The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

As a sports fan, we all know that it’s going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions throughout the years as we root for superstars, underachievers, and overachievers that suit up and wear the same colors that most of us are willing to proudly display somewhere in our everyday life. But whenever you boil everything down, it usually falls into one of three categories. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Watching the NBA draft lottery in 2008 as my beloved Chicago Bulls lucked into getting the 1^st overall pick and thus being able to select hometown boy Derrick Rose is a great memory. Finding out about Darryl Kile’s death back in 2002 was one of the worst moments I’ve been through as a sports fan, and it doesn’t get much uglier then Rex Grossman being your quarterback when your team reaches the Super Bowl for the first time in your lifetime. But yesterday was one of the most unique days I’ve ever had as a sports fan, and this is why.

First things first, the good. The Cardinals were down 1-0 to the hated Brewers but Albert Pujols showed why he’s the best player in baseball and why if anyone isdeserving of a $300 million dollar contract, it’s him. He finished the night with 3 doubles and a home run to bag 3 runs and 5 RBIs as the Cardinals won in Milwaukee to even the series up 1-1 as it heads to St. Louis tomorrow tonight.

The bad was that I stayed up to watch my Bears get gashed by Calvin Johnson early and Jahvid Best late as the offensive line was busy either committing 9 false starts or giving Jay Cutler no time to throw. Cutler and Forte looked great and if the Bears had not committed so many costly penalties and been able to keep from giving up the big play (like the Cover 2 is designed to do) they probably would have won the game. Instead they fall 3 games behind the Packers and Lions and are left with huge questions about what they need to do going forward.

And the ugly was the inevitable but painful news that the first two weeks of the NBA season had been lost. I’m going to be writing more about this obviously because I’m such a huge basketball fan but I couldn’t help but feel the sting whenever the news became official. More is going to get canceled, possibly the entire season, but the lockout is finally really sinking in. I was only 10 when the NBA lost games before so this is the first time I’ve really experienced lost games (I’m not an NHL fan) and let me tell you, it’s ugly.

As a sports fan, you expect a lot of ups-and-downs throughout not just the years but from game-to-game and quarter-to-quarter, or inning if we’re talking baseball. But yesterday I was taken on quite possibly the biggest rollercoaster of my sports life, getting jam-packed with all three emotional trips from my three favorite and most closely-followed teams all in the span of a few hours. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take some Ambien and get some rest, I don’t think I can handle another night like that for a while.

Extra Credit: Devin Hester Sets Another Record

This week Devin Hester set the record for the most punt returns for a touchdown this week after this excellent return against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Congrats to Hester and the Bears special teams on a great accomplishment!

Ten NFL Bets I Love

With football season starting just around the corner it's just about time for me to do something I do every year; pick out at least 10 online bets that I would consider to be a really good value. Normally I would just put this down somewhere and save it for the end of the year but I thought this might be interesting enough to put on here. The bets are from sportsbook.com and they aren't in any real order, just whichever I come across first.

1. Philip Rivers to win NFL MVP, + 1200

The MVP award usually goes to a quarterback who leads his team to a division title while also putting up big numbers to win the voters over. Other then Aaron Rodgers, I don't think there is a better lock to meet those criteria then Philip Rivers. He threw for 4700 yards and 30 touchdowns last year and that's without Vincent Jackson being there for 6 games. Add in the sting of missing the playoffs last year along with the very real possibility that Aaron Rodgers ends up missing a few games like last year and I believe that Rivers is as good a candidate as you'll find. He's also considered a long shot apparently by sportsbook.com as you'd only have to bet $10 to win $120 and this first bet is a great, great value.

2. Cam Newton to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, +400

At first I was going to put a combo of both Cam Newton and Julio Jones as they both have the same 4-to-1 odds so putting the same amount on both would give you basically 2-to-1 odds that one of them hits and ends up with the award but for the sake of this list, I decided to just pick the one I thought was more likely to win. While I love Julio Jones, it's hard enough for a rookie wide receiver to get up to speed with a full off-season, let alone a lockout. And while that'll give Newton problems as well, I just think Newton is going to have tons of chances to prove he can play and he'll win the award with his legs, not his arm.

3. Sam Bradford to have the Most Passing Yards, +2000

4. Philip Rivers to have the Most Passing Yards, +270

I'm piggybacking a little bit off of the Bradford hype but with odds like this, it's hard to not like the idea of throwing a 20 dollar bill on him and if he happens to put everything together with as much as they throw the ball, you could have a $400 ticket at the end of the year. They are going to throw the ball a lot like they did last year and while I don't think this is one that is very likely, the fact that the odds are so big makes it worth a second look if only for the fun of rooting for the second year quarterback throughout the year.

Philip Rivers on the other hand is the favorite in this category but it doesn't make him a bad bet. He managed to throw for the most yards while missing a combined 17 games from his two best targets in Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates. It isn't flashy, but it's a solid bet.

5. Ray Rice to have the Most Rushing Yards, +2000

6. Adrian Peterson to have the Most Rushing Yards, +300

Another unlikely one with Ray Rice, but with McGahee gone I expect Rice to get close to the curse of 370 and with a little luck, he can certainly be right in the mix for a chance at the rushing title. With the odds he's getting this is much like the Bradford pick in one that could just be fun to root for but there is value to be had with Ray Rice. As for Peterson, he's also the favorite but for good reason. He's the most talented back in the entire league with a good-but-not-great quarterback. He's going to get more then enough carries to get the most yards and I'd say he probably will. Still, with 3-to-1 odds it's hard to not see the value there.

7. Sam Bradford +4.5 to throw more Touchdowns then Joe Flacco

Another Bradford love bet, last year Flacco threw 7 more touchdowns then Bradford. But the jump from rookie to sophomore should be big for last year's #1 draft pick and while I don't think Flacco is going to have a big drop off, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bradford throw for more touchdowns before even factoring in the spread. Add the fact that it's a pretty big number at 4.5 and I think this is a pretty safe bet.

8. Larry Fitzgerald +90.5 to have more Receiving Yards then Greg Jennings

Larry Fitzgerald is going to catch a lot of passes. I mean, a ton. He had 170 targets last year and instead of a ragtag group of under-achieving quarterbacks he's going to have Kevin Kolb under center throwing him the ball. Meanwhile, with JerMichael Finley back and the numerous weapons that Aaron Rodgers has at his disposal, I just don't see how Greg Jennings is going to be able to have 90 more yards then Fitzgerald.

9. Roddy White -1.5 to have more Touchdowns then Hakeem Nicks

This bet is most about the fact I expect the Giants to be on the down slide this season coupled with teh fact I expect the Falcons to be airing the ball out all year long. Julio Jones will be raw but he should help take some of the pressure off of Roddy White so while I expect Roddy's catches and yards to go down this year, I'd be surprised if he doesn't have at least as many touchdowns as he did last season if not a few more.

10. Calvin Johnson -2.5 to have more Touchdowns then Dwayne Bowe

I know there is a ton of hype around the Lions coming into the season. While I'm not on that bandwagon nearly as much as most people are (I think they are going to be the NFC version of the Texans these past few years, mostly hype) I am a huge Megatron fan. I also know that Bowe led the league in touchdowns last year. But instead of having one of the easiest schedules this year, they are going to have one of the hardest. Because of that, I really expect for Matt Cassel to fall off while if Johnson can get 8 games out of Stafford, I think he has a real chance to have 5 more touchdowns then Bowe will.

Extra Credit: DeSean Jackson Rips Out New York's Heart

Does it get any better then this? After a huge comeback to tie the game and with just seconds remaining on the clock, DeSean Jackson bobbles the punt but picks it up and takes it to the house for the victory with no time left on the clock.

Extra Credit: Devin Hester Returns a Field Goal for a Touchdown

As a Bears fan I've seen all of Devin Hester's returns for touchdowns but this one is by far my favorite and with the NFL season quickly approaching I couldn't think of any better way to get ready then to watch some of our favorite plays from seasons past. First up, Hester surprises the Giants by catching their field goal attempt and takes it to the house!

NFL Lockout: The 5 Biggest Bullet Points

So I'm not sure if you guys heard or not, but the NFL lockout is finally over. So now that they waited until the last possible moment and there have been probably 2,000 stories written about the fact that yes, pro football is back. Other then celebrating the fact that we will have football on Sundays, this blog is really me deciding the five things are the most important coming out of this massive mess. So, what made the cut?

First things first, the most important thing of all in my opinion is this. The players and owners agreed to a 10 year CBA with no option to opt out of the deal. Again, let me repeat, no opt out option. So for the next ten years we aren't going to have to worry anymore about what everyone just went through and for at least another 7 or 8 years we won't even have to worry about hearing people on ESPN or wherever else you get your sports news talking about a potential lockout coming. Nothing but games from this point on for a while.

One of the few things that both owners and players agreed upon (though the players would never admit it publicly and lose that leverage) was that rookie contracts were out of control. For proof, just look at last year's #1 pick. Sam Bradford proved during his rookie season that he is going to be a great quaterback in this league most likely, but before ever taking a snap he signed a contract that guaranteed $50 million dollars. That was a problem but in the new CBA there is going to be a slotting system and 4 year contracts for 1^st round picks with a 5^th year option that would be the sum of the top 10 players salaries at that position.

So where is that money going to go that the teams are saving? Well some of it will certainly go to the more veteran players getting their second or third contracts, but a lot of the money will be going into something called the “Legacy Fund” that is going to help former players in life after football. I'm sure there are plenty of critics out there already but this fund is a good start. Players will have lifetime health insurance as well as increased pensions and as we learn more about the human brain it's important to take care of the former players to avoid another Dave Duerson tragedy.

The fourth thing (and last that is actually in the CBA) is that the franchise tag is staying around and it isn't limited to a one-time use on a player. While it might not seem like a big deal, it gives teams a lot of control over impending free agents. In theory, a team could draft a guy at a good slotted salary then pick up the option for the 5^th year and then franchise tag him for the next three and controlling that player for 8 years. Assuming that is how it is going to work, (the option year might count as a franchise tag instead of just an option) it gives the owners some leverage on guaranteed money handed out. The player would still be getting four years of top 10 money so it isn't as if he'll be hurting for cash, but that big guaranteed check that comes with a big free agency signing might elude them.

The last point I had isn't something that is actually written; it's just my opinion. I've said many times that I was never around for any other lockouts but the ones in the past seemed to favor the owners much more then the players. I think that with technology being what it is today and social media having taken off, the fans and media are much more likely to side with the players then the owners. While it was an easy picture to paint that the owners were being greedy, it was also true and backed up repeatedly over and over. Back when all there were was newspapers there would probably just be a story about it in the paper and a mention on the news but today anyone can dig as deep as they want and share what they find. It'll be interesting to see if the NBA players can find a way to get the public on their side the way the NFL players did.

And there you have it, the five biggest bullet points we can get from this lockout, at least from my perspective. So now that I've written something on the NFL lockout being over like everyone else, I leave it to you. If you guys think something else deserved to be up here feel free to let me know.

How DeMaurice Smith Saved the Season

To be completely honest, I've just been waiting on a reason to use that picture of DeMaurice Smith ever since I saw it over at Yahoo. When you look like you're trying to dress as smooth as he is, you really need to have a good reason for it or otherwise you're going to come off looking a little over the top. But DeMaurice Smith knew something that we didn't and that ace up his sleeve that probably gave him the confidence to put that fedora on is more then likely the same ace that is going to save the start of this NFL season.

We went from things be quoted as “not looking good” one night to a massive jump in progress the next. As that started to sink in, word got out about a secret insurance policy that Smith had taken out on behalf of the players. The insurance boiled down to that if no football was played this year, every NFL player would be cashing a check worth almost $200,000 for their troubles. Add that to the fact that it is looking like the owners are going to have to pony up to the players because of the $4.3 billion clause for their TV rights in case of no football this year being ruled against their agreement with the players and the owners saw their biggest leverage vanish. The players weren't going to be missing those paychecks nearly as badly as the owners thought they would and because of that, it kick-started negotiations.

Now I know that the season hasn't been saved yet as there still isn't a CBA agreement in place, but the news has been so much more positive since this story broke that for the first time in a month, I actually don't think we're going to miss hardly any of the preseason. And the reason for that is because DeMaurice Smith knew what everyone else did; that the owners leverage would come from their deep pockets . With that knowledge Smith had the foresight to take the owners biggest advantage and turn it into a disadvantage by having that ace and waiting until just the right time to play it.

I was only 10 when the NBA had their lockout in 1999 so I don't remember it really at all but from what I can tell, David Stern grew a sweet beard and the players folded once they ran out of money. Smith prevented that and insured that the players would stand together against the owners even after their paychecks stopped coming and because of that, we're more then likely going to be getting football very, very soon.

Ranking the NFL Divisions By Quarterback Talent

When it comes to football these days, it's all about who you have under center. It's become a passing league and for better or worse, the days of smash mouth football are over. Of course it's better for the players health and safety, especially with all we've learned about concussions over just the last few years. Growing up a Bears fan, I'm a big supporter of defense, running the ball, and take pride in following the black and blue division. Really, I didn't have a choice other then to resist the change given the history of quarterbacks for the Chicago Bears.

You can't stop change though and while I still appreciate a good defensive battle more then most NFL fans, I've also started learning more and more about the technical side of offense outside of the latest exploits on the latest Madden game. But unless you have the NFL package, one game a week is going to be in one division no matter what. I'm lucky enough to live where I get to watch my Bears every week, but that also means I get to watch more NFC North games then any other division in football. And one thing I've noticed is that while it used to be just Brett Farve as the lone star QB in the black and blue division, the teams in the NFC North are actually one of the better teams when it comes to quarterback play.

So after making a list of each division and writing down the starting quarterbacks according to ESPN.com (except for teams that drafted a QB in the first round this year), I ranked each division 1-8 in terms of quarterback talent. What I found the most interesting was even though most people would consider the AFC to be the superior conference, I found myself ranking the top 3 groups as all from the NFC. But enough with the tease, from best to worst, here is my take on how each division stacks up in the quarterback department.

1 - NFC South

Headlined by two Pro Bowl quarterbacks, a Pro Bowl alternate in his first year, and the #1 pick from this year's draft, this division is the most talented from top to bottom. Drew Brees is considered by many to be the #3 quarterback in the entire league and Matt Ryan is probably the best young quarterback we have in the entire league. Josh Freeman had a coming out party last year and with his build (a lot like Big Ben) he's a pretty good bet to become one of the better quarterbacks in the entire league. And while Cam Newton is an unknown commodity he was talented enough to be this year's top draft pick and I'd rather have him starting under center then say, Alex Smith.

2 - NFC East

This group actually has three quarterbacks who can lay claim to having been Pro Bowl caliber players in recent years with Tony Romo, Eli Manning, and Mike Vick all under center for teams in this division. The best of the group last year was easily Mike Vick who finally looks as if he's put it all together to become the most dangerous offensive player in the entire NFL. Eli Manning once again looked to be a solid starter and Romo should be back and better then ever with a top 10 pick being used on an offensive lineman. What kept this group from being in the top spot was the idea that Rex Grossman might actually be a starting QB on another team. I'm a Bears fan and while there were some highs with Sexy Rexy, there were a lot more lows.

3 - NFC North

I know what you're thinking but before you go and call me a homer, take a look at the list. The Packers have probably the #4 QB in the entire league in Aaron Rodgers. Then you have Jay Cutler who is a great talent and should have a much better season after having a year to learn the Mike Martz system. And if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy he has tools to be considered one of the better quarterbacks in the league, especially if Calvin Johnson is still lining up on the outside for him. The Vikings are obviously the team lacking in this group but every division has at least one guy sticking out like a sore thumb and I'd much rather it be a first round draft pick like Ponder then someone like Jason Campbell.

4 - AFC South

5 - AFC North

I had a really hard time deciding between these two divisions, hence why I'm putting them together here. Both divisions have two quarterbacks that are considered elite with Manning and Schaub in the South while the North is represented by Big Ben and Joe Flacco. I like Manning a little bit more then Roethlisberger but Flacco more then Schaub. The only reason I rank the South higher is that I think Gabbart and Locker will turn into a better QB duo then McCoy and Dalton. Still, this was probably where I had the most trouble because both divisions are so similar in talent and potential.

6 - AFC East

The last three divisions are filled with one talented quarterback and three others that you probably only want to see on the field if it's the pre-season. But this division has a guy named Tom Brady so that automatically puts it ahead of both the AFC and NFC West. After Brady you've got Sanchez and Fitzpatrick, two guys who at least up to now, you can count on to win a few games but not quite talented enough to win a Super Bowl, and Chad Henne. Henne is yet another guy who would be much more suited as a back-up QB but will most likely end up getting some starts under center.

7 - AFC West

Much like the AFC East, this division has one elite level quarterback and three other guys that would be considered serviceable starters. Philip Rivers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has proven that he's got the toughness to stay on the field. But I'm not a believer in Tebow ever being more then a slightly better Vince Young and neither Cassell nor Campbell do anything for me and both are at the peak of their talent level. While you could argue that there isn't a bad quarterback in this group, I'd counter with there is only one above average one and that puts this division almost dead last.

8 - NFC West

Was there ever any doubt which division would come in last? This division has a potential franchise guy in Sam Bradford and really, not much else. Matt Hasselbeck is nearly done, John Skelton has the look of a career journeyman, and Alex Smith looks worse and worse as he continues to fail while Aaron Rodgers picks up a Super Bowl win. This is easily the worst division in the entire NFL and when you look at the guys throwing the ball, it isn't hard to see why.

Where Is The NFL At Again?

Now that summer has officially started, I find myself for the first time actually noticing that football isn't gearing up to get started. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the NFL but apparently not as big of one as I thought. Honestly, I can say I'm shocked they haven't managed to figure out a way to make $9 billion dollars go around yet as the toll the lockout is taking on the fans just keeps growing. I never knew making buckets and buckets of money was such a burden but you know what they say, mo' money mo' problems.

Maybe it's because rather then sitting through SportsCenter and catching the latest updates on the lockout while waiting on highlights I can just hop online and see what happened in MLB and NBA, but I haven't even really heard much on the lockout until the last few days. They say that the owners have agreed to offer a deal that gives the players 48% without taking any off the top, no 18 game schedule, rookie scale, and a lot more money for the retired players. The fact they are finally making some progress is great news, but it'll be even greater when they come to an agreement with the players union or whatever they're calling it these days.

Normally this time of the year I'm still researching just who the Bears drafted this year and watching highlights of their college careers while checking out any first round picks from all the teams if I'm not familiar with them. About this time last year I was watching Major Wright, Corey Wooten, and J'Marcus Webb film hoping that the Bears had found a diamond in the rough since the Bears 1^st and 2^nd round picks had been traded to other teams.

Instead, now I'm following the Cardinals more then I ever have in the dog days of the baseball season even though Albert Pujols just managed to fracture his forearm and paying attention to whether or not the NBA is getting ready to start a lockout of their own. I'm really hoping that once the NFL starts back up (whenever it is) that I fall right back into my own normal NFL routine. I'm not one of these fans who is going to “boycott” because of the lockout and just not watch, I want my football back. I'm just not sure why I don't want it back more.