AFC West Preview

We just came from arguably the best division in football to arguably the worst division in football, the AFC West. The Chargers won the division last year with a 8-8 record and had to win 4 straight games to do so. The Broncos had to lose 4 straight games to miss the playoffs, so it was quite a division battle last year. This year I don't think it will be as close, so lets begin!

San Diego Chargers - Prediction (11-5, 1st) - The Chargers are easily the most talented team in this division. They virtually return their entire team, including a healthy Shawne Merriman. Merriman will try to ignite a ferocious pass rush. The Chargers do have one of the best secondaries in football as well, led by Antonio Cromartie. They are so athletic on defense and will certainly improve from last season. Defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will simplify the schemes and really try to play to the strengths of his defense, which is athleticism. On the offensive side of the ball the Chargers are very explosive. Philip Rivers was a top 5 QB last season. He threw over 4,000 yards and 30 TDs. Vincent Jackson emerged last season has a very nice #1 WR. Also TE, Antonio Gates was hurt for a lot of last year and should return healthy this year. But the major key for the Chargers this year is Ladanian Tomlinson. LT needs to return to his oldself and make defenses respect him like they used too. If LT can return to form, the Chargers will be virtually impossible to defend. We could see this team represent the AFC for sure this year.

Denver Broncos - Prediction (7-9, 2nd) - I really don't think this team will be as bad as everyone thinks. Josh Mcdaniels has a great football mind and will really get the most out of his players. He manufactured a top offense with Matt Cassell, Sammy Morris and Wes Welker in 2008. I feel he has enough weapons to score some points. If Brandon Marshall can get his head straight the Broncos will score lots of points this year. Eddie Royal is a stud WR, who can really disrupt defenses with his intermediate routes. The Broncos main weakness is there defense. They had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year and they should be right there this year. They can't stop the run or pass, so look for a lot of shootouts this year. I think they will be better than predicted, but not good enough to win the division.

Kansas City Chiefs - Prediction (5-11, 3rd) - The Chiefs cleaned house last off-season and are starting fresh. New head coach Todd Haley is the real deal. He is a firey coach who demands a lot out of his players. He has already set a new tone in Kansas City. He is a former WR coach and offensive coordinator. He constructed one of the top offenses in Arizona last year and is looking to do the same in Kansas City. The Chiefs brought in one year wonder QB, Matt Cassell to stabilize the passing attack. On defense the Chiefs drafted DE Tyson Jackson and will hope he can develop quickly with other top pick, Glen Dorsey. The expectations are low in Kansas City, so anything better than 2 wins will be a success.

Oakland Raiders - Prediction (4-12, 4th) - The Raiders had a chance to really improve in this years draft, but made a puzzling draft pick of Heywood-Bey. Bey can eventually be a top WR, because of his raw ability, but right now he is far away. The Raiders just traded for Richard Seymour, but they need a lot more than that. They are just mediocre on defense, with not many play makers. Asmougha is one of the top CBs in the NFL and should be a pro-bowler again. On offense the Raiders have lots of talent. Can Jamarcus Russell be an NFL QB? Well we shall find out this year. If Darren McFadden can be a force this year, the Raiders may surprise some. But I think they will be in a lot of games, but Russell isn't ready yet to lead this team to many victories. 4 wins sounds about right.

NFC East Preview

This is arguably the best division in the NFL. All 4 teams in this division have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs and making a long run towards the Superbowl. The Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys and Giants are all powerhouses this year. Each team improved at some point in the offseason and this will be extremely difficult. OK, so here we go!

Philadelphia Eagles - Prediction (13-3, 1st) - The Eagles come into 2009 with very high expectations. This team was one drive away from winning the NFC last year and they got even better this offseason. With ever so steady coach, Andy Reid and QB Donovan Mcnabb, this Eagles team finally looks to get over the hump. With an already very athletic offense, the Eagles added even more weapons. They drafted Jeremy Maclin to join Desean Jackson and Kevin Curtis and they also drafted Lesean McCoy to spell Brian Westbrook at RB. The Eagles also last week added Michael Vick to the team as well. I am not going to get into everything Vick has done and how I feel about it. But from a football prospective it makes perfect sense. This guy is so versatile and can also throw the ball 80 yards. With Vick the Eagles have so many options and virtually make them impossible to game plan for. On defense the Eagles are very fast and talented. Trent Cole is extremely disruptive up front and the duo of Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown at CB is one of the best in the NFL. Overall I feel the Eagles have too much fire power and depth and should win this division and compete for the NFC crown.

New York Giants - Prediction (11-5. 1st) - The Giants had the best record in the NFC last year, but lost to the Eagles during the playoffs. The Giants bring back one of the best defenses in the NFL this year as well. Not only did they have a top defense last year, they bring back star DE Osi Umenyiora, who was out all season in 2008. The Giants can harass the QB better than almost any team in the NFL. The Giants did lose defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, but I anticipate this defense to be one of the best regardless. On offense the Giants will feature a vaunted rushing attack. They feature one of the best offensive lines in football and will pound opposing defenses into submission. The running attack features bruiser Brandon Jacobs and change of pace back, Ahmad Bradshaw. The main weakness of this team comes from their WR core. Once Plaxico Burress shot himself last year, the Giants were never the same. The key for this team is if QB Eli Manning can find some cohesion with his WR by committee. If Hixon or rookie Nicks can step up this year, the Giants may even be better than my predicted 11-5 record. But I feel they do not have enough on offense to over take the Eagles. The Giants will make the playoffs however and be in it til the end.

Dallas Cowboys - Prediction (10-6, 3rd) - The Cowboys come into 2009 after suffering a very tumultuous 2008. With Tony Romo getting injured and the chemistry going out the window, the Cowboys vastly underachieved. This year its been very quiet coming from Cowboys camp. No more T.O. distractions and no more Jessica Simpson sightings. The Cowboys are going to work and I feel it will pay off. They are going to feature a three-headed monster at RB, starting with Marion Barber, then Felix Jones and even a little Tashard Choice. The Cowboys passing attack will be the big question mark. Can Romo and Roy Williams build a chemistry on the field and produce? We know Romo and TE Jason Witten will be dynamic this year, but Roy Williams' ability to stretch the field is a huge key for the Cowboys. Defensively the Cowboys arguably have the best defensive player in the NFL in OLB Damarcus Ware. Ware is an absolutely freak. His arms are incredibly long and he's as fast as many RB's. They also get back CB Terrence Newman who missed a lot of time last year and they added veteran OLB Keith Brooking to the mix as well. If the Cowboys didn't have to face the Giants and Eagles 4 times this year, I would have them have a better record. I think the Cowboys may have a great shot of sneaking into the playoffs and putting some scares into the top teams.

Washington Redskins - Prediction (8-8, 4th) - The Redskins come into 2009 with high expectations yet again. Unfortunately for them, they have to play in the NFC East. The Redskins added top free agent DT Albert Haynesworth to the team. Haynesworth will certainly help the Redskins defense, but again this is the NFC East. Also on defense FS Laron Landry, needs to take a big step this year and really show off his skills. Offensively the 'Skins have many play makers. From RB Clinton Portis to WR's Santana Moss and Randel-El, the 'Skins have talent all around. Also they feature a great offensive line, but the Redskins big issue is at QB. It appears coach Jim Zorn and management isn't completely behind QB Jason Campbell. Campbell is very inconsistent at times, but does a great job at not turning the ball over. Expect a lot of ups and downs this year from the Redskins. A very talented team that happens to play in a division with 3 more talented teams. See you next season 'Skins.

AFC East Preview

So for the next few weeks leading up to the wonderful day of September 10th (Thursday night football) I will be previewing every NFL division and making my predictions. Like every NFL season, this one should be a blast. Every team is reloading and every fan base feels their team has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs or making a Super Bowl run. After watching my beloved Arizona Cardinals make a superbowl run, anything is possible. I mean literally anything is possible! So all of you Bengal fans and all of you Ram fans, there is hope next year. The only team that doesn't have hope are the Raiders, so sorry about that. Ok its time to begin, we are going to start with the AFC East.


New England Patriots - Prediction (13-3, 1st) - This was an easy pick. The Patriots have certainly reloaded and are expected to make a run at yet another superbowl. First and foremost the Patriots get the best QB in the game back, Tom Brady. Brady looks healthy and should ignite an unstoppable passing attack. The Patriots have so many weapons, with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and the additions of Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor. Lawrence Maroney will also be back and with Sammy Morris, the Patriots have a very formidable running attack as well. On the defensive side the Patriots will be solid as usual. Led by Richard Seymour and young OLB standout Mayo, the Pats should be a fast and exciting defense. The Pats also added veteran CB Shawn Springs and that should help in the secondary a lot (their weakness last year). Also with the recent trade for OLB Derrick Burgess, the Pats will even be more dynamic on defense. This team won 11 games last year, without Tom Brady and now they get him back and got better on both sides of the ball. 13 wins for this team may be underselling them, but they are the sure shot division winner.


New York Jets - Prediction (9-7, 2nd) - This is a very difficult division to choose, because on paper the Jets, Dolphins and Bills all look the same. The Jets do it for me, because of their new coach and the defense he will be coaching. Head coach Rex Ryan is going to bring that Raven defense mentality with him to the Big Apple. He has talent all over that defense. They added CB Lito Sheppard and OLB stud, Bart Scott to the mix. With defensive player of the year candidate Kris Jenkins playing NT, this 3-4 defense is going to be a force this year. The big question mark with the Jets is on offense. And that question mark starts at the QB position. Ryan is used to having a rookie QB start for his team (See Joe Flacco). Mark Sanchez should and will beat out Kellen Clemens for that starting job. Sanchez has all the tools and with more reps, he will eventually be the starter. The Jets did lose WR standout Laveranues Coles to the Bengals, but they are strong on the O-Line and they also added bruising RB Shonn Greene from Iowa in the draft. Also the Jets have Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to run the ball down opposing teams throats. Rex Ryan is going to use the Ravens as the blueprint and this team has the makings to be very similar. Expect low scoring, grind em' out games on the ground with this team. 2nd place in this division and a possible playoff birth is possible.


Buffalo Bills - Prediction (7-9, 3rd) - The Bills come into the 2009 season with heightened expectations after the arrival of Terrell Owens. But playing in the AFC will make the Bills descent to the playoffs a very difficult one. The Bills lose stud RB Marshawn Lynch to suspension for 4 games and his presence will be missed. The Bills passing attack should be much improved with the addition of Owens to be paired with Lee Evans. QB Trent Edwards will look to rebound from a rough 2008. He has the accuracy and smarts to make the good throws, but he lacked confidence and it showed. The Bills defense has improved with the draft pick of Aaron Maybin, but still lacks a consistent pass rush. The great football city of Buffalo will go through another year of watching the Bills not make the playoffs. At least T.O. should provide for lots of entertainment.


Miami Dolphins - (5-11, 4th) - The Dolphins had an incredible season in 2008. They went from winning 1 game to winning 11. No one had them doing that. This year the Phins have expectations, unlike last year. Not much has changed for the over-achieving team. They brought back long time Dolphin, DE Jason Taylor to help with the pass rush. But other than that, the same team is coming back. They will have a much stronger schedule this year and the wildcat offense is much more known. Also I do not expect Pennington to be quite as efficient as he was last year. The defense will still be strong and with first round draft pick Vontae Davis added to the mix, it should be even stronger. But I just can't see this offense putting up points this year, thus having them winning only 5 games. It's going to be another long year for Dolphin fans.

NL and AL Favorites Heading Into August

OK, all you sports fan can take a sigh of relief that NFL training camp has begun. It has been a long summer (as it usually is), but finally the sports world is back to normal. So with NFL training camp under way, we can focus our attention to baseball's pennant race. After a wild trade deadline, we can safely distinguish the contenders from the pretenders. In the AL the contenders are the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Rays, Tigers, Rangers, White Sox and Twins. In the NL the contenders are the Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies, Giants and Rockies. We are going to decide which 2 teams are the favorites heading into October from each league.

NL Favorite - Philadelphia Phillies (61-45) - This team is very poised to make a deep October run, once again. They have the perfect mixture of hitting and pitching to go far. The Dodgers currently hold the NL's best record at 66-42, but after the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Indians, I give the Phillies a slight edge over LA. In a 5 game series, the Phillies can throw out Lee, Hamels and Happ, which is awesome. To go along with that starting pitching, they trot out arguably the best lineup in the majors. I cannot think of a team better 1-6 then the Phillies. The Dodgers 1-8 might be a deeper lineup, but its hard to argue with Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Ibanez and Werth. All 6 of those guys are potential all-stars every year. And the Phillies bullpen is capable enough and experienced enough to get the job done throughout the postseason. So when October comes calling, expect the Phillies to represent the NL once again.

NL East - Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central - Chicago Cubs

NL West - LA Dodgers

NL Wildcard - St. Louis Cardinals

NLCS - Cardinals vs Phillies

NL Champ - Phillies

AL Favorite - New York Yankees (65-42) - Considering how they started, this record is pretty extraordinary. Ever since moving Phil Hughes to the bullpen, this team has taken off. Also it helps that A-Rod returned from his hip injury as well. We cannot overlook how important the Mark Texeira acquisition was too. This guy has been truly amazing offensively and defensively. He is certainly an MVP candidate this year and a gold glove candidate. With Jeter and Damon having very good years, the Yankees once again trot out the best lineup in the AL. The Yankees starting pitching has been hit or miss for the most part, but certainly capable enough to keep you in games. CC Sabathia has been fabulous at times, but not spectacular for the most part. However Joba Chamberlain and AJ Burnett have been very, very good for the Yankees thus far. Now that Hughes is in the set up role, he provides that link between the starting pitchers and Rivera. The Yankees biggest problem before, was getting the game to Rivera in the 9th, because their bullpen was so bad. Also former U of Arizona standout Mark Melancon has pitched very well as well. Right now the AL is very strong and with teams like the Angels, Red Sox, Rays, Rangers and Tigers, it makes it very difficult to just narrow it down to one. But right now I give the Yankees the edge. So if I am correct that will give us a Yankees vs Phillies world series. Not bad if you ask me.

AL East - New York Yankees

AL Central - Detroit Tigers

AL West - LA Angels

AL Wildcard - Boston Red Sox

ALCS - Red Sox vs Yankees

AL Champ - Yankees

Why Players Should Play For the Knicks

So far in the NBA free agency landscape we have seen many players change teams, but no players have committed to the New York Knicks. And to be quite frank, these players are making a big mistake. Money probably has a lot to do with it, because the Knicks do not want to committ a lot of money long term, because they are holding out for the 2010 free agent class. And this blog is directed at all of the 2010 free agents. So that includes Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Amare, Dirk and Manu, among others. The Knicks not only play in the biggest market in the world, New York, they also have the most player friendly coach in the sport, Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni takes an average player and turns him into the Most Improved Player. He takes a really good player and turns him into an MVP. He turns average point guards into top playmakers. As much as playing for the Knicks involves playing at Madison Square Garden, it should be more of a focus that D'Antoni coaches there. I am going to give you many examples of how he turned players into world class players, by just playing in his system. This should be a huge reason why players should want to play in New York. D'Antoni has had success in the past, but he has never had a player of Wade or Lebron's caliber Lebron could seriously average 36 ppg, 9 apg and 9 rpg and I am not exagerrating one bit. Can you imagine Lebron leading the run'n'gun offense? Well with my statistical analysis we are going to see what the possibilites are.

Steve Nash - Nash was a great point guard in Dallas, before leaving for Phoenix. He made the all-star team twice and was heading for a great career. But at no point in Dallas did I or anyone say "You know that Nash guy? I think he could win MVP next year". The only way he did win MVP was being united with D'Antoni. D'Antoni took a really good player and turned him into a 2X MVP, unreal. Now nash is being heralded as one of the best point guards of all-time, mainly due to a 4 year stretch he had while D'Antoni was the coach. So lets dig deeper and see why. I am only using comparitive stats for this (only using stats when Nash was a starter on Dallas).

Pre-D'Antoni (PD) - 14.7 ppg, 7.3 apg, 18.9 PER, .454 fg%, .411 3pt%

During D'Antoni (DD) - 17.5 ppg, 11.2 apg, 22.6 PER, .513 fg%, .449 3pt%

After D'Antoni (AD) - 15.7 ppg, 9.7 apg, 19.5 PER, .503 fg%, .439 3pt%

So after looking at the most important stats for Steve Nash, we can easily see that his production increased dramatically under D'Antoni. And decreased as well after D'Antoni left for the Knicks. Under D'Antoni, Nash increased his ppg (points per game) by 19%, his apg (assists per game) by 53%, his PER (player efficiency rating; per-minute production, standardized with the league average at 15) by 20%, his fg% (field goal %) by 13% and his 3pt % (3 pointer %) by 9%. These are incredible increases. He increased Nash's production on the floor by 20%. If he had the same effect on Lebron, Lebron's PER would be around 35-36, which would be an all-time record. So from just looking at what he did for Steve Nash's career, players should certainly take a look at the stats and see for themselves.

Chris Duhon - Duhon is a very interesting case. He was having a hard time finding a spot with the Bulls. The Bulls had Hinrich and Duhon was limited to coming off the bench for limited minutes. He was never slated to be a full time player on any team. So the Knicks gave him an opportunity and he had a breakout year. He got the opportunity to start at point guard and under D'Antoni, Duhon was 9th in the NBA in assists during the 2008-2009 season. So lets go over that again, one year he was a bench player and the very next year he was top 10 in the NBA in assists. D'Antoni is really something else.

PD - 6.9 ppg, 4.5 apg, 11.4 PER, .387 fg%, .356 3pt%

DD - 11.1 ppg, 7.2 apg, 12.2 PER, .422 fg%, .391 3pt%

Now I do understand that he played a lot more minutes for the Knicks, so his ppg and apg are going to rise. But lets look at the 3 statistical categories that are not dependent on minutes played, fg%, 3pt% and PER. All 3 of those stats rose under D'Antoni. Duhon's PER rose 7%, his fg% rose 9% and his 3pt% rose 10%. However if we look at his Per 36 minutes played stats (meaning if we look at his per game averages and equate them to him playing 36 minutes per game) his apg rose 11% and his ppg rose 12%. So even if we adjusted for minutes played, Duhon's numbers increased quite a bit across the board.

Quentin Richardson - Richardson only played under D'Antoni for 1 year and that 1 year was his best year ever as a professional. That 1 year earned him a very nice raise as well, because Isiah Thomas apparently didn't do his homework. He signed a huge deal with the Knicks the following year, thanks in large part to D'Antoni. Not only did he have a career year, he won the 3pt contest and led the NBA in 3 pointers made that season as well. Now he also was reunited with D'Antoni in New York and I am including those stats as well. So, D'Antoni strikes again, so lets take a look at the numbers.

PD - 12.0 ppg, 15.4 PER, .411 fg%, .343 3pt%, .704 ft%

DD - 12.6 ppg, 14.1 PER, .391 fg%, .362 3pt%, .750 ft%

AD - 9.8 ppg, 10.8 PER, .377 fg%, .346 3pt%, .681 ft%

So, after analyzing the stats I have come to a few conclusions. He actually decreased in PER and fg% to my surprise. The reason for this is one inflated season Richardson had while playing for the Clippers that actually earned him that 1 year deal with the Suns. He averaged 17 ppg during the 2003-2004 season and actually played great. That one year did inflate his prior year numbers, and the one season he had in New York under D'Antoni did deflate his numbers as well. But what is even more eye popping to me is how far he dropped after D'Antoni. The most improbable number is free throw percentage. What I don't understand his how under D'Antoni someones free throw shooting is so much better while he is the coach and falls so much when he isn't. That stat right there really amazes me. Its free throw shooting! The very next season after D'Antoni Richardson's numbers plumetted.

Now we are going to take Steve Nash's and Chris Duhon's statistical increases and apply them to Lebron James and Dwyane Wade (players who would be handling the ball consistently). These would be my projected stats for Wade and 'Bron and why they should play in New York.

Lebron PD - 27.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, 26.2 PER, .471 fg%, .328 3pt%

Lebron DD - 31.9 ppg, 8.8 apg, 30.0 PER, .523 fg%, .361 3pt%

Wade PD - 25.2 ppg, 6.7 apg, 25.2 PER, .483 fg%, .285 3pt%

Wade DD - 29.2 ppg, 8.8 apg, 28..7 PER, .536 fg%, .314 3pt%

As you can see these 2 guys would arguably put up massive numbers and considering how well Lebron and Wade played last year, I would even expect those numbers to be even higher under D'Antoni. So when that 2010 off-season begins, players should be waiting at the Knicks front door to get a chance to not only play in the biggest market in the world, but a coach who will make you look REALLY good.