NFL Season Preview: Part 1

NFL football is here. Cubs fans can rejoice as they look forward from a lousy Cubs team to a 7-9 Bears team. Yay. First part of my 3 part season preview:

Player award predictions:

MVP: Tom Brady: Fully healthy, and will look to go back to the Super Bowl with the Pats, who will have to overcome a tough division.

Offensive POTY: Chris Johnson: He's back; and still dangerous as ever. Chris will rack up at least another 1,600 yards plus 12 scores.

Defensive POTY: Patrick Willis: Already a top LB in the league, Willis is ready to bring the Niner's D into the big stage.

Comeback Player: Clinton Portis: With Mcnabb and a new offensive scheme in Washington, a change of scenario might just be what this RB needed.

NFL defensive rookie: Eric Berry: The Chief's coaching staff has raved about Berry, saying he already has a veteran's leadership on the field.

Offensive Rookie: CJ Spiller: Could be the steal of the draft, and will get plenty of touches due to injuries in the Bill's backfield.

Coach of the Year: Mike Tomlin: Steelers- Even with Roethlisberger's suspension, Tomlin will find a way to get the Steelers back to the playoffs.

Next Time: Division and Playoff picks

Hawks offseason

The only time for celebrating during the summer for the Hawks was in early June. After that, it was all business and goodbyes. Due to financial reasons, the Hawks had to let many key players go. Here are some of my thoughts:

• Don't sleep on Marty Turco. Antti Niemi was let go due to a high arbitration hearing. But Turco is a true veteran, has a proven track record, and can give equal production as Niemi, for half the price.
• The Hawks traded some key players, but the moves they didn't make might be their best of the off season. Patrick Sharp is a key 2nd liner and not trading him keeps the core intact from last year. Also, rising defense man Niklas Hjalmarsson was signed away from the Sharks, as he we will great in the years to come.
• The one move I wish the Hawks didn't make was trading Kris Versteeg. He was a young forward with lots of potential, and to see him get away due to salary is disappointing. The part that makes me mad is that the Hawks had enough cap room to keep him, but i guess they felt they had to pull the trigger.
• Leave your comments on how you thought the Hawks did this off season

College Football Preview

Sorry for the break, but I'm back now. Also, follow Wolfpack basketball games( and occasionally football and volleyball) here with live updates.

Football season is among us at last. And I'm not talking about the Revis Circus and the latest Favre episodes. College football is in full swing, as preseason polls have just been released and two-a-days are ending. Here are some of my predictions and things to watch.

My Preseason Rankings-

1. Alabama

2. Ohio St

3. Boise State

4. Oklahoma

5. Florida

6. VT

7. Miami

8. Texas

9. Iowa

10. USC

2 Surprise Teams to watch for in the BCS

Wisconsin- Everyone is talking about Ohio St and Iowa in the Big Ten. Get to know the Badgers! John Clay is a top 10 RB in the country and there is plenty of upperclassmen on the defense.

UNC- Has 6 preseason All Americans on the defensive side of the ball, which is sure to help for the bid to win the ACC

Names to know:

Kellen Moore-QB-BSU- Can Moore lead the #3 ranked Broncos to the big stage? He has all the talent to.

Von Miller-LB--Texas A&M- The best LB in the Big 12, if not the country( compared to Lance Briggs)

Mark Herzlich-LB-Boston College- Cancer survivor, still has a huge heart and 2008 ACC defensive player of the year.

Marcell Dareus-DT-Bama- Projected top 5 pick, and will try to anchor #1 Alabama's defense.

Ryan Williams-RB-VT- Broke ACC Frosh running yards record and will try to add on to it this year.

Must Watch four games:

Oct 2- FLA vs BAMA: Fight for the SEC crown and possibly BCS championship berth on the line.

Sept 6- VT vs BSU- Huge opening game on labor day weekend, with two top 10 teams squaring off.

Sept 4-Oregon St vs TCU- If TCU can win, they control their own destiny to another BCS game.

Nov 20-Ohio St vs Iowa- The winner will be probably smelling roses, if not better.

My BCS bowl predictions

Sugar- Bama vs Pitt

Orange- UNC vs Oklahoma

Fiesta- Florida vs Miami

Rose- Iowa vs Oregon

BCS- BSU vs Ohio st

Missing: #1 player in the world

News flash: Tiger is no longer Tiger. That's right. No one ever saw this coming, as Tiger Woods is starting to come down to earth and below. Tiger is struggling beyond belief, and rightfully so with the past year he has had to endured. There is a chance Tiger doesn't even qualify for the Ryder cup, which is embarrassing on his part. People keep debating if whether the real,dominant Tiger will ever emerge again and catch Jack and his 18 majors. That's up to Tiger. He has to remain focus and needs to practice more. Even Tiger has said he hasn't put much work ethic out on the practice course, which is understandable. The fact is, Tiger can reach his "Tiger status" again, but the effort and focus he puts into it while climbing that ladder will be the difference maker.

NFL Offseason

Many moves were made over the spring during the NFL off season that may have a big impact on teams this year. My winners and losers:

Winners:

Jets- Brought in key players like Santonio Holmes, Ladainian Tomlinson, and Jason Taylor to go along with a super, strong defense and a more experienced Mark Sanchez. The only question mark is Revis, who the Jets will need to make a run for Dallas.

Bears- Mike Martz brings his new offense to town to try to help Jay Cutler and a young receiving core, plus the addition of Julius Peppers and Chris Harris makes the Bears start to look the the "Monsters of the Midway" again.

Saints- The defending champs return 20 of 22 starters and all their top assistants from last year. With the core intact, Brees and company will look for another party on Bourbon Street again.

Losers:

Steelers- Losing Big Ben to a possible 4 game suspension hurts bad. Have fun with Byron Leftwich. Former Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes is gone, and injuries are still lingering on this roster.

Cardinals- Kurt Warner retired after helping the Cards reach the Superbowl just 2 years ago. Stud players on the defense( Rolle & Dansby) left via free agency, and a big question is left: Can Leinart get Larry Fitzgerald the ball?

Larry Mayer Exclusive

I got a chance to catch up with ChicagoBears.com lead writer Larry Mayer and ask him a couple of questions about training camp and this upcoming season.

Q: "What is an under the radar topic coming into training camp?"

A: "Everyone is talking about Mike Martz's new offense, but the big key to me is the defense, especially the D-line. I talked to one of the veterans on the team, and he said we will only go as far as our defensive line takes us."

Q: "Chester Taylor was brought in this year, and there has been talk that if Forte struggles early, Taylor could take most of the carries. Who do you think will get the majority of the carries by season's end?"

A: "I think actually they will split the work load, and barring injury, I don't think one will get much more carries that the other. In their Super Bowl year(2006), they had two quality backs in Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. I think the Bears thought they were really missing that last year, and getting another running back was a top priority this off season."

Q: "The secondary has always been an issue with the Bears. Who do you see starting this year?"

A: "Zach Bowman and Charles Tillman have been working out at the conerback position, with Chris Harris and Daniel Manning at the free safety and strong safety positions, respectively. The secondary was a top issue in the off season, but with a veteran safety in Harris leading the way, and rookie Major Wright looking sharp, look for major strides this season."

Q: "Who do you think will be a breakout player on the offensive and defensive side of the ball?"

A: " Zach Bowman has great ball skills and with a better pass rush this year, he will have 8 interceptions. I will make a prediction that he will make his first Pro Bowl this year. On offense, Devin Aromashodu , who is making every play in camp, is sure to have a great season. He is a rare combination of size and speed, and will get plenty of opportunities this season."

Thatsportskid thanks Larry Mayer for his time and I look forward to more interviews to come.

Albert Haynesworth

I'm pretty sure every person in the world would love to be in Albert Haynesworth's position right now. Well except for Albert that is. He is on his seventh day of trying to pass a conditioning test that will allow him to finally practice with the team and earn his millions of dollars in a paycheck. It's ridiculous that a professional athlete can not complete a simple running test. Many people much older and much younger than him can pass this test with ease. He has been a huge distraction this off season, and now he has come to camp and is an even bigger distraction with this simple, little test. Mike Shanahan will give Albert no pass and that is the right call. If you can't pass this, your letting your teammates, coaches, and fans down. You don't deserve to earn all that money and especially to play on Sunday.

The Favre Saga

Quoting Heath Ledger as the Joker, " And here we go." Again. Brett Favre has retired again, according to multiple reports. He has still yet to officially confirm it but some Vikings teammates have received texts saying, "This is it." Although this is Brett Favre, and even with his un-retirements in the past, I think there is a good chance he's done. He has said he is not completely healthy and this is a good time to announce it to the Viking's organization so QB battles can begin in camp. However, I can see Favre coming back in the middle of the season. The Vikings have a very tough schedule after their week 4 bye, with the Jets, Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots. If the Vikings and Tavaris Jackson struggle leading up to those 4 tough games, do not be surprised at all if Favre gets on a plane from Hattiesburg, Mississippi and joins coach Childress and the rest of the team to try to make another Super Bowl run.

Anyway it plays out, this Favre Saga has been exhilarating at times and even tiring. One thing is certain though: This Saga would make one hell of a movie.

NFL Rookie Contracts

Something is wrong with the NFL. No, its not the recent studies showing serious brain injuries, or even the labor negotiations. Its the outrageous contracts that rookie players are signing before even playing a down in the NFL. Sam Bradford just signed a $78 million, $50 million guaranteed contract for the Rams as the top overall pick. This is a player just coming off arm surgery and is making more than established Qb's like Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, and Matt Ryan. Players who should make that much money are QB's like Brees, Brady, and Peyton Manning, all who will get a raise and new contract this year. Darrelle Revis has been holding out for big time money. I applaud him. He has shown he is the best CB in the game and has shut down any WR that has come his way. There is no way no other CB should be making more money than him, especially a rookie cornerback. Even if these rookies are impact players immediately, there should still be a system in which every year the pick number(ex. pick number 8) gets the same contract and amount every year, and if after 2 years they prove they are worth more money, the contract should be re-constructed. Veterans who have been in the league for years and are bruised and have multiply surgeries are probably not happy that some rookie is making more than them and they even haven't been through training camp! Roger Goodell should have this up there as a top priority to fix this.

Winners and Losers of MLB Trade Deadline

Well, July 31st has finally past, and here is who came out on top and teams that did not improve their teams.

Winners-

Rangers- Added a elite pitcher in Cliff Lee and got really nice deals in Jorge Cantu and Christian Guzman.

Phillies- With Oswalt, they now have 3 dangerous pitchers, who will be tough to beat in a playoff series. Problem is, can they reach October?

Padres- Miguel Tejada and Ryan Ludwick were under the radar moves, but were excellent deals to help San Diego reach the playoffs.

Losers-

Royals and Brewers- Both had a chance to rebuild with young talent and unload some over payed veterans, but both stood pat as the deadline came and went.