Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Walker Minot

Both the Cowboys and the Giants have had up-and-down seasons, the Cowboys have blown several games they should have won, and the Giants went through a four game losing streak. For both teams, it all hinges on this game. Winner take all (all being the last NFC playoff spot).

In the previous matchup between the two teams the Cowboys blew a big lead with only five minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was a stunning combination of a Cowboy defense collapse and excellent play by Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Statistically the Cowboys are superior to the Giants in rushing yards, opponent rushing, and opponent passing yards, with the Giants being marginally better in passing yards. These statistics don't have much value however because they haven't translated into many more wins for the Cowboys. What will decide this game is the X factor; what doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

The Giants have been coached for along time by Tom Coughlin. He has a well earned reputation as a stick-in-the-mud, but has also won a Super Bowl and experienced great success. Coughlin's quarterback, Eli Manning, has proven himself multiple times in tight situations, won a Super Bowl, and is having an excellent year. The Cowboys are led by first full year coach Jason Garrett and Tony Romo who, while having a great year, is coming off of a hand injury. These two duos are not equal.

As a lifelong Cowboy fan (following in the footsteps of Dad) my heart says the Cowboys will win, but everything I know about them and everything I know about the Giants says the Giants will win. Coughlin and Manning have proven themselves over and over, this might be Romo and Garrett's time, but until they lead a team to a win in a game like this I'm going to go with the coach and quarterback who have. For the sake of my dad's health however, I hope I'm wrong.

Giants: 31

Cowboys: 27

P.S. It's going to be really close, but the Cowboys defense is going to blow it.

Who Gets the NFC 2 Seed?

Andrew Tie

In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers are the only team to have locked in their seed for the conference. The battle for the #2 spot is up for grabs, however, between two 12-3 teams, the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. There's a lot at stake this week, and as the final week in the regular season, this should be a good week to sit back and watch some good football. Let's look at the two match-ups this week.

First, we have the Saints taking on the Carolina Panthers at home. Honestly, I think this could be a tricky game for the Saints if they aren't careful. The Panthers have been playing significantly better in recent weeks. Cam Newton has looked more comfortable in the pocket each week, plus he's already set the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. The Panthers have won four of their last five games, and he only threw two interceptions in those five weeks. Those two interceptions came in the loss, so he's played much better in the wins. While I do expect the Panthers to thrive offensively, I just can't see the Saints offense having too much trouble with the Panthers defense. They have been decimated by injuries this year, and the Saints have looked unstoppable with Drew Brees breaking Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a season last week. Brees has thrown for over 5000 yards on the season, and he hasn't thrown for less than 300 yards in seven weeks. In those same seven weeks, the Saints have won every single game, and with a #2 NFC seed on the line, I believe the Saints will rise to the occasion for this division rivalry game.

New Orleans Saints 40
Carolina Panthers 27

Next, we have the San Francisco 49ers traveling to St. Louis to take on the St. Louis Rams. With the Rams' starting QB, Sam Bradford, doubtful for Sunday's game, the Rams will begin the game at a disadvantage without their leader. While 49ers QB Alex Smith hasn't played as well as Drew Brees this season, that's not what he's been asked to do. He's played well, not turning it over too often, and putting his team in a good position to win. I know, that sounds like Tim Tebow, but Smith actually has the ability to throw the ball well. Frank Gore has run the ball well, and Smith has been getting help from Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree recently. And it's not like the Rams are exactly good at defense. While they have the sixth best pass defense in the league, they have the worst run defense. I expect Gore to have a field day against the Rams. And I'm not sure what the Rams have to fight for. They're 2-13, and there are many rumors that Steve Spagnuolo won't return as head coach next year. The Rams just aren't a very good team this year, and the 49ers should have no problem getting the win.

San Francisco 49ers 34
St. Louis Rams 13

Embarrassing Loss for the Heels

Andrew Tie

Missouri 41
UNC 24

That was embarrassing. There's not much to say about this other than that. The Heels came out ready on offense, but the defense couldn't have been any worse. Like with every mobile quarterback they've faced in the past, the Heels couldn't contain the run, which led to big passes. Too often the Heels were giving up 8, 9 or 10 yards on 1st down. Rather than play their hearts out for each other and for Interim Coach Everett Withers, they looked timid, pathetic and more willing to protect their draft stock for the NFL. The only players that came to play were on the offense. Players like QB Bryn Renner, WR Jhay Boyd and WR Dwight Jones were some of the only players who looked like they wanted to be on the field. Though Jones had several missed catches and an extremely crazy interception off his back, he made several big plays.

Credit to Missouri and Gary Pinkel for their gameplan. They used James Franklin to completely expose the very soft bend, don't break defense that the Heels use. He ran all over, he passed all over, and when he wasn't doing either, the Heels were shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers. I'm going to choose to look to the future though. Larry Fedora is coming in next year, and he will bring a breath of fresh air to the program. With his energy, I fully expect the UNC program to turn around and become much more dynamic. The run-first spread offense that Fedora employs is not unlike the offense that Missouri used, and that offense looks exciting. Renner should excel in the passing game, and RB Gio Bernard should have another great year. Although this game was embarrassing and a particularly weak showing, I'm optimistic that next few years will be different and more exciting.

Who's Got The Power (Week 16)

Max Miceli


5. New England Patriots


   This week they didn't play up to their standards at all. At halftime they were down 17-0 to the Dolphins. If the Pats want to go anywhere in the playoffs, they won't be able to do that again, and they are going to need their defense to step up.
   They will probably get home field advantage in the AFC, and that will help them come playoff time. However, I can see them being forced out of the playoffs early. (and, yes, for the Patriots being beaten in the AFC championship game is considered an early exit)

4. Baltimore Ravens


   These guys find ways to play down to less opponents, and it could kill them in the playoffs. I'm not sure if they have too much of a chance to make it far in the playoffs, but they have a guy named Ray Rice that can change games like few other players.
   This team is good enough to beat just about any team in the league, but if they can't play up to their potential week to week in the playoffs, they won't get as far as they'd like to.

3. New Orleans Saints


   These guys are pretty good. They have a chance in the last game of the season to get a bye, but it's going to take a 49ers loss to get it. While I don't think they will get a bye, these guys will probably end up playing Atlanta, who they just destroyed, at home in the first round.
   These guys have a lot of offensive fire power, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. If a team like San Fran can slow down the Saints offense and keep Brees off the field, the Saints will have trouble in playoffs.

2. San Francisco 49ers


   I really like these guys to go far in the playoffs. Their defense is spectacular, and everyone knows the saying. "Defense wins championships". That's what I think these guys have a chance to do. Frank Gore is an outstanding runner, and Alex Smith is beginning to final show that he did deserve to be a first round draft pick (he hasn't shown that he deserved to be the number one pick though).
   I see these guys making a deep run in the playoffs, and I think they will play my number 1 ranked team in the NFC championship game.

1. Green Bay Packers


   When these guys are on their game, no one can beat them. Aaron Rodgers is too good, and he has more weapons than the US military. These guys have a good chance of winning a second straight Super Bowl, but they are going to need to probably take on the Saints or the 49ers in order to get there.
   They have home field advantage throughout, and they proved that their loss last week was a fluke game by rocking the Bears 35-21 on Christmas night.

Win With Class Please

Max Miceli

With a little over two minutes left in a blow out in the Superdome, a team that was up by 22 points decided to throw the ball.
   Why would they do that?
because they wanted to break a record.
   Could they have set the record next week?
Yes.
   Was there a point in doing to this week?
Not really, they are playing at home next week so you can't say that he wanted to break it at home or anything.
   I feel as though this sums up the Saints season pretty well though. They are a high powered offensive team that likes to pad their stats in blowouts.
   You can make the case that they don't have a defense, but that's no reason to run up the score against a winless Colts team or pass the ball at the end of a game with a 22 point lead.
   Drew Brees deserved this record, but they did not need to force this. He has an entire game next week to break the record. There is no reason to try this hard to break the record. Dan Marino didn't do it when he set the record. Brees didn't need to do it tonight.
   I'm sorry, but this is a terrible show of sportsmanship. I feel as though this is pretty much saying, "kids, don't run up scores. Win with class... unless you are trying to break a record... Then do whatever the hell you want".
   That's just unacceptable.
Win with class guys.
   I might be going over board on this one, but I have really strong feelings about being a good sport. What happened tonight was not by any means being a good sport... at all.

Now that I have that off my chest we have some football to talk about.

   Brees's record breaking aside, the story of the night was a serious lack of efficiency by the Atlanta Falcons. Three times the Falcons were forced to kick field goals when they needed to score a touchdown. This was due to a 47% third down conversation rate. Though the Falcons showed glimpses of their potential, they were held back by going 8 for 17 on third down and 0 for 3 on fourth down.
   At the beginning of the game the Falcons seemed to be doing exactly what they needed to do. They drove right down the field on their first drive, but the Falcons offense got stopped up right around the 20 and were forced to kick a field goal.
   Despite Drew Brees throwing two interceptions, the Saints held the Falcons to 16 points, and when you are playing the Saints, 16 points isn't going to cut it.
   Even while the two picks, Brees cruised to 307 yards and four touchdowns leading the team to a 45-16 win.
   With the win the Saints have clinched the NFC South, but they are still fighting for the two seed and the bye. The San Francisco 49ers have an identical record to the Saints, and it the Saints want the bye, they will need to play hard next week against the young star Cam Newton's Panthers next week.

305 Yards

Max Miceli

   That is the number New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees needs to get through the air to beat Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season, and based on how much the Saints pass, He should get that at least. While that's the story many are talking about, it's not the one I want to talk about.

   I'd rather talk about a match up between two teams that seem to play close. I want to talk about two teams who's last four games have been decided by a field goal. I want to talk about a great rivalry that will inevitably end tonight with either Matt Ryan or Drew Brees winning the game on a final drive (just like it always is). 

   When all is said and done tonight, either the Saints will have a division title or the Falcons will be a win and a Saints loss away from winning the NFC South. 

   So what's the breakdown you ask?

Saints Offense

   The Saints have been on fire all season long, and all Drew Brees and the passing game. The weapons are endless with Darren Sproles, Jimmy Graham, and Marques Colston, just to name a few. There is no doubt that Brees will get his yards and score some points, but it's going to be up to the Falcons to try to limit the Saints scoring. 

   The key is going to be quieting tight end Jimmy Graham who is having the season of his life right now and slowing down the speedster out of the back field Darren Sproles. 

   If the Falcons can do that, they will be one step closer to a possible division title. 

Falcons Offense

   "Run baby run!" is all I can say about this match up. Michael Turner has been on fire the last two times he has played the Saints in the Superdome with 265 yards on 50 carries with 2 touchdowns. This Saints team on average gives up roughly 110 yards rushing, and with a thousand yard rusher like Turner, the Falcons are going to pound the rock. 

   The Saints won't be able to simply load the box to stop Turner though because Falcons wide out Roddy White isn't all the bad himself. In the past 5 games White is averaging around 112 yards receiving, and in the last four games against the Saints, he has scored three times. 

   The Saints defense needs to play well if they want to keep guys like White and Turner from sucking the energy out of the Superdome. If they can get a turnover early and make the Falcons play form behind on the road, I see the Falcons having a tough time coming back. 

   let's get real though. This game is going to be tight, and it's pretty much a toss up. You could take the Saints with home field advantage, or you could take the Falcons who are motivated to keep Brees form breaking a record on their watch. 

   In the end I see this coming close as always, but I like the Falcons with their running game and quick receivers.

Falcons       31

Saints         28

Recap of Christmas Day NBA Games

Andrew Tie

Yesterday was a good day. Yes, it was Christmas, and that meant presents, but there was something else: the NBA is back. After an offseason that included an ugly lockout dispute and recent roster changes, it's good to getting back to just basketball. There were five games yesterday, and it was just terrific to sit back and watch some NBA basketball again.

New York Knicks 106
Boston Celtics 104

Obviously in order to judge this game fairly, we must remember that Paul Pierce sat out with an injury, and the Celtics's replacement Sasha Pavlovic really has no reason to be starting anywhere. But this was a great game; although it looked like the Knicks were going to keep the Celtics away early on, the Celtics made a comeback in the second half. I was surprised by Brandon Bass who, so far at least, seems like an upgrade over Glen Davis. He had 20 Pts and 11 Reb, his first 20 and 10 game of his career. Of course, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have done what they have for their entire careers, and that's produce. But the NBA is a star-driven league, and there was simply too much Carmelo Anthony for the Celtics to handle. Anthony finished with 37 Pts and 8 Reb, including some clutch shots at the end of the 4th quarter. I'm wary of the Knicks's ability to go deep into the playoffs this season because of their bench. I'm just not sure the bench has the ability to seriously contend for the Eastern Conference championship. But that's for another time - for now, the Knicks look like a solid team that should easily be a top four seed come playoff time, just as the Celtics should.

Miami Heat 105
Dallas Mavericks 94

Simply put, the Mavericks didn't come out ready to beat the Heat. Obviously the Heat were more motivated considering the Mavericks were celebrating last season's championship at the beginning of the game. But this Mavericks team is completely different from last year's team. Tyson Chandler is gone, meaning Brendan Haywood is the starting center. They've lost guards DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler and JJ Barea. To replace them, they brought in Lamar Odom (who is good), Vince Carter (past his prime) and Delonte West (a decent guard, but West probably won't be any better than Barea). The Heat looked great, though. They played tough defense, created turnovers and got out on the fast break, which is exactly what they want. LeBron James looked like the monster that he is, and Dwyane Wade played just as well. I'm expecting the Heat to win the East and make the finals again. The Mavericks, though; I'm just not sure they'll be able to be a top four seed in the West.

Chicago Bulls 88
Los Angeles Lakers 87

THIS WAS A GREAT GAME, and Derrick Rose showed why he's the reigning MVP. Though it looked like the Lakers were going to win this game, the Bulls kept at it and got the ball in the hands of Rose for their final possession. Though the Bulls look like a little lost without Rose on the court, he's nearly unstoppable when he's playing. Rose, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer all had great games, but that's to be expected. More will be needed from Rip Hamilton in order for the Bulls to challenge the Heat. He finished the game with a dismal 6 Pts and 5 fouls. But as soon as the Bulls got the ball and gave it to Rose, I said to myself, "it's going in." There was just the sense that nothing would stop Rose. While the Lakers did play a good game and probably should have won, I'm still a little worried. Mike Brown is a good coach, but he's no Phil Jackson. And while Kobe Bryant is still there and Pau Gasol, they need some help after shipping off Lamar Odom. Derek Fisher is too old now to compete with elite point guards in the league, and it's a problem when the power forward spot is manned by Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy. I'm not sure the Lakers will be a top four seed in the West when it's all said and done, but the Bulls will easily be top four in the East.

Oklahoma City Thunder 97
Orlando Magic 89

Dwight Howard didn't have a typical Dwight Howard game. He ended the game with only 11 Pts and 15 Reb, but here was a surprise - Ryan Anderson. He had 25 Pts and 10 Reb, and if he keeps this up, it'll keep the Magic at a high level for this year. But this is all about the Thunder. They looked just like the favorites in the West that they have been projected to be. Kevin Durant had 30 Pts and should be the leading candidate for the scoring champion again this season. Russell Westbrook and James Harden also had great games and should be great complements for Durant. I'm just not sure who in the league or in the West will be able to compete with the energy, talent and chemistry that the Thunder have. They're flashy, but they're also just really good. Durant is a special player and nearly unstoppable. Westbrook is going to be an all-star this year, and Harden would start on most teams other than the Thunder. Expect them to be the top seed in the West. The Magic, however, will make the playoffs, but I can't imagine they'll be a top four seed.

Los Angeles Clippers 105
Golden State Warriors 86

Wow. What a game. During the first half, the game was tight and low scoring. But the Clippers started to open it up in the second half and show why they should be one of the most exciting teams in the league. I'm predicting the Clippers to have their ups and downs just like the Heat did last year, but the Clippers are much more complete than the Heat are; they just don't have the sheer talent that the Heat do. With Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Blake Griffin all getting 20+ Pts, they have a "Big 3" that should rival the Celtics and the Heat. I'm expecting Griffin to break out this year and be a serious candidate for MVP, but one main competitor might be Paul. In the 4th quarter, Paul took over the game and made clutch shot after clutch shot. It's funny that on a team with a guy known for big shots in Billups, Paul is the one taking and making those shots. The Warriors looked solid, but they were overmatched by Griffin down low and at the guard spots with Paul and Billups. The Clippers should be a top four seed in the West, and the Warriors might have a chance for a lower seed.

By the way, here are my projections for the playoffs this year.

Eastern Conference
1. Miami Heat
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Boston Celtics
4. New York Knicks
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Los Angeles Lakers
7. Portland Trail Blazers
8. Minnesota Timberwolves