Tag: featured

AFC Championship Preview

by Brady Vaughan, posted in NFL

Both participants of this year’s AFC Championship game are coming into the game riding incredibly hot streaks. The sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans have beaten three division winners in a row in the Houston Texans (Week 17), the New England Patriots (AFC Wild Card round), and the Baltimore Ravens (AFC Divisional Round), and get their chance to beat the fourth this upcoming Sunday when they travel to Kansas City to take on the number two-seeded Chiefs.

The Chiefs come into this game riding a hot streak of their own. They have won seven straight and have not lost since Week Ten, which is the last time these teams met. The Titans won that matchup 35-32 in Nashville.

This time, the game is in Arrowhead Stadium, the site of last year’s AFC Championship game.

The Titans however, have had success recently against the Chiefs. In addition to beating them earlier this season, Tennessee has beaten the Chiefs in Arrowhead three times since 2014, including in the AFC Wild Card round in 2017, the game of the famous “forward progress” call on Titan’s QB Marcus Mariota. This was also the game in which Marcus Mariota threw a TD pass to himself, if that gives you any idea about the Chiefs’ luck in the playoffs.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones missed last game with an injury to his calf, but is listed as questionable for this week’s game as of Friday at 3:15pm. His presence in the middle of the defensive line would be a huge boost to the Chiefs defense who has struggled to stop the run for a good portion of the year. Last time these teams played, the Titans ran the ball 26 times for a total of 225 yards on the Chiefs, 23 carries and 188 yards of which were provided by star RB Derrick Henry.

Henry has terrorized defenses these last three games, as he has averaged 32 carries/game for 196 yards/game. The continual threat of Henry breaking a big run at any given point keeps defenses off balance, allowing for QB Ryan Tannehill to do just enough with his arm to make plays and put points on the board for the Titans.

Chiefs’ safety Tyrann Mathieu described it best when trying to tackle Derrick Henry after these teams played earlier this year. Mathieu said he thought he broke his jaw trying to tackle Henry and described trying to hit Henry as trying to hit “solid rock.”

With all that in mind, here are three keys to the game for each team:

3 KEYS FOR THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS:

  • The Chiefs must attempt to limit Derrick Henry’s yards on the ground. This is a lot easier said than done, but the Titans go as Derrick Henry goes. If the Chiefs are able to disrupt the Titan’s offensive line and get penetration into the backfield, it makes it that much easier for the Chiefs to stop Henry.
  • Patrick Mahomes must be MVP-caliber Mahomes. Mahomes’ first game back from injury this season was when the Titans and Chiefs last played in Week Ten. In that game, Mahomes completed 36 of 50 passing attempts and threw for 446 yards and 3 TD’s. Mahomes must make sure the Chiefs do not go three-and-out and are extending drives by making plays with his arm and legs. I believe if the Chiefs want to win this game, Mahomes must replicate his last performance against the Titans on some level.
  • Tyrann Mathieu must have a major impact. Whether it is defending the pass by covering receivers one on one, lining up as a LB as he has multiple times this season under new DC Steve Spagnuolo, or even stopping Henry on the ground, Tyrann Mathieu can do it all and he must do it all on defense for this Chiefs defense to be successful. He is the unquestioned leader and the defense goes as he goes. If he is making plays and instilling confidence in the defense, then the defense will respond positively and make plays.

3 KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE TENNESSEE TITANS:

  • Contrary to one of the Chiefs’ keys, the Titans must establish Henry and the ground game early and often. If the Titans can control the ground, they can control the game. Establishing Henry and pounding the rock keeps the reigning MVP off the field in the biggest game of the year. I believe the Titans will attempt to do this right out of the gate.
  • Ryan Tannehill must extend plays with his arms and legs. With the amount of carries Henry has been getting, play-action becomes a key weapon for the Titan’s offensive attack. Tannehill must take advantage of this and the one-on-one coverage the Chiefs will likely play against the Tennessee WRs and TEs, as he completed 13 of 19 passing attempts for 181 yards and 2 TD’s when these teams last played.
  • The Titan’s secondary must step up and challenge the Chiefs WRs at the line of scrimmage. The Titan’s DBs need to be physical at the line of scrimmage. If you sit back and play zone, the Chiefs WRs will find a weak spot in the zone. If you back off but play man, the Chiefs WRs are one of the fastest groups of WRs in the league and will blow by you. I believe the Titan’s DBs must attempt to disrupt the routes of the Chiefs receivers, which will disrupt the timing between the wideouts and Mahomes if they want to win this game.

PREDICTION:

This game is a matchup of directly opposite game plans. The Chiefs will try to play fast and make the Titan’s try to play to their speed, while the Titan’s will try to slow the game down and force KC to play at their speed. I think the Titans establish the running game early. Henry will keep being fed the ball and will run often. I believe Mahomes and the Chiefs will make plays on offense, but I also believe the Chiefs defense is up to the task. They were physically manhandled the last time these teams met, and I do not believe that will be the case again. I believe the Chiefs defense will get enough stops to give the ball back to Mahomes to make enough plays to escape Arrowhead with a win on Sunday afternoon. I’ll take the Chiefs to win 31-24.

As always, follow me on twitter @bradyvaughan30

Why Baylor’s New Head Football Coach is an Excellent Choice

by colewest86, posted in NCAA Football

Thursday afternoon, news broke that Baylor hired former- LSU defensive cordinator, Dave Aranda to be the new head football coach for the Baylor Bears. This news came as a slight surprise to most as media outlets were trending towards associate head coach, Joey McGuire, and Virginia Tech head coach, Justin Fuente. However after the conclusion of the National Championship, Baylor athletic director, Mack Rhoades went after and hired LSU’s defensive coordinator as the new football coach.

Here is a preview of coach, Dave Aranda is and why he is such a great choice for the Baylor Bears:

Coaching History:

Dave Aranda coached the defensive line for Hawaii back in 2009. It was then a couple years later where he got promoted to defensive coordinator for Hawaii. He then went on to Utah State at the defensive coordinator for a year in 2012 where is defense ranked 15th in the country.

The next year, Aranda became the defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers. He served as the coordinator there for three years, where he made Wisconsin ranked top-10 in total defense in three straight years, including a Big-10 championship appearance in 2014, and 2nd in total defense in 2015.

In 2016, Aranda got hired by the LSU Tigers after many programs were wanting Aranda as their defensive coordinator. He lead LSU defense to be ranked 5th in total defense in 2016, and 12th in 2017. This year, he coached the defense on a LSU team who arguably had the best college football season ever, and won a national championship.

Why is Aranda such a great hire for the Bears?

1.Aranda Fits the Build for Baylor

First off, Aranda has coached some of the best defenses in the country for a couple of the best teams in the country. He has coached the best, and has played the best. In 2019, Baylor had one of the best defenses in their the Big-12, a conference not normally know for defense. Now Baylor, has an well-qualified defensive minded coach coming to a team who heavily relied on its defense to win games.

Normally, Baylor hires up and coming coaches who show promise and hope, but Dave Aranda is a guy who has already has proven himself by consistently having some of the best defensive success in the country. Baylor is getting a big time defensive name to come to Waco.

2. Aranda Has Championship Experience

Any fan of football knows that experience plays a huge deal in the sports. Teams and coaches with more experience have a significant advantage. Good news for the Bears is Coach David Aranda has that elite/championship experience. He has coached a top-10 defense in the the 2 toughest conferences in College Football. Therefore, Aranda has had success against the best talent. Not only, has he had just success, he’s had championship level success. He has held opponents in the College Football Playoffs to 22 total points in the 2nd half. That is elite to do against the top offenses in the country.

His championship experience will go miles at Baylor. It raises his ceiling for what this Baylor team can do since has been there before. Fellow coaches and players will buy into his program because he succeeded at the highest level before. Not many head coaches can say that.

3. David Aranda is Great at Making Adjustments

In the big games LSU defensive coordinator, David Aranda was able to make some key adjustments for his team. In the game vs Florida, it was tied 21-21 at halftime, a game that was very back and fourth. LSU’s defense only allowed a single touchdown the entire 2nd half allowing LSU to beat Florida 42-28.

In addition, Aranda’s defense played the best in the games at the end of the year when the games mattered the most. LSU played three straight “elimination” games in a row, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson. In those 3 games, they allowed just around 16 points a game in non-garbage time. Aranda showed the country his defense plays the best in big games.

Mack Rhoades just brought one of the top defensive talents, and sought after coaches to Baylor. If Dave Aranda can choose a great offensive coordinator, and recruit some great talent to Baylor, Aranda could not only keep Baylor as one of the top teams in the Big-12, but sustain that success for years to come.

(PARODY) If You Care About Integrity in Sports, Boycott the 2020 MLB Season

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in MLB

After reading Ethan Myer’s absolutely insane article prompting fans to boycott Monday’s College Football National Championship, I have decided to write a satirical piece of my own. However, this time I will be urging fans to boycott the 2020 MLB season. Please remember this is mainly a satirical article and in no way should this be taken seriously. The sport of baseball is one of the most beautiful blends of pure athletic skill and strategy. While there are some teams who like to cheat more than others *cough *cough (the Astros and Red Sox), there are still a vast majority of organizations around the league who operate within the rules of the game. Here are 5 items that must be addressed before I will tune into another MLB game again.

  1. A.J. Hinch, Jeff Luhnow, and Alex Cora should be banned from MLB and subject to 10-20 years in the federal penitentiary.

On Monday, MLB announced that both Hinch and Luhnow would be suspended for one year due to their active involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scandal. Alex Cora is still awaiting his punishment. Meanwhile, all three have been fired from their respective positions.

In my opinion, if you told any person in professional baseball they could cheat profusely to win a coveted World Series title and only be suspended one season, 95% of them would do it in a heartbeat. Heck, I think if you offered the scenario to the team’s janitor they would offer up their own trash cans for the cause. Getting to the summit of MLB by winning a World Series is a grueling task and any and all shortcuts are probably discussed at length before the season. Thus, if MLB really wants to set an example they will ban Hinch, Luhnow and Cora from the game and send them to the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas where they ought never to be heard from again. Pete Rose received a lifetime ban for betting on games which is nothing compared to the unethical actions taken by the three degenerates mentioned above. Rob Manfred, you finally have the chance to make a lasting impact that 100% of true baseball fans will agree upon.*Houston Astros fans are not true baseball fans and therefore, were not included in this tally.

2. 2020 Houston Astros are forced to play every game on the road and each player is subject to use their non-dominant hand in competition.

In all honesty, I stole this from Twitter yet I still believe this is a great idea. In a press conference Monday, Astros owner Jim Crane repeatedly told reporters he had absolutely no idea what was going on in the Astros dugout in 2017. While I respect Crane for immediately firing Hinch and Luhnow upon completion of MLB’s investigation, I find it hard to believe that he hadn’t a clue of what was truly happening behind the scenes. Thus, his ballclub should be punished. Minute Maid Park should be ceased from opening its doors in 2020 and the organization should be barred from selling any merchandise. This punishment should be financially crippling to the Astros. In addition, there are still many players from that 2017 team on the current roster. Thus, any member of the 2017 team that is currently on the Astros must use their non-dominant hand throughout the season. Right-handed hitters such as Alex Bregman and Build-A-Bear Workshop Jose Altuve must bat left-handed. If you thought Verlander was terrible during the playoffs, imagine him now as a southpaw. I suspect the Astros go around 10-152, with 10 wins over the Texas Rangers.

3. MLB revokes the 2017 World Series Title from the Houston Astros.

Now we get to the part which Yankee fans shall relish. Since it is proven that the Astros are lying, disgraceful cheaters, their 2017 WS title should be revoked. Now should the Dodgers just be handed the World Series since they lost to the Astros that year? Since Clayton Kershaw has been deemed the worst playoff pitcher in recent memory, I believe it is only fair that the New York Yankees, the runner-ups in the ALCS to the Astros, get the chance to face the Dodgers for a chance at the title. Thus, the 2017 Yankees and 2017 Dodgers will regroup and play a best of 7 series in the Dominican Republic beginning on February 14. Both Joe Girardi and Didi Gregorious will be summoned from their posts in Philadelphia to take part in the series. Likewise, C.C. Sabathia will come out of retirement to start game 3 which will be turned into a slow-pitch softball game to give the big man a chance.

4. MLB revokes the 2018 World Series Title from the Boston Red Sox.

Since we know Alex Cora was heavily involved in the 2017 Astros scandal, we can only assume he brought his sign-stealing ways to Boston. I highly doubt it was a coincidence the Red Sox won the World Series in his first year at the helm. Thus, it is only reasonable that the Red Sox be stripped of their 2018 World Series title. This time, however, the Dodgers should be crowned champions of baseball.

5. Houston Astros organization is subject to pay off any and all minor league pitchers whose careers they ruined through their deliberate stealing of other teams signs.

Throughout all this corruption, there had to have been several pitchers whose careers were ruined by the Astros’ cheating ways. MLB should do an active investigation into the monetary damage that was caused by the sign-stealing and force the Astros organization to pay any and all pitchers who were victims of such heinous crimes.

If you care about integrity in sports, boycott the 2020 MLB season until the aforementioned items are addressed.

Video by Jomboy Media

The Wednesday Morning News Dump

by noblequy, posted in MLB, NCAA Football, NFL, Sports Talk

Wow. Only two weeks into the new decade and the last weekend alone had huge breaking news in the sports world. This will be a succinct rehash of the many storylines that came out in the last week; more details to follow in their own articles.

Monday, January 7, 2020: Jerry Jones Hires Mike McCarthy to be new Dallas Cowboys Head Coach

After an interview that included a sleep over at the Cowboys practice facility with owner Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy was announced to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. This comes out a week after the Cowboys announced they would not be renewing Jason Garrett’s contract, and supposed head coaching candidates such as Marvin Lewis, Urban Meyer, and Lincoln Riley. The McCarthy hire has been viewed mostly with mixed to ambivalent feelings by most of the media and Cowboys fan, though most people do view this as an upgrade over Garrett. It appears that McCarthy will be able to hire his own staff and will retain Kellon Moore at Offensive Coordinator. The Cowboys organization and the fans hope that McCarthy will be the final piece to bring the Cowboys back to playoff success.

Saturday, January 11: Tennessee Titans Crush #1 Seed Baltimore Ravens

The Titans rolled into Baltimore and to everyone’s astonishment, absolutely destroyed the #1 seed Ravens that came in as heavy favorites to make it to the Super Bowl. On the legs of Derrick Henry, the stout Titan defense, and 88 passing yards from Ryan Tannehill, the Titans stymied and frustrated the NFL MVP candidate, Lamar Jackson, and ran rough shod all over the Ravens. The Titans have now knocked off the #1 and the #3 seed in the AFC and are headed from wild card to the AFC Championship.

Sunday, January 12: Epic Meltdown & Epic Comeback: Patrick Mahomes vs. Houston Texans

We witnessed what a fully functional Chiefs offense can do and how bad Bill O’Brien is really at coaching. Also, all the metrics that attempt to disprove the existence of momentum in sports, apparently didn’t take into account people like Patrick The GOAT Mahomes, and how a single explosive kick off return could set off a Chiefs offense that would put up 41 unanswered points, quickly erasing a 24-0 lead the Texans had, to cruise to a 51-31 to make a consecutive return to the AFC Championship to face the red-hot Tennessee Titans.

Sunday, January 12: Coach Jimmy Johnson is announced to join the NFL Hall of Fame on live TV

During the halftime show of the Sunday night NFL playoff, Jimmy Johnson- 2 time Super Bowl winning coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s-, in front of his colleagues and a national televised audience, was announced into the Pro Football Hall of Fame much to his shock and surprise. The emotion was quite visible as Coach Johnson struggled to stifle the tears of joy and speak as he was being congratulated by his colleagues and TV studio members. Troy Aikman, the Dallas Cowboy’s quarterback during Johnson’s tenure, watched on his monitor from his commentator’s booth and was clearly emotional as well as he saw his former coach join the hall of all-time greats, that includes himself as well. It is important to note that it is upmost tragedy and injustice that Johnson was admitted into the prestigious NFL HoF before getting into the Cowboys’ own Ring of Honor, and it is safe to say that all this deserved praise for Coach Jimmy Johnson has once again brought to light the enormity of Jerry Jones’ personal ego which drove Coach Johnson away in the first place. Only time will tell if Jones and the Cowboys organization will give Coach Jimmy Johnson the recognition he is due, which has already been acknowledged by the league.

Monday, January 13: Houston: Bad News- Texans Meltdown, Worse News- MLB suspends Astros Manager & GM, Worsest news- Astros owner fires GM & Manager

The last couple days have been reallyyyy rough on Houston sports fans. First the Texans blown lead against the Chiefs on Sunday and now the release of the MLB’s findings from their investigation of the Houston Astros and their now-confirmed cheating in their World Series winning team in the 2017 season. The penalty passed down from the MLB was a $5 million fine, the loss of 1st & 2nd round pick for the 2020 and 2021 and the suspension of manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow from all MLB activities for one year. Astros owner, Jim Crane, followed up immediately with a press conference where he fired both Hinch and Luhnow on live TV. While the MLB and the Astros organization are all in a very serious and somber mood, most of baseball is outraged by what is viewed as a slap on the wrist. Other baseball owners believe that the cost of draft prospects, the suspension of a GM and a manager, and $5 million (pocket change for baseball owners) would be worth it to hold onto a World Series title.

Monday, January 13: LSU Completes the Undefeated Season of Destiny- One of the Greatest to Ever do it

LSU left no doubt as they wrapped up the 2019-20 college football season and defeated the reigning national champions, the Clemson Tigers, 42-25 in the New Orleans Super Dome. In a stadium that seemed to be filled 75% LSU fans, LSU won their first national championship since 2007, the 3rd in the last 20 years. Initially Brent Venables, the Clemson defensive coordinator, stymied the prolific LSU offense and forced 3 punts on LSU’s first 3 possessions. However, Coach Orgeron and his staff did what few have been able to do before: out-coach Dabo Swinney. After trailing for most of the 1st half, LSU made the necessary adjustments and were able to better protect Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, allowing him the time to find his receivers downfield for gigantic chunk plays and take the lead going into halftime. The 2nd half, LSU’s offense continued to fire on all cylinder as the LSU defense tightened down and handed Trevor Lawrence his first loss in his collegiate career. LSU became the first school in NCAA history to defeat 7 Top 10 opponent, with 4 Top 4 opponents, to finish, not only as National Champions, but also potentially as one of the greatest college football teams to ever play.

Tuesday, January 14: Boston Red Sox Fire Manager Alex Cora

On Tuesday evening, the Boston Red Sox ballclub has decided to “mutually agreed to part ways” with Alex Cora in an official statement, effectively firing him, one day after serious cheating implications came to light from his days as a bench coach with the 2017 Houston Astros, and potentially with his own ballclub in the 2018 year when the Red Sox won their own World Series title. Alex Cora was mentioned explicitly in the official MLB investigation report that cited him as one of the primary ring leaders in their sign stealing cheating scheme. Time will tell what kind of punishment the Red Sox organization may have to face, depending on what the MLB investigation report reveals.

If You Care About Integrity in Sports, Boycott the National Championship

by Ethan Myers, posted in NCAA Football

The College Football National Championship is here, and from the looks of it, it should be a good one. LSU against Clemson, two unbeaten powerhouses, square off tonight. The storylines write themselves: Joe Burrow vs. Trevor Lawrence, Dabo Swinney taking on the SEC again, and LSU dominating in the best conference in the country. All of this sounds just fantastic, however there is a dark underbelly to this contest. ESPN and the national media has sold the country a bill of goods once again, and they expect us to just sit back and lap it up.

Let’s start with the obvious: ESPN has always had a clear SEC bias. This dates back even before the College Football playoffs, however it became truly evident once the playoff system was created. According to ESPN, the SEC is the king of football, and if you don’t play in the SEC, you are trash. This year there were really only 4 teams that made sense for the playoffs: LSU, Clemson, The Ohio State University, and Oklahoma. This made these selections have very little controversy. However, whoever got the #1 seed had a massive advantage, as it was clear that Oklahoma was going to have the #4 seed, and getting to play OU in the semifinals was essentially a bye week. For the last couple weeks leading up to the final rankings, The Ohio State University held the #1 spot, which made a lot of sense. They were the only team that had truly dominated every game this season (LSU fans, don’t embarrass yourselves by claiming that giving up 38 to Texas and barely winning was a quality game for you). Come Conference Championship week, both tOSU and LSU had great games. The Ohio State University beat Wisconsin for the second time this season by multiple scores, and LSU trounced an anemic-looking Georgia. It appeared that the rankings would stay the same and tOSU would get the #1 seed.

Once the final rankings were released, ESPN once again showed their SEC bias. LSU ended up with the #1 seed and essentially a “bye-week” by getting to play Oklahoma, where as tOSU fell to #2 and drew Clemson. The best part is how they justified giving LSU the #1 seed. The committee kept Georgia at #5 in the final rankings, even though Georgia has look absolutely terrible all year. This was a team that lost to 4-8 South Carolina at home! Thinking Georgia deserved to stay so high is only possible with a severe brain injury. However, this allowed the committee to point at LSU and declare that they beat the #5 team, such a fantastic win! This allowed ESPN and the powers that be to fulfill the first step in their plan of making sure the SEC is in that championship game. The next step? Getting Clemson in that title game.

Before it is explored how the Clemson-The Ohio State University game was fixed to make sure Clemson won, it is important to see why the powers that be want Clemson in that title game playing the SEC. According to the national media, only one team has been successful in beating SEC teams consistently: Clemson. They also like to ignore what happened the last time Ohio State played the jewel of the SEC in Alabama, but that wouldn’t fit their narrative. The problem with Clemson beating SEC teams is that it weakens the narrative that the SEC is king: how can they be king if they lose to an ACC team? The answer is simple. Prop up Clemson as essentially a quasi-SEC team. That way, even if the SEC loses, they really just lost to another southern powerhouse, so the SEC narrative can live. Now if an SEC team loses to a Big Ten school, that doesn’t exactly connect with the narrative. Thus, something had to be done to make sure The Ohio State University lost to Clemson.

Looking at the game on the surface, it appears that The Ohio State University lost a 29-23 heart-breaker to a superior Clemson. Upon closer review of the game, it is quite evident to see the Buckeyes weren’t just playing Clemson, they were also playing against the refs. The crew used for the game was an SEC referee crew. Isn’t that just awfully convenient for the powers that be to fix the game?

Let’s start with the targeting call on tOSU DB Shaun Wade. Shaun Wade was sacking Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, going in right for 6′ 6” Lawrence’s chest. At the absolute last second when Wade had 0 time to react, Lawrence ducked his head down and Wade grazed helmets. This was a perfect opportunity for the SEC refs to kick out one of tOSU’s best defensive players. They launched the flag and immediately threw out Wade for “targeting”. Such an embarrassing call and so transparent to keep Clemson in the game. Plus this allowed ESPN commentators Herbstreit and Fowler to sing Lawrence’s praises the rest of the game. You’d think Lawrence deserved a Medal of Honor for staying in the game after that sack; the commentators were surprisingly silent on talking about tOSU QB Justin Fields or tOSU RB J.K. Dobbins when it came to toughness, even though both players could barely move out there and were still competing.

The most egregious call came in the 3rd quarter with the Buckeyes trailing 21-16. Lawrence threw a pass to Clemson WR Justyn Ross, who appeared to secure the ball and take multiple steps before tOSU DB Jeff Okudah stripped the ball. The Ohio State University recovered the supposed fumble and took it back for a touchdown, giving tOSU the lead again. However, the SEC referees decided to review the play. Even though the call on the field was that the play was a fumble, the SEC crew decided that holding the ball with two hands and taking multiple steps wasn’t enough for possession, and reversed the call to an incomplete pass, taking the touchdown away from the Buckeyes. So much for needing “conclusive evidence” to overturn a call, the SEC crew and the powers that be decided this was a perfect chance to stop the Buckeyes from scoring and make sure Clemson won.

By the time it was all said and done, ESPN got exactly what they wanted. The SEC champion and Clemson are squaring off for the national championship. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany dared to spur ESPN by signing a TV deal with Fox, and ESPN is still trying to make the Big Ten pay to this day. It is so clear how rigged the system is and how awful it is that they would actually fix a game to make sure Clemson won. The only way to stop such blatant corruption from happening is to show the national media that the fans will not tolerate this farce of an event. I for one will not be tuning in to ESPN to watch this game, as I refuse to give them any of my business after they showed they’re willing to spit in the face of fair competition. If you also care about integrity in sports, the best way to fight back is to not watch this game, and refuse to buy into this lie the national media is trying to perpetrate.

Ranking the 3-Team Markets Part 2 of 3

by jonesg17, posted in MLB, NBA, NHL

Well here comes part two of my big 4 market rankings. This one will focus on the six markets that have three franchises. If you have not read my rankings of the markets with 1 team or 2 teams you can do so here. A refresher on how my rankings were determined-

There are a few rules I followed in my rankings and are as follows:

  1. Each market is divided into a classification (1 team, 2 teams, 3 teams, 4 teams) — similar to how high school sports are divided–in order to make it easier to compare.
  2. MLB and NFL playoff appearances are weighted slightly more because NHL and NBA playoffs have over half of the teams in their leagues in the playoffs.
  3. For the NBA, NHL and NFL, I use the 2009-2010 seasons as the start of the decade, because the champion of each was crowned in 2010. For example, the Saints were Super Bowl champions in 2010.
  4. Markets only include teams in the metro area (for example I did not include Green Bay with Milwaukee and Sacramento with the Bay Area.

6 Tampa, Florida (NFL, MLB, NHL)

Largely kept out of misery by the Lightning’s resurgence in the last half of the decade, Tampa still is last in this edition. The Lightning won the President’s Trophy just last season and made a Stanley Cup appearance in 2015 only to fall to the Chicago Blackhawks. Playoff appearances in 11’,14’,15’ and 16’ as well as division titles in 2018 and 2019, have made the Lightning the pride and joy of Tampa. Considering their financial circumstances, the Rays have made a respectable effort the last 10 years, making the playoffs three times and winning the AL East in 2010. They weren’t able to get out of the ALDS in any of their tries. Then theres the Bucs. Zero playoff appearances since 2010 but I will say Jameis Winston does make for some must watch TV.

5 Atlanta, Georgia (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Compared to a lot of other places, Atlanta did not have a terrible decade as far as their professional sports teams go. They might have moved up this list if the Falcons had a 31-3 lead instead of a 28-3 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Either way they made a Super Bowl 51 appearance, won the NFC South 3 times and had two wild card berths. The Atlanta Hawks also made the playoffs eight straight years from 2010-2017 and were the one seed in the Eastern Conference in 2015 before getting swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Braves moved to a shiny new ballpark in 2017 and have hosted playoff games in 2018 and 2019. Two losses in the wild card game (10’ & 12’) and 3 losses in the NLDS (13’,18 & 19’) has left many fans frustrated with the state of Atlanta sports.

4 Toronto, Ontario (MLB, NHL, NBA)

With hockey being king in Canada, you would thing a team from Canada would have won the Stanley Cup recently but unfortunately the Montreal Canadiens championship in the most recent team to do that in 1993. More of the same has came from the Toronto Maple Leafs as they have made four playoff appearances with zero series wins. The city is starved for a hockey winner and Auston Matthews might be the guy to do it. Moving on to the Blue Jays where they made the ALCS in 2015 & 2016 but nothing farther. Both of those seasons coming as the only postseason appearances for the Jays. Kawhi Leonard and the rest of the Raptors gave a championship to a starved city. It had been since the Blue Jays won in ironically enough 1993, since the city had a parade. The Raptors had made the playoffs every year since 2014 but with Kawhi gone, it’s hard to see Toronto repeating.

3 Cleveland, Ohio (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Similar to the Bucs of Tampa Bay, the Cleveland Browns did not crack the playoffs once in the last ten years. As a matter of fact they did not have a single winning season and managed to go 0-16 in the 2017-2018 season. The Indians came within one win of a World Series title in 2016 before losing in game 7 to the Chicago Cubs. Along with that pennant in 2016, they won three straight AL Central titles and made an appearance in the wild card game in 2013. The Cavaliers put Cleveland out of their misery making five playoff appearances, five division titles, four Eastern Conference Championships and ended the championship drought for the city in 2016 by erasing a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Ironically about five months later the Indians blew a 3-1 lead to the Chicago Cubs.

2 Houston, Texas (NFL, MLB, NBA)

Houston has enjoyed playoff success by all three of their teams. Starting with the Houston Texans who have only been in existence since 2002. They have won six division titles since 2010 and have four playoff wins, however they have failed to advance past the divisional round. The Rockets have made the playoffs every season since 2013 and winning the Southwest division in 2015, 2018 as well as 2019. The rockets have not made it all the way to the NBA finals having lost to the warriors in the Western Conference finals in both 2015 and 2018. In 2017 the Astros gave Houston its first title since the rockets won back-to-back in the mid-1990s. Up until 2015 the Astros may have been the worst team in Major League Baseball. Winning the wild card game in 2015 and then three straight division titles from 2017 through 2019. They were able to turn those playoffs appearances into two AL Pennants and the World Series crown in 2017.

1 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NFL, MLB, NHL)

The Pirates ended a 20-year playoff drought in 2013 and made two other wild card appearances in 2014 and 2015. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2015 and it seems to have taken a turn for the worst this last season with all the clubhouse chaos and executive turnover. For being the second most successful team in the city over the last decade, the Steelers faired extremely well. They started off with a Super Bowl appearance in 2010 and had four AFC North titles and two more wild card berths. They did not finish below 8-8 over the entire decade which would put them at 45 games above .500 for the decade. The Penguins had one of the most impressive decades of any NHL team. They made the postseason every single season while winning their division twice. On top of the 10 postseason appearances they won the Stanley Cup back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. The city of Pittsburgh has always had a rich tradition of sports success and the 2010’s carried the torch for another 10 years.

Thank You Matt Rhule

by Clayton Neider, posted in NCAA Football

Thank you Matt Rhule. Thank you for taking the chance on a broken program. Thank you for stepping in and being the leader Baylor Football needed. Thank you for building a program that Baylor Nation can be proud of. Thank you for giving us hope again.

Matt Rhule has been the hottest coaching name in sports in the past couple of weeks. He has accepted a head coaching position at the Carolina Panthers. He struck a deal for 7 years, 60 million dollars with incentives up to 70 million. I could not be happier for him and his family.

I was lucky enough to give some tennis lessons to his son and the thing that was very evident is that he is a family man first. His son loved everything tennis and football related. It was clear that Coach Rhule is a dad to his children and a husband to his wife before he is a coach.

1-11. The 2017 football season is one I will never forget. I was at every home game and was wondering if this guy could turn it around. Against my better judgement I trusted him in these moments of absolute failure but he told us of a better time ahead. He talked about a time where Baylor would be contending for a Big 12 Championship. Baylor nation was just too blind to whole heartedly trust the process.

The bad times make you appreciate the good times. This last season could not have been more sweet. Standing in Mercedes Benz stadium after the crushing loss to Georgia I looked back and was proud of how far the Baylor Bears had come. This was in large part due to Matt Rhule.

Matt Rhule, Baylor Nation is sad to see you go. Many are grumpy and angry but we will always remember what you have done for this program. We will always remember how you instilled strength, hard work, and consistency. We will always remember the 2019 season with a shot at the playoff. We will remember your vision for Baylor Football and the young men that you had a huge impact on. We will always remember your dedication to your family first and your love for the game of football.

Baylor Nation thanks you and wishes you the best at the Carolina Panthers.

Top-10 2020 College Football Games to Look Forward to

by colewest86, posted in Uncategorized

Just like that College Football is nearly over for the 2019-2020 season. We can all start sulking thinking about going without College Football for the next seven months. Well the only appropriate reaction is to start gearing up towards next season because what else are we going to do…. watch golf or something?

Next season offers up some great games that we do not normally get. Here are the top-10 games to look forward to for next college football season.

10. Mississippi State at Ole Miss (Week 13)

Coming in first at #10 is the good ole Egg Bowl. Before people disagree with this one, just remember that Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach are now the coaches. Both coaches have had success elsewhere, and also never fail to bring drama into the fold in college football. Last year’s Egg Bowl featured a player pretending to pee like a dog on the field… and that was without Mike Leach. This year’s Egg Bowl should bring a lot more hype.

9. Texas at LSU (Week 2)

Well if you have not heard the news… it is almost preseason meaning Texas is back, and so is Sam Ehlingher apparently. Not sure where he was going to go in the first place.. but nevertheless this will most likely be a top-10 matchup thanks to the AP Poll voters. Last year’s matchup turned out to be a shoot-out thriller. This year in Death Valley may not be as close, but at least if it is not, then social media users around the country get the opportunity to spam “horns down” across Twitter.

8. Oklahoma vs Texas (Week 6)

At #8 is the Red River Rivalry. This game always serves as classic show down between two blue-bloods that always serves to be an entertaining game. Look at for quarterbacks, Sam Ehlinger, and whichever transfer OU gets to face off in the Cotton Bowl stadium. The winner will most likely make it to the Big-12 championship.

7. Penn State at Michigan (Week 5)

Before anyone argues that this should be Michigan at Ohio State, I wanted to put games in here that will actually be a close score in the 2nd half. Penn State will travel to Ann Arbor. This will be a great BIG-10 matchup as winner will have the luxury of losing to Ohio State on College Gameday most likely.

6. Georgia vs Florida (Week 9)

This is a key matchup of the SEC East powerhouses. Each year it seems like these teams are the two that are at the top of the SEC East. 99% that the winner of this game will go onto the SEC championship, and may just have a shot at the College Football playoffs.

5. Clemson at Notre Dame (Week 10)

This is one of the biggest matchups of the year. Why you may ask? Because Clemson and Notre Dame will finally play a worthy opponent. Clemson will have a tough opponent at the end of their schedule as they will have to win at Notre Dame to have another undefeated regular season. On the other side, Notre Dame has the opportunity to send a message to the College Football Playoff Committee as they could upset possibly the best team in College Football.

4. Ohio State at Penn State (Week 8)

Arguably the biggest matchup between BIG-10 teams of the year. Penn State played Ohio State the closest out of all the other teams in the regular season. Penn State fell just 28-17, but now the game will be in Penn State’s stadium giving them an advantage. Hopefully having the game at home can make this game one of the best of the year.

3. Georgia at Alabama (Week 3)

It is simply a blessing we get this game this year. Normally, we have to wait until the SEC Championship to see these teams play, but this year we get to see them battle it out in just the 3rd week. These SEC powerhouses only play in the regular season once ever six years. It will serve as an early opportunity to make a statement to the College Playoff Committee.

2. Alabama at LSU (Week 10)

Coming in at #2 is the showdown for the SEC West. Both teams are losing their starting quarterbacks to the draft. Last year, this game was one of the best football games all year after LSU beat Alabama 46-41. Will LSU be able to hold onto the SEC West or did Alabama decide to just take only a year off? This will serve as a high-profile matchup as winner will most likely go to the SEC championship game.

1. Ohio State at Oregon (Week 2)

This serves as the top game to look forward to in the 2020 season because we are getting the Rose Bowl in September. The best team in the PAC-12 will face the best team in the BIG-10. It is the biggest out of conference game of the year considering this game could possibly ruin one’s teams shot at the College Football Playoffs in just the 2nd week of the season. Make sure to mark your calendar for this game.

Chiefs vs Texans Playoff Preview

by Brady Vaughan, posted in NFL

The NFL playoffs are off to a sizzling start with two of the four Wild Card round games going into overtime, a Tennessee Titans victory over the Patriots in Foxborough, and another heartbreaking loss for the New Orleans Saints at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

This upcoming weekend, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes II take on the Houston Texans and stud quarterback Deshaun Watson, who essentially willed his team to victory by being great last week against the Buffalo Bills.

For starters, these two teams played back in Arrowhead Stadium, the site of Sunday’s divisional round matchup,  back in Week Six of the regular season in early October. The Texans won that matchup 31-24. In that game, the Texans out-gained the Chiefs 472 yards to 309 yards. The Texans also ran for 192 yards and also got 35 first downs in that game while the Chiefs only ran for 58 yards and got 20 first downs. However the Texans did turn the ball over three times compared to KC’s two turnovers, two of which were Deshaun Watson interceptions.

However, I believe none of that matters this time around. The Chiefs were without a significant number of starters for that matchup, including starting DT Chris Jones, starting OL Andrew Wylie and Eric Fisher, starting WR Sammy Watkins, starting LB Anthony Hitchens as well as LB Dorian O’Daniel. Furthermore starting CB Kendall Fuller left midway through the second quarter with an injury, and star WR Tyreek Hill was just coming back from his injury. QB Patrick Mahomes also twisted his ankle during the game which hindered his ability to escape the pocket and extend plays. Simply put: the Chiefs were wounded.

That is not to say that the Texans were not without their own injuries. Starting WR Kenny Stills missed the game the last time these teams met as well. Stills had a decent regular season, hauling in 40 catches for 561 yards and 4 TD’s. It’s not the type of numbers that will wow any one person, but those numbers are respectable and force defenses to pay attention to him, which opens up more targets and takes more attention away from guys like Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller.

Below are three keys to the game for both teams that I believe will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: 

  • Kansas City must convert on 3rd down. They convert on average 47.6% of their third downs throughout the season. The Texans ate up roughly 40 minutes of game clock last time these teams met. That cannot happen if the Chiefs expect to win this game. Converting on third down and extending drives will ensure the Texans do not have the ball for that long this time around.
  • Kansas City must stop the rushing attack of the Texans. They rushed for 192 yards last time they met. The Chiefs defense has played well lately, giving up only an average of 95 rushing yards over the last six weeks.
  • Kansas City must pressure Deshaun Watson consistently throughout the game. Deshaun takes the most sacks out of any QB in the league, but there were two games this season in which he was not sacked. One of those games was when he last faced the Chiefs in Week Six. The Chiefs must pressure Watson and sack him a couple of times in order to find success in this game. Having DT Chris Jones back and adding DE Terrell Suggs to the defensive line this time around should help the Chiefs be able to do so.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE HOUSTON TEXANS:

  • Protect Deshaun Watson. Contrary to one of the keys for the Chiefs, Houston must protect Watson. He has been under pressure for much of the season. When he was not sacked against the Chiefs, Watson threw for 280 yards and one TD while also running for 42 yards and two TD’s. The less pressure Watson is under, the more time he has to make better decisions and throw the ball accurately to his receiving core.
  • Contain the Chiefs running game. The Texans must try to make the Chiefs one dimensional. Now forcing Patrick Mahomes to drop back and throw with all those weapons around him might not sound like a bad idea to all the Chiefs fans, but I believe Houston should aim to make the Chiefs one dimensional. This allows the Texans defense to more accurately defend against the deadly passing attack Kansas City possesses. If the Texans stop the Chiefs’ run game, this will allow guys like DE JJ Watt, DE DJ Reader, and LB Whitney Mercilus to pin their ears back and go all out on rushing the quarterback in order to attempt forcing Mahomes into some bad decisions.
  • Get all three main wide receivers involved. The Chiefs are missing rookie standout safety Juan Thornhill, who tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers in the regular season finale for the Chiefs. This forces second year safety Armani Watts to step into a bigger role. Watts has not seen as many reps as Thornhill, and I believe the Texans should try to take advantage of that by stretching the field vertically against the Chiefs’ secondary. Hopkins is one of the top three receivers in the league in my book, so he obviously needs to be involved, but the play of Will Fuller and Kenny Stills could go a long way to determining the outcome of this game.

PREDICTION:

The Chiefs are 10 point favorites according to Vegas, but I think it’ll be closer than that. I think the Chiefs convert on third down to help keep the Texans offense off the field for less than 40 minutes (which is how long they were on the field last time these teams met). However, I like Houston’s ability to challenge the Chiefs’ defense, who has been good as of late, but has not faced the best QB’s the last six weeks. While the Chiefs did face Tom Brady in Foxborough, they also faced an aging Phillip Rivers (twice), rookie Drew Lock, Derek Carr, and Mitchell Trubisky. Deshaun is definitively better than most of those quarterbacks, but I believe the Chiefs defense will play better than last time these teams met. The Chiefs will limit the Texan’s rushing attack and will create some pressure on Deshaun. Mahomes will have his full compliment of weapons and a way improved defense behind his back. Add in the home field advantage, and I see the Chiefs walking away with the win. I’ll take Kansas City to win 27-20. 

As always, you can find me on twitter as @bradyvaughan30

NFL Playoff Preview and Picks

by Jeremy Fernando, posted in NFL

The NFL playoffs are upon us and each playoff team has hopes of making it to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida to partake in Super Bowl LIV. Like a typical college student, I procrastinated on this assignment thus, there won’t be too much in-depth analysis on each playoff team. However, I will be giving my playoff predictions which will culminate with who I believe will be holding the Lombardi Trophy come February 2nd, 2020. Let’s start with the AFC.

AFC:

6. Tennessee Titans v. 3. New England Patriots: Will the Patriots dynasty end this year? It is becoming more and more likely. However, I have the utmost faith that they will not fall at the hands of Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans. The Patriots defense is just too good and its Tom Brady and Bill Belichik in Foxborough. Give me the Patriots winning in a close one.

5. Buffalo Bills vs. 4. Houston Texans: Will the Texans choke once again in the playoffs? I wouldn’t doubt it. This Bills team has surprised everyone this year and is playing very good football at the moment. However, the Texans activated J.J. Watt this week and it looks like he is in line to play which will bring much needed energy to the home crowd at NRG. I think Deshaun Watson makes enough plays down the stretch to give the home team the victory.

4. Houston Texans vs. 1. Baltimore Ravens: Coming off a very close win against the Bills, the Texans season will end when they visit the Ravens. Lamar Jackson and Co. will continue their brilliance and will roll in this one.

3. New England Patriots vs. 2. Kansas City Chiefs: In a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game, I believe Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid get their revenge and officially put an end to the Patriots’ dynasty. While the Pats’ defense will keep them in the game, their abysmal offense, which has hindered them all season, will be the final nail in the coffin. Give me the Chiefs at Arrowhead.

2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 1. Baltimore Ravens: Yes, I am boring choosing the top 2 seeds to face off in the AFC championship. However, these are the 2 best teams by far in this conference. The Ravens have just looked so impressive all season and it is tough to abandon the ship now. While both teams will put up points, the Ravens have the far better defense which will make enough stops to win them the game. For the first time since winning it all with Joe Flacco in 2013, the Ravens will play in the Super Bowl.

NFC:

6. Minnesota Vikings vs. 3. New Orleans Saints: The Vikings are a very dangerous team and were the game to be played at U.S. Bank Stadium, I’d confidently choose them to prevail. However, its Drew Brees and Sean Payton at the Superdome. After last year’s crushing loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship, the Saints are hungry and motivated. In another thriller, similar to the 2018 divisional round matchup between the 2 teams, I like the Saints to get their revenge on the Vikings.

5. Seattle Seahawks vs. 4. Philadelphia Eagles: I have been riding the Seahawks train since the 2019 season began and if you have been following my Picks from God you know I hate to bet against Russell Wilson. However, it is very hard to beat a team twice in a season and the Seahawks have looked very vulnerable these last few weeks. The Eagles magically flip a switch in the playoffs and I like the home underdogs at Lincoln Financial Field. The Seahawks just have too many injuries on the offensive line for my liking. Due to one of the dumbest rules in sports, the Eagles have home-field advantage and I believe that will be one of the main difference makers in the contest.

4. Philadelphia Eagles vs. 1. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers win this game by 3 touchdowns. They have just looked so impressive this whole season. Further, the Eagles will be coming off a very close game at home which will take every ounce of manpower. I think the 49ers defense wreaks havoc on Carson Wentz and Jimmy G has his way with the Eagles secondary. 49ers roll.

3. New Orleans Saints vs. 2. Green Bay Packers: Am I really picking against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in one of the harshest weather conditions in all of sports? Yes, I am. Like I said earlier, the Saints are hungry and motivated. This pick makes no logical sense especially after reviewing Drew Brees stat lines in cold-weather games. But I truly believe this is the Saints year and I think their offense does just enough to salvage a win in the tundra.

3. New Orleans Saints vs. 1. San Francisco 49ers: It is tough to beat a team twice in a season and it took everything the 49ers had earlier in the season to knock off the Saints on the road. Yes, the Saints will be coming off a very hard fought win in Lambeau, but Drew Brees is hungry for another Super Bowl and will have his team prepared. The 49ers are the better overall football team and logically this pick doesn’t make sense. But I think the Saints have a massive chip on their shoulder and come out victorious by the bay.

Super Bowl:

New Orleans Saints vs. Baltimore Ravens: This game will have plenty of hype as it will be the old vs. the new in a QB battle between Drew Brees and Lamar Jackson. The big game will not disappoint and fans will get more than they bargained for. In an all-time classic, I think the veteran Brees outlasts newcomer Jackson. Neither team will lead by more than a FG and I think Brees connects with WR Michael Thomas late in the 4th quarter to give the Saints the win. After last year’s incredible heartbreak, the Saints will lift the Lombardi Trophy high as winners of Super Bowl LIV.