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Syracuse Eyeing Final Four Return

October 22nd 2011 07:29

After a disappointing second round tournament loss to Marquette last season the Syracuse Orange are looking to return to the Final Four for the first time since the days of Carmelo Anthony. Losing only Rick Jackson to graduation the Orange return 4 starters and are loaded with talent. Seniors PG Scoop Jardine and SF Kris Joseph are looking to improve on their impressive junior campaigns. Joseph has been selected to the preseason All Big East first team, while Jardine earned second team honors. Rounding out the starting lineup will be C Fab Melo, PF Baye Moussa Keita and SG Brandon Triche. Melo and Keita, both sophmores, are still projects but their athleticism has never been in doubt. Head coach Jim Boeheim has been very successful in the past developing interior big men, so look for both of these players to be much improved. Triche, in his junior season, is an all around guard who can score from the outside or penetrate to the basket. He is very physical and should help rebound out of the top of the 2-3 zone. This starting lineup is as good as any in the Big East, but they won't have to do it alone this year.

Syracuse is not known for having a deep bench and strong rotation. This year will be different. Sophmore Dion Waiters was in most top 20 recruiting boards coming out of high school. He struggled at times last season averaging 7 ppg and his return was in doubt most of the offseason. He decided to return to the Orange and he is expected to contribute heavily off the bench. Small forward C.J. Fair was a pleasant suprise and added 6ppg and 4 rebounds in is freshman season last year. At 6'8 he will be a tough matchup off the bench and will be up for sixth man of the year in the conference. Junior SF James Southerland showed tremendous range last season and at 6'8 he will also be a tough matchup for any team next season.

With that 8 man rotation the Orange would compete with any team in the country. But it does not stop there.Syracuse fans are most excited about the trio of incoming freshman that helped Boeheim land a top 5 recruiting class.
Mcdonalds All Americans C Rakeem Christmas and G Michael Carter Williams may not be expected to produce right away, but it will be hard to keep them off the court. Williams is a talented 6'5 guard with tremendous passing and shooting skills. He will be a great compliment to Waiters in the years to come. Christmas will probably be a project but he his atheticism is through the roof and he will be an eventual lottery pick for the NBA. The last freshman signee is G Trevor Cooney, a 6-4 guard who Boeheim believes will be a better shooter than the national championship hero Gerry Mcnamara. It will be hard for all of these players to see much playing time, but it is nice to know your bench is filled with Mcdonald's All Americans.

The Big East is once again the best conference is college basketball and it will be a tough and exciting year for the Orange. However with the talent they have and the experience of Boeheim they are poised for another national championship run. Let's see if the Orange can go out with a bang in maybe their final Big East season.

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Bold Prediction: Lions miss the playoffs

October 21st 2011 18:39

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Detroit Lions this season. Will this be the year they break into the playoffs? Many experts will say yes. I am not an expert, but i will make my bold prediction and say no. Although Jahvid Best struggles at times, he is tremendous catching the ball out of the backfield and will bail Stafford out at least 1 or 2 times a game on a third down. That option will not be available for an unknown amout of time however. While they are 5-1 right now, they could easily be 3-3 or even 2-4. Mounting comebacks of over 20 points in two consecutive games was impressive, but don't expect that all season. They are 25th in the league in rushing with Best, and i don't see that improving with Maurice Morris as the starter. Morris, at age 31, has never ran for more that 630 yards in an NFL season, and he will have to perform at his highest level for the Lions to maintain there high scoring pace. While Calvin Johnson is no doubt a top 5 receiver, i still have doubts on Matthew Stafford. Keep in my mind he has never played a full season in the NFL, let alone played in a playoff atmosphere for the Lions yet. There easy schedule is over, and only 2 of their final 10 games are against teams with a losing record. Slated to play Green Bay twice, Atlanta, Oakland, San Diego, Chicago and New Orleans in the upcoming weeks, i look for the Lions to finish at 9-7 and miss the playoffs. Call me a hater or an idiot but that's why it's called a bold prediciton.

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Giants hoping to return key players after bye

October 20th 2011 16:42

The bye week may not have come at a better time for the New York Giants. With all of the key injuries this season it is impressive that the Giants are 4-2. Losing starters LB Jonathon Goff and CB Terrell Thomas for the season has been tough enough, but they also have dealt with minor injuries to key players of the offense and defense. Osi Umenyiora missed the first few games of the season, and when he was ready to return there other big pass rusher, Justin Tuck, was sidelined with a neck injury. However it is being reported that Tuck is very confident he will return after the bye. First round pick CB Prince amakumara has missed all 6 games with a foot injury, but he is also set to return shortly. RB Brandon Jacbos has missed the last 2 games, and his presence was much needed in the lost to Seattle. He will also return after the bye week along with 3rd year WR Ramses Barden.

It is hard to imagine where the Giants would be without all of these injuries. But it is not hard to see that the return of these players is going to be crucial with the brutal upcoming schedule. After a home game against Miami, the Giants next 9 games are as follows, @New Eng, @ San Fran, vs. PHI, @ New Orleans, vs. Green Bay, @ Dallas, vs. Washington, @ NY Jets, vs. Dallas. Assuming they win against Miami, the Giants will be 5-2 and will probably need to win at least 5 of those 9 games to return to the playoffs. They need these players back as soon as possible, if not sooner.

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Coaches on the Hot Seat

October 19th 2011 20:49

Around this time each season, several coaches will find themselves on the annual hot seat. This season is no different. A few coaches are wondering if they will be calling plays next year from the field or a comfortable chair at the NFL netwok. There are 8 franchises with new head coaches this year, and by the end of the season that number may even grow. A select few coaches will never have their jobs in jeopardy, but I can not speak for the rest. Winning is all that matters in the NFL, so wheter you are a long tenured coach or a rookie signal caller your job is never secure. With that said, here is a small list of coaches I feel are on the hot seat.

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The Day That Changed the NFL

October 18th 2011 22:31

On April 2nd, 2009, the fate of many teams in the NFL was changed forever. Jay Cutler, the promising young star of the Denver Broncos, was traded to the Chicago Bears. With a new coach in town, Josh Mcdaniels, the Broncos were looking for a fresh start and a changed attitude. At the time it would be hard to imagine that this trade would rock the NFL forever. A tale of woulda-coulda-shoulda like none other, this trade would land many young stars on various teams throughout the league. So what is the answer to the age old question, What team did it help the most? I will let you decide. After a few hours of research I couldn't believe how this one turned out. It's a little hard to follow so please be patient and if you think I made a mistake please comment and help piece the puzzle together.

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Fantasy Football Becoming More Than a Game

October 17th 2011 06:36

It is estimated that anywhere between 30 and 40 million people participate in fantasy football at this very moment. Compare that to less than 20 million in 2000, it is clear the fantasy boom is upon us. A game that was once known for vicious hitting and brutal collisions has transformed into a high scoring, touchdown dancing sporting event. How many Sunday's do we spend glued to the TV, the cell phone or even the computer checking to see our scores? With the explosion of social media and the addiction for the internet it has become much easier to get yourself in the game. Many sites offering free teams and live drafts with people you will never meet in your life. However fantasy football has become more than a league of drunken ex-high school football guys drafting at the bar. It all seems to work perfectly normal as you still become mad at Joe Schmo for beating you by 2 points on a last second Monday night field goal by a 5'5 inch kicker. But theres more to fantasy football than just the league trophy or $1000 prize you might be competing for.

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Enough is Enough. Ryan gurantees Super Bowl.

October 14th 2011 16:45

There was a point in time when Rex Ryan was the next great coach in the NFL. His arrogance was once portrayed as confidence and he seemingly won over an entire fan base dying for a savior. Drafting Mark Sanchez 5th overall in his first draft was his way of beginning a new era in New York. And after 2 consecutive AFC championship losses, it seemed like he had all the right pieces in place. However, after a 2-3 start to the season many are wondering if this team is "overhyped." Ryan, in his 3rd season as head coach, vowed this week that his team will "absolutely" win the the Super Bowl. I know that every coach will say what he has to in order to keep his team and fans happy, but Ryan has become the Ozzie Guillen of football. Almost everytime he gets to the podium he deflects questions about what is going wrong with his team and turns the interview into a media spectacle. It is starting to have a looming effect on NFL fans everywhere. Who wants to turn on ESPN and see what Ryan said today? Not too many people anymore. If for one week he would stop gloating and stick to football, his team might actually win a football game.

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Long Held Record in Jeopardy

October 13th 2011 16:48

It has been almost 30 years since Dan Marino set the single season passing record back in 1984. Since then I can only remember a handful of times in which that mark of 5,084 yards was in jeopardy. We all remember Drew Brees falling an incompletion short of inking his name into the record books, but as it stands today there are 4 quarterbacks that are on pace to break this mark. One happens to be a rookie. Cam Newton, yes Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady are all in line to pass Marino's single season mark. Brady, on pace for just under 6,000, only has to average 292 yards/game for the rest of the season to tie the mark. And as far as Newton, the rookie single season mark is 3,739 yards set by Peyton Manning in 1998. At his current pace, Newton would smash the rookie record by 1,413 yards. Seems pretty crazy for a kid many NFL scouts pegged as overrated. The NFL has obviously changed into a passer friendly league with the added pressure to protect the games quarterbacks. It will interesting to see if Newton and Brady can keep this sort of pace all season.

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No reason to panic for Coughlin and the G-Men

October 12th 2011 22:51

Following a 36-25 defeat at the hands of the lowly Seattle Seahawks, many New York Giant fans are ready to pull the plug on another season. Not so fast Giant fans. While the loss Sunday was heart-breaking and depressing, it may also serve as a much needed wake up call for everyone. The Giants are yet to get the running game going and the absence of Brandon Jacobs certainly did not help the cause Sunday. As always though when Manning needed a quick score they rallied the offense and put some big plays together. However it was the defense in my mind that let the team down despite Eli turning the ball over 5 times. After a crucial 10 play, 72 yard drive which ended in a field goal with a little over 5 minutes remaining, it was the defenses chance to hold their ground and secure a victory. However they let a second string QB drive 80 yards in 2 minutes to let Seattle regain the lead. Eli and the offense had their chance but a tipped ball off of the hands of Victor Cruz was returned for a TD to shut the door on a comeback. Now the Giants find themselves at 3-2 and looking up at the Redskins for the division lead. However there are a few positives to take away from Sunday's loss. It is clear that Osi is healthy again, and with the emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul as the next great defensive end the Giants have a trio of pass rushers much similar to their super bowl winning roster. Although Eli threw an interception with a minute left, it is clear that he is becoming an elite quarterback. With the losses of Steve Smith and Kevin Boss in the offseason, it was hard to see Eli having a great year. But with Victor Cruz proving to be a reliable target Eli has found a comfort zone with his receivers. He has 11td and 5int on the year to go along with 2 fourth quarter comeback wins. Once Ahmad Bradshaw regains his 2010 form in which he was a top 10 running back as far as yds/game, this offense will be unstoppable. Don't worry Giants fans the best is yet to come.