The Godfather of Sports

Time to hand out some fictional mid-season hardware. We will me taking a look at Off MVP, Def MVP, Off Rookie of the Year, Def Rookie of the year... and you know because it's me the un-MVPs so far this season (in the next blog.) Offensive MVP : Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons (8-0) - The stats aren't ground shattering but they are solid: 206/299 (68.9% comp), 2360yds, 17TD, 6INT. And even more important they haven't lost this year and are the lone undefeated team. BUT, lets take a look at the records of their opponents this year 29-41. Really, the hardest team they faced all season was a Denver team that wasn't running on all 4 cylinders just yet. Which brings me to my runner up... Peyton Manning. His stats: 203/292 (69.4% comp), 2404yds, 20TD, 6INT BUT a 5-3 record. So, more yards, more TDs, better comp % and may funnier in commercials, need I say more? The only reason he isn't my true #1 is because they started out rough and have a few losses.  Defensive MVP: ...

Going into Week 10 the league is starting to really shape out (at both the top and the bottom.) Teams like the Falcons and Bears look nearly unstoppable while teams like the Jaguars and Browns look like they can be stopped by #1 Alabama... not my words but Steve Spurrier's words. This week I left KC's comment section blank in hopes that you the reader could tweet or FB comment your own thoughts on that train wreck of a franchise. 1. Falcons (8-0) : Nice to see Micheal Turner show up. He helped carry the Falcons' to their 8th win with 102yds and a TD. 2. Bears (7-1) : Dominant in every part of the game, even Urlacher is back in the mix taking a INT to the house in their win. 3. Texans (7-1) : We will see who is the real deal this week when they face the Bears in what should be an amazing SNF game.  4. 49ers (6-2) : They face another sub-par NFC West team this week and should be in cruise control to win this division this year. 5. Ravens (6-2) : Scary close game ag...

Falcons are still undefeated... I did not see that coming but they are winning with great D and possession O. And on the flip side of that, the Jags, Panthers and Chiefs have 3 wins between the three of them. So, it would take the addition of the Saints AND Browns wins just to equal the amount of Falcons wins with 7. As an added bonus we got to see Peyton Manning play like the elite QB that he is and we got to see Tony Romo do his best Ray Charles impression as he blindly threw the ball into the Giants' secondary multiple times... now here are your Week 9 NFL Power Rankings. 1. Falcons (7-0) : Matt Ryan tossed 3TD in their huge win over the Eagles. He is looking like a very solid MVP pick. 2. 49ers (6-2) : Good, no, great defense and a good grip on their division. Could you ask for more? Ok, Alex Smith went 18-of-19! 3. Bears (6-1) : Had they lost to the Panthers they would not even be in my top 10 despite their record. But, they won... barely. 4. Giants (6-2) : Dallas gave...

Not too much of a shake up in the league's top teams. Though I must say the AFC is a bit of a punchline this year. And the once favored Ravens are starting to look a bit.. old and depleted on their once vaunted defense. But, during Monday Night Football it was nice to see the Denver Broncos' Jay Cutler on the field instead of his normal Craig Krenzel impression. And on the downside all your favorite bottom 5 teams are right where you left them last week. 1. Falcons (6-0) : They did not play but they still have that all important 0 in their loss column.  2. Bears (5-1) :Nice to see Jay Cutler play up to his Madden ranking finally! 3. Texans (6-1) : They put a hurting on the Ravens on both sides od the ball. Truly the best AFC team by far. 4. Giants (5-2) : Eli has been playing great with his Chunky Campbell Soup connection; Cruz hauled in 131yds/1TD last weekend. 5. 49ers (5-2) : 1st in pass defense and 2nd in total rushing yards. I think that is enough said? 6. Rav...

This is year has shown a definitive shift in power from the once all powerful AFC to the now younger, quicker and better NFC (about time if you asked me!) 6 out of the 10 top teams are from the NFC while 4 out of the 5 bottom worst are from the AFC... just pointing that out. Another thing I noticed is that a team losing their key defender is ALMOST as bad as losing your starting QB. Ray Lewis and Brain Cushing both went down in the last few weeks causing a lot problems for the Ravens and Texans defenses. Not only do these guys make a lot of big plays BUT they are the emotional leaders out there; and most importantly they are the signal callers for the D. Now, lets take a look at my NFL Power Rankings going inot Week 7. 1. Falcons (6-0) : Yes, it was a last second FG that put another W in the win column but they are still undefeated and deserve #1. 2. Ravens (5-1) : This team has shifted from a team that wins with defense to one puts major points up with Ray Rice and Joe Flacco. ...

If I could put Tony Romo in here after his MNF outing I would but there isn't enough space in this week's list. I am going to keep Arkansas out of the firing line this week because I have officially run out of bad things to say about this train wreak of a program, but I do have to mention that they DID in fact lose again this week. BUT if you are a fan of ACC schools with the word "Tech" at the end of their names... this weeks blog is not for you... 5. Le'Veon Bell, MSU, RB, JR: 12car, 45yds, 0TD . Relax Sparty I know Bell also had 8rec for 58yds but he is supposed to be my Heisman dark horse as a POWER BACK... and I have to put this horse out of its misery, though I think Notre Dame and Ohio State already did that for me. Bell and conference running mate Monte Ball where primed for 'amazing' seasons this year and they have done nothing but disappoint. Last time I ever pick any player from the Big 10. By they way MSU is now 3-2 dropped out of every singl...

This week went pretty much 'according to plan'...unless you are a Stanford fan. We are getting very close to the meat of the season where you finally get that great inter-conference play in the SEC, Big East, Pac-12 (Or is it Pac-10? Or Pac-13?) So, that being said this should be the last week of gaudy numbers and cruise control wins for teams like Oregon and Alabama. That being said here are your Week 5 Campus Heroes. 5. Washington Huskies' Offensive Line : This line was said to be battered, under-maned and underdeveloped... I think not. In their 17-13 upset win over #8 Stanford they helped pave the way for RB Bishop Sankey who had 20car, 144yds and a TD. And kept a great pocket for second year QB Keith Price who was only sacked once. Though Price's performance was par at best he was still able to hit WR Kasen Williams for 10rec, 129yds and a TD. Great team effort! The Huskies also converted 50% on 3rd down (4/14) and went two of three on fourth down as well. 4. Be...

The things I would write about the replacement refs would be so graphic and profane that my blog would be shut down by the FBI so... I will keep those comments to myself. But, one thing we have learned through 3 weeks with these refs is that no matter how long the game, no matter how many miss-calls or officiating blunders there is... America will still tune in to watch the National Football League. This league is an ironclad Juggernaut and it will take more than a ref strike to stop us from tuning in week to week, so without further ranting here are your NFL Power Rankings going into Week 4: 1. Falcons (3-0) : Matty Ice is playing smarter than any QB in the league. But, the Turner DUI may change their ground game plans... 2. Texans (3-0) : We all saw this coming. And with their division looking well below sub-par the Texans are in for a good season. 3. Cardinals (3-0) : And we also all saw this coming... not really. The franchise's best start since 1974, good job Cards!  4...

I almost miss posting the Zeros more than the Heroes, which is shocking because normally I am such a positive and optimistic thinker... those of you that know me are now laughing uncontrollably. But, in Week 4 I saw plenty of gems that can make this list! Sadly Notre Dame losing is not something I can put on here or that there was a giant sinkhole that took down the entire Ohio State football program (oh well.) Now here are your Campus Zeros: 5. Clemson's second half defense : Somewhere in the second half the Tigers' D had flashbacks of their BCS bowl beat down that WVU handed them last year. This prompted them to huddle in a corner and shout NO BUENO as FSU racked up 35 points after going into into halftime DOWN to Clemson 21-14. The Seminoles totaled a whopping 667 total yards of offense and FSU QB EJ Manuel himself generated 482yds throwing and running the ball! Why wasn't he in the Campus Heroes this week? Because I hate Florida State. In short Clemson lost this prime...

Hey, I missed Week 2 and 3... sue me. But, after four weeks of college football I hate admit that Notre Dame is pretty good, the Big 10 is a BIG joke, and that I still have MSU RB Le'Veon Bell as my dark horse for winning the Heisman this year. And on a personal note... I hope Syracuse can break one win this season, please. And now here are your Week 4 Campus Heroes: 5. Teddy Bridgewater- Lville QB, Soph: 13/21, 149yds, 2TD, 4car 16yds, 1TD What makes this guy so special? First, the Cardinals are now 4-0 and haven't even begun conference play in the Big East which they should handle easily (Minus WVU.) He has completed 73.4% of his passes this year and is one hex of a dynamic player. Okay skeptics, they only beat FIU 28-21 but other than maybe Bama and Oregon everyone looks beatable this year. 4. Tavon Austin- WVU WR, SR: 13rec, 179yds, 3TD . The Mountaineers were 'supposed' to be upset in this one by the Terps but Austin made quick work of that and Maryland's ...

The more popular or the two Campus rankings because everyone wants to see who makes this dumpster fire of a list. Being a super critical person always makes it hard to find JUST 5 of the worst but here are week one's Campus Zeros... 5. Mike Leach- Washington State, HC . Well, in his head coaching debut Leach felt what it feels to be locked up in a dark shed after being shelled at home by BYU 30-6. I am sure Cougar fans were hoping Leach would elevate the passing attack of Washington State back to the days of BJ Symons and Graham Harrell at Texas Tech... maybe they will have to wait awhile for that to happen with this program. 4. Georgia Tech's Pass Defense . Cover Zero (no safety over the top) and straight man works in bursts when the timing is right. The Yellow Jacket coaching staff could not find that right timing... especially in the last moments of the game in regulation play when you KNOW the other team is going to pass the ball, putting the game into OT were VT hit a...

There are A LOT of flashy stats after this week complements of teams like USC and Oregon facing the likes of Memphis Community College and Montana State Tech (not sure if either are actually real schools.) But, if you get past all those insane numbers there were some real studs that stuck our for me in week one: 5. Ryan Nassib- Syracuse QB, SR: 44/64, 470yds, 4TD, 1INT . This looks and sounds like a Syracuse native bias pick but he put the entire team on his back and threw like no Cuse QB has since, dare I say, the McNabb days? Despite his great performance Syracuse lost to North Western 42-41. 4. Connor Shaw- S. Carolina QB, JR: 7/16, 67yds, 1INT, 14car, 97yds, 6.6ypc . Now the numbers are not special and they guy did not even throw a TD but he gutted through an extremely painful shoulder injury and helped lead his team to a 17-13 win over Vandy.   3. Senorise Perry/Jeremy Wright- Louisville JR RBs . Combined 38car, 213yds, 4TD. I have never seen an offesnive line and backf...

Did you forget I used to write these? Yeah, it's okay, so did I. It is always hard to do any sort of rankings after only seeing a few weeks of sub-par pre-season 'games' but here we go. But, before I dive into my Top 10 and Bottom 5 I have to give my arbitrary the Super Bowl and MVP etc... picks. I like RGIII, Washington QB, for my Offensive Rookie Rookie of the Year, Luke Kuechly, Panthers LB, for Defensive Rookie of the Year, I am taking Tom Brady for my MVP, Darrelle Revis for my Defensive MVP and of course in the Super Bowl... from the NFC I have the Green Bay Packers and from the AFC the Baltimore Ravens, and I like (I can't believe I am saying this) the Ravens taking it this year... but for now, here is my Top 10 and the lowly bottom 5: Top 10   1. Giants : Why? Because I find it hard to not rank a team that just won it all last season not at #1... for now. 2. Patriots : AFC champions and resigned both big TE targets. My only reservation is their veteran LT...