Okay, How Do We Solve This Mess?

To put it nicely, the NFC South is a mess.  To put it truthfully, the NFC South is absolutley disasterous.  Right now, the division stands with Atlanta at 4-7, New Orleans at 4-7, Carolina at 3-7-1, and Tampa Bay at 2-9.  Really?  You know whats even better?  The winner of this division not only makes the playoffs, but they will host a home game.  There's something wrong here.

I decided to personally go through and look at the rest of the schedules for each team and decide what their record may end up being.  At this moment, I'm projecting New Orleans at 6-10, Atlanta at 6-10, Carolina at 3-12-1, and Tampa Bay at 4-12.  Are you serious?  So let me get this straight - a 6-10 team will host a playoff a game?  Wow.  I mean go ahead and look at the rest of the schedule and predict for yourself but right now, this may be the case.  New Orleans would get in because they play Atlanta in Week 16 and I'm prediciting them to win which would allow New Orleans to break the tiebreaker and get in to the playoffs.  But back to the main picture.  New Orleans hosting a playoff game?  Oh brother.

Here is what the NFL can do to fix this mess. They need to make a rule, in print, stating that a division winner that DOES NOT have a .500 record or better will NOT host a playoff game.  However, they WILL make the playoffs because the division winner is entitled to a playoff spot and will be placed as the last Wild Card seed.  This is my solution and what I think should happen.  It's not fair to completely take the home game away from the division winner so the rule should state that they must at least be a .500, or 8-8 football team.

The problem is that this season, a team from the NFC South will indeed host a playoff game.  Looking at the schedule, I believe it ultimatley comes down to New Orleans and Atlanta but honestly with the way this division has gone, anything, and I mean anything can happen.

Image Credit:   https://pff-pffanalysisltd12.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/nfc-south.gif

Red Sox Doomed to Repeat History?

(examiner.com)

The Boston Red Sox have landed the top two free agent hitters on the market this offseason in Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, signing them to big multi-year deals this week.

Ramirez will be getting $88 million over four years.
Sandoval will be getting $95 million over five years.

(whatproswear.com)

Its a surprising move to me, and maybe others, because of Boston's recent history with big contracts like this.  Just a mere two years ago, they acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Carl Crawford prior to the season and both had contracts over $100 million dollars.  The Red Sox ended up finishing last in the division, and oh yeah, they traded those two and Josh Beckett to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August. This deal, totaling $250 million in contracts, was made so the Red Sox could lower their payroll.

Now mind you, it was a completely different situation on both sides.  The Red Sox were playing terribly under Bobby Valentine, and the Dodgers were just sold to Magic Johnson and his new ownership team who were looking to spend big money to improve their team.

Fast forward to now and the Red Sox have now locked up roughly $200 million in two players, coming off a season where they finished in last place, a whopping 25 games behind the Baltimore Orioles.

Sandoval is coming off his third World Series title in five years as a member of the San Francisco Giants, and is looking for a "new challenge" as he turned down a contract from the Giants for the same price that he signed with Boston for. Sandoval has had "issues" with his weight and people worry whether he can keep it in check to a point where his performance stays strong. That will be something to keep an eye on him for.

Ramirez is leaving a solid team in the Dodgers to head to Beantown. The Red Sox announced that they intend to play him in left field,  a completely new position he hasn't played in his MLB career. Rewind a few years when he was with the Marlins, and they wanted to move him from shortstop, he pouted and his performance suffered. Keep an eye out to see if this happens again.

The Boston front office wanted to address their offensive needs, and I would say they just did that, but will it pan out? Or will the Red Sox repeat history, gamble on big contracts, and still lose? I feel like the additions will help, but with the backgrounds these guys have, it could be a huge fail if they don't perform.

Playing is a Privilege

Okay everyone, I think it's time that I throw my hat into this discussion, and I have a lot to say. 

By now, you'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard that domestic violence is apparently what's "in" in the NFL. I say that with every last kind of disgust, seeing that I love watching football.Yet, when all that's on the news is Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, and recently Adrian Peterson, the sport I love to watch starts to become secondary. The league America loves to watch starts to, or at the very least should be, becoming secondary. Why? 

Because we're talking about three of the leagues most talented players doing things NO ONE should ever do: physically harm a woman, and physically harm a child.

Oh, but it doesn't stop in just the NFL, folks. Recently in the NBA, Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor was suspended 24 games. For what? You guessed it: domestic violence. 

So allow me to say something everyone should be on board with: I don't care if you are a rookie trying to make it in the league, a superstar, or just an everyday Joe Schmoe walking the street. You DO NOT inflict pain on your loved ones.

Domestic violence is a touchy subject. If you say one thing that can even be remotely misconstrued, you're going down a slippery slope. With that said, remind me why people would go so far out on a limb and say things like, "Well, the women provoked it," or "It's self defense," or even "Well, if she was hitting him, she kind of deserved it." 

Really? A woman deserves to get punched senseless? A woman deserves to get physically dragged out of an elevator by hair?!? A woman deserves to have visible scars and bruises, and have to be scared senseless to come forward?!?! 

And please, don't even get me started about children. I get that sometimes it's referred to as an "old-school method." I get it. Really, I do. But at some point when it comes to that said old-school discipline, enough is enough.

What any athlete needs to understand, those who we know have committed domestic violence incidents and those whom we don't know, is that playing professional ball is a privilege. I repeat: playing professional sports is an absolute privilege. How many athletes get to grow up and fulfill their dreams in the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, and so on? Better yet, how many of those said athletes become superstars? Faces of their respective franchises? Faces of their respective leagues?

With anything in life that is a privilege, it can be taken away much easier as it can be earned (and I say earned because you don't just get privileges. You work for them, and you earn them). And call me cynical, call me uneducated, call me heartless for what I'm about to say. But if you go as far as to physically harm your loved ones, or ANYONE for that matter, you need to earn back that privilege all over again. Why? The answer is simple:

More attention needs to be focused on improving your life and the lives of others affected your actions.

It's good to see that professional sports leagues are starting to realize this, showing so by dishing out lengthy suspensions and harsher penalties. But work still needs to be done. Athletes need to do some soul-searching and ask, "Is it really worth derailing my life and other lives to just hit someone?" We as fans need to do the same, but also need to put our fan allegiances to side and stand up to this social issue. Enough is enough.

We need to rid sports of this issue, and then also try to rid it from our culture. No more domestic violence. No more hearing about this damn near every day.

Please, just no more. 

(Photo above from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tommytomlinson/2014/09/15/adrian-peterson-the-nfl-and-whippings/)

The Bad News Bears (Em-BEAR-assing, pt. 2)

I feel like I've been here before. You know, professionally writing out how utterly embarrassed I am to be a Chicago Bears fan after a game in which they get absolutely decimated, not having any material (nor any motivation) to defend them, and saying, "Never have I ever been this embarrassed to call myself a Chicago Bears fan who goes to a school in Wisconsin." All that good stuff.

Oh wait, I have been here before. So let me just amend one statement: NOW I've never been this embarrassed to be a Bears fan.

As I write this, it's the third quarter and the Packers are winning 42-0. 42 to nothing...nothing! Yes, it's that bad to the point where I'm writing this mid-game! No one told me Whitewater was playing on NBC tonight!

Too far? Okay.

Let's just recap what the Bears were supposed to do this year. They were supposed to:

1. Build on last year's high powered offense
2. Have a somewhat improved defense with all the emphasis they put on that half of the ball during the off-season (Jared Allen, Lamar Houston, Willie Young, etc.)
3. Be a team that no one really wants to go against in the playoffs, and the big one..
4. Beat Green Bay.

If those were the actual organizational goals this year, I think you can mark all of those down in the "Fail" category.

Since there's no way they're winning this, the Bears are going to be 3-6 and remain in dead last place of the NFC. Their next game is against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Most Bears fans would be optimistic about that fact, but lets not forget that these said Bears are 0-3 this year at home. Then after that are games against Tampa Bay, Detroit, Dallas, New Orleans, Detroit, and Minnesota again.

I don't know what needs to be done. I have no idea who the blame needs to be placed on (hint: everyone for under-performing severely). But I can tell you what I want, at the very least, and that is this:

For the love of my Great Aunt Petunia who doesn't exist (see, another reference to my other post regarding the Bears), at the very least make like the Cowboys the last few years and somehow go 8-8. 

Please?

(Photo Above From: http://sportige.com/chicago-bears-09-2012-jay-cutler-at-his-absolute-worst/)

Warhawks Football Post Game Recap Nov. 8, 2014

November 8, 2014

http://www.division3tennis.com/2014-season-preview-wisconsin-whitewater/

The Warhawks came into today’s matchup with an undefeated 8-0 record as they welcomed the Pointers from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Today Stevens Point presented themselves as possibly the toughest matchup the Warhawks will face this regular season. Stevens Point presented the Warhawks with a considerable obstacle to overcome, regardless the Warhawks came away with another easy victory today at Perkins Stadium. 

Though Whitewater had a bit of a slow start today, the offense looked excellent in the second half and the final numbers speak for themselves. The Warhawks produced 531 total yards, with Senior Quarterback Matt Behrendt passing for 294 yards and Junior Running Back Dennis Moore rushing for 102 yards on the day. The biggest factor for the offenses success was the way they were able to balance out the offense. Behrendt led the charge with 21 completions and 4 touchdowns on the day and Coach Lance Leipold was able to utilize three different running backs who all contributed in one way or another for the Warhawks offense. Junior Running Back, Jordan Ratliffe, was able to rack up 2 rushing scores today to help the Warhawks pull away from the Pointers in the first half.

Defensively the Warhawks played well although at times looked lackadaisical. They allowed 408 yards of total offense and 316 yards through the air. They allowed 17 points which isn’t terrible but it certainly isn’t the best defense they’ve played this year. With that being said the defense did step up and made big stops today when they needed it most. Senior Defensive Back Brady Grayvold came up big in the first half and intercepted what would have been a game tying touchdown for the Pointers and again deflected a possible first down play that would have extended a rather productive drive late in the first half for Stevens Point. 

All in all the Warhawks played another productive and successful football game that resulted in their ninth victory of the season. Though production may not have ran smoothly throughout the entire matchup, they still managed to light up the scoreboard and come up with some big stops when needed. Regardless of today’s performance Lance Leipold and the Warhawks now look forward to next weeks matchup against UW-River Falls as they try to cap off another undefeated regular season.

What Exactly ARE the Dallas Cowboys?

What does Taylor Swift and the Dallas Cowboys have in common? We don't know what they are.

Okay, maybe we do know what Taylor Swift is, seeing that she's supposedly now a full-fledged pop star. The Cowboys, however? The jury is still out.

This past Sunday, "America's Team" fell to 6-3 after losing to the best team no one is talking about, the Arizona Cardinals. Albeit, Tony Romo was out with a back injury suffered last week on Monday Night Football, and Brandon Weeden was the starter against Arizona. Speaking about that Monday Night game...

Let's all just take a moment to realize that not only did the Cowboys (who were at the time 6-2 and had the entire country hopping on the Dallas bandwagon) lose to the Redskins 20-17 in overtime. Not only did Tony Romo's surgically repaired back feel the wrath of maybe one of the better defenses no one is talking about. It's not any of that. It's the fact that they lost to a Redskins team led by Colt McCoy.

Daniel. Colt. McCoy. And no, the 'Boys can't look at that night, make like T-Swift and just "Shake It Off". And yes, the haters did begin to "hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."

Okay, okay. I'll get back to the point.

With the exception to a Week 1 loss against the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys started off the season better than many predicted. Okay, a lot better. That defense that was supposed to be historically bad? Actually held up pretty well. The offensive line did an amazing job making sure Tony Romo didn't get drilled. DeMarco Murray was, and pretty much still is, having a record-breaking year. People were beginning to believe in them again, and many detractors (me, included) were finally giving credit where credit was due

So if the 'Boys were officially back prior to these last two losses, are we going to see the 'Boys we've all come to know and mock the past few years? Say it with me, everyone: "8 and 8, 8 and 8!"

Maybe these last two weeks were just mere setbacks, and Dallas will go back to surprising us the rest of the way. But best believe that for every person out there who wants to see the Cowboys finally escape the hole of mediocrity, there's a whole bunch of people chanting "8 and 8" under their breaths, hoping for a collapse.

If the latter does happen, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may have to do a lot more than just "shaking off".

(Credit for Photo: http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/dallas-cowboys-jon-kitna-vs-tony-romo-for-starting-qb/question-1652055/)

Cubs' New Hype...Buy or Sell?

The Cubs hired former Joe Maddon to manage the young prospects of their future on Tuesday.

I saw a headline today on ESPN Chicago that said "Cubs' Savior has Arrived"

BUY or SELL?

SELL.

Wait a tick, how is a manager going to be the savior of a team? Is he on the field? Does he make the plays? How much effect on a game does he truly have as a manager?

The manager puts together a lineup card, makes pitching changes, etc. BUT he doesn't make the plays. The players in the Cubs uniforms have to make the plays. They're the ones who have to hit and pitch and field.

Dont get me wrong, Joe Maddon is an excellent game manager, and I like what he did with David Price, Evan Longoria and the Rays, but how many World Series has he won? None. His career record is a hair over .500 at .517 and the Rays had some solid teams.

Now, you're throwing a guy who averages a 84-78 season a year to a team who has maybe one star player in Anthony Rizzo. No David Price or Evan Longoria type players on the roster and all the sudden Cub fans are talking World Series.

Say that the Cubs do win 84 games next year. In a division with the St. Louis Cardinals that ALWAYS find a way to win, the Brewers who are a solid team who have already started improving by adding Adam Lind, and the Pirates, 84 games doesn't get you into the playoffs.

The move to hire Maddon is an improvement and congrats to the Cubs on making the big move, but don't deem this guy a savior.  The team still has to play the game.

Gator Football Makes Me Scratch My Head

Remember the good ol' days with Urban Meyer at the helm, Tebow throwing, running people over for TD's, and doing whatever it took to win? The grit and heart the Gators played with back in 2008?

Tim Tebow, Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, David Nelson, Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps.

The whole Gator offense seemed to end up playing in the NFL. This team EMBARRASSED opponents (minus the 1-point loss to Ole Miss which led to Tebow's famous speech).   They averaged 43.6 points a game.

Now? The Gators are getting embarrassed week to week.  Their offense is anemic, averaging 28.7 points a game.  Now you are probably thinking , "Andrew, 28 points isn't too bad." which I would agree with, but that average is bloated by a 65-0 win over a middle of the pack MAC team in Eastern Michigan. Take that game away and they are averaging 21.4 points.

Playing in the SEC, 21 points a game isn't going to win you games. This conference is arguably the best in college football when it comes to NFL potential. Florida has to find a way to score some points. They're defense is solid enough to win SEC games, but they are getting burned out because they are constantly on the field because the offense can't put drives together long enough to score points and give the defense a rest.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11739588/tim-tebow-says-florida-gators-lack-offensive-identity

I wrote the first half of this blog a couple weeks back, but decided to add to it after Florida's shocking upset of, then, #11 Georgia.

Florida may have found their identity after all, running wild on the Georgia Bulldog defense on Saturday. Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones both had about 200 yards rushing and 2 TD's a piece, and just ran through Georgia all day.

The only thing that worries me is the Gators only threw the ball 9 times all game with true freshman QB Treon Harris. Teams are going to key off on the running game between Taylor and Jones, so can Treon step up and make the throws hes got to make to help the Gators win?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Gators and was unbelievably pumped to watch them beat Georgia Saturday, and it was a great step in the right direction.

BUT.  This team still has a long way to go.

Will they be able to pass off the dominant running performance from this passed week?
Will Treon be able to lead the Gators to 5 straight wins to finish the season?
Will this win help the program land big recruits that can turn this sinking ship around?

Time will tell, but as of right now, I am going to sit back and watch.

Stardom Cut Short

Many people love the game of baseball.  Some of us more than others, but sometimes we all forget that the players that play this great game are also people too.  For those of you who haven't already heard, Oscar Taveras was killed recently in a car accident.  Officials have no information about the accident just a conformation that Taveras and his girlfriend  died in the accident, according to bleacherreport.com.

Taveras was one of the top prospects in the nation and in his time in the majors played well for the St. Louis Cardinals.  He had earned a job sharing starts in right field for the club.  but what all of us seem to forget is that he was a person too.  That he did have a life outside of baseball.  He had a family and a girlfriend in the Dominican Republic.  Even being a Milwaukee Brewers fan for all of these years, and absolutely despising the Cardinals, I am saddened to see that this happened.  He was a future star for the club and the Major League.  He will be missed.  And I leave you with his final hit of his career.

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/6479266/v36800103 

Photo:
https://www.google.com/search?q=oscar+taveras&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=920&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=cbtOVJKrI5CeyAT90oFo&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAw#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=xhcl8B7m-VEFUM%253A%3BIl1ctAfLD3x3XM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.foxsports.com%252Fcontent%252Fdam%252Ffsdigital%252Ffscom%252Fmlb%252Fimages%252F2014%252F05%252F31%252F053114-MLB-cardinals-oscar-taveras-LN-PI.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.foxsports.com%252Fmidwest%252Fstory%252Ftaveras-makes-statement-with-major-league-debut-060114%3B1600%3B900 

What Exactly is Brett Favre's Legacy?

When you hear the name Joe Montana, you think of one of the best quarterbacks to play the game.  When you hear the names John Elway, Steve Young, Payton Manning, Johnny Unitis, and so on, you think of all great quarterbacks.  But when you hear the name Brett Favre, what do you think of?  A guy who threw more interceptions than any other quarterback?  A guy who went to the Green Bay Packers division rival, Minnesota Vikings?  A guy who had a sexting scandal when he was with the New York Jets?  You know what I think about?  One of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Brett Favre was drafted out of Southern Miss in 1991 in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons.  Let's just say, Favre didn't have the great relationship there with head coach Jerry Glanville.  Glanville even said that it would take a plane crash for Brett Favre to play in Atlanta.  Favre's career in Atlanta was short lived as he threw the ball four times, had no completions, and 2 interceptions.  What did Ron Wolf see in this guy?  Apparantley something because after the 1991 season, Wolf traded a first round pick to Atlanta for Brett Favre.  In the second game that year, the Packers were down 17-0 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at halftime so head coach Mike Holmgren decided to bench starting quarterback Don Majkowski and put in Brett Favre.  Favre ended up throwing his first pass as  Packer and his first complete pass to himself for a gain of -7 yards.  The Packers lost that game 31-3.  Majkowski would start the next game but get an injured ligement in his ankle.  Favre would come in and actually fumble four times but he would end up throwing the game-winning touchdown in that game against the Bengals with 13 seconds left and Favre would be the guy from there on out.  That year, Favre threw for 3,227 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.  From 1993 to 1995, Favre threw for 11,598 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 51 interceptions.  The year after that was simply put, magically.

Favre would work his magic in 1996, throwing for 3,899 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.  That year was special because it would the year Brett Favre would win his one and only Super Bowl Championship.  For the first time since 1967, Favre and the Packers were bringing the Lombardi Trophy home.  Throughout his career in Green Bay, Favre threw for 61,665 yards, 460 touchdowns, and 286 interceptions.  Although the interceptions may be a bit crazy, Favre threw for unbelieveable numbers in his career with the Packers.  He would leave the fans with great memories, such as his nearly perfect performance on Monday Night against the Raiders the night is father died or how about when he won the Super Bowl and ran off the field, helmet held high?  Although he left the Packers with an interception, Favre in 2007 threw for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns and took the Packers to the NFC Championship. 

The drama would begin after that as Favre announced his retirement.  After an offseason with Green Bay planning to move foward with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, Favre decided he still wanted to play football.  The Packers would trade him away to the New York Jets that year and that to was short-lived.  After his season with the Jets, Favre was going to retire again, becoming a free agent.  However, Minnesota Vikings players such as Jared Allen flew to Favre's Mississippi home and convinced him to come out of retirement and play for the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers division rival.  Favre actually had one of the best years of his career in Minnesota, as he threw for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns, and a career-low as a starter, 7 interceptions.  Although all seemed in good in Minnesota, fate reared its ugly head in the NFC Championship against the New Orleans Saints that year as Favre would throw an interception toward the end of the game, allowing the Saints to kick a game winning field goal.  Favre almost knew that was his last chance at the Super Bowl but had to have realized that's what he gets for going to the Vikings.  Or maybe he didn't.  Who knows.  All I know is Favre would play one more year after that and would hardly play due to injury.  Favre suited up, injured and all, for one last game against the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings on a Monday Night at TCF Bank Stadium as the Metrodome had a collapsed roof.  Favre would be sacked by Corey Wooten and that would be the end of his career. 

Favre still finished his 20 year career with a passer rating of 86.0, 71,838 yards, and 508 touchdown passes.  So why write this?  Well Payton Manning just broke Favre's record of 508 touchdown passes and it only seems fitting.  Many talk about Payton's legacy, but the legacy of Brett Favre is hardly talked about.  Now how would I define Brett Favre?  I would define him as one of the best, most exciting, and most contraversal quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL.  I would also say that watching Favre play quarterback for many years as a Packer was an honor and privelage and as a fan, I thank him for all the memories.  Brett, we can't wait till you come home. 

Image from:  http://cdn.rsvlts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Super-Bowl-XXXI-Jan.-26-1997-Brett-Favre.jpeg

Em-BEAR-assing

(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1886811-chicago-bears-offseason-question-is-cutler-worth-a-multi-year-deal)

Never have I ever been this embarrassed this year to call myself a Chicago Bears fan who goes to a school in Wisconsin. Okay, maybe there was that one time where I lost that bet earlier in the season, but that's besides the point here.

If you weren't too busy celebrating the Packers victory or suppressing what just happened a few hours ago, you know by now that the Bears just lost yet another home game. Oh, but it gets better. They are now 3-4 for the season, and three of those losses took place in Soldier Field. Wait, there's more! Want to know who they lost to today and what the score was? That would be the Miami Dolphins, and the final score was 27-14.

Yes, you read that correctly. I'm already mentally preparing myself for all the Jay Cutler jokes I'm bound to get this week.

Now, according to several reports, we know that there was a whole lot of arguing and fighting after game. Brandon Marshall reportedly called out Jay Cutler and kicker Robbie Gould, and people had to be restrained and taken out of the locker room. You know, all that typical "team in disarray" stuff you hear about almost every year, many of these cases stemming from teams that people predicted to actually be contenders in a way.

Question: Why don't they take that intensity, use it on the field, and stop putting fans on an embarrassing roller coaster of a season?

The Bears are supposed to contend for the NFC North. They're supposed to put up major points on the board in their second year under head coach Marc Trestman. Cutler is supposed have a dark horse MVP-caliber year. The defense was supposed to be better with all the acquisitions in the offseason.

So...where is THAT Chicago Bears team?

Let's look at what the Bears have done this season. So far, they have:

• Lost to the Bills, of all teams, in Week 1. The Bills!!
• Came back in dramatic fashion against the 49ers on Sunday Night Football
• beat the Jets on Monday Night Football, but everyone knows that was luck
• Lost to the Packers. Enough said.
• Thanks to turnovers, lost a winnable game against the Panthers 
• Made the Falcons look stupid, and then...
• Made the Dolphins make them look like the stupid ones

Long story short, this season has been deceiving if anything. When they win, they look like the NFC North contenders that they should be (with the exception of that Jets game). Oh, but when they lose, it's absolutely atrocious. It's miserable. It's ugly. Better yet, it's worthy of Randy Orton showing up out of nowhere, hitting me with an RKO, and putting my fandom out of it's misery. 

I mean, have you seen those Vines lately? Okay, sorry, off topic again.

I get it, Chicago. I get that our defense is bad, and it doesn't help that someone gets hurt every single game. I get that Cutler likes to occasionally, borderline frequently, catch a case of the Rex Grossman (if you're a Bears fan, you know what I mean. Same goes for you, Packer fans). I get Jeffery and Marshall has been hurt and Matt Forte started slow. But after what happened today, I'm not sure how I can bring myself to defend a team who doesn't have an identity. Honestly, can the real Chicago Bears, whoever you are, please just stand up?

Please, for the love of my Great Aunt Petunia...just. Win. Consistently (preferably at home, too). Better yet, pick an identity and stick with it.

I don't have a Great Aunt Petunia, but you get the point. I can settle for a home victory at the very least.

Playoffs!?

For the first time in over 5 years, the playoffs are back in the Chicago Cubs’ vocabulary. With the announcement from Theo Epstein,  that playoffs were the team’s number one goal for the 2015 season, morale has risen amongst Cubs fans. After a long and tedious "rebuild", the future of the Cubs looks bright. Despite a losing record for the 2014 campaign, the Cubs in the latter half of the season did manage to play .500 baseball, an impressive stat for being such a young team. With the additions of young prospects: Jorge Soler, Arismendy Alcantara, and Javier Baez, the big league roster showed a great improvement offensively. Complimented with a solid bullpen and impressive starting pitching from younger pitchers like Kyle Hendricks and Tsuyoshi Wada. Even so, the Cubs still have stars that are expected to be called-up next year and in the years to come including Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber, and many more.

http://www.baseballessential.com/chicago-cubs/chicago-cubs-2014-recap

Despite the remarkable play from young prospects, the Cubs should be looking to add some veteran pitching this winter. With pitchers like Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, and James Shields on the market this offseason, the Cubs have a great selection to choose from. On top of that, the Cubs should look into solidifying the catcher position. Unfortunately injury prone Wellington Castillo underperformed again this season compiling a .237 batting average, 13 home runs and only 46 RBI’s. Russell Martin is currently the top catcher this offseason and would be a nice upgrade in the Cubs’ line-up next season. 

Incorporating some veterans with post-season experience will be a nice compliment to the young stars and should create a good mix of young and experienced ball players that can compete at a high level next year. Plus, with the expected arrival of Kris Bryant next season, the Cubs look to add another offensive powerhouse to the line-up. Though, at the end of the day it is all speculation, but if Theo Epstein and the front office play their cards right this offseason, playoffs will be back in the Cubs’ vocabulary.

College got it Right

3...2...1...it's wide right and the final score is 37-37.  Wait a minute! A tie?!  Professional games don't end in a tie!  Unless you count the 2002 MLB All-star game.  But back to football, these guys are out there playing their hearts out trying to get another W for their teams and the game just ends.

As a fan you are sitting there wondering what just happened.  You're expecting one of the teams to win and the game just ends.  Although the Bengals should have won on that last second field goal, but that's besides the point.

The NFL needs to be like the college game when it comes to overtime.  This may in fact be the final push for that.  Have both the teams start at the opponents 40 yard line and work your way to the end zone.  It will be a more of an intense game because it allows one thing, hope.

In the current system, as a fan, you know that if one team drives down the field and scores a touchdown it's over.  But if we add a little hope does it make it a better game?

Now your team has a chance to rebuttal the other team and try and score.  This keeps happening until someone wins the game.  This is probably the best thing for the NFL and everyone (but maybe the players) is happy.  The fans get more game to watch, the organization is happy because it gives the fans an opportunity to spend more money on things like concessions, and the NFL is happy because the fans are happy.

The players may not be happy because this provides another opportunity for them to get injured.  You have to remember though, these are the same guys that make millions of dollars for playing a game.  Playing a game that most of us played from a very young age.

We'll see what happens next season.  I'm looking at you Roger Goodell.

Johnny Man-Who??

We're supposed to be seeing something, rather someone, different from the Cleveland Browns.

We're supposed to be talking about them almost every single week. We're supposed to be witnessing a whole new kind of flair and swagger. We're supposed to be witnessing a type of Mania that almost rivals "Hulkamania", brother. Simply put, we were supposed to see the Browns suck and rookie sensation Johnny Manziel ride in on his white horse near midseason. 

Cleveland, for the most part, wanted it. Texas A&M fans wanted it. I wanted it. Admit it, even you wanted it. We all, deep down, wanted it.

And Brian Hoyer does. Not. Care. At all.

The Brian Hoyer-led Browns, now fresh off a 31-10 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, have a 3-2 record. That puts them at third in the AFC North behind Baltimore and Cincinnati, who are tied for first. It's also worth mentioning that if the playoffs were to start TODAY (yes, I know it's too early to say that), they'd just barely miss the playoffs. As far as individually, Hoyer is a top-20 quarterback in the yardage category (1,007) and ranked 8th in Total QBR (75.4). You know what they say about numbers: They don't lie.

So why are people hardly buying what Hoyer is selling? It's time to give credit where credit is due, and believe me, Hoyer deserves a lot of credit.

Let us not forget that Hoyer has quite the backstory, too. He's a hometown kid who has bounced around several teams in his career, came to Cleveland last year and won games for them before his season was cut short thanks to an ACL injury. Let me say that again. Hoyer won games. The Cleveland Browns won games! Forget the fact that it was the Browns: 

A team from Cleveland won games!! Hardly anything wins Cleveland! Just look at the Cavaliers once LeBron James left. 

He seems like a really nice guy, but I guarantee that if you asked him, Hoyer would be damned if he let some kid who has almost a Tebow-esque media circus behind him take his job. Hoyer is essentially the underdog here, as he's been for really most of his career. You know how America is with underdogs. We LOVE them.

Anyone who knows me knows I adore Manziel, and I'm still hoping to see him start some games for the Browns. If Hoyer keeps this up, though, I can surely wait. I love the underdog just as much as America does.

I'm not saying Hoyer is going to lead the Browns to the Super Bowl anytime soon. Yet, at the very least, it's time to start entertaining the idea that he could squeak them into the playoffs. For now, he's finally giving Browns fans reasons to cheer.

Side note: it's a good year to love Cleveland sports, huh? LeBron's back, now this? Go crazy, Cleveland. 

City of Broken Dreams

Show of hands: Who expected to see the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers meet up in the World Series this year? If you're like me, then this was something that you were craving for the moment the first pitch of this year's MLB Playoffs was thrown.

Think about it for a second. On one hand you have a team with an enigmatic superstar (Yasiel Puig), a superstar whose rise, fall, and second rising is almost as dramatic as Batman's in The Dark Knight Trilogy (Matt Kemp), and someone who should get a lot of MVP consideration (Clayton Kershaw). On the other hand, you have a team with a surefire future Hall of Famer (Albert Pujols), another superstar with dramatic rises and falls (Josh Hamilton), and the heir to MLB's "face of the league" throne vacated by the now-retired Derek Jeter (Mike Trout). Not to mention both teams have other pretty key players as well.

It's perfect. It's Hollywood, both geographically (kind of) and figuratively. It's even more of a ratings grabber than World Series' typically are, if that's even possible.

Ain't no Series like a West Coast Series because a West Coast Series doesn't stop, right? Right?!?

Wrong, and for two reasons:

1. It would eventually have to stop to get a World Champion.
2. It isn't happening, since both teams have been eliminated in their respective League Divisional Series'.

For the Angels, they not only lost to the Kansas City Royals. They were swept. Swept! The best team in baseball was swept by a team who hasn't had a sniff of the postseason since 1985, but could easily be pegged as the "Team of Fate". The Dodgers recently lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, but they at least salvaged a game in that series.

Okay, maybe I should have seen that Dodgers one coming, seeing that it seems like the Cardinals are a mainstay in the NLCS as of recent years. But still.

Sure, this is the time of year where we're supposed to expect the underdog to come out on top, and not just in baseball. Anyone else watch college football around this time of year every year? David always tends to get the better of Goliath, and the MLB Playoffs are no exception. For those like me who wanted an LA World Series, this kind of sucks. A lot.

But hey, cheer up Los Angeles sports fans! The Kings, Clippers, and Lakers are all starting their respective seasons soon. If all else fails, you have Hollywood. And for fans of both LA baseball teams here in Wisconsin, the Packers are tied for first.

Plus, Aaron Rodgers is from California. That counts for something, right?

Call it a Comeback

            From Green Bay’s Thursday night stomping of Minnesota, to New England conquering Cincinnati on Monday, week five of the NFL season was arguably the most exciting of the young season. In between the Packers and Patriots victories saw nine games in which the team that won, did so in comeback fashion. Of those nine teams to come back and win, five of them did so after being down by double digits. While Carolina and Buffalo both came back from fourteen down, both games were overshadowed by Cleveland’s incredible twenty-five point comeback to beat Tennessee.      

            On paper, the Tennessee, Cleveland game should have been a close one, and if you just looked at the final score, it was. What makes this game so incredible is way Cleveland came back. To be down 28-3 before halftime means neither offense nor defense played at all. And while it appeared the defense got their act together after halftime, the Browns still only scored and additional three points by the end of the third.

            By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, there was no reason to believe that the Browns were coming back. Then out of nowhere the Cleveland offense took off and went on to score sixteen unanswered points and the defense held off a last drive effort to win the game. The question is, who deserves the most credit for the Browns victory? Was it Cleveland’s offense for finding a way to score in the fourth? Was it Cleveland’s defense for not allowing the Titans to score in the second half? Was it Tennessee’s defense for allowing the Browns for score sixteen points in the final quarter? Or was it Tennessee’s offense for not putting any points on the board in the second half? I think the answer is Cleveland’s offense, more specifically the offense of line. The Brown’s o-line only allowed one sack in the game which allowed Brian Hoyer to remain healthy throughout the game. Though losing Jake Locker didn’t help Tennessee’s case.

Indeed, What Defines a Game Manager?

On Tuesday, Hawk Talk got heated as the discussion of who was a game manager at the quarterback position was thrown in many different directions.  Through all that arguing, we were all wrong.  Here's the real truth.  You can't be a game manager and play in the NFL in today's game.  If that's the case, you'll end up on the bench, just like E.J. Manuel did.

The conversation of Alex Smith being a game manager has always been a popular discussion.  But seriously, watch him play.  He's not a game manager.  Sure he hands the ball off to Jamal Charles but he makes a lot of plays with the limited recievers he has.  Dwayne Bowe is his best wide reciever and after that, its hard to imagine Junior Hemingway, Donnie Avery, and A.J Jenkins even coming close to a second reciever.  In reality, Travis Kelce is Alex Smith's only threat as a target.  Bowe as problems with his hands and I mean that literally.  It actually hurts his fingers really bad which is why he has trouble catching the ball a lot.  So really, they only have Travis Kelce.  Alex Smith was the 49ers quarterback for quite sometime before he got hurt and Colin Kaepernick took over.  Smith was then traded to the Chiefs where he took them back to the playoffs a year ago.  Although they lost in the first round to the Colts, Smith made plays in big games.  Not only can Smith make plays with his arm, he can also make plays with his feet.  I'm sorry but Alex Smith is not a game manager.  A year ago Smith threw for 3,313 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions.  He also had a passer rating of 89.1.  This, by the way, was Alex Smith's best season in the NFL.  So far this year, Smith already has 9 touchdown passes, 1,066 yards, 4 interceptions, and a passer rating of 91.3.  Alex Smith is no game manager.

Yesterday, Brian Hoyer was a hot topic on Hawk Talk.  Brian Hoyer has bounced around as a backup quarterback in his career.  He started his careeer for three years with the Patriots, went to the Steelers for a year, then the Cardinals for a year, and has now been with the Browns for two years.  He got his chance to start last year when Brandon Weeden was benched.  In those three games, Hoyer had 615 yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 ints and also brought a spark to this team.  We saw a very small sample size of Hoyer last year.  When he did play, he led a spark under this team.  They were 2-1 under Hoyer before he broke his leg and now Hoyer returns as the quarterback for the Browns this year.  Thus far this season, Hoyer has 6 touchdowns, only 1 interception, 1,008 yards, and a passer rating of 97.7.  Brian Hoyer can throw the ball.  Go back and actually take time to watch highlights.  Don't just assume.  Don't just judge without watching.  Go look and see what he does.  You can say the same about Alex Smith.  Go watch him and see what he does before judging what he may be categorized as.

So what does define a game manager?  Well trust me, if your a starting quarterback in the NFL today, your not a game manager.  E.J Manuel was almost the closest and now he's on the bench.  The league is not only faster, but its also evolved to a passing league.  The Trent Dilfer type quarterback would never last in today's game.  In fact, that Ravens offense that won the Super Bowl, even with Jamal Lewis, would not last in today's game.  The league has changed so much in the last decade or so that a game managing quarterback would not survive in the league today.

Yesterday on the show, if you listened in, we said a lot of stupid things to make our cases.  The fact is, if your a game manager in today's game, you will not see yourself as a starting quarterback on game day.

Cinderella Story

The Kansas City Royals are going to the ALCS. Yes, you read that right.

If you would have told me before the season that the Royals would have swept the Angels in three games to advance to the ALCS I would have laughed at you. The Royals haven't been in the playoffs since 1985. Who would have expected them to sweep the Angels to advance to the ALCS, let alone make the playoffs? But, here we are with the Royals set to take on the Baltimore Orioles in a best of seven series, winner representing the American League in the World Series. 

The Royals finished second to the Detroit Tigers in the Central Division by one game, and had to play a one game wild card playoff against the Oakland A's to get into the playoffs. The Royals then took down the MLB's top record Angels with a quick three games. 

Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, and Billy Butler have powered the team that drafted them all the way to the ALCS by absolutely hitting the cover off the ball. After finishing last in the MLB in home runs as a team, Moustakas and Hosmer have both hit two huge, clutch, go ahead homers to help the Royals move on. 

The Royals are just finding ways to win. It's fun to watch. How long until the clock strikes midnight on this team? I'm not sure. The Orioles are a tough, complete team who easily disposed of the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. But, with that being said, the Royals are rolling right now. The fans are excited and they're feeding off of that. I feel the Royals will take down the O's in five games to advance to the World Series. 

Here's why: the O's have been a top the AL East what feels like forever. They were expected to be where they are now. The pressure is fully on them. No one expected the Royals to be here, and if you say you did, your pants are on fire because you are a liar. The Royals are just enjoying and making the most of their opportunity. They're playing loose and having fun. They have nothing to lose. That's why I'm taking the Royals in five games. Will they win the World Series? Check back later for more on that. 

Andrew Lowe 

Odd Man Out?

Last Thursday, when I was watching the Vikings/Packers game, I noticed that Jeff Janis,  rookie reciever from Saginaw Valley State, got some playing time in the forth quarter.  It got me thinking how much talent this guy actually has.  He's almost like a faster Jordy Nelson.  Now what about Davante Adams?  The guy can catch everything.  He has showed up in big third down situations already this year and clearly Green Bay likes him as the number three reciever right now.  One would assume the Packers will re-sign Randall Cobb and of course have one of the best recievers in the game, Jordy Nelson.  They also have rookie reciever Jared Abbrederis, who will miss this season due to a torn ACL.  Where am I going with this?  Well, if the Packers have Nelson, Cobb, Adams, Janis, and Abbrederies, that leaves one man has the odd man out after this season.

At 6'2", 218 pounds, Jarett Boykin has been with the Packers since 2012 and showed alot of promise last year.  He came up with a ton of big catches late in the season with Matt Flynn as the quarterback, especially in the comeback game against the Minnesota Vikings.  However, this year Boykin has had his struggles.

On top of his struggles on the field, he's also been dealing with a nagging groin injury.  As much as I personally like Jarrett Boykin, if he can't get back to form by the end of the year, his job could be in question next year.  Now I know this is a long time from now but I'm sure its something the Packers and Boykin himself are already thinking about. 

It's no secret that the Packers were big fans of Jared Abbrederies and Jeff Janis and with both of them set for a bigger role next year, Jarrett Boykin's job with the Packers could be in question.  It may not be because he's a bad reciever but if he isn't healthy and Abbrederies and Janis are, Boykin's odds of making this team won't be very good, especially if Adams continues to play well this year.

An undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech, Boykin shocked most Packer fans with how well he was able to perform his first two years.  However, this season, although its still young, has not looked good for number 11 and hopefully he can turn things around to prove me wrong.

He's only Human

After giving up an astounding 8 earned runs, we as fans have come to realize that Clayton Kershaw may in fact be human.  He could not be hit during the entire regular season.  Teams would cower when they say that it was Kershaw pitching that day.  He has developed that much of a luster.  Maybe he isn't as good as everyone is making him out to be.  Maybe his entire season was a fluke.  Maybe the Dodgers should be worried about him.

Okay hold the phone.  For those of you thinking that right now, he's still Clayton Kershaw.  The same guy that went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA and 239 strikeouts.  He is still the best pitcher in the Majors.  Playoff baseball is just different.  You are facing the best teams in your respective leagues.

Let's not forget about the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Dodgers did actually play them.  The Cardinals offense was due.  They have way too many weapons to not have a good offense.

Even Justin Verlander had a bad game on his MVP/Cy Young run.  Kershaw will bounce back.  He is way too talented of a pitcher not to.  We'll see the Kershaw we all know his next time out.