going to win games on his own. He's one of the best scorers in the game and has been playing mean defense the past few years. The rest of the team is pretty dreadful. Paul George is a great player, but does pretty much the same thing Granger does so his effectiveness could be lessened. Roy Hibbert could turn into a good defensive big someday, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Hopefully Granger can get some talent to come help him out because he's a great player and deserves a better team.
25) Golden State Warriors- Steph Curry and Monta Ellis are going to score like mad, David Lee's going to be a double-double machine and the rest of the team will be super athletic. However, they won't win a lot of games unless they start playing much better D and that athleticism turns into great playing. That said, the combo of Lee and Ellis could improve both player's stats and will make these guys great fantasy players.
24) Sacramento Kings- Tyreke Evans is a legit superstar in the making and will soon become one of the best players in the West. They also added DeMarcus Cousins, who gives them a legit option in the post, something they haven't really had since Chris Webber was taking this team to the Conference Finals. However, the rest of the team is a long way from competing, but with some good draft picks the past two years they seem to be heading in the right direction.
23) New Jersey Nets- Devin Harris is a speed demon who puts up big time stats when healthy. His partner in crime, Brook Lopez, is not my favorite player, but he is becoming one of the best young bigs in the game. They picked up some good young players in Derrick Favors and Damion James in the draft who could help fill out the roster. Plus, they have one of my personal favorite players in Anthony Morrow, who is a long range sniper that will put up points in a hurry if you let him. They could make a jump this year depending on who stays healthy and how the young talent develops.
22) LA Clippers-So much young talent on this team it's crazy. This roster reminds me of the Warriors in the past, but hopefully for the Clips this talent actually turns into wins sometime soon. Blake Griffin could soon be an all-star and Al-Farouq Amini can ball when motivated. Eric Gordon is lights out from anywhere on the court, Willie Warren is a good scorer, Eric Bledsoe is a solid point guard and Jon Scheyer knows how to win, if nothing else. Not only that, but they have good vets in Baron Davis and Chris Kaman. All that said, I really have doubts, mostly because this is the Clippers and something always happens.
21) Washington Wizards- Gilbert Arenas is one of my favorite players to watch when healthy and John Wall was a great college player, whose game should easily transfer to the League. They also picked up Kirk Hinrich...wait, they have three really good points guards? And basically nothing else? Yep, they'll be exciting as usual, but probably won't be doing anything for quite awhile.
20) Memphis Grizzlies- This roster looks crazy good on paper. Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Zack Randolph, the list goes on. But Gasol is coming back from an injury and I'm not sure Gay and Mayo are going to mesh that well. I can see them competing in a few years, and could make a push this year, but realistically they're probably a year away. This team will be a force this next few years, especially if Xavier Henry and Hasheem Thabeet develop into good bench players.
19) New York Knicks-I really don't think Amare has the skill set to carry a team on his back and needs another superstar to help him win. Unfortunately, I don't see another superstar anywhere on this roster and can't see them doing any better than 8th in the East. Anthony Randolph has some crazy raw athleticism, which is always fun to watch, and Kelenna Azubuike has one of the best names in Leauge.
18) Philadelphia 76ers- This team is like the knock off Atlanta Hawks. The whole roster has good size and is really athletic. Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala are going to make a pretty fun pair to watch and Elton Brand will get his. Brand doesn't really fit in with this team, but he's still a good player who they should trade and get some value out of him. Their bench is also rounding out nicely with lots of good young talent and, if they can get in a big who better fits their style they could compete pretty soon.
17) New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul can do a lot, but the rest of his team is getting older and not really getting better. Although, putting Paul together with Trevor Ariza could become quite the exciting duo. But without any legit options down in the paint they probably won't go very far.
16) Phoenix Suns- Anytime you have Steve Nash on your team you're going to put up points...and a lot of them. I think they're going to fall back quite a bit after losing Amare, but they probably did the smart thing in not paying him and getting money to someday get another big stud and maybe this time that stud can actually take this team the distance. Until that day comes though Nash is going to throw out dimes and the Suns are going to rain threes and lose in the playoffs.
15) Charlotte Bobcats-These guys play mean defense and that will always get you wins and make you a tough out in the play-offs. But, I really don't see a guy on this team who can take over a game when you need him too. Gerald Wallace is an amazing defender and gets by on offense with his athleticism and Stephen Jackson can score, but isn't the kind of guy who can really just take a game over and close the door. Until they find that guy they'll be on the outside looking in, I'll watch every game I can though because I love to watch Tyrus Thomas play, because his raw athleticism just jumps off the screen.
14) Houston Rockets- If Luis Scola can keep up the play he had during the summer this team could become a player in the west, but with Yao Ming coming off an injury I don't seem them competing for any more than a playoff spot. They do have Patrick Patterson and Kevin Martin so they might be able to prove me wrong, but I just don't see it any championship gold in their future.
13) Milwaukee Bucks-I love this team. First, they have Branden Jennings who has mad swagger and game to back it up. Anytime he talks up his game I love it because I like to hear athletes talk trash and just be conceited overall. They also have John Salmons, Andrew Bogut, and Michael Redd...all good players. And then they went out and added Chris Douglas Roberts, Tiny Gallon, and Larry Sanders. All three of which have tons of potential to be good players in their own right. My favorite is Larry Sanders because he plays amazing defense. Besides my OKC Thunder and the Heat this is going to be THE team to watch for me this year because of all the good young talent I want to see.
12) Denver Nuggets-I don't care what Melo says, he's not going to be all there this year and the Nuggets could suffer from it. I think they have too much talent to not make the play-offs, but they probably won't challenge for the 'ship. At the very least they'll be fun to watch with J.R. Smith and Chris "The Birdman" Anderson.
11) Dallas Mavericks-Dirk is going to keep them in games and they have some good talent. Unfortunately the talent is all old. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Caron Butler are all getting up there and will probably start to downslide sometime soon. Some people think this team could challenge the Lake Show, but I just can't see it. It's about to be time to start rebuilding and they might want to look into trading off Dirk for some young talent before they're left in the cold.
10) Utah Jazz- Deron Williams is the best point guard in the League and I don't care what anyone says. With Jerry Sloan's system this team could be really good because Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson will probably be really good in the pick and roll with Deron. They don't have too many good shooters though so that will hold them back from going very deep in the play-offs though.
9) Atlanta Hawks-Ok, I'm going to level with you and say that I'm super biased towards the Hawks because Josh Smith is my favorite player in the league. They do have some great players with guys like Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. Their bench is a little weak, but I still think they could make a move this year. I don't think they will crack the top four in the East, but I could see them beating at least one of them in the play-offs and making a decent run. With the talent in the East I don't think they have a shot at making the 'ship, but the Conference Finals could happen, if lots of things go their way.
8) Portland Trailblazers- This team used to be so hot and now lots of people seem to be forgetting about them. Much like the Mavs and the Nuggets they have one really good star player in Brandon Roy and a few good secondary players. The main reason I put them higher than those teams is because they have lots of quality bigs to throw at teams. that'll help a lot in playoffs. The other reason I have them higher is because I think Roy is a better player than Melo and Dirk.
7) San Antonio Spurs- As much as I hate the Spurs you can't count out Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Those three alone will get them in the playoffs, but they also have quality depth in Antonio McDyess, Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, James Anderson, and George Hill. This will probably be there at the end and make at least the semi-finals depending on match-ups.
6) Chicago Bulls- I'm really high on the Bulls and almost put them third on the list, but I had to keep them back here at six because I don't know how well Carlos Boozer will fit in the offense. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's going to work, but it's not the sure thing the teams above them are. They will be right there with the big three in the East all year and could easily challenge for a spot in the Conference Finals. Derrick Rose will light the court on fire with his speed, Korver, Brewer, and Deng will get buckets, and Joakim Noah will try hard. That might not sound like high praise, but trust me, it is for him because nobody out tries that man on the hardwood.
5) Orlando Magic- This team will, yet again, be a tough out in the play-offs. Dwight Howard is the best big in the League and will be for the foreseeable future. When you add Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Chris Duhon you get a team that's going to cause lots of problems and be a match-up nightmare for anybody outside of maybe the Lake Show. They also have some good bench players in Mickael Pietrus and J.J. Reddick. It's going to be a tough year to win games in the East when this is the third or fourth best team.
4) Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant is going to win the MVP. It's that simple, Lebron is going to lsoe some stats to D-Wade and Durant has crazy hype coming out of the summer. Not only that, but this team is going to be GOOD. Russell Westbrook is poised to become a great point guard after a good summer and Jeff Green is one of the best do-everything players in League. They also have Thabo Sefolosha, who might be the best backcourt defender in the league. They also brought in a quality big in Cole Aldrich and that bench will just continue to get better and better. You know this team is going to play great defense and, with Durant dropping 30 points a game, they'll be challenging the champs in the West.
3) Boston Celtics- The Celtics are old and their window is probably going to close soon, but I think they have at least one more year before it shuts completely. You know what you're going to get with Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. They also have some great younger guys in Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. Rondo is going to win games on his own and is quickly become one of the best guards in the League. I could see them beating the Heat because the Heat don't have a point guard close to Rondo's skill level and the Celtics have so many old quality bigs to throw at people in the play-offs.
2) Miami Heat- We all know about the Big 3 and how excited everyone is to see Lebron, Wade, and Bosh play together. But their bench and secondary players are what's going to make or break this team. They have quite a few quality bigs in Big Z, Jamaal Magloire, Juwan Howard, and Udonis Haslem. Add to that a great shooter in Mike Miller, a solid PG in Mario Chalmers, and a pretty good rookie in Da'Sean Butler this team is poised to make a legit run at the title and might have a chance to win quite a few over the next few years.
1) LA Lakers- The Show is the defending champs and probably still has the best total line-up in the League. They returned most of the key players from last year and added solid rookies that could've been lottery picks in Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks. Not only that, but they picked up Steven Blake and Matt Barnes, two solid role players. The rich get richer and the Lake Show will be going to the 'ship at the end of the year.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Friday, October 1, 2010
First look Friday - October 1
Ok, NBA 2K11 comes out in four or five days, but IGN has posted their review of the game and it got me pretty excited for the game. First off, there's the new Jordan Moments mode where you get to play as Jordan through ten of his most memorable games/moments of his career. This alone is going to make me go rent the game even though I'm not the biggest Jordan fan. Really I was always more of Rodman fan, but to go relive some of those cool moments and play against the likes of Bird, Magic, and 'Nique in glorious HD is more than enough to garner at least a rent. And after that you get to import a rookie Jordan into any current franchise and play through his career in My Player mode. Can you imagine putting Jordan on the Heat or even the Hawks and the crazy athleticism that team would have? It would be incredible to play. That's not all that has me excited though because I've heard that in your My Player mode you get to do cool new things like Press Conferences and inking your own shoe deal. Of course it takes a lot of work to get to that point, but man it seems like a good step in the right direction for this mode in the future. Hopefully they continue this work in the future. Supposedly the realism is going to get a whole new level this year, which is crazy considering how good last year's update was. My pocket book is stretching thin, but I really think that I might go ahead and buy this game even though I usually have a strict policy of only buying a new sports game every other year and this year was my Madden year. I suggest you go check out the review on IGN to get a full preview, but this game is looking to be amazing.
Well, catch ya next time. Some time, same place.
Well, catch ya next time. Some time, same place.
Throwback Thursday - September 30
Ok, so while there are lots of great games coming out something big has happened in my life that really brought me back to the past that doesn't have anything to do with games. That's right friends, the WWE has finally released a Chris Jericho DVD set....nine hours of the greatest wrestler of all time. I know lots of people look down on wrestling, but I've always been a huge fan of the sport. Let's get past the fact that it's fake (sorry if you didn't know) and realize that this man soap opera is super entertaining and these guys are great athletes. If you or I tried to pull any of these crazy moves we'd surely hurt ourselves or someone else. So let's remember, the results are fake, but the pain is "mostly" real. Anyways, that out of the way I've been watching this anthology for awhile and have been thinking about who my personal favorite wrestler are and thought I might make a couple of lists. One of favorites today and one of all time with my reasonings included. Now, this isn't best in the game because you won't see John Cena or even Stone Cold on my list, but just a list of personal favorites. Anways, let's get started.
Top 5 Today- (note: I'm leaving Y2J outta this one and going with younger talent, rest assured, he'll always be my favorite).
1) Randy Orton- Holy cow, I can't get enough of the Viper, even if that moniker is ridiculously lame, but man he's the greatest in the game right now I think. It doesn't matter if he's a heel or face he's got the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. He's just dominate and it shows when he won his 6th title soon. Oh, and when he goes into stalking mode I turn into a school girl and just get giddy with excitement.
2) CM Punk- Turning Punk into a heel is the greatest thing that ever happened to this man. I literally used to hate his guts as a stupid baby face, but now that he's got his heel persona as leader of the SES I can't get enough of him. I wish they could make a few more good stables and have an all out war ala DX and the Nation of the Attitude era. maybe that'll happen soon, fingers crossed.
3) Kofi Kingston- His high flying style and crazy athleticism is exactly what I love to watch. He's not the greatest worker in the world and doesn't exactly work the program people want him to. Which apparently killed his momentum a while ago when he was getting crazy push and then worked an angle with Orton and went off script which pissed Orton off. That said, nobody does a better Money in the Bank match and I could watch him wrestle all day.
4) Jack Swagger- When this guy is a heel he's awesome just because he gets so high on himself. When he first won the 'ship I was laughing my head off every time he got on the mike. Plus, he's from Oklahoma so I can't hate on him too much.
5) Michael Tarver- Okay, obviously this guy isn't really that great, but I love his gimmick. That he can knock someone out in 1.7 seconds. If only they really used that he could get over and could be a new age Goldberg. Hopefully that happens because I love his looks and his t-shirts. I really hope he goes off at some point.
Top 5 Ever-
1) Chris Jericho-The best ever. Best promos, most funny, great in the ring, by far the best heel to ever live. Truly the best to ever step foot in the ring.
2) The Rock- Right behind Jericho...I mean had I picked up wrestling earlier I might lean towards Rock, but as it stands nobody can take Jericho's spot.
3) Goldberg- So fun too watch because he was just so dominant in the ring. I mean when this guy would come in and just destroy people it was amazing. I still remember when he was in an elimination chamber match in like 04 (possibly the first) and just killed 4 of his 5 opponents and only lost to HHH when H got a sledgehammer in the chamber. His Spear on Jericho was disgusting...I literally jumped outta my seat. His intensity made him one of the best ever.
4) Booker T- Personal favorite tag team was Book and Golddust. I can't explain why, but I loved those guys and Book doing the spinneroonie was so sweet. Plus he's got a great look and a real powerful style that was just fun to watch. As his career progressed I felt like his gimmick got crappy, which hurts him a little.
5) Shelton Benjamin- I've never wanted a guy to get over as much as Benjamin. I loved this guy and hope he comes back at some point. He was so athletic and did some amazing things in ladder matches. While Kofi Kingston has become great with the ladders it won't feel right not seeing Shelton doing MITB matches anymore.
Well, see ya next time. Some time, same place.
Top 5 Today- (note: I'm leaving Y2J outta this one and going with younger talent, rest assured, he'll always be my favorite).
1) Randy Orton- Holy cow, I can't get enough of the Viper, even if that moniker is ridiculously lame, but man he's the greatest in the game right now I think. It doesn't matter if he's a heel or face he's got the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. He's just dominate and it shows when he won his 6th title soon. Oh, and when he goes into stalking mode I turn into a school girl and just get giddy with excitement.
2) CM Punk- Turning Punk into a heel is the greatest thing that ever happened to this man. I literally used to hate his guts as a stupid baby face, but now that he's got his heel persona as leader of the SES I can't get enough of him. I wish they could make a few more good stables and have an all out war ala DX and the Nation of the Attitude era. maybe that'll happen soon, fingers crossed.
3) Kofi Kingston- His high flying style and crazy athleticism is exactly what I love to watch. He's not the greatest worker in the world and doesn't exactly work the program people want him to. Which apparently killed his momentum a while ago when he was getting crazy push and then worked an angle with Orton and went off script which pissed Orton off. That said, nobody does a better Money in the Bank match and I could watch him wrestle all day.
4) Jack Swagger- When this guy is a heel he's awesome just because he gets so high on himself. When he first won the 'ship I was laughing my head off every time he got on the mike. Plus, he's from Oklahoma so I can't hate on him too much.
5) Michael Tarver- Okay, obviously this guy isn't really that great, but I love his gimmick. That he can knock someone out in 1.7 seconds. If only they really used that he could get over and could be a new age Goldberg. Hopefully that happens because I love his looks and his t-shirts. I really hope he goes off at some point.
Top 5 Ever-
1) Chris Jericho-The best ever. Best promos, most funny, great in the ring, by far the best heel to ever live. Truly the best to ever step foot in the ring.
2) The Rock- Right behind Jericho...I mean had I picked up wrestling earlier I might lean towards Rock, but as it stands nobody can take Jericho's spot.
3) Goldberg- So fun too watch because he was just so dominant in the ring. I mean when this guy would come in and just destroy people it was amazing. I still remember when he was in an elimination chamber match in like 04 (possibly the first) and just killed 4 of his 5 opponents and only lost to HHH when H got a sledgehammer in the chamber. His Spear on Jericho was disgusting...I literally jumped outta my seat. His intensity made him one of the best ever.
4) Booker T- Personal favorite tag team was Book and Golddust. I can't explain why, but I loved those guys and Book doing the spinneroonie was so sweet. Plus he's got a great look and a real powerful style that was just fun to watch. As his career progressed I felt like his gimmick got crappy, which hurts him a little.
5) Shelton Benjamin- I've never wanted a guy to get over as much as Benjamin. I loved this guy and hope he comes back at some point. He was so athletic and did some amazing things in ladder matches. While Kofi Kingston has become great with the ladders it won't feel right not seeing Shelton doing MITB matches anymore.
Well, see ya next time. Some time, same place.
Warcaft Wedsenday - September 29
Ok, internet has been terrible of late and I haven't been able to play any wow lately. That said I've seen some things that really have me excited for Cata.
First off, we're getting back Honor titles. Back in the day when the titles were implemented I wasn't at the level cap nor did I have a good internet connection (story of my life it seems) and I couldn't play enough to ever really get a title, but dad gum did I think they looked cool. I think it's a neat idea to have to go out and earn a sweet title for your faction, hopefully that means more world pvp, but we'll see. As I've said in the past I always was a fan of world pvp, even when I was trying to level in Hillsbrad and got dominated by Alliance everywhere I went. But still the idea of total war all across the land is very compelling.This is the World of WARcraft after all. I might even have to transfer over to a pvp server before the expansive drops.
The other big thing I think looks cool is the archeology skill. Anytime I can get some more insight into the lore of wow I'm all for it. Hopefully they can make this fun and compelling and not just a stupid grind to get a cool mount. Not that it's not cool because that thing is banging and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Fingers crossed.
Hopefully next week I can get some playing time in or I might have to change this theme day for awhile. See ya next time. Some time, same place.
First off, we're getting back Honor titles. Back in the day when the titles were implemented I wasn't at the level cap nor did I have a good internet connection (story of my life it seems) and I couldn't play enough to ever really get a title, but dad gum did I think they looked cool. I think it's a neat idea to have to go out and earn a sweet title for your faction, hopefully that means more world pvp, but we'll see. As I've said in the past I always was a fan of world pvp, even when I was trying to level in Hillsbrad and got dominated by Alliance everywhere I went. But still the idea of total war all across the land is very compelling.This is the World of WARcraft after all. I might even have to transfer over to a pvp server before the expansive drops.
The other big thing I think looks cool is the archeology skill. Anytime I can get some more insight into the lore of wow I'm all for it. Hopefully they can make this fun and compelling and not just a stupid grind to get a cool mount. Not that it's not cool because that thing is banging and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Fingers crossed.
Hopefully next week I can get some playing time in or I might have to change this theme day for awhile. See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Total Sports Tuesday - September 28
Note: Internet's been pretty crappy this week so I'm posting all my past entries today. Hopefully this doesn't happen much anymore.
Well, the Vikings finally won a game a couple days ago. I can't say I'm really that much more hopeful for the season. I mean, here's the thing, this is obviously a quarterback league (which is unfortunate because I miss the days of defense and ball control winning games) and ours is terrible. Favre may of gotten that one TD on Sunday, but only because Harvin made a great diving catch, and he still managed to throw two INTs...against the Lions!? I'm sorry, but how is this guy better than Tavarious Jackson? Or for that matter Donovan McNabb? It just seems like he's finally showing signs of aging and I really don't see how the Vikings will even make the play-offs unless he starts to pick it up a lot. It's pretty sad too because everywhere else (except WR) seems primed to make a Super Bowl run...let's be honest, Adrian Peterson is easily the best RB in the League.
In other news, preseason basketball starts soon. I really can't wait because basketball is probably my favorite sport...I watch at least one game per day during the season and probably watch well over a hundred games per year. Plus, let's be honest, just seeing what the Heat are going to do is going to be amazing. Then you have Amare in New York and Durant continuing what he started over in Europe. And you always have to watch out for the Lakers and their defense of the 'ship. Oh, and I can't wait to see Gilbert Arenas and John Wall in the same backcourt together. I could literally go on all day, but I think I'll quit for now and come back in a few days with a league preview.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
Well, the Vikings finally won a game a couple days ago. I can't say I'm really that much more hopeful for the season. I mean, here's the thing, this is obviously a quarterback league (which is unfortunate because I miss the days of defense and ball control winning games) and ours is terrible. Favre may of gotten that one TD on Sunday, but only because Harvin made a great diving catch, and he still managed to throw two INTs...against the Lions!? I'm sorry, but how is this guy better than Tavarious Jackson? Or for that matter Donovan McNabb? It just seems like he's finally showing signs of aging and I really don't see how the Vikings will even make the play-offs unless he starts to pick it up a lot. It's pretty sad too because everywhere else (except WR) seems primed to make a Super Bowl run...let's be honest, Adrian Peterson is easily the best RB in the League.
In other news, preseason basketball starts soon. I really can't wait because basketball is probably my favorite sport...I watch at least one game per day during the season and probably watch well over a hundred games per year. Plus, let's be honest, just seeing what the Heat are going to do is going to be amazing. Then you have Amare in New York and Durant continuing what he started over in Europe. And you always have to watch out for the Lakers and their defense of the 'ship. Oh, and I can't wait to see Gilbert Arenas and John Wall in the same backcourt together. I could literally go on all day, but I think I'll quit for now and come back in a few days with a league preview.
See ya next time. Some time, same place.
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