Kyle’s View

Joe Pa has been in college football for a long time and has his moments of brilliance. Recently he suggested adding another team to the Big 10 giving them 12 teams. This will do a couple things. It gives the Big 10 a chance to have a conference championship. Having a conference championship will give the Big 10 another game to keep the Big 10 teams playing. This will help teams making a run at the National Championship and bowl games. Too often the Big 10 is done two or three weeks before the nest of the NCAA’s. Then with the layoff till the National Championship of the BCS games, the teams haven’t played for a month or more.

It also opens the idea of adding more competition. Some teams suggested were Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers. Of the three i like Pitt the best. They have been the most consistent and will add strength. However there is one team that could be very interesting. What if Notre Dame joined the Big 10? This would add a big name to the conference and help Notre Dame make big bowl games.

This is a no brainer for the Big 10. They should make a serious run at getting Notre Dame to join the conference. And if i’m Notre Dame im joining the Big 10.

Its a tough decision for a team to make when they have the first pick in the NFL draft. The team must decide wether they are as a franchise. Are you one or two players away or is there a need to build around a few key players and add more and more talent. The Lions are in need of quarterback, but the same thing can be said for many positions on a team that goes 0-16. There decision seems to have come down to three players Matthew Stafford, Aaron Curry, and Jason Smith.

Matthew Stafford seems to be the quarterback of choice over USC’s Mark Sanchez. Stafford is the clear choice at quarterback. His big arm stands out as well as his intelligence. He can make the correct reads when the pressure is on. He also played in the SEC which has tons strong defensive teams and presents tough matchups each week.

Jason Smith is the next option for the Lions. He is a guy who the Lions can pencil in for the next 10 years at left tackle and be happy. The Lions can do something similar to what the Dolphins did last year. They can take that offensive lineman, then use a veteran at QB and draft another QB later if your feel Rhett Bohmar or Nate Davis can be the answer. The other solution lies in the other first round pick the Lions have. Offensive tackle is deep this year and the chance to draft a Michael Oher or Eben Britton. The Lions should make this move and draft a tackle with the number 20 pick overall.

This leads to the third option for the Lions which is Aaron Curry. He is outstanding athlete that will make strong center piece for the Lions to build their defense around. He was a stand out at Wake Forrest and will continue his progression as he enters the NFL.

The Lions aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year. They may look at the Dolphins and say “Why not us?” but the Dolphins had talent and added veteran leadership. Aaron Curry is the pick the Lions should make. They can build a solid defense to go with their offense that is building around some really good pieces in Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson. Daunte Culpepper can hold down the position for the next couple years. He is said to be looking good in mini camp but that could be smoke and mirrors to make teams think they dont want a quarterback.

Dwight Howard is a top five player that has potential to be a top 3 player and is completely underutilized. He continues to put up solid numbers all season long but when its clutch time in a game, either Hedo Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis are jacking up a three pointer or shooting a fade away to try and win a game. Watching the Magic vs Sixers game one tonight, this could not be more apparent. At halftime the game was close and the Magic were blowing opportunity after opportunity to get Howard a shot within two feet of the hoop. The third quarter showed the power of Dwight Howard especially with the weak front line the Sixers have. The had an 18 point lead and by the end of the fourth quarter Andre Igoudala has a chance to hit a shot at the end of the game. Howard should get the ball with the game on the line unless they need a three at the buzzer. Dwight dunked over Theo Ratliff with no issues and can do this against most other NBA front court players. The only reason that seems to be present is the poor free throw percentage. If that’s the case then maybe Orlando should ask the Lakers and Miami for advice. Shaq is a terrible free throw shooter that got the ball in late game situation and no team could stop him. Howard has the same potential to dominate games as Shaq did. The question then becomes wether or not Howard has the killer instinct. If that is the case then the Magic need to make a move to get a end of game scorer that can take over a game.

Maybe its just me, but the NBA doesn’t have the same feeling as it used to. The rivalries have faded and stars are becoming few and far between. It seems like the NBA season has come down to 3 teams and two players. All the sportscasters, writers, and broadcasters talk about a specific niche of NBA. The two main topics are Lakers vs Celtics and Lebron vs Kobe. The Cavs are so overrated i can’t put it into words. Lebron puts up amazing numbers and carries his team on a nightly basis but his supporting cast is the same as last year in which the were swept by the Celtics. They added Mo Williams who is a solid player and plays a important role but is not the sidekick Lebron needs to win the title. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is still decent but hes reaching the end of his career and cant contribute the way he used to. The Cavs also have to rely on Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson to hit big shots at key moments and i just dont see it.

The Lakers and Celtics rivalry is awesome and can create some new excitement for the NBA, but are we going to have to wait until June every year to watch them play for something meaningful. I feel like there is no reason to watch the 82 game season. Even with this Kobe and Paul Pierce are not young guys who can carry the NBA forever.

Do teams like Utah and Denver matter? Utah has a solid team that has a floor leader in Deron Williams who is vastly underrated. Denver acquired an Chauncey Billups for an past his prime AI which made the Nuggets the second best team in the western conference. But does there play mean anything? Does anyone really care what happens with these teams besides the people in their markets? Maybe being in Sacramento watching the Kings waffle through the season and make moves that make no sense has made me jaded but the NBA just doesn’t have the same allure it used to.

In addition are fans not getting everything they should be getting? Amare’ getting hurt all but eliminated the Suns from contention. Manu’ Ginobili being out for the season made the Spurs an above average team at best. Even if these teams are healthy, can they compete with the Lakers? That said are the Lakers even that good? I think Kobe is an amazing player and has some good peices around him if Andrew Bynum is healthy and Lamar Odom can produce. Maybe the problem is the talent level of the NBA isn’t at the levels of the past. Maybe the late 90’s and early 2000’s spoiled us. I remember growing up with great rivalries with Phoenix and Dallas, as well as Sacramento and the Lakers. The sound bites of Shaq saying Sacramento was a cow town or Mark Cuban running up and down the court in Phoenix after Dirk hits a big shot. The magnitude is the thing that seems to be lost in the new NBA.

The NBA has players to build around with stars like Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard, but the NBA don’t seem to take full advantage of their potential. These guys should be on TV all the time showcasing the future. Maybe the NBA is too watered down. What if the David Stern took two or four teams out of the NBA? This would make all the teams stronger, keep good but not great players in college for longer and make the brand of basketball more exciting to watch. It would be interesting to see how players would get re-dispersed. Maybe worst record gets first pick. Maybe the Kings then pick Danny Granger if Indiana were no longer a team. Would make teams much stronger and get players out of the NBA when they aren’t NBA caliber players.

Maybe i’m out of my mind and the upcoming NBA playoffs will remind me why i loved the NBA but the NBA does need to do something to improve its product or the end could be here sooner that most people think.

In the drama that is the Broncos offseason, Jay Cutler has received his wish and has been traded. The Broncos asked for 2 first round picks in exchange for Cutler and the Chicago Bears stepped up to the plate. The Broncos will recieve a first round pick this year and next as well as a third round pick and Kyle Orton who made strides last year and was a productive Quarterback. This trade makes both teams better. The Bears desperately need a QB and the Broncos can use the picks and Orton to build with new coach Josh McDaniels.

While listening to sports radio the other day an interesting question was posed. If you start a NBA franchise today, what player do you build your franchise. The hosts decided to take LeBron James out of the equation, both feeling that he was the clear cut favorite. There discussion came down to either Chris Paul or Dwight Howard. Based on these parameters i will start there. The key idea is to decide if you want to build around a guy who will have the ball around 80% of the time on offense vs a guy who can score, rebound and dominate on both ends of the court. Having a guy who controls the pace of the game, make other players better and be a floor leader is much more important to me that a guy who can score, rebound, and block shots. I feel like i can get a Sam Dalembert or Erick Dampier to block shots, rebound and control the paint. To find a Chris Paul is much harder to do. That said starting today i would choose Dwyane Wade over any player including Lebron James. D Wade has already won a championship. Granted it was with Shaq but D Wade carried that team in the finals, and had them one step away the year before with Lamar Odom and Caron Butler as his key weapons. I think Wade can lead a team, make players better and score at will with the game on the line. Wade is a close second to Kobe in key shots at the end of games and is right there with Steve Nash and Chris Paul distributing the ball. Some people may ask why the Heat are so terrible now then. The answer is in his teammates. He is working with some over the hill players, NBDLers, and rookies. If you put Wade in New Orleans or Toronto with Chris Bosh and they would be right there in there respective divisions.

In one of the most interesting and unforeseen match ups in recent History the Arizona Cardinals will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Steelers had looked polished, strong and clearly one of the best teams in the NFL the Cardinals are the exact opposite. Every week seemed to produce a different version of the team. The team that showed up for the playoffs has been dominant. Larry Fitzgerald is playing incredible and looking like the most dominant player in the NFL. That said the most impressive part of the Cardinals run is the play of the defense. They have made plays when it matters most.  While everything in my head says to go with the Steelers, I have the strangest feeling the Cardinals are going to win the Super Bowl. In one of the strangest playoffs in recent history, everything that should have happened hasn’t. The Steelers can win if they can keep the running game active and productive, as well as stopping Larry Fitzgerald. It seems like the Eagles would have seen what he did to the Panthers and make an adjustment. The Eagles seemed to make improvements in the second half, and if the Steelers can figure out what they did they might be able to slow him down. Cardinals win 27-24 with Larry Fitzgerlad as the Super Bowl MVP.

MVP

If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago I would have said Marion Barber, no questions asked. He was dominant and putting up exceptional numbers. However another NFC east running back has stepped up and ran to the top of the MVP race. Clinton Portis is not only putting up awesome numbers but running well at key points and late in the game to preserve leads on the road none the less. If the Cowboys get back to running the ball Barber will get back into the race. Another player to watch is Marshawn Lynch, who is playing very well and helped the Bills get to 4-1.

Rookie of the Year

Offensive

Chris Johnson and Matt Forte are my pick right now. Both of these guys have given huge lifts to their team and helped their teams win games. Johnson is splitting carries which is hurting his numbers but has made plays when it was his turn to play and running well late in games. Jeff Fisher is trying to save Johnson for late in the season when they are pushing deep into the playoffs. Forte has been exceptional and has allowed the Kyle Orton and the Bears passing attack to be effective. Others to watch as the season goes are DeSean Jackson and Felix Jones who have big impacts on their teams.

Defensive

: Chris Horton is the leader in the Clubhouse. He has been nothing short of stellar. He has 3 interceptions which is near the top in the NFL not just rookies. He also has 18 tackles from the safety position. Jerrod Mayo and Keith Rivers are also putting up solid number from the linebacker spot.

Coach of the year

Jim Zorn has made a huge splash. The Redskins have found a coach that meshes well with his players both scheme and personality wise. He led them to victory over the Cowboys and Eagles on the road. He has this team poised to make noise in the tough NFC east.

With a quarter or so of the NFL season in the books there are some very interesting things going and things worth noting. There has been a shift in the NFL elite. While the mantra of going to the top can happen from one season to the next has always given fans a reason to hopeful, the same can now be said for teams going to the cellar after being highly touted for many seasons. The Colts, Chargers, Seahawks, and Patriots have all fallen off the pace they are normally setting this time of year. While some of the problems stem from injuries to key players, there is also facts that prove some of the teams are getting old and not reloading. The Colts have looked dismal. They should be 0-4 right now squeaking out wins against the Vikings trailing 15-0 in the 4th quarter and this past weekend down 27-10 with 4 minutes in the 4th quarter. If not for Sage Rosenfels fumbling twice on 4 plays, the Colts are the most disappointing team in football. They still have the offensive potential and they have produced very little. As for the Chargers, they cannot seem to get on track. LaDainian Tomlinson has not been the same since getting injured last season. The defense has looked decent at times but with the offense having problems running the ball and controlling the clock; the defense is tired at the end of games. Even teams like the Bengals and Lions who are terrible overall cannot seem to produce on offense. With players like T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Calvin Johnson, points should be put up and be somewhat competitive. The Seahawks and Pats have been hurt with injuries at key postions, however their defenses are still intact and have not looked good. If they can get healthy or Matt Cassel can play well in the case of the patriots there’s still time to turn it around.

On the Positive side some teams have taken advantage of the draft and free agency and made strides. The effects are showing. Teams like the Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins have taken huge steps. The Dolphins have already won twice the games they won last year. Teams such as the Titans and Redskins have taken their teams from bubble playoff teams to legit contenders. With huge inter-division road wins in Dallas and Philadelphia in back to back weeks has the Redskins looking like a team that can make noise all season. Clinton Portis has really stepped up his game as well as Jason Campbell who is improving and managing the game better than most thought. Jim Zorn has made a huge difference with the Redskins. The offense they employ is similar to what Campbell ran at Auburn giving him some consistency after going through 2 coaches and 4 coordinators in his 4 seasons. The Titans have had consistency at coach giving a huge advantage as well as the emergence of Chris Johnson, who is trying to claim offensive rookie of the year honors as well as take his team deep in the playoffs. The Titans are running the ball and playing great defense which is keeping them close in games and giving them the edge to pull out close victories.

The rest of the season should prove to be interesting and have intriguing story lines.

Here we sit two weeks into the fantasy season and there are some questions that need to be answered and some players that are playing above draft position.Whats the deal with superstars not playing the way they should be. Players like Peyton Manning, Ladainian Tomlinson, Randy Moss, among others are no doing what they were projected and owners are starting to become worried.

Peyton Manning has a few issues to deal with in Indy, including the loss of his center Jeff Saturday who is not only a leader on the O-line, but also a key piece to his audibles and play calls at the line. He helps get the team set, makes great blocks and makes the line much stronger. Also not playing the preseason has hurt Manning. He needs to knock the rust off. That said the injury to Dallas Clark week one also did not help, as well as Marvin Harrison, who seems to not be the player he was before the injuries last season. All that said, I think Peyton will be fine and it seemed like the rust was coming off in the game against Minnesota.

As for LT, my optimism is not as high for him. He has an issue with his toe and that causes an issue for running backs. The inability to burst and make cuts can cause a running back of LT’s ability to not produce. I am worried about his fantasy value this season. He has not been the season since late last year going into the playoffs. Might want to look at Darren Sproles or Jacob Hester for the short term.

Randy Moss is a different story. Due to the injury of Tom Brady, Randy Moss’s numbers are down. He will be fine in a week or two. Week by week they will let Matt Cassell throw more and more. Moss will be fine. He wont be the Moss of last year but he will be up in the top 5 receiver.

As for the good news, the rookies this season have been a very nice surprise. Running backs like Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Kevin Smith, and Jonothan Stewart have been amazing. The are proving to be guys you can not only count on but are starters an a almost every week basis. In addition to the running backs, the rookie wide receivers like DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal who are putting 100 yard games and touchdowns in the first two weeks. These guys are starters on a week to week basis depending on the depth  you have at wideout.