2012 Ryder Cup Review: The Miracle at Medinah

The 2012 Ryder Cup Flag on the 18th Hole
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The 39th Ryder Cup just wrapped up at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The US team had 25 Ryder Cup victories going in. However, ever since all of Europe has been included in the Cup, the US has only seven wins and one tie, compared to eight wins for Europe. Europe has won four of the last five tournaments, including winning by nine points in 2004 and 2006.

The Medinah County Club has been around since 1924 and has hosted three US Opens (1949,  1975, and 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999 and 2006). This is the Club's first Ryder Cup. The tournament will be held on Medinah's Course 3. The course's 15th hole was changed in 2010. The tee was moved 100 yards closer to the pin and a lake was also added. At the same time, eleven of the eighteen greens were improved.

Team Europe is led by Capitan Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain. He has a career Ryder Cup record of 18-8-5. His team's twelve members are; Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium), Luke Donald (England), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Peter Hanson (Sweeden), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Francesco Molinari (Italy), Ian Poulter (England), Justin Rose (England) and Lee Westwood (England).

The US Team's Captain is Davis Love III. Love III played in six Ryder Cup's and was an assistant captain in 2010. His select twelve are Keegan Bradley, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson, Steve Stricker, Bubba Watson, and Tiger Woods.

Day One of the Cup had four Foursome matches in the morning and then four Four-Ball matches. Foursomes feature two players per team, with each team getting one ball per team. Partners alternate tee off shots and regular shots. Four-Ball also has four competitors, two from each team, but every player has their own ball. Whichever player gets the low score wins the hole for their team.

Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley
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In the first Foursome match, the Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker of the US faced Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy of Europe. The two Northern Irishmen toped the American's 1UP. Eurrope won six holes, while the US had five, and seven even. In the next match-up Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia of Europe went up against the US's Keegen Bradley and Phil Mickelson. Through eleven holes, the match was tied. Then, Bradley and Mickelson got four straight holes to win the game 4&3. Match number three featured Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson for the US and Francesco Molinari and Lee Westwood representing Europe. The Americans won the match 3&2. The last Foursome pitted Europe's Ian Poulter and Justin Rose vs. the US's Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods. The US couldn't gain a lead in the match, as they could tied the score for two holes. Europe won 2&1.

The Four-Ball matches were next on the card. The first match of the Four-Ball's were between Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson of the US and Peter Hanson and Paul Lawrie of Europe. The US dominated the game, going 1UP after the first hole and never giving Europe any advantage as the Americans won the game 5&4. The next game had Europe's McDowell and  McIlroy against the US' Bradley and  Mickelson. Like the previous match, Europe never had a lead or was even tied with the US. The US won 2&1. Then, Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar of the US faced off against Matt Kaymer and Rose of Europe. The US was ahead for most of the match and didn't choke under pressure, winning 3&2. In the final match of Day One, Nicolas Colsaerts and Westwood represented Europe while Stricker and Tiger did the same for the Americans. The US took an early lead, but Europe tied the match,took the lead and never let  up. Europe won 1UP.

Ian Poulter
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Day Two had the same schedule as Day One, four Foursomes in the morning and four Four-Ball in the afternoon. Going into the day, the US was leading 5-3. The first match of the day had Rose and Poulter face Simpson and Watson. Rose and Poulter held off the Americans to win the match 1UP. The next match featured Donald and Westwood vs. Bradley and Mickelson. This match wasn't even close as the Americans embarrassed the Europeans with a 7&6 victory. Dufner and Zach Johnson faced Colsaerts and Garcia in the next match. The Americans were up for the most of the match and didn't let it slip away as the they beat the Europeans 2&1. The last foursome match was between the team of Furyk and Snedeker and the grouping of McDowell and McIlroy. The Americans were up for all 18 holes, but never pulled away. However, a win is a win, as the US wins 1UP.

The first of the four Four-Ball matches of Day Two featured Dustin Johnson and Kuchar up against Colsaerts and Lawrie. The Americans had the lead for most of the match and won 1UP. Up next was Simpson and Watson vs. Molinari and Rose. The Americans won the match easily, 5&4. Stricker and Woods faced Donald and Garcia in another match. The Europeans were up for all of the match. However, the Americans came close, cutting the defect by three stokes, but it was not enough. Europe won 1UP. The last match up of Day Two and of all doubles play had McIlroy and Poulter vs. Dufner and Zach Johnson. The Americans were up for most of the match, but Poulter won hole 15 to tie it and then the 16th to take the lead. The Europeans didn't let the lead up as they won 1UP.

Day Three, the final day of the tournament, had all twelve golfers on each team going mano-a-mano with a member of the other team. The US were up 10-6 at the start of the day. The first match had Watson pitted against Donald. Donald had control for most of the match, but Watson won back-top-back holes to bring it within two, but Donald held him off to win 2&1. The next match had Simpson and Poulter going head-to-head. The match was all square through 16 holes. Poulter won the 17th hole to take the 1Up lead. On the 18th hole, he got insure by winning that hole and the match, 2UP. Next up was the match-up of McIlroy vs. Bradley. McIlroy was in control of most of the match and ended up with the the 2&1 victory. Mickelson and Rose battled their mastch all the way to the end. After 16 holes, Mickelson had the slight lead over Rose. Rose equalized on the 17th hole. He won the game on the 18th hole, taking only three shots to get it in the hole compared to four for Mickelson.

Then, Lawrie faced Snedeker. Lawrie was in control for most of the match and won the match 5&3. Dustin Johnson went up against Colsaerts in another match. Johnson was up 1UP or tied for most of the match. Johnson then won three straight holes to put Colsaerts away with a 3&2 win. In another match, Zach Johnson went up against Graeme McDowell. Johnson was ahead for every hole the two played. The American won 2&1. Furyk and Garcia's match went down to the wire. Furyk was up 1UP after the 16th hole. Garcia won the 17th hole and then the 18th to win this match. Dufner and Hanson then went up against each other. Dufner lead for sixteen out of the eighteen holes and won the matchup 1UP. Next came the match-up between Westwood and Kuchar. Westwood won three of the last five holes the two played to win 3&2. 

Matin Kaymer
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With ten of the twelve matches finished, Team Europe came back to tie the whole Cup at 13. Stricker and Kaymer were all square through 16 holes. Kaymer then won the 17th hole to put himself up 1UP. Then on the 18th hole, both players were on the green, with Woods and Molinari waiting to see the results. If Kaymer won or tied the hole, he'd win the match and the Cup would go to the Europeans. If Stricker won the hole, the Cup would be tied at 13½ and it would come down to Woods and Molinari. Stricker made it in four shots. After Stricker finished up, Kaymer was on his fourth shot, too. His shot was a short putt. He made it in to keep the Cup in Europe. Woods and Molinari halved to make the score 14½-Europe, 13½-US. Europe completed an unbelievable comeback.

2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers 1 and 2

World Baseball Classic Qualifier
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The World Baseball Classic is back for it's 3rd  tournament in 2013. This time around, some teams will  have to fight their way into the tournament through a qualifying round. For the last two WBC's, 16 teams played in the tournament. The 4 teams that didn't win a game in the 2009 WBC will now to go through qualifying round. These teams are Canada, Chinese Taipei, Panama, and South Africa. Each team will play in one of the four qualifiers. The first two qualifiers were held in Jupiter, Florida from September 19-23 and Regensberg, Germany from the 20th-24th. 

The format for the qualifiers is a double-elimination. There are six games per qualifier. The winners of the first two game will face off in the next round as the losers face off in an elimination game. The winner of the elimination game faces the loser of the round one winner's game. The winner of the winner's game is automatically in the finals. The winner of the other elimination game plays in the finals. 

The first qualifier in Jupiter, Florida at Roger Dean Stadium had France, Israel, Spain, and South Africa. South Africa never won a game at the 2006 and 2009 WBC's. The IBAF World Rankings for all teams are Spain at 18th, 35th is South Africa, France placed at 37th, and Israel at 54th.

In the first round, Israel played South Africa. Israel won the game 7-3. After scoring one run in the top of the first off a Nate Freiman solo shot, no one scored until the seventh inning. Israel scored one run in the seventh, three in the eighth, and two in the ninth. South Africa staged a come back in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs, but it wasn't enough. Freiman hit another homer in the ninth. In the other first round match-up, Spain shutout France 8-0. Spain, led by 2B Paco Figueroa who went 3 for 4 with two ribbies and 2 runs scored, put 2 runs across in the 1st, 3 more in the 2nd, and an additional 2 in the third. That sealed the deal for the Spaniards. Spain's starting pitcher, Nick Schumacher, went 6.1 innings giving up only four hits and had four strikeouts.

Nate Freiman
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Israel and Spain then faced off for an automatic spot in finals. It was scoreless through five innings. Freiman hit his third round-tripper of the tournament in the top of the sixth to put Israel up 2-0. In the bottom of the inning, Spain decreased the deficit to one. Two innings later, Freiman hit a two-run homer to make the score 4-1. Spain made up a run in the bottom of the ninth, but could only muster across one run. Israel clinched a spot in the finals, while Spain had to play in  another game to try to get to the finals. In an elimination game, South Africa defeated France, 5-2. France scored their two runs in the first inning and couldn't score for the rest of the game. South Africa got two runs across in the fifth. Nine innings wasn't enough for this match-up. South Africa got three runs in the 11th to win the game. France was eliminated. South Africa finalized a game vs. Spain for a spot in the finals.

The elimination game between Spain and South Africa was a blowout. After a scoreless first, Spain had back-to-back four run innings. That put the game out of reach. Spain added five more runs to pad the lead. All South Africa could get was three runs. Spain's domination put them in the finals, while South Africa's run is over. 

Yunesky Sanchez
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The finals was an intense match-up that would end up going into extras. Israel got started early, having two runners cross home in the first inning. Both teams scored one run in the third inning, and then three in the fourth. Spain got one more in the fifth to bring the deficit to one. Spain equalized in the seventh on a groundout. Spain took the lead in the eighth. Israel tied it up in the bottom of the inning. At the end of the nine, the score was tied at 7. In the tenth, Yunesky Sanchez brought in two runners on his fourth hit of the day. Israel could not get the two runs needed to continue the game. Spain got the 9-7 victory and will be playing the World Baseball Classic.

Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, and Great Britain participated in the second qualifier in Regensberg, Germany at Armin-Wolf Baseball Arena. Canada was 2-1 at the 2006 tournament and missed making the second round by a tiebreaker. At the 09' WBC, Canada lost to the US and Italy to put them in this situation. In the IBAF World Rankings, Canada placed at 5th on the rankings, hosts Germany are ranked 17th, Great Britain is in the 24th spot, and the 25th spot is filled by the Czech Republic.

The first game of the qualifier in Germany, between Canada and Great Britain, was close to start, but by the end it wasn't even close. The game was tight for six innings. At the end of six, the score was 3-1. At the bottom of the seventh, Canada went off and scored eight runs. That put into effect the ten run mercy rule and Canada got the win. The ten run mercy rule can be used in the seventh inning or later, while the fifteen run mercy rule can come into effect after the fifth inning. In the other game of the first round, Germany embarrassed the Czech Republic. Germany scored three runs in the first. The Czech Republic scored one in the fifth to cut the deficit to two. Then, Germany went on a roll, scoring eight runs in the fifth and then five runs in the sixth before the fifteen run mercy rule came into effect. 

Jimmy Van Ostrand
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The winner's game between Canada and Germany was also a high-scoring affair. Canada scored three runs in the first, but Germany countered quickly with three of their own in the second. Both got one across in the third, and then went scoreless for the next three innings. Canada broke the game wide open with five in the seventh. Germany could only counter with two. Canada added on with two in the eighth and five in the ninth. Canada's Jimm Van Ostrand hit two homers in the game. Van Ostrand was the best player of the first two qualifiers. He was tied for first with the most home runs (4) and hits (7). He also was number one RBI's (10), runs (9) total bases (20), Slugging Percentage (1.538), and OPS (2.138). The elimination game between Great Britain and the Czech Republic wasn't that close. Great Britain scored three in the first and three more in the third. The Czech Republic got two runs in their half of the third. Czech Republic go one more in the fourth. After a few innings of scoreless ball, Great Britain scored three more in the seventh and two in the eighth. The Czech Republic scored a few more runs, but not enough to make it close as Great Britain eliminated the Czech Republic, 12-5.

In the elimination game to see who will face Canada in the finals, Germany destroyed Great Britain. Germany scored three runs in the first and two in the second. After two innings of failing to have runners cross the plate, Germany scored four in the fifth, one in the sixth, and six in the seventh. The only runs Great Britain could score was one run in the seventh. Germany made it to the finals, while Great Britain was sent packing. 

The finals between Canada and Germany, like many games in the tournament, didn't end after nine innings due to a mercy rule. Canada started off hot, getting four runs in the first and three in the second. One more run came in the fourth for Canada. Germany got one back in the fifth. After staying 8-1 for a few innings, Canada scored 3 runs in the eighth to end the game early due to the ten run mercy rule. The win means that Canada will be back at the World Baseball Classic for the third straight year.

NHL Lockout

NHL Lockout
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For the 2nd time in 8 years there is an NHL Lockout. It is also the 4th time in 20 years there is a labor dispute. The last lockout lasted an entire season. That doesn't give many people much hope that this lockout will be any different. The 1992 strike lasted 10 days during the middle of the season. The 1994-95 lockout lasted a little more than 3 months and cut the season from 84 games to 48. History isn't in the NHL's favor. The NHL is not the only league that has had labor issues in recent years. The NFL had a lockout last year but didn't miss any regular season games.  The NBA had a shortened 2011 - 12 season due to a lockout. Let's not forget the NFL Referees that are currently in a lockout. Recently the MLB, however, has not trouble getting a deal done.

The big issue looks like the revenue split. The players got 57% of the Hockey Related Revenue in the last agreement. The league's 1st offer had that percentage decreased by 14% to 43%. They have since moved that offer up to 49% in year one, then 47% for each of the final four years. 

If the NHL Lockout ends up going into the regular season, like the NBA Lockout, the best time resume the season would be on New Year's with the Winter Classic. It would be great timing, like the NBA coming back on Christmas last year. It is one of the league's main days and would  pump up the fans. Since it will be played in Michigan with two Original Six teams will face off.  Toronto will face Detroit. That will make it even better because both teams have loyal fan bases that will be excited for the game. With that said,the owners and the players should resolve the differences quick and try to start play as soon as possible.

Evgeni Malkin with Metallurg
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Players are already making plans to play overseas. The 2011-12 Hart Trophy (MVP) Winner Evgeni Malkin has already agreed to play with his former team in Russia, the Metallurg Magnitogorsk.  They play in the Kontiental Hockey League (KHL). Joining him on team are former Penguins' teammate defenseman Sergei Gonchar and forward Nikolai Kulemin. Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk is joining AK Bars Kazan, also of the KHL. Ilya Kovalchuk will sign with the KHL's SKA (Saint Peterburg) soon. KHL's HC Dombass of Ukraine signed forwards Ruslan Fedotenko and Alexei Ponikarovski. The KHL is a top hockey league in Europe, with most of it's team's in Russia, but the countries of Belarus, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Slovakia, and Ukraine have 1 team in the league.  During the lockout, each team in the KHL is allowed to have a maximum of 3 players that are currently signed with NHL teams. Jaromir Jagr will play for the team he owns in Czech Extraliga, HC Klado. Forward Tomas Plekanec will join Jagr in Czech Republic. This is just the start of what is expected to be many players from the NHL moving to play this year in Europe.

If I am the NHL, I would be the most worried about losing fans and their support. The 2012 - 13 season is planned to start October 11th. This probably won't happen based on how little the sides are talking. The NHL had a great postseason last year, that definitely got the league more fans. Those new fans aren't going to wait around for the lockout to end. They may go back to watching what they did before coming to hockey. Then, there are the die-hard fans and they don't deserve this. They stayed loyal to the NHL through the 2004-05 lockout. These fans are being shoved out of the way because of money issues. If there are no fans, there will be no money.

NFL Preview 2012

AFC EAST

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, best TE
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This division is the New England Patriots to lose. The Pats have a great receiving core, even though it is a little thin. They have Tom Brady running the offense. Most importantly, they have an improved defense. In the draft, they picked up DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont'a Hightower. The Buffalo Bills might turn out to be this year's Detroit Lions.  The team that may people prediction to have a breakout season, and they do. They have a superb D-Line that will lead the team to a good season. The J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets are an interesting team. Their season will be based on QB play. They have a very good defense led by shutdown CB Darrelle Revis and the LB's David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bart Scott. I really liked the pick-up of hard-hitting safety LaRon Landry to help the safety core, which just loss it's playmaker in Jim Leonard. Back to the QB's, if either Tebow or Sanchez can win games, this is a team to look out for. Then, there is the Miami Dolphins. They have little chance of winning the division, let alone making the playoffs.

AFC NORTH

This is going to be a very tough division. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers all have a chance to win the division. The Ravens are looking again like an AFC power. The defense is still top flight, even though Terrell Suggs may be lost for part or all of the season. More importantly, they have a chip on their shoulder. After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, they want to go back even more. Pittsburgh, like Baltimore, has a top flight defense, but does have a few losses form last year. The key to the team's success will be based on how the offense performs with their new system. Cincinnati made the playoffs for the 1st time last year after a 4-12 record in 2010. To make it again, Andy Dalton will need to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. He has WR AJ Green who will look to help him by putting up another 1,000 yard season. The Browns are in another rebuilding year. Trent Richardson is going to get most of the play calls because he is the best playmaker and most explosive on offense. Their defense can't make up for the lackluster offense.

AFC SOUTH

Matt Schaub
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The Houston Texans won the AFC South for he 1st time ever last year. This year they are looking to repeat as champs of the AFC South. They did lose DE/LB Mario Williams and LB DeMeco Ryans to free agency. Their defense is still very good. They have a good corner in Jonathan Joseph leading the secondary and LB Brain Cushing leading the front 7. The Texans have a healthy Matt Schaub at QB to run a balanced offense that can beat opponents with the passing game or with rushing the ball with Arian Foster. They look like they are headed for another great season. Many people forget that the Tennessee Titans were tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 6th seed, but didn't get in due to head-to-head record. This season, Jake Locker will be the starting QB instead of Matt Hasselbeck. Locker will have a good season, but he will turn the ball over too much. Chris Johnson will be a force running the ball. Like last year, Tennessee will be good, but not good enough. The Indianapolis Colts got the number 1 pick in the 2012 Draft and picked Andrew Luck. Luck is looking to make sure the fans don't lose hope in the post Peyton Manning era. I think he is going to have a great year. His biggest help will come from his 2 rookie TE's;  Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Luck and Fleener both went to Stanford. All 3 are going to through the same rookie process, which may bond them closer. The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking at a terrible year. They have a very inexperienced and inconsistent QB in Blaine Gabbert, a decent defense, and a unhappy Maurice Jones-Drew. The only bright spot might be wideout Justin Blackman, if Gabbert can get the ball to him.

AFC WEST

The Denver Broncos have Peyton Manning as their new QB, which means passing is going to become a much bigger part of the offense. WR's Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are going to have great seasons, becoming Peyton's top targets. The defense has one of the best D-Lineman in the game, DE Elvis Dumervil. LB Von Miller is destined to have another great year On D, they still have shutdown corner Champ Bailey, who may be getting up their in age, but still is a top corner. The Kansas City Chiefs are much healthier then last season, where 3 of their top players, HB Jamaal Charles, S Eric Berry, and TE Tony Moeaki, all who had their ACL's torn by Week 2. Charles is going to have a good bounce back year, gaining at least 1,100 yards . Berry is going to led the secondary that already has top CB Brandon Flowers. They have also have a good linebacker core. San Diego has missed the playoffs the last 2 years after being the favorite to make the playoffs. Their early season struggles have hurt them in both years. This year, the division isn't theirs to lose. That might put the pressure off the Bolts. Phillip Rivers will have a good year and so will Ryan Matthews. But, they will not make the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders are going to have a full season with Carson Palmer, who knows the offense system. 

NFC EAST

The New York Giants barely won the NFC East, but that didn't effect their playoff run that ended up in a victory in Super Bowl XLVI. They have Eli Manning along with his 2 top receivers back from last year, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Ahmad Bradshaw is going to be the featured HB with Brandon Jacobs leaving during the off season. The defensive line is still great anchored by  Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. They will do well this season. The Philadelphia Eagles were called the Dream Team going into last year's season. That dream resulted in an 8-8 season and missing the playoffs. The Eagles are looking to go back to the playoffs, not just for their sake, but for Andy Reid's job. They have a top RB in LeSean McCoy, who can be a dominating runner or a force in the passing game. Philly's defense improved dramatically with the upgrade at LB. It is going to be tough to pass against them with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on one side and a top 3 CB Nnandi Asomugha on the other. Every year, is called the year the Cowboys.  They will go back to the playoffs and this year Romo will have a MVP season. What makes this year different? The offense is pretty much the same, other then the fact they have new additions on the O-Line. I did like improving up the CB position by picking up Brandon Carr in free agency and Morris Claiborne in the draft. I also like Rob Ryan as Defensive Coordinator. For them to make the playoffs, they need to complete every game. The Washington Redskins are excited to see their new QB, 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III in action. That's probably the one exciting aspect of the Redskins this year. There offense is not going to score points if RGIII is taken out of the line-up. The defense is decent, but they can't win ball games.

NFC NORTH

Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings
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The Green Bay Packers went 15-1 last year, but lost their 1st game in the playoffs. The Pack are out to win their 2nd Super Bowl Title in 3 seasons. They have reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and a great receiving core led by Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. The defense is looking much better after being awful last year. They have moved Charles Woodson to Strong Safety. The corner position were not   depleted by the move. Clay Matthews will lead the front 7  to put more pressure on the QB. The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year with Matthew Stafford played every game in an NFL season. Stafford has one of the best WR's in the game in Calvin Johnson who can catch pretty much anything throw near him. The defense can be great, as long as they keep their cool. The Chicago Bears were rolling, with a 7-3 record last year going into week 12. Then, they went 1-6 the rest of the way, missing out on the playoffs. This happened because Jay Cutler and Matt Forte went down with injuries. The Bears have a very good chance of making the playoffs. Their defense is getting up their in age, but is still very good. The offense can be great. The key will be if they can stay healthy. The Minnesota Vikings are looking to make improvements in Year 2 of rebuilding. Christian Ponder should make strides with his passing ability and decision making. He will have Adrian Peterson who will have another great year when he comes back from last year's ACL injury. 

NFC SOUTH

The NFC South might be the most interesting division in football. With the New Orleans Saints losing head coach Sean Payton for the whole year, how will it effect their play? How will the Carolina Panthers perform in Cam Newton's 2nd year in the NFL. Will the Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons make a move in the playoffs? How will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do with new HC Greg Schiano? Atlanta made the playoffs for the 3rd time in Matt Ryan's 4th season. Each of the past 2 years they lost in the 1st playoff game they have played in. This might be their time to make a run in the playoffs. They are the top team in the division and can use it to their advantage. They have a team that can make it deep. They just need to perform. The Saints were embedded with controversy in the off-season. There was the bounty scandal, the eavesdropping scandal and Drew Brees' contract. Many are wondering if the season long suspensions of HC Sean Payton and LB Jonathan Vilma will effect the team's performance. I believe it depletes their win total by 1-3 games. Carolina is in the 2nd season of the Cam Newton era. The offense has 3 good backs, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert. The defense is very good, led by LB's Jon Beason and rookie Luke Kuechly. Both are tackle machines. They will have a good season an will be very close to the next step. The Buccaneers will do better then their 2011 season. They have a much better team. Mark Barron was a great pick-up in the draft. By drafting Doug Martin, him and LaGarrent Blount have one of the most powerful (in the way they run) RB duos in the league. I believe Josh Freeman can be a very good QB, he just needs to cut down on his INTs and be a better passer. 

NFC WEST

Patrick Willis
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The NFC West was won by the San Francisco 49ers last year. They had 5 more wins then the  2nd place team, the Arizona Cardinals. This year looks to be the same. The 49ers look like they have little competition in the division. Alex Smith is coming off a career with a good receiving core. Frank Gore is still a very productive back. The defense is stout, probably the best in the league. Their starting 4 linebackers, Ahmad Brooks, Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, and Patrick Willis, are outstanding. They are going to win the division. The Seahawks signed Matt Flynn in the offseason to be the starting QB. However, he was out played by Seattle's 2012 3rd round pick Russell Wilson and Wilson got the job. Wilson will be a dynamic  QB. He will need to be efficient for his team to win. The Seahawks have a very good defense that will keep the scoring low. Arizona has issues, especially at QB. Kevin Kolb or John Skelton will not bring a team to the playoffs. They are too inconsistent. The Cardinals have a good defense, led by 2nd year CB Patrick Peterson. The defense will play well, but the offense will not. The St. Louis Rams were 1 game away from a trip to the playoffs in 2010 in Sam Bradford's 1st season. Last year, they won 2 games. They have a new coach this year in Jeff Fisher. Fisher will improve the team, but the Rams are still a year or two away achieving prominence in the NFC West.