Notes to Prepare You for the 2013 NFL Playoffs

Denver Broncos 

• NFL Records Peyton Manning Broke Include...
• Touchdowns in a Single Season with 55
• Passing Yards in a Single Season with 5,477
• Tied for Touchdowns in a Game with 7 against Baltimore on 9/5
• NFL Team Records Include...
• Scoring in a Single Season with 606
• First Team to Score over 600 points in a Season
• More Peyton Manning's Stats this Year
• 68.3 completion percentage
• 342.3 passing yards per game
• 8.3 TD percentage
• 10 INTs
• 111.1 Passer Rating
• Kicker Matt Prater season...
• 25/26 on Field Goals
• 6/7 on 50+ yard Field Goals  
• 75/75 on PATs
• The Missed FG was from 52 yards out vs KC on 11/17
• Set record by hitting a 64 yard FG against Tennessee on 12/8

New England Patriots

• Season Highlighted By Comebacks
• 9/8 vs. Buffalo: Down 21-20 with 4:31 left, Won 23-21 on GW Field Goal
• 10/13 vs. New Orleans: Down 27-23 with 2:24 left, Won 30-27 on GW TD Pass with 5 seconds left
• 10/20 vs. New York Jets: Down 27-24 with 2:10 left, Game-Tying FG with 16 seconds left
• 11/24 vs. Denver: Down 24-0, Won 34-31
• 12/8 vs. Cleveland: Down 26-14 with less then 65 seconds left, won 27-26
• LeGarrette Blount had a career day against Buffalo in the last week of the season (189 yards, 7.9 per carry, 2 Rushing TDs, 145 kickoff return yards, and 72.5 yards per kickoff return)
• The Patriots have arguably the most depth at running back with Blount, Steven Ridley, Shane Vereen, and Brandon Bolden
• Only one player has over 60 catches of the Pats: Julian Edelman
• Edelman had 21 catches in 2012, 4 in 2011, and 7 in 2010
• To compare, he had 18 total tackles in 2011 and ended up playing defensive back due to injuries
• It's been a rough year for Brady, having to play with inexperienced and off-injured wide receivers and tight ends, however, I still trust him with a game on the line

Cincinnati Bengals

• Andy Dalton:
• 61.9% Completion Percentage
• 4296 Passing Yards
• 33 TDs
• 20 INT
• 88.8 QB Rating
• Dalton to AJ Green: 
• 98 completions
• 180 targets
• 1426 yards
• 14.6 average yards
• 18 20+ Yard Plays
• RB Giovani Bernard can run and catch the ball
• 170 rushing attempts
• 695 rushing yards
• 4.1 yards per carry
• 5 rushing touchdowns
• 56 receptions (second on team)
• 514 receiving yards
• 422 yards after catch
• 3 receiving touchdowns
• Vontaze Burfict is the league leader in combined tackles with 171
• Missing defense stalwart Geno Atkins (torn ACL)

Indianapolis Colts

• Three large improvements in Andrew Luck's game this year
1. Completion Percentage: 60.2% compared to 54.1% last year
2. Interceptions: 9 this year compared to 18 last year
3. Fumbles: 5 this year compared to 9 last year
• 23 of Luck's 63 rushing attempts have resulted in first downs
• Without Reggie Wayne, Luck has relied on TY Hilton
• Hilton is the only member of the team with 55+ receptions and 610+ receiving yards
• Hilton and Coby Fleener are the only with receivers with 40+ receptions
• Trent Richardson has been a let down
• 2.9 yards per attempt
• 32.7 yards per game
• 1 20+ yard carry
• Robert Mathis is having his best season of his career
• 19.5 sacks
• 8 forced fumbles
• Number one in the league for both
• Jarrell Freeman is one of the most underrated linebackers in the game
• 126 combined tackles
• 5.5 sacks
• 6 forced fumbles
• 6 passes deflected

Kansas City Chiefs 

• Jamaal Charles led the team in rushing and receiving and was second in scoring (DNP in Week 17)
• His 114 points scored this season is the most by a non-kicker
• He rushed for...
• 1,287 yards
• 5 yards per carry
• 12 touchdowns
• 72 first downs 
• His receiving stats are 
• 70 receptions
• 104 targets
• 693 receiving yards
• 630 yards after catch
• 7 touchdowns
• 32 first downs
• Outside Linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali both had 11 sacks on the season
• Fellow linebacker Derrick Johnson had 107 tackles
• For the Chiefs to be successful, they need to
• Establish the run
• Put the offense in 3rd and Long
• Win on Special Teams

San Diego Chargers

• Phillip Rivers is having a great year
• 378/544 or a 69.5 completion percentage
• 4478 passing yards
• 32 TDs
• 11 INTs
• 60 20+ yard passes
• 105.5 passer rating
• Rivers has two great targets to throw to: Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates
• Allen's stats this year:
• 71 receptions
• 105 targets
• 1046 receiving yards
• 8 TDs
• 16 20+ yard catches
• Gates' stats this year:
• 77 receptions
• 116 targets
• 872 receiving yards
• 4 TDs
• Saftey Eric Weddle is total defender
• 115 combined tackles
• 10 pass deflections
• 2 picks
• 1 forced fumble
• 2 fumble recoveries

Seattle Seahawks

• 15-1 at home over the last two seasons
• Have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs
• The Seahawk defense is the best in the league
• They are first in the NFL in...
• Yards Allowed in 4378
• Yards Allowed per Game with 273.6
• Passing Yards with 2752
• Passing Yards per Game with 172.0
• Points Allowed with 231
• Points Allowed per Game with 14.4
• Richard Sherman is the best corner in the league
• 8 picks (#1 in the NFL)
• 16 pass deflections 
• 3 picks in the fourth quarter with the game within 7 points this year
• 20 picks last three years
• 57 pass deflections last three seasons
• Free Safety Earl Thomas may also be the best at his position
• 105 combined tackles
• 8 pass deflections
• 5 interceptions
• 2 forced fumbles
• Russell Wilson has been very efficient
• 63.1 completion percentage
• 26 TDs
• 9 INTs
• 101.2 passer rating

Carolina Panthers

• Cam Newton had Career Highs In...
• Competition Percentage with 61.7%
• Touchdowns with 24
• QB Rating with 88.8
• And Career Lows In...
• Fumbles with 3
• Luke Kuechly is fourth in the league with 156 combined tackles
• He also had 4 interceptions and 11 passes deflected
• His 320 tackles in his first two seasons is more then these players in their first two years...
• Patrick Willis (315)
• Ray Lewis (293)
• DeMeco Ryans (284)
• Jon Beason (278)
• Brian Urlacher (239)
• Derrick Brooks (210)
• NaVarro Bowman (189)
• Kuechly had 24 combined tackles vs. New Orleans on 12/22
• The 24 tackles was the most in a game this season
• Kuechly is the best linebacker in the league and the anchor of the defense
• DE Greg Hardy had 15.0 sacks on the season

Philadelphia Eagles

• Nick Foles is 8-2 in games he is the starting QB
• Foles since the start of November
• 151/227 or a 66.5 completion percentage
• 2269 passing yards
• 21 TDs
• 2 INTs
• 101 first downs
• 43 passes of 20+ yards
• 7 Wins
• 1 Loss
• LeSean McCoy is the leading rusher in the league with 1607 rushing yards
• McCoy since the start of November
• 158 rushing attempts
• 874 yards
• 5.5 rushing yards per carry
• 6 TDs
• 43 first downs
• 7 Wins
• 1 Loss
• CB Brandon Boykin
• 6 picks
• 17 pass deflections
• 2 forced fumbles
• 205 kick-off return yards
• Boykin is the x-factor for the Eagles, he is not only becoming a great corner, but he can also be deadly in the return game

Green Bay Packers

• With Aaron Rodgers playing the whole game, the Pack are 6-2
• Without the 2011 MVP, the Packers are 2-5-1
• In Rodgers' return from injury: 
• 25/39
• 318 yards
• 2 TDs
• 2 INTs
• 85.2 QB Rating 
• Not great, but not awful
• Eddie Lacy is the first 1,000 yard rusher for the Packers since Ryan Grant in 2009
• Lacy has...
• 1178 rushing yards
• 11 TDs
• 61 first downs
• All-Pro Clay Matthews is out for the playoffs
• However, they still have constamint pro, ILB AJ Hawk 
• 118 combined tackles
• 1 forced fumble
• Green Bay's defense gives up the most points of any team in the league with an average of 26.8 points allowed per game

San Fransisco 49ers

• The Best Linebacking Core In Football
• NaVarro Bowman
• 145 combined tackles
• 120 total tackles
• 5 sacks
• 4 forced fumbles
• 9 pass deflections
• 2 picks
• 2014 Pro Bowler
• Patrick Willis (In 14 games)
• 104 total tackles
• 3 sacks
• 7 tackles for loss
• 2 forced fumbles
• 2014 Pro Bowler
• Ahmad Brooks
• 8.5 sacks
• 6 tackles for loss
• 60 combined tackles
• 2014 Pro Bowler
• Aldon Smith (In 11 games)
• 8.5 sacks
• 34 tackles

New Orleans Saints

• Cameron Jordan and Junior Galette are becoming one of the best 1-2 punches when rushing the quarterback
• Jordan this season:
• 12.5 sacks
• 47 combined tackles
• 2 forced fumbles
• 2014 Pro Bowler
• Galette this season:
• 12.0 sacks
• 40 combined tackles
• 6 tackles for loss
• The Saints can't run the ball (CHECK ALL)
• 1473 rushing yards (25th in the NFL)
• 391 rushing attempts (26th)
• 3.8 yards per attempt (26th)
• 92.1 rushing yards per game (25th)
• They can, however, pass the ball
• Drew Brees' stats:
• 5162 passing yards (2nd)
• 68.6 completion percentage (2nd)
• 39 TDs (2nd)
• 104.7 passer rating (6th)
• 70.5 QBR (4th)

The NBA Draft Wheel

The Draft Lottery has been around since 1985 and has always been filled with controversy. The newest controversy involves teams tanking to get a better chance at the number one pick. Many teams have been accused of doing, especially this year. Well, a proposal submitted by an NBA team official believes he has a way to stop tanking. According to Zach Lowe of Grantland, this proposal involves killing the lottery and using a wheel to determine the draft spot of each team, for the next 30 years.

Here is how the wheel would work: Each team would be given a pick every year for thirty years. They would not be able to pick in the same spot twice for thirty years. They follow a sequence, shown in the wheel below. So if a team drafts 1st in year one, they would draft 30th, 19th, 18th, and then 7th in the next four drafts. If they draft 28th, in the next four drafts they would draft 21st, 16th, 9th, and then 4th. Every five seasons, each team would have a top six pick and every four years, each team would have a top twelve pick. If this system is used, there is no upside, being being bad and tanking.

The Wheel
http://i5.minus.com/iQ6x8xPmn1LGu.png

The proposal has it's fans and adversaries. It has gained some traction among officials and may be discussed by the NBA owners in 2014. However, not all officials like the idea.
I believe the idea is interesting, but is way too flawed to ever be used in any capacity.

First, how does this give teams that are awful a chance to rebuild. Many of the best teams in sports build through the draft. This system makes it very difficult to do so. After getting a top five pick, most of the time it is followed up by three non-lottery picks. It is very unusual for one player to change the franchise from a loser to perennial title contender. For example, the Thunder (then the Supersonics) drafted Kevin Durant second in 2007. However, they didn't make the playoffs until they drafted Russell Westbrook fourth in 2008 and James Harden third in 2009. That would have been impossible for the Thunder to do with the wheel in place. 

Secondly, this gives college players too much power. If the best player in college is a freshman and he does not want to go to the team picking first, he can wait until next year or two years so he gets to go where he wants to. That not only is unfair to the "undesired" team who will get cheated out of getting an opportunity to pick the best player possible, it also gives the college players to much power and leverage in their decisions.

Thirdly, this is too predetermined in an dramatic, entertainment minded sports world. One of the best things about sports is that anything can happen. There are so many of examples of the greatness of unpredictability in sports. With this system, the suspense of the draft lottery and the seasons of bad teams will go away. Nothing in sports is predetermined and that  is a good thing. If the draft becomes predetermined, it will become less interesting.

Lets hope the Ping Pong balls do not go away
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Those are just three of the big reasons why the draft wheel should not be put in place. The wheel is a truly unique and interesting, but it is not a good idea. Bad teams need a chance to get better. For many teams, it's not through free agency or trades, but they get better through the draft. This new system will make it impossible for many bad teams to get good real quick. That would create an even bigger gap between good and bad. I don't think that the NBA will approve getting rid of the lottery system and replacing it with  the wheel. There would be too much controversy and questions surrounding it. The wheel is and would not be good for the league.

Book Review: Kiss 'Em Goodbye by Dennis Purdy

Kiss 'Em Goodbye: An ESPN Treasury of Failed, Forgotten, and Departed Teams by Dennis Purdy is a fascinating read.  As the title suggests, this book is about sports teams that were unsuccessful and either disbanded or moved away.  86 teams are talked about.

Book Cover
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Each chapter, which is only a couple pages, is about a team. The teams range from well-known and successful teams, such as the New York Giants and the New York Rens, to teams that played only one season, like the St. Louis Gunners and the Elizabeth Resolutes. The book not only features teams from the major four sports leagues, it also features teams from defunct leagues like the Union Association and the National Basketball League, and more obscure sports, such as roller derby.

What makes this book great is that the stories are interesting and many of the little-known teams have not gotten their due. Take for example, the Keokuk Westerns. The team from Iowa played in the National Association for one year in 1875. Their story is fascinating, as the reason for the team existing was that it in a ideal location on a railroad line between Chicago and St. Louis, and would not be found also anywhere. The Westerns are one of the many little-known teams that are featured throughout the book.

The Duluth Eskimos, the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Ironman are other notable team histories which had more to the story then expected. There was not one story that bored me or made me want to stop reading. I was engaged the whole time while reading this book.

This book is a must have for every sports history fan. It will not bore you with long, drawn-out histories of every team. It hits the highlights of each team and explains their demise. It also will surprise you, each team has a different story, different set of characters, different details, yet they all ended up disbanding or moving away. This is no doubt one of the best books I have read this year.

2013 Rugby League World Cup: The Dominance of Australia

Official Logo
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The 2013 Rugby World Cup, the fourteenth overall, was held from October 26th and ended today, November 30th. The Rugby League World Cup has been played very sporadically over it's history. It last held in 2008, and before that in 2000. This year, it was held in England and Wales, but games were also played in France and Ireland. Fourteen teams were in the tournament. They were Australia, Cook Islands, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, United States, and Wales. 

Coming into the tournament, Australia was the favorite. Not only have they won nine tournaments before, they were also number one in the RLIF rankings. It was going to be very tough to beat the Kangeroos. Heading into the tournament, Tim Sheens had  lost only one game as Head Coach 

Two other title contenders were New Zealand and France, ranked second and fourth respectively. Both teams have been to every World Cup and New Zealand won the last one in 2008. The Kiwis have not finished better than third since 1975. The Les Chanticleers have struggled in the last couple years, including finishing in last in the 2008 World Cup.

In the group stages, Australia and New Zealand showed off their muscles. In Group A, Australia went 3-0, beating England 28-20, Fiji 34-2, and Ireland 50-0. Other then their loss to the Kangaroos, England had an easy time. The Wall of White beat Fiji 34-12 and Ireland 40-0. New Zealand had no competitor in Group B. The Kiwis had plus/minus of +112. Their big wins included destroying France 48-0 and Papua New Guinea 56-10. In Group C, Scotland edged Tonga as the Groups only representative in knockout round. Both teams had a 2-1 record, but Scotland beat Tonga 26-24 to make the next round. In the last group, the USA, in their first World Cup, won the group and the spot in the next round,by beating group-mates, Wales and the Cook Islands.

The knockout round featured the top three teams from Group A and B, and the top team from Group C and D. None of the games were close. Australia annihilated the United States 62-0. Brett Morris and Jarryd Hayne both had four tries. New Zealand routed Scotland, 40-4, England defeated France 34-6, and Samoa lost to Fiji 22-4.

Jarryd Hayne
http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2013/05/
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In the semi-finals, Australia had another easy win. They demolished Fiji 64-0. The second semi-final, between England and New Zealand, was a thrilling game. With about fifteen minutes left in the game, England took a 18-14 lead. The game was just about to end, but a penalty was called on England. New Zealand capitalized and Shaun Johnson scored a try to tie the game at 18. Then, he kicked the conversion to give the Kiwis the win and a spot in the finals. 

The finals were destined to be competitive. Not only was it a rematch of the 2008 World Cup final, it is between two rivals. Over 74,000 people showed up to Old Trafford to watch the final. Many of the fans were disappointed as the game was a blowout. Australia won the game 34-2 to claim their tenth Rugby League World Cup title. The Man of the Match was Johnathan Thurston, who kicked seven goals for Australia. The tournament was all about the dominance of Australia. They showed that they are the best country in the world at rugby league.