At the beginning of the year, NFL fans were eager and hoping to just see a season. Now that the season has come and gone, as have the playoffs, it’s now time for the biggest game of the year. This year we have a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. Last time, the Patriots were heavily favored to win and to achieve perfection, but the Giants ruined those plans when Eli Manning made “The Play.” Manning somehow avoided the pass rush and heaved a ball up and David Tyree made the helmet catch, which is considered by some to be the best play in a Super Bowl ever. Soon after, Manning found Plaxico Burress wide open in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. That was then, this is now.

Similarities

Some aspects of this matchup we will see on Sunday are very similar to what we saw four years ago. In 2008, the Patriots had one of, if not the most dominant offenses we’ve ever seen. Tom Brady led the highest scoring team in NFL history to an undefeated season and the idea of a 19-0 season seemed inevitable. This year, Tom Brady broke Dan Marino’s record for yards in a season (Was overshadowed by Brees, but still broke the record nonetheless). Another important note is the Giants’ defense. The only reason they were able to win the Super Bowl was because of the ability of their front seven to get to Tom Brady. Now, they bring back virtually the exact same defensive line. If Bill Belichick hasn’t done his homework, which I’m sure he has, the outcome will be the exact same.

Differences

While there are those similarities, there are some huge differences. First of all, in 2008 the Giants were the clear-cut underdogs. No one gave them a shot, including the Patriots. It’s rare to see Belichick get complacent and comfortable, but that’s exactly what happened. This year, there is no clear favorite to win. Eli Manning is only recently coming into his own as an elite passer. He’s used to having a dominant run game doing most of the work. First it was Tiki Barber. Then for the Super Bowl run Manning’s passing attack was balanced by the three-headed monster of Jacobs, Bradshaw and Ward (Earth, Wind and Fire). The trio totaled over 2,000 rushing yards. This year The Giants boast the league’s worst rushing offense, averaging under 90 yards a game. Manning has showed his ability to step up and be an elite quarterback. He threw for just under 5,000 yards which is a huge accomplishment. Against a Belichick defense, however, you cannot be one-dimensional or else he will capitalize on that.

What to watch for

1. The Patriots’ offensive line is a huge key to this game. Everyone knows what Tom Brady can do when given time. He’s a top-five all-time quarterback. Some, including me, would make the argument that he is the best to ever play. But that’s not the point. There’s no debate that when allowed adequate time in the pocket, Brady will shred a defense like few quarterbacks have ever done. But that’s the thing…when allowed adequate time. The Giants’ are best known for their incredibly talented line. Aside from their obvious talent, what makes them so dominant is their versatility. Their four defensive ends (Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka) all have the ability to play any four spots on the line. They even have formations where the four of them play at the same time. Nothing frightens a quarterback more than looking up and seeing four great pass rushers standing on the other side of your line. The only thing that could and will be worse, is when the Giants use that formation, but ALSO blitz linebackers and corners. If the Patriots are to have any chance of winning, the offensive line must be able to protect Brady.

2. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead must leave their footprints on this game. The best way to slow down a high-powered pass blitz, is with an efficient run game. The Giants have an average rush defense and a terrible pass defense. While the Patriots will look to capitalize on their soft secondary, in order to attack the front seven to protect Tom Brady, Belichick will have to incorporate a heavy dosage of Woodhead and The Law Firm to keep the Giants honest. When the two teams met in the regular season, the Giants won 24-20. Tom Brady threw 49 times while Green-Ellis and Woodhead combined for 19 carries totaling 78 yards. The two averaged just over four yards per carry, but did not get the ball enough to keep the Giants guessing.

3. Eli Manning will have his hands full this game, but he will have to come up big. Since the Giants have the worst run game in the league, the Patriots will likely back off and leave four to five players in the box for the majority of the game and leave the rest in coverage. You can bet your bottom dollar that Belichick will have plenty of brand new defensive looks implemented to confuse Manning. The Giants will come out passing early and often and if Eli isn’t able to understand what he’s looking at, it will be a long day for him.

Outcome

This game should be one of the more exciting Super Bowls we’ve seen in a while. Normally when we go into a game, we have an idea in our heads of who we think will win.  In this matchup, however, I cannot clearly say one team should win over the other. There are so many parts of this game that must be broken down and must go right for either team to come away with the win. Nothing is guaranteed here.

The deciding factor for me in this one is the Patriots’ run game. The only chance the Giants have of winning is if they are able to shut down Tom Brady with their defensive front formations. But if Belichick gets the run game going, the balance will overwhelm that defensive front, giving Brady the time he needs.

New England Patriots def. New York Giants 31 – 27

After coming within two points of calling the Saints vs. Lions game, and missing the Texans vs. Bengals outcome by a six point swing, my Saturday predictions were fairly accurate. Sunday, however, was another story. The Atlanta Falcons followed the “safety first” rule that we are always taught and the Denver Broncos stunned the world. 

Just like ESPN analyst, Skip Bayless, I have supported Tim Tebow and the Broncos since day-one of his starting campaign. But just like the rest of the world, I was shocked to see him step up and take down the Steelers. Tebow throwing for 316 yards brings up an interesting thought. Everyone knows that at Florida, Tebow wore John 3:16 on his eye tape. Does this mean anything or was this game all a coincidence? Perhaps it was also a coincidence that Ben Roethlisberger threw that interception on 3rd and 16, or that Tebow averaged 31.6 yards per completion that game. It’s not a conspiracy, but just a thought. As much as I support and respect this Broncos team, what everyone wants to overlook is what made them win. Big Ben was still severely banged up. The Steeler’s starting running back, Rashard Mendenhall, was out. Isaac Redman stepped up nicely in the backup role, though. But more importantly, their starting Safety, Ryan Clark missed the game. You have to think that had he been there, he would not have bitten so hard on the play action allowing Demarius Thomas to break that 80 yard touchdown pass in overtime. Once again, just a thought. With everything that happened last weekend, we now have four games to look at for next week.

Here are the divisional round predictions:

Starting in the AFC

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots - With it seeming more and more likely that Tim Tebow is receiving some form of divine help, Tom Brady, who has been referred to as “God’s nephew,” might be the one to get in the way. Even if Tebow puts up great numbers this week, it will not be enough to out-play Tom Brady. It’s one thing to outscore a Steelers team who has never been known for scoring the ball. The Broncos have made a name for themselves by hanging in games and keeping it close and coming up clutch at the end. But when you’re down by several touchdowns early, it’s hard to do that. There’s not a team in the league that knows how to contain Tom Brady and this offense, John Fox included. Look for the Patriots to score early and often, forcing Tebow to outscore Brady, which won’t happen considering they have the 25th ranked scoring offense.

Patriots Def. Broncos 34 – 24

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens - This is my favorite matchup this week. The Ravens were my preseason pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. I changed my pick about a month ago to the Patriots. Baltimore has one of the most dominant defenses in the league as well as a very capable offense led by Ray Rice, arguably the best running back in the league. The Texans are a very similar team in that they boast one of the top defenses as well as one of the best run games in the league. If I had it my way, this game would end 3-0, but considering both teams have a very good running back, a decent amount of points will end up being scored. Everything on paper is telling me that the Texans should win this game. The teams are similar except Houston has a more effective quarterback and possibly the best receiver in the NFL. While everything tells me the Texans will win, I see T.J. Yates playing like a rookie and making too many mistakes. I can’t bet against the Ravens just yet.

Ravens Def. Texans 23 – 17

Over to the NFC

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers - As I’ve said all year, the Saints will win the Super Bowl. I’m still not 100% sold on the Niners either. They are a good team who benefited from a very favorable schedule. Sure, they beat the Steelers towards the end of the year, but the Steelers are not what they used to be. I don’t see San Fransisco, or anyone for that matter, being able to slow down the Saints’ relentless offense. The 49ers only scored 30 or more points in two games this year. The Saints did so in ten games. They also scored 40+ points in six games, seven if you count the playoffs so far. As far as I see it, if the Saints score 30 points, they will win this game. Drew Brees has been on a tear this whole year, and I don’t see him slowing down now that the games are more important. Plus, Darren Sproles has been completely unstoppable leading their ground attack. While the 49ers DO have a solid defense and a great run game, they are not a team designed to compete with an offensive juggernaut like the Saints. Once they get ahead, there’s no looking back, and as good as Frank Gore is, he cannot come back against New Orleans by himself, making Alex Smith make plays. The Saints will score 30+, the 49ers won’t.

Saints Def. 49ers 34 – 23

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers - This matchup actually intrigues me quite a bit. The New York Giants have been here before. In 2007, they won the Super Bowl while playing on the road all through the playoffs and ultimately played David and took down Goliath (the Patriots). This is their chance to take down Goliath again. The Packers are the consensus best team in the NFL and have destroyed teams all year, recently beating the Lions while starting their backup quarterback. While I don’t see the Giants beating the Packers, it is an interesting idea. The main difference is that, when the Giants’ front seven got to Tom Brady, he wasn’t mobile enough to move. Aaron Rodgers is very good at evading blitzers and will be able to scramble and make plays. Both teams boast high-powered offenses and will have no trouble scoring. While their hype has died down, the Packers still are the best team in the NFL. If the Giants are going to win, it will be because the Giants’ big-play receiver, Victor Cruz, will find himself Salsa-dancing in the endzone early and often. In this one, however, Aaron Rodgers will “Discount Double-Check” his way to the win.

Packers Def. Giants 38 – 31

My mid-November predictions proved to be fairly accurate as I predicted ten of the twelve playoff teams. I had the Cowboys and Bears making it as opposed to the Falcons and the Giants.  This week, there are four games on the schedule, all of which should actually be very close and competitive. In my Super Bowl Predictions article, I broke down the Saints / Lions matchup and the Texans / Bengals game but will revisit those anyways. Here’s what to expect:

Starting in the AFC

Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans – Here we have a battle of defenses. The Bengals rank seventh in total yards allowed and ninth in points allowed. They have a very well balanced defense including a very underrated front seven. The Texans, however, are even better as they rank second in total yards allowed and fourth in points given up. The main difference here, is the offense. The Bengals are a below average offensive team and against a defense like the Texans, that will show through. The Texans, on the other hand, have the second best rushing offense, led by Arian Foster. When the two teams met in week 14, The Texans barely edged out the Bengals by one point in Cincinnati. As for the meeting on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals having too much success against this defense, possibly aside from a deep bomb to A.J. Green. Also, take into consideration that this is the Houston Texans first playoff appearance since joining the NFL in the 2002 expansion. The environment will be crazy. If the Texans won in Cincinnati WITHOUT Andre Johnson, it’s hard to find anyway to think it’ll end any different this time in Houston with their best receiver. Unless Andy Dalton has a Michael Jordan-like flu game, I don’t see the Texans losing.

Texans Def. Bengals 24 – 16

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos – Now this will be low scoring. But we’re not talking low-scoring like LSU vs. Alabama where it is just a great defensive battle, but rather, like a middle-school girls’ basketball game where both teams simply struggle to score. The Steelers have the best defense in the league, only allowing 14 points a game. The Broncos have one of the worst offenses, only average 19 a game. With Brian Dawkins probably out for the game, the Broncos are lucky that Rashard Mendenhall is inactive and Ben Roethlisberger can barely walk. Otherwise this game would get ugly fast. The funny thing about this matchup is that the Steelers’ defensive dominance really doesn’t matter at all! The Broncos barely score against anyone until the last drive or two anyways. While this game will probably be very close in score, the actual game won’t be as close as the numbers may indicate. As much as I would love to see Tim Tebow rally his team to a late game win, I can’t see it happening. Mike Tomlin will not mix up the coverage in the fourth quarter as other teams have. He won’t have his corners backing off, leaving open receivers. Pittsburgh will win.

Steelers Def. Broncos 17 – 9

Now over to the NFC

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants - If this game was in Atlanta, there would be nothing to discuss. The Falcons would run away with this win. Even with the game being in New York, I still feel the Falcons will win. It will be close, however. It’s all about Balance. The Giants have the worst rushing offense in the league averaging under 90 yards a game. The Falcons will force the Giants to pass early and often and become one-dimensional. Everyone knows the key to the playoffs is having balance, and that will ultimately result in the Giants’ demise. This will be a rather high scoring game and both passing attacks will be firing and scoring often. I expect to see a good battle between Julio Jones and Victor Cruz. Atlanta has the advantage of having an average ranked ground attack led by a now-healthy Michael Turner. Once again, balance is key.

Falcons Def. Giants 31 – 24

Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints - My preseason prediction still hasn’t changed. The Saints will win the super bowl, which unfortunately for the Lions, involves them winning this game too. The Saints won all eight of their home games this year and unless the Green Bay Packers lose in the conference round, this will be their last home game. Expect them to deliver for their loyal fans. The Detroit Lions have had their best year in a long time, and for that, the Detroit faithfuls should be proud. I’m not saying that this game will be easy by any means. The Lions are the fourth highest scoring team while the Saints edge them out as the second ranked scoring team. Calvin Johnson SHOULD have a monster game. The Saints’ two starting cornerbacks, Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter, are both listed at 5’11″ while Megatron will tower above the two at 6’5.” The Saints’ also have been hurt by their 30th ranked pass defense. Last time the teams met up, however, Saints’ defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, came up with a gameplan that held Johnson to 69 yards, and kept him out of the endzone. With the Lions’ non-existent running game, shutting down Johnson again will be the key to their success. The Lions make themselves one-dimensional by not being able to run. On the other side of the ball, Green Bay’s backup quarterback, Matt Flynn torched this Lions defense for 480 yards and six touchdowns last week. While I don’t expect Drew Brees to throw for six touchdowns, he should have his way with this porous secondary. Also, the Saints’ sixth-ranked rushing offense will keep the Lions on their toes. This should be a very entertaining game between to red-hot teams. The Saints are just hotter now and won’t be stopped.

Saints Def. Lions 45 – 30

Next week we will see matchups between:

Steelers @ Patriots

Texans @ Ravens

Saints @ 49ers

Falcons @ Packers

Predictions will be released once the games become official.

After the millions of votes were totaled, we now have the winners who will take the field in Hawaii. While some of the players were obvious selections, there were several others who had great years but were left off the rosters. Those spots were filled by big name players who didn’t necessarily have the best year. This happens every year. Fans vote for their favorite player as opposed to who actually played well that year. Similar to when Yao Ming was voted to start in the all-star game after not playing a game all year due to a career ending foot injury. Here’s what went wrong:

(All stats are as prior to week 17)
First things first…where is Victor Cruz? Before this year, no one knew who he was other than the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The Jets knew because he torched them for three touchdowns in his rookie season preseason debut. Now, he’s known as the salsa-dancing deep threat and Eli Manning’s favorite receiver. Cruz was third in the league in receiving yards with 1,358 and snagged eight touchdowns to go along with that. But yet, Greg Jennings who hasn’t reached 1,000 yards got the last spot at receiver. Jordy Nelson should have brought his 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns to Hawaii before Jennings.

Eli Manning. I get that he had a good year, probably the best year he’s ever had. It’s hard for NFC quarterbacks to make the pro bowl considering every year they have to deal with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees; very similar to a point guard trying to make the the all-star team in the western conference when they had to deal with Chris Paul and Deron Williams. While I’m not tryin to take anything away from Manning, I can’t help but feel that Matthew Stafford should have gotten that spot. He threw for ten more touchdowns (36) which put him fourth, only behind the two aforementioned and Tom Brady. What he was able to do for the Lions and the city of Detroit was something special, and he deserves to be rewarded.

Adrian Wilson holds the record for sacks in a season by a defensive back with 8. This year he has as many sacks as Greg Oden will have starts (for you basketball watchers). In other words, he has zero. This is a prime example of a player making it because of his name. Roman Harper is much less known, but what is known about him is that he loves getting after the quarterback seeing as he has 7.5 sacks this year and has a chance to break that record against the Panthers. Harper deserved that spot, hands down.

Champ Bailey – I have mad respect for Champ. He’s easily one of the best cornerbacks to ever play. This year, however, Brandon Flowers was one of the most impressive corners. He didn’t get ANY publicity playing for Chiefs, but week after week, he shut down receivers. Kyle Arrington’s 7 interceptions are impressive, but the fact that he’s a cornerback on the league’s worst pass defense kind of kills his chances.

Clay Matthews did not deserve it this year. Last year, he was unstoppable and became the most feared player in the league for opposing quarterbacks. But this year, the man who could be a descendant of Hercules, didn’t live up to his hype as he only brought down a quarterback six times. Then we have a guy like rookie, Aldon Smith. Any time a rookie gets double digit sacks it’s a big deal. Smith had fourteen! Some would suggest that Matthews’ presence on the field alone makes him worthy and his stats don’t show what he does for his team. This is a poor argument because while Reggie Bush was in New Orleans, he rarely put up big numbers but he always made the defense gameplan and adjust for where he was, and obviously he never made a pro bowl.

Somehow, the voting system needs to be changed so that we don’t just see the same people in the pro bowl every year. It eliminates chances for rookies and breakout players to make a name for themselves on the biggest stage.

What does it take to be considered an all-time great quarterback?

Some would say having Steve Young’s accuracy. But barring an absurd amount of drops, isn’t completion percentage the ultimate indicator of accuracy? The quarterback who completed an NFL record 66.0% of his passes since joining the league in 2000, is Chad Pennington. 

Others say arm strength is key. While sure, arm strength is important, many greats didn’t have the biggest of arms. One player who is known for having possibly the strongest arm is known for being one of the biggest busts in NFL history. JaMarcus Russell was said to have thrown a ball 60 yards from his knees. The only problem with that is, once a quarterback is brought to his knees, that’s a sack. Somewhat of a useless talent.

Over the years, we’ve seen many good quarterbacks, and a few great ones. What separates the two groups is the ability to think on their feet, no pun intended. While having a great arm is important, if you don’t know how to use it, it becomes futile. Over the last decade, two quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, have dominated the league. Most of this success is due to their unprecedented ability to understand what will happen during the play before it happens. And when something goes wrong, they are able to adjust on the spot.

Most importantly, when you look back in history at all the all-time great quarterbacks, each of them had a moment. A defining moment that separated them from the rest to make them great. Joe Montana had his NFC championship game-winning pass to Dwight Clark who made “The Catch.” Tom Brady had his super bowl run when he took over for Drew Bledsoe, then went on to win three super bowls in four years. Steve Young came out of Joe Montana’s shadow and “couldn’t possibly” live up to his predecessor, but arguably exceeded him. We now see a very similar situation with Aaron Rodgers. Peyton Manning won back-to-back MVP awards on two separate occasions and capped it off with his Super Bowl MVP performance. We think of John Elway diving for the goal line while getting hit by two defenders and spinning through the air. On Monday night, we witnessed the most recent moment.

Drew Brees added his name to the list of all-time greats as he completed a nine yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. This pass gave him 5,087 yards for the season, which put him ahead of Dan Marino as the all-time leader for passing yards in a season. The record was set in 1984 and had stood for 27 years. Until Monday.

Some will be hesitant to put Brees’ name in the same list as these other great quarterbacks. But these are the same people who are afraid to consider any modern-day players as some of the best. The same people that wouldn’t consider Kobe Bryant a top-10 basketball player in NBA history because they get so caught up in the history of the game. A way to remind the youth that the way we see sports now, isn’t the way they were intended to be played and that they’re too different from how they used to be. The way I see it, it shouldn’t even be a question that Brees has earned this honor.

Since teaming up with Sean Payton in New Orleans, the two have become the most feared quarterback / coach (coordinator) tandem in the league. They both joined the team in 2005, and since then, Brees hasn’t thrown for less than 4,300 yards in a season while completing at least 64% of his passes; including two seasons with 5,000+ yards, ranking him first and third on the all-time list. With his stellar play, he has accumulated a career completion percentage of 65.9%. At this pace, he’ll easily pass Chad Pennington for the highest career completion percentage. It didn’t hurt that he’s completed 70.7% of his passes this year. His 2009 season was very similar where he completed 70.6% of his passes and carried his team to a super bowl victory and in my opinion, will do the same this year.

In no way am I trying to say that Brees is better than Marino, Elway or Bart Starr or whoever else made the narrow cut onto that list. I am too young to have seen any of these old-timers play, so some would suggest that we leave it to those who witnessed both the old and the new to determine who the greats are. But it’s funny how memories get skewed. We hear about Jordan and how he’s by far the greatest player, so when we go back and watch his games, we expect him to make every shot he attempts. Or to never make a mistake. To never get scored on. But when we watch, we find out just how human he was. Perhaps it’s the same way with the best quarterbacks too.

When I see Drew Brees play, and night after night, pick apart opposing defenses, I have a hard time believing that any quarterback in history, could be THAT much better than he is.

He has the skill, he has the accomplishments, and now he’s had his moment. Soon enough, we’ll see him in Canton, right where he belongs.

With the NBA season starting on Christmas Sunday, it’s only right that we make some predictions about the upcoming year. Here’s a prediction of what the playoff seeds will be. 

East

1. Chicago Bulls – To me, this one is a no-brainer. Last year they had four more wins than the second place Heat. While I don’t think Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the league, he is the best player LISTED as a point guard. Chris Paul is the best point guard while Rose is the best player at the point guard position if that makes sense. He has a good chance to repeat as MVP. He IS their offense. The addition of washed-up Rip Hamilton only makes them better. He’s exactly what they needed in terms of a mid-range shooter for Rose to drive-and-kick to. There’s no reason why the Bulls won’t finish with the best record again.

2. Miami Heat – Like I always say, they will never win a championship. But that does not mean they can’t have a phenomenal regular season. Straight up, they have talent. They have two of the top three players in the league, who in my opinion should both go down in the top-25 players of all-time. They also have a pretty good group of role players and drafted a solid rookie, Norris Cole, who should provide a good spark off the bench, unless they let him start. If James takes a backseat to Wade, they have a chance to win the championship. But even if he doesn’t, at the very least, they’ll have a great regular season.

3. New York Knicks – I’m a believer. Tyson Chandler is the key here. Anthony and Stoudemire will put up a lot of points. Probably around 50 a game between the two. They also have Landry Fields who was the third most impressive rookie last year behind Griffin and Wall. The addition of Chandler provides that defensive toughness and glue the team needs. Baron Davis and Mike Bibby are proven veteran point guards who will help control tempo. This team should be very good.

4. Washington Wizards – Watch out! This team has potential. Wall exploded onto the scene last year and if he can limit his turnovers, instantly becomes a top point guard. Nick Young has shown the ability to put up mass points. Javale McGee is one of my favorite players. He’s a 7-footer with incredible athleticism. He will be a walking highlight reel this year — get ready. Role players such as Rashard Lewis, Ronny Turiaf, Roger Mason Jr. and rookie Sheldon Mack help make this new-look Wizards team a real threat.

**No need to go further in the east

West

1. Oklahoma City Thunder – They should finish the season with the best record with ease. In a year where the schedule will be compressed, age and durability will be key. In addition to being extremely talented, the Thunder are very young so they won’t break down. However the team decides to create their lineup this year will be deadly. Westbrook and Durant will be a deadly combination. James Harden will be a beast coming off the bench — possibly the sixth man of the year. This team needed a defensive presence so they brought in “mean” Kendrick Perkins. Also, I have to throw Serge Ibaka’s name out there. This will be as good for the team as it looks on paper. I think they win the championship this year.

2. Los Angeles Lakers – Regardless of their situation, they find a way to win games and to remain relevant. As long as #24 keeps suiting up every game, they have a chance to win a championship. It’s that simple. The Black Mamba is the most determined player in the league, maybe in sports. Even though their hype has died down considerably, I still expect them to be around towards the end of the year.

3. Memphis Grizzlies – Yeah, I said it. Before you freak out, hear me out. Like the Thunder, the Grizzlies are very young, probably one of the youngest in the league. There will be many times this year where teams play back to back and I’d take O.J. Mayo’s legs to play two days in a row as opposed to Tim Duncan’s. This team was the surprise of the year last year. This year, they’ll be even more of a surprise. Zach Randolph is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. No one ever sees him play, but he’s an absolute animal. I had him on my fantasy team last year along with Blake Griffin and Kevin Love, and he was NOT too far off of them! Then you add Mike Conley Jr. and O.J. Mayo and not only do you get a lot of periods in these guys’ names, but you get a lot of talent. Marc Gasol is finally coming into his own. I’m a Lakers fan and would not mind trading brother for brother. And oh yeah, that guy Rudy Gay isn’t too bad either. That’s an all-star team! But the difference between them and other teams is they’ve started together and have played together. The chemistry is there. The only problem is depth, but still do NOT sleep on this team.

4. Dallas Mavericks – These guys won the championship for a reason. They’re a great team. Yes, they lose Chandler which is huge, but they add Lamar Odom which is a huge addition. I don’t see them doing anywhere near as well as they did last year, but they are still a very good team. Dirk is practically unstoppable (unless you’re James Posey). Expect them to be a middle seed going into the playoffs.

5. Los Angeles Clippers – The hype is a little too much. They will be good, but not great. They will, however, be extremely exciting. I expect to see at least two of the top ten plays on ESPN each week from Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. These guys can fly, literally. I would love to see Griffin as the league’s MVP this year. It’s hard to breakout from what he did in his redshirt rookie year, but a lot of the stuff he does is hard. I expect to see him breakout from his last year. He will be unstoppable. Unfortunately, the Clippers will not be. But I did like their Christmas card on their website.

**San Antonio and Denver also make the playoffs

***The Oklahoma City Thunder will beat the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Championship

After one of the most bizarre off seasons in recent history, it’s finally time for basketball to resume. 

It all started last year when the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world. All the talk going into the 2010-2011 NBA season revolved around the Miami Heat and their Big Three and whether or not they were good enough to bring down the Los Angeles Lakers. Then the New York Knicks tried to form their own all-star team by bringing in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Not to forget about the Oklahoma City Thunder who many people predicted to sneak through the playoffs and come out with the trophy. Other teams like Boston and San Antonio were thrown around as they are every year. But practically nobody (other than the 1.2 million Dallas residents) thought Dirk would lead the Mavericks all the way.

Then we were faced with the ultimate nightmare — A year without the NBA. Many players fled to Europe because of this fear. After many meetings and negotiations, or the lack thereof, we were finally given a season. A compressed 66-game season, but a season nonetheless — And for that we’re all grateful.

Once the lockout ended, teams frantically searched for trades in order to contend with these big market powerhouses. Names such as Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler were thrown around as some of the most valuable pieces on the block. Butler returned to Los Angeles, but this time he will wear red and blue as opposed to purple and gold. Chandler, an integral piece of the Dallas championship team, chose to team up with Stoudemire and Anthony in the Big Apple.

Now, with three teams (Miami, New York and Boston) having virual all-star teams, other teams decided they needed to make improvements in order to remain relevant in the league. The Lakers and Nets both expressed great interest in acquiring Dwight “Superman” Howard from the Magic. The Lakers also successfully traded for Chris Paul, that is, until commissioner, David Stern decided to “protect the smaller market teams.” He was okay, however, with sending Chris Paul to the Clippers where the Hornets would get less in return. The Clippers received Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Amini from the Clippers. In the previous trade offer with the Lakers, they would have received a great scorer in Kevin Martin, the defending sixth man of the year in Lamar Odom, one of the toughest and most tenacious players in Luis Scola and a solid backup in Gordon Dragic. But somehow, the other trade helps New Orleans more.

One of the bigger moves that went under the radar was Lamar Odom’s displacement. He was sent to Dallas in exchange for their first round pick. This is the steal of the year. The Mavericks now have the two best sixth men in the league. Depth wins championships.

Regardless of how we got where we are, the past is the past. Now the games begin.

Week 15 in the NFL sure was a crazy one. We saw some great performances that were expected but then some that were far from it. We saw some reawakened giants and some that are waking up for the first time. Here’s a recap of the excitement from week 15.

A quiet Brees

After Drew Brees’ monster game where he totaled 413 yards and five touchdowns and completed 80% of his passes, he is set up nicely to break Dan Marino’s all-time record for yards in a season next week in front of his home crowd against Atlanta. The strange thing is that no one is talking about him for MVP.  All the talk we are hearing is about Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. This will all change soon. Seeing as Brees leads Brady in yards, touchdowns and completion percentage (which Brees will also break the record for by about 4% this year), Brees should take some of that attention. More importantly, both teams have the same record. With the Packers losing their first game of the year, they will lose some attention, which means so will Rodgers. In addition he’s close to breaking that record by that other guy…what was his name? Unitas or something. I predict that after consideration, Brees will be the league’s MVP this year in addition to the Super Bowl MVP.

Calvin reestablishes dominance

He’s back! After disappearing (by his standards), for four of the last five weeks, he returned to his dominance as he pulled down nine catches for 214 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to finish off the 99-yard drive to win the game against the Raiders. With games against San Diego and Green Bay on the Horizon, expect Megatron to put up huge numbers to finish off the season as he once again shows us all why he’s the most unstoppable receiver in the game, regardless of double and triple coverage.

Shady McCoy still in the shade

Lesean McCoy does it again. Week after week he defends everything I said about him in my article The Forgotten One. When the Eagles were struggling, he was the one player who still stayed strong. When they do well, such as on Sunday against the Jets, he’s the reason they play well. He totaled 102 yards while averaging 5.6 per carry and topped that off with three scores. He’s a force. I’ll say it right now – If I’m building a franchise, and I have my pick of running backs, I’m taking him over anyone. He has over 1,500 yards from scrimmage to go along with his 20 touchdowns (17 Rush / 3 Receiving). Shady definitely has the ability to amass 2,000 yards this year. Maybe then he’ll get the recognition he deserves.

Chiefs def. Packers?

For me, this was the biggest surprise of the week. Not only had the Packers won every game to this point, but they blew out just about every team with a few exceptions (e.g., The Saints and Giants). I have said all year that they would lose a game in the regular season, but I had not anticipated that it would be to the now 5-9 Kansas City Chiefs! Possibly to the Lions or Bears. Just not to the Chiefs! So what does this loss mean? Absolutely nothing. They are still the best team in the league. Now instead of just knocking on the door, the Saints and Ravens are finding a way to pick the lock. Just as the Saints lost to the Rams, and the Ravens lost to the Jaguars and Seahawks, great teams can have uncharacteristic games without it meaning much. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Packers lose to the Lions week 17. But they will still have the #1 seed going into the playoffs.

Colts Def. Titans?

The Titans from this year are now in the category with the 2007 Baltimore Ravens. The Colts were well on their way to being considered one of the worst teams in NFL history, and in my books, they still are. The Colts are making a strong case that Peyton Manning is truly the MVP of this year.

Bush runs wild

This is the Reggie Bush we all wanted to see in the NFL. After his exceptional college career at USC, he hadn’t quite delivered like his college dominance may have suggested. But it seems he has finally found his stride. In his last eight games, Bush has averaged 92.6 yards while adding six touchdowns. He has had three straight 100 yard rushing games, including his most recent 203 yard showing against the Bills. For the Saints fans like me it hurts to see to see him doing so well now that he has left, but at the same time, one can’t help but be happy for the future star. It’s possible that Bush is throwing a breakout party and we’re all invited to what could be the beginning of a great career.

Call me stupid and say I don’t know what I’m talking about. But hear me out.

MVP = Most valuable player. There’s a common misconception that this stands for the player who puts up the best stats. But stats don’t make an MVP. While Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady will probably win the award this year, and much deservedly so, Tim Tebow makes a very strong case to be in the running.

The most valuable player is one whose respective team needs or values them the most. It’s obvious that the award should go to Peyton Manning due to their 0-win season without him, but since he’s inactive, we’ll look elsewhere. While typically, the most valuable player to a team will put up great stats, Tim Tebow and this Broncos team are anything but typical. One statistic, however, that favors Tebow, is his 11-2 touchdown/interception ratio.

Before Tebow was named the starter, Kyle Orton led the Broncos to an atrocious 1-4 record. In that time, the defense allowed 28 points a game. But that was then…this is now.

Names aside, if there were a player who made everyone around him play better, that’s what you look for in a leader. A player who can impact a team even when he’s on the opposite side of the ball. A player who is charismatic and makes you watch him because you know every time he touches the ball (when the game is on the line), that something special is going to happen. That’s an ideal leader. We’re witnessing (proper use of the word) this now with Tim Tebow.

“Tim Tebow is the best at bringing out the best in his other players,” said former NFL coach, Jimmy Johnson. “His teammates are at another level when he is on the field.”

Over the last eight games, the team’s attitude has completely changed, and because of that, so have the results and their record. In that span, Tebow has led the Broncos to an outstanding 7-1 record. Among those teams, some of the notables wins were against: the rising Dolphins, the stingy Jets, the Chargers, the Vikings who have started playing better as of late, and most recently, the Bears who are known for having one of the top defenses. In those eight games, including the loss against the Detroit Lions who put up 45 points, the new-look Broncos defense has only allowed 18 points a game — ten less than they allowed under Orton.

Some would say that this argues against Tebow’s ability, because it makes his job easier. While yes, it does, there has to be a reason why this defense is playing better. As Johnson indicated, Tebow is that reason. It’s rare that you see a player who makes everyone on the team better, especially on both sides of the ball.

Every week, there is something that happens in the game that everyone wants to say is the reason why the Broncos managed to pull off a win. Whether it’s an onside kick, a late game interception or Marion Barber going out of bounds, it keeps happening. Luck doesn’t happen over and over. At a certain point, everyone has to realize that the Broncos are actually playing well, believe it or not.

You can just feel what he does for the game. Week after week, game after game, we as fans expect to see something special out of this team. How often can you say that? It’s one thing to expect a team such as the Packers, who are just better all-around than most other teams to go out each week and blow other teams away. But when you take a team who in terms of talent has to be near the bottom of the league, and week after week they keep winning, the only way to explain it is to say that they are inspired.

Going into their games, analysts keep saying that there’s no way the Broncos will win again, but time after time, Denver proves them wrong. When Skip Bayless was asked who would win the game between the Broncos and the Vikings, he simply replied, “The Vikings should win this game.” He was obviously implying that he didn’t think the Vikings would win the game, but that on paper, there was no reason to pick against them. This week, he said “The Bears should win this game.” Once again, he believed the Broncos would win.

It sounds crazy, but there’s no way to describe it. The effects of Tim Tebow on this Denver Broncos team is like nothing we’ve seen. He’s not the best quarterback in the league. He’s not extremely accurate, doesn’t always make the best decision and he doesn’t read defenses well. But none of that matters. Those are the characteristics of a typical pocket quarterback. But once again, Tebow is about as typical as the Indianapolis Colts winning games this year.

While I’m not suggesting that Tebow will win the MVP this year, or ever in his career, there is no denying his importance to his team. If you were to take every starter off their respective team, one at a time, there would be the most noticeable difference when Tebow was not on the field. The will and desire to win is greater than any amount of skill. Desire is contagious. He inspires his team and makes everyone around him better. But most importantly, he wins games. Tim Tebow is the most valuable player.

“He is not an NFL Quarterback.”

These were the exact words that ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN First Take Friday morning in a debate with Skip Bayless about Tim Tebow’s value.