Story of the Year

The Major League Baseball postseason is now under way and there have already been some surprising. The Cub fans can tell people all about that. Barring a miracle by that North Side team, the best story in all of sports for this year has already been written. In 2007, The Tampa Bay Devil Rays finished with a 66-96 record making them the worst team in baseball. In 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays went 97-65 and won the toughest division in all of sports. In this day and age, the idea of a team other than the Yankees or Red Sox prevailing in the AL East seems almost unfathomable. Either New York or Boston had won every division title since 1997. It’s amazing what a little name change can do for a franchise. The Rays dropped the Devil and became baseball’s darlings. The prognosticators continued to doubt them waiting for manager Joe Madden’s young upstarts to fold. Only the Rays never did.

It had become almost a foregone conclusion that nobody in the AL East could compete the big market Yankees and Red Sox and their huge payrolls. The longest of long shots, the Rays had been a perennial piñata for the rest of league. What nobody noticed the last few years was that Tampa Bay was quietly rebuilding the franchise. It started three years ago with new ownership and management determined to change a losing climate. It continued with hiring Joe Madden as manager and spreading his play the game the right way approach throughout the organization. Most importantly, the Rays started to stock piling young talent. Baseball fans will be hearing the names Kazmir, Shields, Upton, Crawford, Garza, and Longoria for years to come.

If teams like the Marlins and Rockies haven’t already proved it, the days of spending big bucks on super star players in order to win are over. It just doesn’t work that way anymore. Teams must be able to build from within. Franchises from Pittsburgh to Kansas City to San Francisco have hope and more franchise will begin to follow the Tampa Bay blueprint. That blueprint involves speed, strong pitching, good defense, playing hard, and the concept of team. The Rays performance this season was no fluke and could very well end with a World Series championship this year. Baseball fans should be paying attention. The Rays’ division title was no small feat and it is only the start of things to come. Baseball’s next dynasty resides in Tampa Bay.

Beasts of the East

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night when the Washington Redskins head to New York to take on the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. It's an early NFC East showdown and with that being the case, the Bleeding Sports NFL preview will being with a breakdown of the best division in all of football.

Washington Redskins

A late surge last year catapulted the Joe Gibbs and the 'Skins into the playoffs, but a lot has changed in Washington since then. Joe Gibbs retired...again the Daniel Synder nearly hired Jim Fassel...again before settling with Jim Zorn as the new head coach. Under the Zorn the Redskins with feature a new west coast offense and rely on the still unproven Jason Campbell to grow in the new system. Clinton Portis remains one of the most overrated running backs in league while the receiving corp is real thin.

While a Campbell led offense is a big question mark the defense is an even bigger one. Despite the addition of Jason Taylor expect the 'Skins to struggle trying to stop the opposition. Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams did a great job with modest talent and his departure will prove to be the Washington's biggest loss. The unit's performance in the preseason against Carolina should raise a red flag. By the end of the year, Coach Zorn may be waving a white flag.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have become a trendy pick this year to go as far as the Super Bowl. to Most prognosticators point to the fact that the Eagles managed to win their last three games last season to finish 8-8. That does not sound like much of an argument. Despite free agent acquisition Asante Samuel, Philly is a team on the decline not on the rise. The offense still lacks play makers at receiver and Donovan McNabb isn't getting any younger. The argument could be made that the Eagles have actually fared better without McNabb in the lineup over the last two years. The bottom line, Philadelphia is a Brian Westbrook injury away from a four win season and even with him the Eagles look like a team on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Dallas Cowboys

Ah, America's Team. Here are some thoughts after watching Hard Knocks. Rookie tight end Martellus Bennett will be a bust with a capital B. It's still hard to tell after watching whether Wade Phillips knows what's he doing or not. He's like a cartoon character. Jason Garrett will be a head coach somewhere next season...probably in Big D. Terrell Owens actually comes off looking like a good guy. He's counseling the young players, practicing hard, and other than peddling his t-shirts is a relatively unassuming figure. Once the season starts though that the act won't last. The Cowboys have too many combustible parts between T.O., Tank Johnson, and the Pacman. The Cowboys haven't faced much adversity the last couple of seasons so something has to give. If Dallas ends up going as far as most people feel they will this season they will definitely earn it. Most likely, however, the Cowboys lack the type of team chemistry to persevere.

New York Giants

All the Giants did last year was take down the mighty Cowboys and Brett Favre in their own backyards just to get to the Super Bowl. Then all Big Blue did was defeat a New England team being compared to the greatest in NFL history. One would think that winning a World Championship the way the Giants did would earn a franchise some respect. Yet it has been just the opposite. All the talk going into this season has been about every team in the division other than the Super Bowl champs.

The Giants have had some significant losses on defense, most notably Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora on the defensive line. The line, however, still features Justin Tuck while the linebackers will on the outside this season with Danny Clark and Gerris Wilkerson replacing Reggie Torbor and Kawika Mitchell. The secondary lost Gibril Wilson, but drafted a star in the making in Kenny Phillips.

Offensively, the Giants return all 11 starters from the Super Bowl last season. The offensive line remains one of the most underrated units in the league while the Giants have three running backs that could rush for over one hundred yards in any game. QB Eli Manning proved in the postseason that he is one of the elite players at his position. It is only logically to believe that Eli will take another step forward this season and be a more consistent force. The Giants' young players all played a huge role in the team's success last season and will only be better this season.

The Giants put it all together at the right time last season and their momentum brought the franchise its third Super Bowl title. The team is young, still on the rise and motivated to prove the critics wrong. A division title shouldn't be out of the question in 2008.

Packers Fans Will Always Have the Memories

Here is a truly classic video of Brett Favre's memorable debut in 1992 leading the Packers to a come from behind victory over Cincinnati. This footage is absolutely priceless. It's so intriguing and unbelievable that it should be on display in the Museum of Television and Radio. The video comes from the post game broadcast of NBC's old NFL Live telecast. In Studio we have Bob Costas flanked by guest host Buddy Ryan and the immortal O.J. Simpson! Does it get any better than that? Imagine if ole Buddy tried to sucker punch The Juice. Television viewers would have witnessed a live murder right on the set. If that isn't enough, the in-game announce team in Green Bay that day are none other than Jim Lampley and Ahmad Rashad. What a line-up. I'll take that starting five any day of the week.

Favre to the Jets

Surprise, Surprise. The Brett Favre - Green Bay Packers saga has finally come to a close. Favre is headed to New York after being trade to the Jets for a conditional fourth round draft pick. In the end, all parties involved get what they wanted. The Packers are allowed to move on with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback and keep Favre out of the division and off their schedule. Favre has an opportunity to continue his career for a team that has playoff hopes this season. Even the Minnesota Vikings will end up winners because the next shoe to drop will be QB Chad Pennington being released by the Jets. Looks like Brad Childress and company have will get their quarterback after all.

Here are the conditions of the trade:

If Favre plays 50 percent of the snaps for the Jets this season Green Bay will receive a third round draft pick instead of a fourth. If Favre plays 70 percent of the snaps and the Jets make the playoffs, the Packers receive a second round pick. Finally, if Favre plays 80 percent of the snaps and the Jets make the Super Bowl then the fourth round pick turns into a first round pick going from New York to Green Bay.

The Fate of Favre

Brett Favre is continuing his quest on making the Packers' life a living hell by filing for reinstatement and is hell bent on showing up for training camp on Friday. The Packers are so afraid of Favre showing up that they reportedly offered him $20 million dollars to remain retired and it now looks like they are considering the possibility of trading Number 4 to the Vikings just to end this mess once and for all. It looks like this drama is about to set the stage for the final act.

In the meantime, fans wondering what it would look like to see Mr. Favre don the jersey of his rumored destinations can head on over to the EA Sports' Madden 09 website to get a glimpse of the retirement challenged quarterback in his possible new threads. The company behind the Madden curse has gone so far as to simulate the 2008 season with Favre behind center of the Jets, Vikings, Bears, and Buccaneers to compare how each team's success would differ versus their current QB situation. While putting any emphasis into the results is a complete waste of time, I will tell you that none of the squads end up even making it to Super Sunday. Of course, this simulation is a complete farce because it doesn't take into consideration the most likely fate for this year's Madden cover if he decides to return to the field...CAREER ENDING INJURY.

Favre Holding Packers Hostage

It seems as though Brett Favre's retirement will be short lived. That is unless he decides to change his mind…again. For a man who makes so many split second decisions on the field he sure has a hard time making a definitive one off of it. The problem is that Number 4 simply can't make up his mind on what he wants to do. Ultimately, Favre is holding the Packers back and sabotaging his own career.

Two years ago, teammate Donald Driver thought it was a forgone conclusion that Favre was going to hang it up. He didn't. The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft in order to groom him as Favre's heir apparent. Well, let the grooming continue...or maybe not. If Favre actually takes the field this year he won't be wearing the green and yellow.

Favre suddenly feels unwanted in Green Bay. Maybe it has something to do with the Vikings trying to coax him into playing in Minnesota this season. The Packers won’t let that happen, but are tired of Favre jerking them around on whether or not he wants to come back and play. At some point the Packers have to move forward and waiting on Favre every year only holds the organization back. Green Bay has made their intentions clear and Favre has conveniently used the Packer’s stance as an excuse to escape Titletown.

Apparently Mr. Favre hasn’t read up on the Madden curse. EA made a bold decision this year in deciding to put the retired Favre on the cover. Obviously, the decision was made in part to celebrate the career of the Packer great, but mostly to avoid destroying yet another star player’s season. If Favre were to come back and play for another franchise imagine the implications. In all likelihood we will witness the first ever Madden cover athlete to play for a different team than the one he is pictured in on the cover in the same season. There is no telling how this may turn out. By changing teams, Favre may have avoided the Madden curse all together and in turn will lead his new franchise to the Super Bowl. More likely, however, Favre is tempting fate and will be decimated by a career ending, catastrophic apocalypse of epic proportions. I don't even know what that means, but to put it simply...this will not end well.

Picturing Favre in a uniform other than that of the Packers is almost impossible. Favre says to let him worry about his legacy, but where is his loyalty? The Packers organization and the fans of Green Bay have treated Favre like an iconic figure. He is literally a folk hero in Green Bay yet has decided to turn his back on the entire community. Favre is willing to taint his legendary status simply because another franchise showed interest in him. It’s just another reminder of the disconnect that exists between the professional athlete and the fan. A fan would never turn his back on his team, but even the most beloved player in the history of a franchise doesn’t think twice about it. Well, maybe in Brett Favre’s case he does, but the end result is all too familiar.

Hamilton Has Finally Arrived

Josh Hamilton is Major League Baseball's next superstar. Hamilton had become an afterthought to most baseball observers after being the first overall selection in the 1999 MLB Draft by Tampa Bay. Hamilton's talent was so immense he was mentioned in the same breathe as Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. He was destined to be baseball's next great star, but his fast track to the majors was derailed by drug addiction.

Hamilton's struggles to stay clean have been well documented and the Tampa Bay organization never gave up on him throughout his journey back. He was finally able to conquer his substance abuse problems in 2006 and has been clean ever since. Inexplicably, after sticking with Hamilton throughout his dark days, Tampa Bay left Hamilton unprotected in the Rule 5 draft where he was selected by the Chicago Cubs and then traded to Cincinnati. Hamilton flashed his potential in 2007 with the Reds despite battling injuries and being bounced around the line-up.

Hamilton was traded to Texas in the off-season for highly regarded prospect Edinson Volquez and both players have prospered in their new surroundings. Hamilton is the starting center fielder, firmly entrenched in the number three spot of the Rangers' line-up and exhibiting his elite natural ability at the plate. Baseball observers are now noticing Hamilton again as he was named American League Player of the Month. Hamilton batted .330 with 6 home runs and 32 RBIs during the first month of the season. As baseball tries to move past the "Steroid Era," there isn't a better story going than Josh Hamilton. Anyone who loves baseball should being rooting for Hamilton because his story is one deserving of more attention.

Boston College Wins College Hockey Championship

We like to apologize for our lack of post-game coverage because Be Nasty decided to watch the game on campus while enjoying Sam Summer's, highlight parties, John Oates, and watching others play individual games of slap the bag.

Moving on:

After two straight years of disappointing performances in the National Championship game, BC proved that the Third Tynes a charm (thank you Lawrence Tynes) after they defeated Notre Dame 4-1 to reach the summit of NCAA hockey. Nathan Gerbe was a man on a mission against Notre Dame, scoring BC's first two goals and tallying assists on the other two. He took the team on his back during its National Championship run with an incredible 7-goal and 11-point performance.

Gerbe Records Hat Trick in 6-1 Win

We here at Bleeding Sports pride ourselves on our analysis and full coverage of every top flight sporting event. Our very own correspondent Be Nasty took time off from his 18-hour a day Investment Banking gig to travel out to Denver and cover the NCAA hockey Frozen Four. Be Nasty even snapped a few photos to chronicle the shellacking that Nathan Gerbe and the boys from Boston College laid on those lumberjacks from North Dakota.

Who are the Chefs?

This classic Snickers commercial popped into my head the other day for whatever reason. Great Googly Moogly, naturally the ad can be found on YouTube allowing Bleeding Sports to share with all our friends. I still get a kick out of it after all these years.

Kansas Breaks Through

They were the worst of the #1 seeds and barely escaped the upset to Davidson in the Elite Eight. Now, they are the National Champions. College basketball fans had become accustomed to watching Kansas fail to live up to expectations and choke in the NCAA tournament. Can you say Bucknell or Bradley? But the Jayhawks silenced the doubters by reaching the Final Four and then blitzing a North Carolina squad that had looked invincible during the tournament.

The National Championship game went back and forth until Memphis and freshman star Derrick Rose took control. Facing a nine point deficit with two minutes to play, Kansas seemed destined to fall short yet again. It looked like just another disappointing ending to a season of high expectations for coach Bill Self and his team. Only this time, the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, Mario Chalmers, and his Kansas teammates decided to write a different ending.

Give an assist to Memphis. Despite his best efforts to diffuse talk of his team's struggles from the foul line, John Calipari's Tigers couldn't seal the deal from the charity stripe. Kansas rode their momentum and emotion into overtime exhibiting brilliant offensive execution and stifled Memphis on the defensive end. As the buzzer sounded, the result was one amazing Jayhawks comeback.

Kansas finally has their One Shining Moment.

The Lights Stay On

from Gweeg
gweeg.blogspot.com

"Friday Night Lights" will return for a third season. NBC has struck a deal with DirectTV that calls for 13 new episodes that will begin airing in October exclusively on DirectTV. The deal between NBC and the satellite television provider allows for DirectTV to contribute to the "Friday Night Lights" production costs in exchange for the rights to air the show first. After the season airs on DirectTV, Friday Night Lights will return to NBC in January 2009. Kudos to NBC for thinking outside the box and keeping alive the critically acclaimed program. Far too often, quality programs with a loyal yet small fan base fall by the wayside. Let's hope that in the case of "Friday Night Lights" a new precedent has been set.

Duke Punk Hits Deck

Here is one of Bleeding Sports favorite moments of the 2008 NCAA tournament. As the final seconds of his college career ticked away, Duke's resident cheap shot artist, Gerald Henderson, looked to take out his frustration on West Virginia's Cam Thoroughman...from behind. Only this time, the cowardly Mr. Henderson messed with the wrong guy. Thoroughman, the Mountaineers' third string small forward answered Henderson's final shot with one of his own. The result was little Gerald culminating his collegiate career with a seat on the deck.

And Then There Were Four

Tonight, the men's basketball 2008 Final Four tips off from San Antonio. This is the first time in the history of the tournament all four number one seeds have reached the semifinal round. And while it may make for a competitive Final Four, it makes it extremely hard to pick a team to root. Unless someone is a fan of Memphis, UCLA, North Carolina, or Kansas nobody wants to root for a powerhouse. The NCAA tournament is at its best when there is an underdog for the fans to embrace and root for. If it wasn't for Stephen Curry and Davidson's run to the Elite Eight, this year's tournament would be easily forgettable. Too many games this year were noncompetitive and even that ones that had some mild drama ended with the top seeds moving on. What college basketball is left with is the top four teams all still playing. Where's the fun in that? Why even play a tournament? Anyone who follows college basketball could have picked this Final Four in November. Yawn.

So instead of analyzing the Final Four, here are Bleeding Sports top moments of the 2008 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Siena spanks Vanderbilt

Everyone and their mother picked this upset, which makes it even more amazing that it actually happened. What people didn't expect is how thoroughly dominant the mid-major Saints were against one of the best teams in the SEC. This game drove home the point of just how poor the SEC was this season. For Siena, a team whose loses only one senior and no starters, look for deeper NCAA tournament run in the years to come.


West Virginia sends Duke home

Duke continues to receive too much love from the tournament selection committee. The Blue Devils were given a gift number 2 seed and then backed it up by nearly losing in the first round to 15 seed Belmont. Well the Blue Devils had no such luck in round 2 as West Virgina continued their recent postseason success in a physically dominating fashion. The Mountaineers bullied the Dukies in the second half, exploiting the Blue Devil's weakness on the boards and reliance on the three point shot. Duke couldn't hit anything from the outside and West Virginia smacked Coach K's boys around on the court and in the post-game press conference.

Davidson slays Georgetown

This biggest upset of the tournament. Georgetown shot over sixty percent for the game and still found a way to lose. Turnovers and foul trouble hurt Georgetown, but not nearly as badly as Stephen Curry's riveting second half performance. After being held down by the Georgetown defense in the first half, Dell's son went wild in second half without an array of long jumpers and beautiful drives to basket. Curry carried Davidson on his back and did it against one of the best defensive teams in the country. One of the best individual performances in the history of the tournament.

Xavier escapes against West Virginia

The best game of the year's big dance was this Sweet Sixteen match up. The Musketeers jumped all over West Virgina early and opened up a sixteen point lead in this first half. However, the Mountaineers were able to cut the deficit to single digits before halftime and outplayed Xavier in the second half. However, Joe Alexander and company couldn't finish off the Musketeers in regulation and after taking an early six point lead in the overtime session, B.J. Raymond's two three pointers bailed out Xavier sending Bob Huggins and his Mountaineers home.

Super Giants

Bleeding Sports has dropped the ball in staying current, however, to quote lyrics from a song by Three Days Grace, "It's not too late, it's never too late." This is why over the course of the coming weeks Bleeding Sports will be taking a look back at what has transpired in the world of sports over the last couple of months. Topping the list of sports headlines in 2008 is the New York Giants victory over the mighty New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Suddenly, special teams standout David Tyree is a household name. That's the power of sports on the world's biggest stage. Can you say Catch 42? Let's take a moment to celebrate football's newest folk hero.

Super Showdown

It's the Patriots. It's the Giants. It's SUPER BOWL XLII! As John Travolta just told Ryan Seacrest (yea, you heard right) we have the NFL’s The Best Team vs. The Hottest Team. What we have here right now is our Bleeding Sports Super Bowl Pick'em. As this moment, the Bleeding Sports Brain Trust, G. Francis, and The PickMeister, J. Daniels are all tied up, which means the Super Bowl determine the 2008 Undisputed Bleeding Sports NFL Playoff Pick'em Champion of the World.

And away we go…

The PickMeister – J. Daniels

New York (+12) over New England

Another game for the Cheaters brings another ridiculous spread. When are people going to learn? As I said before the AFC Championship, New England hasn’t covered any of their insane spreads in weeks, including the whole playoffs. There is no way the Patriots beat the G-MEN by 12 points on Super Bowl Sunday, not even if Belichick filmed the Giants walkthrough. In fact, the Giants will win outright. In their week 17 meeting, New York fell short by only 3 points in a 38-35 defeat, despite having a 12 point lead going into the fourth quarter. That game proved to be a turning point for the G-MEN, who have been playing excellent ball since. They went on the road and beat three respectable opponents, including the two best teams in NFC. With the newly discovered weapon of Ahmad Bradshaw the G-MEN once again have a thunder and lighting duo ready to punish New England’s grandpa linebackers. I happened to watch the America’s Game of the 1990 Giants last night and couldn’t help but notice just how similar that team was with this year’s Giants. The ‘90 Giants clawed their way through the playoffs, avenging their regular season loses to the superior 49ers in the NFC Championship and the Bills in the Super Bowl. This year is no different. The G-MEN have avenged 3 of their six loses in their playoffs and are now looking for the 4th against a ‘far superior’ team. Coincidence? Not at all. GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN!

Giants 38, Patriots 35


The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust – G. Francis

The Patriots take a shot at history in Super Bowl XLII. The only thing standing in their way is the New York Football Giants. New York and Eli Manning got hot at the right time, taking the momentum from nearly ending the Pats’ perfection at the end of the regular season right into the playoffs. Nobody saw it coming, but the road warrior Giants blitzed through Tampa, made Dallas cry, and gave Green Bay the cold shoulder. The Giants made an impression arriving to Arizona decked out in black and will make an even bigger impression Sunday night leaving New England black and blue. The Giants proved they can hang with Tom Brady’s bunch and at Super Bowl they will do one better by pulling off the biggest upset in the history of sports. New York can move the football on offense, which will enable them to control the clock. On defense the G-Men need to put pressure on Brady and keep Randy Moss from making the big play. The Giants nearly pulled the upset last month and have only been playing better during their Cinderella run this postseason. The Patriots are the overwhelming favorite with good reason, but in the end Cheaters Never Win. Chalk one up for the Underdog.

Giants 37, Patriots 28

Here We Go Giants

There might not be much to cheer about at Knick's games, but bravo to MSG for showing the Giants-Dallas playoff game on the big screens during timeouts last weekend. The fan reaction after the Romo interception to seal the Giants victory is absolutely priceless. A great moment in New York sports. There's no game at the Garden during the NFC Championship game tonight, but the New York is squarely behind the their team. Let's Go Giants.

Bleeding Sports Playoff Pick’em: Conference Championships

Welcome back to the Bleeding Sports Playoff Pick’em pitting the Bleeding Sports Brain Trust – G. Francis against the PickMeister – J. Daniels. The current standing having the Brain Trust leading with a record of 5-3, but the PickMeister is still alive at 4-4. This weekend the nation will find out who will be playing on February 3rd in Glendale, AZ in a little game dubbed The Super Bowl. The weather outside maybe cold, but Bleeding Sports is just heating up. Enjoy the games.

And now to the picks…Enjoy the games boys and girls.

The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust – G. Francis

NEW ENGLAND (-14) over San Diego

Everyone and their mommas were expecting a Colts-Patriots rematch this weekend in Foxborough. The Chargers pulled the upset despite losing Tomlinson, Rivers, and Gates at certain points in the game. Rivers barely practiced this past week, Gates may not play after gutting it out last week and who knows how effective Tomlinson will be. The Chargers only hope is to consistently pressure Tom Brady with Merriman, Phillips and company and hope that the weather is a factor in the Patriots passing game. I would love to the see the upset, but the Chargers offensive stars are just too banged up and I don’t foresee Billy Volek leading the Chargers on another game winning drive. In addition, the San Diego secondary gave up over 400 yards to Peyton Manning and the Colts last week so I can’t think of a compelling argument to suggest that the Chargers will be able to stop Brady, Moss, Welker, Stallworth, Watson, Faulk, etc, etc. Look for the Pats to win big on their way to making history in Arizona.


New York Giants (+7.5) over GREEN BAY

Both the Giants and Packers impressed last weekend in their respective divisional round victories. On Sunday in Green Bay temperatures at kickoff are expected to be below zero, which, make no mistake, will have an effect on both teams. The weather could actually be a bigger disadvantage to Green Bay as Brett Favre will want to throw the ball down field especially to WR Greg Jennings. If the passing attacks are negated, the Giants have the advantage with the running back tandem of Jacobs and Bradshaw and will try to mix up their different running styles to keep the Packer defense off balance. The Giants have won nine in a row on the road and while all the prognosticators are picking Brett Favre to continue his storybook season into Super Sunday, I’m taking the Giants. The Giants have come together as a team and Eli Manning is playing his best football at exactly the time. The Giants will take care of the ball, stop Ryan Grant and head to the Super Bowl for a second crack at New England.

The PickMeister – J. Daniels

San Diego (+14) over NEW ENGLAND

The Patriots once again proved to be the luckiest team in NFL last week. Not in their win against the defenseless Jaguars but in the Bolts ridiculous upset in Indy. But if the Chargers showed anything last Sunday, it was that there backups, including Michael Turner, Billy Volek, and a bunch of no name tailbacks, have the potential to stay in a game. This will obviously be necessary with the status of Tomlinson, Rivers, and Gates all in question. Everybody, including myself, wanted to see the Colts – Patriots matchup this week, frankly because San Diego doesn’t have a chance, especially since their whole team is now injured. But the only thing more ridiculous than this matchup is the spread. The Cheaters haven’t covered any of their insane spreads in weeks, not to mention their 13.5 points last week against a far inferior opponent. Even without Rivers and possibly Gates, if LT plays like he said he will there’s no way the Patriots cover the 2 TD spread. Take San Diego with the points.


New York (+7.5) over GREEN GAY

-4 with the wind chill reaching -24. That’s the forecast for Sunday’s NFC Championship game. But if after listening to these “experts’ for the past week, you would think only the Giants will be battling the cold. “Will Eli and his receivers be able to connect in the cold”, “Can the Giants pass rush overcome the field conditions and get to Favre”, “Will New York’s defense be able to stop Ryan Grant and the Green Bay rushing attack?” Well I got news for these GENIUS “experts”. It’s going to be cold for EVERYONE. So the better questions will be: Will Favre be able to connect with his inexperienced receiving core against a Giants defense who are better against the pass? Can the Packers pass rush get to Eli even though they only had a measly 36 sacks during the year compared to the Giants 53? Will Green Bay’s defense, who give up more rushing yards per game than the G-Men, be able to stop the Giants superior rushing game? With these insane weather conditions, the game is ultimately going to comedown to whoever runs the ball more effectively. And since the Giants are clearly better at keeping the ball on the ground, they should come out of this game on top. “But Ryan Grant has the second most rushing yards in the last half of the season behind only LT!” Oh yea “experts”? Guess who has more team rushing yards the second half of the season. That’s right the G-Men. Take New York with the points.

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks - The Sunday Games

Soooo, Bleeding Sports dropped the ball and failed to post the Sunday picks in our Playoff Pick'em competition. My apologies to the PickMeister who had his picks in on time. In the spirit of keeping the competition alive... here are the picks, which were indeed made before the outcomes of the Sunday games.

The PickMeister - J.Daniels

INDIANAPOLIS (-9) over San Diego

Nine points is a big spread considering the Chargers beat the Colts in their previous meeting. This time, however, there’s no Antonio Gates and don’t expect Peyton to throw another 6 interceptions. Sorry Cromartie. With Rivers being unreliable, the Chargers game plan looks to be simply pounding the ball with Tomlinson and 6 linemen. Indy’s much improved defense will surely be to ready for this strategy. With Harrison back in the lineup the Colts high-octane offense will roll past the Bolts with no problem. Take Indianapolis to cover the 9 point spread.


New York (+7.5) over DALLAS

With the exception of the first quarter, the G-Men looked great last week. Eli, for the second straight week, played very well controlling the Giants offense. In fact, of the 8 QBs that played last weekend Eli was the only one who didn’t turn the ball over. Go figure. And while Eli is shaking off the rust and getting focused, Romo is doing the opposite acting like it’s the offseason and relaxing in Mexico with Jessica Simpson. As far as T.O. goes, he’s not playing, he might be playing, and now he is playing. Either way, he won’t be 100%. And with Terry Glenn not having played a game in over a year, that only leaves Witten to catch Mr. Simpson’s balls. Too many distractions for the Cowboys. Take New York with the points.


The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust - G. Francis

INDIANAPOLIS (-9) over San Diego

New York (+7.5) over DALLAS

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks – The Saturday Games

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks – The Saturday Games

After the Wildcard round it’s the same old story in the Bleeding Sports Playoff Pick’em. G. Francis was a perfect 4-0 on the first weekend of the 2008 playoffs while J. Daniel wallowed in mediocrity finishing 2-2. This weekend there are four more games and two glorious days of football as the divisional round is played. Here are the picks for the Saturday games.

Home Team in CAPS.

The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust - G. Francis

Seattle (+7.5) over GREEN BAY

I’m not a big fan of the Seahawks and the fact they are completely one dimensional on offense due to the lack of a running game should be a red flag especially when you’re playing in January…in Green Bay. Former league MVP Shaun Alexander is proving once again that in the NFL when a running back begins to go into decline it happens almost overnight. Alexander’s career has fallen faster than Britney Spears. However, last weekend Seattle showed the nation that they are pretty good on defense and can get after the quarterback. The Packers have Brett Favre, but other than Donald Driver the offensive talent around him is young and inexperienced which will play a roll in this game. The defenses for both teams will do enough to keep their teams close. Look for Seattle’s past playoff experience to be the deciding factor in enabling the ‘Hawks to squeeze out a close victory on the road.


NEW ENGLAND (-13) over Jacksonville

Everyone loved Jacksonville last weekend against the Steelers and with good reason, but the Jags near collapse showed that they are extremely vulnerable against a spread offense throwing the ball around the field. So what is going to happen in Foxborough against Tom Brady, Randy Moss and company? Do the Patriots even bother trying to run the ball in this game? Jacksonville will try to run the football and then try to run it some more. There is no doubt that Jacksonville can be successful pounding it at the Pat’s overrated defense, but at some point David Garrard is going to have to make some plays and put some points on the board and he won’t be able to make enough to hang with Mr. Brady. Look for Wes Welker to run wild over the middle and for the Patriots to score and score often.


The PickMeister - J. Daniel

Seattle (+7.5) over GREEN BAY

Lambeau is tough place to play in the playoffs no doubt about it. Although the Pack proved to be one of dominant teams in NFC this year going 13-3, I just don’t think they’re the Super Bowl winning Packers of the past. I am not convinced that Favre is any different from the 30 Int QB we saw two years ago. He will make mistakes that’ll keep the Hawks in the game. In the end I’m sure the Pack’s offense will pull out a victory, but I don’t think they will cover the ridiculous 7.5 point spread. Take Seattle with the points.


Jacksonville (+13) over NEW ENGLAND

Everyone thinks that the perfect* Patriots are going to murder the Jags this weekend. Sorry to burst your bubble Patriots fans but your oh so wonderful cheating season will come to an end Saturday night. That’s right, not only will the Jags beat the spread but they are going to win outright. New England’s defense is ranked 10th in the run, but would be considerably lower if their opponents weren’t always behind. Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, and even David Garrard are going to run right over New England’s over-rated 40 year old linebacking core. Take Jacksonville with the points.

The NFL Playoffs are Here

Bleeding Sports is back in business just in time for the 2008 NFL playoffs. What better way to get back in the swing of things than to kick start the 2nd annual NFL Playoff Pick’em between the Bleeding Sports Brain Trust and The PickMeister. Last year, the Brain Trust dominated the contest finishing with a stud record of 9-2 while the PickMeister limped through the postseason finishing under .500 at 5-6.

What history repear itself? Only time will tell. Stay with Bleeding Sports throughout the NFL playoffs and find who truly KNOWS THE SCORE. Enjoy the games.


2008 NFL Wildcard Playoff Picks

Home Team in CAPS

The PickMeister: J. Daniel

Alright NFL playoff time is back and so is our "Playoff Pick’em". Last year was bull****, the Bleeding Sports Brain Fool is a bigger cheater than Belichick. Luckily we took away his camera and gave him a suspension so he won’t be doing that anymore. Now here are the winning picks for the Wildcard Round.

Washington(+4) over SEATTLE

The Skins are on tear led by veteran QB2 Todd Collins. They’re 4-0 with Collins behind center, dominating their opponents, including the playoff bound New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, by a combined margin of 52 points. While Seattle did put together a good season, finishing 10-6, it was unimpressive. The Hawks were only able to beat one team that finished over .500. Although Seattle can be a tough place to play with their ‘12th Man’, the Skins are just too hot right now. Take Washington with the points.


Jacksonville (Even) over PITTSBURGH

This game should be a no-brainer. Pittsburgh has been on a slide of late, losing 4 of their last 7, including a 22-29 defeat against, you guessed it, the Jacksonville Jaguars. In that game Taylor and Jones-Drew combined for a total of 216 yards rushing, which was only one less than Pittsburgh’s total yards. To make things worse the Steelers are without Willie Parker, who rushed for over 1300 yards this year. The Steelers should be no match for the 11-5 Jaguars. Take Jacksonville to win.


NY Giants (+2.5) over TAMPA BAY

The G-Men may be coming off their best game of the season in their loss to the Patriots. Eli Manning threw for over 250 yards and 4 TDs, showing some of his potential Giants fans haven’t seen since Week 1. If Eli can be consistent and play mistake free this Sunday, the Giants running game should bull over the Tampa D who are giving up over 100 yards rushing per game. Take New York with the points.


Tennessee (+9.5) over SAN DIEGO

The Chargers started the season slow but have been nearly unstoppable since Week 5, winning 10 of their last 12 games. The Titans, on the other hand, have quietly put together a decent season, going in 10-6 in the undoubtedly best division in the NFL. The 9.5 point spread is quite large considering the two went into overtime when they met 4 weeks ago. Although the Chargers will be at home this weekend, the Titans defense with Haynesworth in the game will be able to slow down LT and San Diego just enough to keep them from covering. Take Tennessee with the points.


The Bleeding Sports Brain Trust: G. Francis

Thank you, thank you. The champ is back fresh of dominating Mr. J. Daniel's fantasy football league and ready to embarass him for a second striaght year in our Bleeding Sports NFL Playoff Pick'em. On to the picks!

SEATTLE (-4) over Washington

Initially I wanted to go with Washington in this game. The Redskins have essentially been playing playoff games for the past 4 weeks and have the extra motivation of playing for fallen teammate Sean Taylor. Seattle has been flying under the radar most of the season as they once again cruised to a division title in the weak NFC West. The Seahawks have been fairly one-dimensional for most of season given the fact that Shaun Alexander’s performance has slipped so far so fast. With that being said, I would like to see Washington pull this game out and continue one of the more intriguing stories in the NFL this season. However, Washington has had to exert so much effort just to get into the postseason and between traveling cross country on a short week combined with the Seattle’s distinct home field advantage will be too much for Washington to overcome.


Jacksonville (Even) over PITTSBURGH

The line to this contest has since shifted with the Jags now favored on the road against a Steelers team that is historically tough to beat at home. When the Steelers choke at home in the playoffs it usually isn’t until the AFC Championship game. This season the Steelers won’t have to worry about that because they aren’t getting out of the first round. Jacksonville physically manhandled Pittsburgh in their first meeting and is playing as well as any team in the league. Look for another big night from both Jaguar running backs, Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Meanwhile, the Steelers have been unimpressive and the loss of RB Willie Parker means the team must to rely on the likes of Najeh Davenport in the running game. Ultimately, Big Ben will be dropping back to pass more than to coach Mike Tomlin’s liking and the Steelers’ suspect offensive line will be their undoing.


NY Giants (+2.5) over TAMPA BAY

What approach is better for preparing your team for the playoffs: Resting your key players in the final week or playing your entire team even if the game is virtually meaningless? That question will be answered when the Giants and Buccaneers take the field on Sunday. Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden decided to rest seemingly all his starters in the regular season finale while the Giants went all out trying to prevent the Patriot’s from a perfect season in what turned out to be the most entertaining game of the entire NFL regular season. The key to this game is Giants’ QB Eli Manning who needs to play well and limit the mistakes and inconsistency that has plagued him all season. Tampa Bay’s defense will be aggressive and try to force Eli into mistakes which means the Giants’ must run the football successfully to take the pressure off the quarterback. Last week, New York proved that they can play with the elite in the NFL and if they perform at that level in Tampa they should win easily. For Tampa Bay, QB Jeff Garcia has barely played in the last month and while RB Ernest Graham has had a nice season, he isn’t a game breaker. On paper, the Giants are the better team and should play with a load of confidence after standing toe to toe with New England. The G-Men get over the first round hump and win outright.


SAN DIEGO (-9.5) over Tennessee

I would have really liked to see Cleveland in this game because Tennessee is tough to watch and it could get ugly in a hurry on Sunday in San Diego. The Titans are banged up. Starting tight End Bo Scaife and WR Roydell Williams are both on the shelf while QB Vince Young is a game-time decision. However, the reason the Titans are in the playoffs has little to do with Young and offense and a lot to do with a stout defense which will have their hands full with Tomlinson, Gates and company. The Chargers turned their season around after a 1-3 start and are still one of the most talented teams in the league on both sides of the ball. The Chargers are +24 in turnover differential while Titan’s are inexperienced on offense and feature fumble prone RB LenDale White. This was a close game when these two teams played a few weeks ago, but don’t expect Tennessee to keep pace on the scoreboard this time around. The Chargers have something to prove after a couple of past playoff disasters so look for the San Diego to win and win big.