Final Four Preview

It has arrived. After 68 teams started this dance at the beginning of the month, we are down to four teams left. The Final Four has arrived, as Saturday April 4th, the last four teams standing will face off  for a right to play for a National Championship in Men's Basketball. Last year's final four did have a bit of intrigue to it, when we saw #7 Connecticut Huskies beat #1 Florida Gators, and then the #8 Kentucky Wildcats knock off the #2 Wisconsin Badgers. Not a bad matchup by any stretch of the imagination. This year's final four, however, is set up to be one that fans will remember for quite some time now.

The four teams left standing, Duke, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Michigan State, are no strangers to being in the final four. This marks the 5th time in history that at least 3 teams in the final four are number one seeds. Its happened in 1993 (North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, #2 Kansas), 1997 (Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, #4 Arizona), and the only time we have had all four #1 seeds in the tournament in 2008 (Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA). This is the third straight year one conference has had two teams in the Final Four, with Wisconsin and Michigan State coming from the Big Ten.

So there is some interesting storylines heading into this final four. We have a surprise team here in the seven seed Michigan State. Then there is Kentucky looking to cap off the perfect season. Then you have the matchup of coaching royalty in the Men's College Basketball as Tom Izzo leads the Spartans against Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils. So enough with the fluff already lets get right into the matchups in the final four.

#7 Michigan State Spartans vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils, Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET
Head coach Tom Izzo leads the 27-11 Spartans to the final four as a seven seed, coming out of the East Region. Michigan got here after victories over Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville. With a talented starting five that boasts Travis Trice, Tum Tum Nairn, Denzel Valentine, Branden Dawson and Gavin Schilling, its a tough group to go up against. Trice was perfect from the free throw line against Oklahoma, which was something that has been a struggle for the Spartans this season. Hell one of the biggest question marks for this team, coming into the tournament, was scoring. Last year, they went to the Elite Eight before losing to UCONN. Three of their top four scorers from last year are gone. Now they had to find role players to step up, and they have. Branden Dawson, Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice have come up big so far in this tournament, Trice being the big star of the three, and the most consistent scorer on this team. His 23 points led an upset of No. 2 Virginia in the Round of 32 followed by team highs of 24 versus Oklahoma and 17 against Louisville. That's stepping up in a big way and making a name for yourself.

But as good as the Spartans have been they are going up against a talented Duke team. Mike Krzyzewski leads the 33-4 Blue Devils out of the East Region as the top seed. Duke comes in after victories over Robert Morris, San Diego State, Utah and Gonzaga. Duke has a pretty good starting lineup of their own, that boasts talent the likes of Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Amile Jefferson and Jahlil Okafor. Leading the charge has been the freshman trio of Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and headliner Jahlil Okafor. Those three guys have combined for 40 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in their win over Gonzaga. Pretty impressive, especially considering Okafor had only 9 points. He had been hitting double digits in points for most of the year. Okafor has been especially dominant in this tournament, as he has posted team-high totals of 21, 26 and 28 points against Robert Morris, San Diego State and Notre Dame in the Blue Devils' run. He is proving to be one of the dominant big men in all of college basketball.

The big matchup for me in this basketball game is going to be Trice against Okafor, as they have been two of the top players in this years tournament. Its going to be a very entertaining basketball game, there no doubt about that. Michigan State is going to make it a VERY close basketball game, but they are going to hit the wall in this one.

Winner: DUKE

#1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET
Bo Ryan leads his Badgers, the top seed from the West Region, at 35-3 into the big dance for the four time in school history, and second year in a row. Ironically enough, the team that beat them last year is the team they face this year in Kentucky. In order to face the Wildcats again, Wisconsin had to take down Coastal Carolina, Oregon, North Carolina and Arizona. The impressive starting lineup of Bronson Koenig, Josh Gasser, Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers are back in the dance again. Wisconsin is trying to win its first national title since 1941, if they can somehow do it then they earned it in a very big way with wins over powers like North Carolina and Arizona. Frank Kaminsky has been the driving force behind this team, he makes the Badgers go. Kaminsky has hit double figures in scoring in all but one game this season. He has lead the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. After scoring 28 points and pulling down 11 rebounds against Arizona last year, he put up 29 points and six boards in last weekend's victory. He has a supporting cast around him, there no doubt about it, but lets face it Frank is powering this club.

They are facing a rematch from last year with kentucky. It's just the third time in NCAA Tournament history there has been a national semifinal rematch in consecutive seasons. The Wildcats, lead by John Calipari, come out of the Midwest region with a perfect 38-0. Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein are powering this wildcat boat to where they are right now. In order to get to this point, the Wildcats went through Hampton, Cincinnati, blew out West Virginia and got by the skin of their teeth against Notre Dame. If the Wildcats can get the win in their final two games, they will be the first team since Indiana in 1976 to run the table and the first school to ever win a National Title with a record of 40-0. It'll be a battle of wills between Frank Kaminsky and Willie Cauley-Stein in the battle of the big men.

With as good as the Badgers have been this year, they are going to push the Wildcats to the limit, much like the Fighting Irish did in the last round. Much like the last year, the result will be the same. The Badgers have had a great year but this is where it comes to an end.

Winner: KENTUCKY

So there we have the preview of the Final Four, which tips off this Saturday from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis!

March Madness Living Up To Billing

Much like the playoffs in other sports, anything can happen in the NCAA Basketball tournament. They call it march madness for a reason. This time of year it seems, more so than any other during college basketball seasons, upsets have a strong tendency to take place. This year was no exception. Some big schools went down in upsets in the opening weekend of the tournament. Some teams did what they expected to do, while others just couldn't hang. Lets stop wasting time and get right into the action.

Midwest Bracket
During the opening round of the tournament, the Midwest stayed the course. Kentucky (over Hampton), Cincinnati (over Purdue), West Virginia (over Buffalo), Maryland (over Valparaiso), Butler (over Texas), Notre Dame (over Northeastern), Wichita State (over Indiana) and Kansas (over New Mexico State) all did what they had to do to move on in the big dance. The closest game in this opening round was Cincinnati beating Purdue, 66-65 in overtime. A.J. Hammons and Vince Edwards both hit double digits in scoring, powering the Boilermakers. But it wasn't enough as the Bearcats pulled out the win. They did it despite the fact that Octavius Ellis, the team leading scorer, was ejected and could play. So Troy Caupain stepped his game up, despite the fact he missed the layup with 61 seconds left in regulation. Caupain came up clutch in OT helping Cincinnati pull out the victory.

It took a nailbitter but the opening round went as planned. It was the round of 32 that saw two upsets in this region. First was West Virginia beating Maryland 69-59. It's viewed as a bit of an upset because it was a five seed in West Virginia beating a four seed in Maryland. Not only did they beat them, but they won by ten to boot. Devin Williams had the big game for the Mountainiers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers scored 16 second-chance points and forced 23 turnovers, which had the Terps on their heals the entire 2nd half. The other upset was #7 Wichita State beating #2 Kansas 78-65. All five starters for the Shockers, Darius Carter (10pts), Tekele Cotton (19pts), Evan Wessel (12pts), Ron Baker (12pts) and Fred VanVleet (17pts), finished. in double digits in points. It was a bit of a physical basketball game, one which saw the Shockers dominate from start to finish. Wichita State is the third team to beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament with a quintet of 10-point scorers. The previous two both reached the title game (ESPN).

Matchups in Midwest Bracket (Sweet 16):
#1 Kentucky vs. #5 West Virginia
#3 Notre Dame vs. #7 Wichita State

West Regional
To the West region we go and in the opening round we saw not one but two upsets to kick things off here. Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Xavier, Oregon and Arkansas all won their opening round games. The two upsets came in the form of #10 Ohio State beating #7 VCU 75-72 in Overtime and #14 Georgia State beating #3 Baylor 57-56. Georgia State pulled off the biggest upset of the start of the tournament. R.J. Hunter became the hero of the night, hitting the game winning 3 with 2.7 seconds remaining on the clock. Baylor wasted the efforts of Taurean Prince, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. After hitting two free throws to take a 56-44 lead, Baylor was held off the scoreboard for the final 2:58 in the basketball game. Baylor had the lead and just couldn't finish the job, allowing Georgia State to come away with the victory.

The other opening round upset saw Ohio State shock VCU in overtime to advance in the tournament, for one more round at least. D'Angelo Russell carried the Buckeyes on this night, dropping 28 points on the VCU Rams. Russell was all over the court, having a solid game at both ends of the floor, and helped the Buckeyes erase a 10 point deficit to come back and move on in the tournament. The 28 points by Russell was the 3rd most by a Big Ten Freshman in the history of the tournament.  Once we hit the 2nd round of the tournament, it seemed as if everything sort of fell into place. The upsets in this region died off in the first round.

Matchups in the West Bracket (Sweet 16):
#1 Wisconsin vs. #4 North Carolina
#2 Arizona vs. #6 Xavier

East Region
In the East region there were three upsets in the first two rounds of the tournament. Villanova, NC State, Northern Iowa, Louisville, Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Virginia all moved on after the first round. The upset was #11 Dayton beating #6 Providence 66-53. Dyshawn Pierre scored 20 points to lead the Flyers in scoring. The big story from this game was Providence, who was seedewd 6th, not really being able to overcome early foul trouble for Big East player of the year Kris Dunn. Dayton came in on a roll and Providence just didn't know how to stop them.

The two big upsets from this region came in the round of 32. First we saw #7 Michigan State take down #2 Virginia 60-54. Travis Trice always finds a way to step his game up in the big moments, and for the 2nd year in a row the Spartans beat the Cavaliers. Trice dropped 23 points on Virginia, including scoring 13 of his team's first 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers. That's to go along with Branden Dawson adding in 15 points and nine rebounds. London Perrantes and Justin Anderson were a combined 4-of-17 from the field for Virginia, which couldn't have had a worse time for its two best players not to be able to hit shots in a big game. The other SHOCKER from the round of 32 was #8 NC State beating #1 Villanova 72-68. Anthony Barber, dropped 13 points to complement the 17 points dropped in by Trevor Lacey, which helped power the Wolfpack to the upset victory. It was however the two clutch free throws made by Ralston Turner with one second left on the clock in regulation. Turner went to the line after being fouled by Darrun Hilliard. Hillard had scored 27 points and gamely rallied the Wildcats in the final minutes, but made the foul that cost them the basketball game. This is a bit tough for the Wildcats, as they have not won more than one game in the NCAA tournament since 2009.

Matchups in the East Bracket (Sweet 16):
#4 Louisville vs. #8 NC State
#3 Oklahoma vs. #7 Michigan State

South Region
South region saw it played mostly to the script. Duke, San Diego State, Utah, Georgetown, Iowa and Gonzaga all moved on. The upset was #14 UAB beating #3 Iowa State 60-59. William Lee hit two clutch free throws near the end of regulation to push UAB just ahead of Iowa state, as he finished the game with 23 points to lead all scoresrs. The Blazers had a 19-9 edge on the offensive glass, which is one of the big keys as to why UAB pulled off this upset. This isn't the first time that Iowa State has lost as a two seed, it happened in 2001 when they Lost to Hampton.

The other was #14 UCLA beating #11 SMU 60-59. This is a call that's going to be talked about for quite some time now. Bryce Alford's final jumper appeared offline when he let it fly from behind the 3-point arc. SMU center Yanick Moreira was in position and seemed to time his leap as he went up to touch it. He blocked the shot. The officials, however, thought he was a bit too quick and called goaltending and awarded Alford the winning basket with 13 seconds left. The refs seemed to blow the call and UCLA should have lost the game, but that's not the case and they made that goaltedning call on Moreira. Under Rule 9.3a 1 and 2, "Goaltending occurs when a defensive player touches the ball during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met: the ball is on the downward flight; and the ball is above the level of the ring and has a possibility of entering the basket." (ESPN) Moreira later took to social media to apologize to his teammates and fans for making the play he did.

Matchups in the South Region (Sweet 16):
#1 Duke vs. #5 Utah
#2 Gonzaga vs. #11 UCLA

So there's just some of the highlights from the opening weekend in the tournament

Tournament Time Has Arrived

The time has arrived. The NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is here, march madness is ready to rock and roll. Connecticut, the defending national champions, weren't invited to the big dance this year, which came as a bit of a shocker. There are plenty of questions that can be involved with a big single elimination tournament such as this one. Who can pull off the biggest upset? Can Kentucky run the table and go 40-0 to claim the national title? Can Duke overcome last years upset? Can the ACC return to dominance in the tournament?

So lets get right into it and take a look at what we got going into this years tournament.

Kentucky is going into the tournament 34-0, becoming the 19th school in tournament history to head into the NCAA Tournament unbeaten. Last year the Shockers of Wichita State, who came in with the same record as Kentucky at 34-0. Last year the Shockers came up short, falling to Kentucky in the 2nd round. There have been seven teams to run the table, going unbeaten to win a national title, the last team to do it being the Indiana Hoosiers from 1976. The Hoosiers went 27-0 that year to claim the crown. For the Wildcats to that this year, the would have to run the table in the big dance and finish the year at 40-0. A bit of a surprise this year is that the defending national champions, Connecticut, weren't even invited to the big dance. This marks the 4th time since the turn of the century that the champion has failed to make the tournament to defend their crown.

One has to wonder, just how important is seeding in the tournament? In this setup of the win or go home tournament, no seed is safe really. There is one thing we do know for sure, the #16 seeds have had no luck whatsoever in the big dance. The #1 seed is perfect in the opening round, going 120-0 against the #16 seeds. So its a pretty safe bet that Kentucky, Duke, Villanova and Wisconsin will all be moving on after round one. There have been some upsets in the opening round, as there have been seven instances where a #15 has beaten a #2 seed. It's happened in 2013 (Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown), 2012 (Lehigh over Duke), 2012 (Norfolk State over Missouri), 2001 (Hampton over Iowa State), 1997 (Coppin State over South Carolina), 1993 (Santa Clara over Arizona) and in 1991 (Richmond over Syracuse).  For this years dance, however, I have the gut feeling that the #2 seeds in this dance really don't have much to worry about. As it sits right now Gonzaga, Virginia, Arizona and Kansas should be able to hold off

The highest number of upsets in the opening round? That would be the 44 times that the 12 seeds knock off the 5 seeds. So in this years tournament, it's Arkansas, Northern Iowa, Utah and West Virgina have to deal with that unlikely number and bit of luck. In fact, there are five teams in this years tournament that rank in the top twenty of the longest consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. You have Kansas  at 25 straight years (T-2nd), Duke  at 19 straight years (4th) Michigan State  at 17 straight years (T-6th), and Gonzaga and Wisconsin with 16 straight years each.

As mentioned before, there some big stories going into the tournament. One being, as mentioned before, Kentucky running the table and winning the title at 40-0 if they can do it. There also the possibility each and every year of a major upset. In the opening round I don't really see any upsets, except one. I got #10 Ohio State pulling off an upset and beating #7 VCU. The feeling won't last long for the Buckeyes though, as I have them falling to Arizona in the round of 32. I also have #9 Purdue beating #8 Cincinnati. Then Purdue has to run into the best team in the nation in Kentucky, thus wending the dream season.

It would take way too long and be too boring to read my entire bracket for the tournament. So here's what we gonna do I'll share with you who I got going to the final four and why.

All the #1 seeds will make the final four. Villanova will take on Duke and Wisconsin will take on Kentuky in my final four. Villanova gets to the final four by beating NC State, Lousiville and Oklahoma to reach the Final Four. Darrun Hilliard II, Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono and Dylan Ennis are the guys who have been carrying the offense for Nova this season, and are big reasons why they captured a #1 seed.

They will face Duke in the final four. For Duke to get there, they have to go through St. Johns Georgetown and Gonzaga to get to the final four. Duke has had good performances most of the year from talented players like Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and their big men in Quinn Cook and Jahlil Okafor. Sure Duke is coming off the loss to the Fighting Irish. But there really isn't really anybody in the south bracket who scares me against Duke. The only one in that bracket who I could see possibly knocking off Dukle would be Gonzaga, which is going to be a very close game. I still think Duke is the best team in the bracket.

In this one I have Duke squeaking it out my a hair over Villanova to move on to the title game. I just think that Duke has a slightly better talent pool than that of Villanova. So Duke will wait the winner

The other final four matchup for me is Kentucky playing Wisconsin. The Badgers will reach the final four by getting through Oregon, North Carolina and Arizona. Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes are the reason the Badger are where are they are in the tournament. During the course of the season, the Badgers have been a team that usually had a ten point margin of victory. They are a strong team which is why they are going to the final four.

Then there is the unbeaten Kentucky. The Wildcats get to the finals beating Cincinnati, Maryland and Kansas in the march to the title. Aaron Harrison and Devin Booker are the guys leading the Wildcats attack, while Kentuck has been putting beatings on opponents most of the year this season. They can hit shots from all over the place and are just a well balanced good basketball team. In this matchup I got Kentucky taking the game and moving on to the national title game to play Duke.

In the Title game, I got the Wildcats taking down the Blue Devils 77-70. Its going to be a entrtaining basketball game for sure but I just have the gut feeling that Kentucky's offense is going to be too much for Duke. I know the Wildecats weren't truly tested most of the year,the toughest test Kentucky has all year was an eight point win over Louisville back in December. Still I think they are the best team in the land and they will run the table to claim the National Championship.

Chris Borland Retirement Makes A Statement

Retirement. When a pro athletes make that announcement, its usually because they have nothing left in the tank on the field of play. In the case of former San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Chris Borland, his cause for retirement has a different meaning altogether. Borland has informed the team, and the league, that he is calling it a career at the tender age of just 24 years old. He told the team this past Friday of his plans, siting the concerns about the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma.

"I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told "Outside the Lines." "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk." (ESPN). He had 107 tackles and a sack in 14 games, eight of them starts. He was slated to make $540,000 this season (ESPN).

The announcement of his retirement has brought about mixed reactions.

On the one hand it does leave some questions unanswered. This did come as a bit of a surprise because of how much of an impact he had with San Francisco. The 49ers didn't have Patrick Willis last year, due to injury. So Borland stepped in and filled a big role. When Willis got hurt last year, Borland took over around week seven. From then until week fifteen, Borland lead the entire NFL in tackles with 98. The guy could play, and play well. He put up the same kind of numbers in college. During his career at Wisconsin, Borland was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the year and linebacker of the year as a senior. He was a first-team All-American selection and recipient of multiple All-Big Ten honors. So he was one of the best up and coming linebackers in the game. Now with Borland retiring, it leaves the 49ers with a bit of a hole at the linebacker position. The guy had his whole career ahead of him, which does leave some scratching their heads. He walked away from what could have possibly been a big payday.

Now here's the other side of the argument. Look at what Borland told Outside The Lines when he was asked about why he retired. He said that playing the game wasn't worth the risk of the long term health issues. He said he feels as sharp as ever, and doesn't want to wait till its too late before symptoms start creeping up on him. It's been pretty well documented how many former players have had mental health issues after their playing careers because of concussions. You have guys like Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling and Junior Seau are among those who have lost their lives when chronic traumatic encephalopathy was involved. That happens to be one of the symptoms that are associated with concussions and post concussion syndrome.

Those players have sadly lost their lives. There are a few notable names who are now living with neurological problems thanks to playing football. You have guys like Jim McMahon, Harry Carsons, Brett Farve, Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis and so on. Plus there are more than a few former players that have sued the NFL due to the injuries occurred from the game. This is an issue, concussions in the NFL, that won't be going away anytime soon. What the Borland retirement has done is, in all likelihood, getting more people to really start thinking about the game.

If you look at the way the game is played now, a lot of the players are bigger, stronger and faster than they were twenty years ago. Because of the speed in the game, the hits are getting a lot harder. It makes it tougher for the players to stay healthy and possibly avoid head injuries. I know that the NFL is really looking into possible equipment to make the players safer, especially when it comes to trying to protect a players head. I give the league props for what they are trying to do, but I'm not sure if there is really a way to fully protect a players head from injuries.

Chris Borland had concerns about these types of injuries, which is why he chose to step away from the game now. Sure there is probably going to be somebody who can step in and fill the role that Borland left with the 49ers. What Borland did was set a standard for the players and the league by saying that my health is more important and it's ok to be able to step away from the game because of health concerns. A few years ago, a players "manhood" would have come into question. Now it's viewed as acceptable to walk away like this.

Borland becomes the most prominent NFL player to leave the game in his prime because of concerns about brain injuries.

These Guys Are Scary Good

I don't know exactly what it is but these guys are good. Really, really good. After the win over the Washington Capitals at home on Wednesday night, the New York Rangers managed to claw their way back to the top of the Metropolitan Division by a point over the New York Islanders. And they still have three games at hand on their rivals. The win made a few statements for the Rangers, but none bigger in my mind than the statement that this team could be primed for another deep playoff run.

The Rangers, at the time of this writing, have 91 points. That puts them tied with the Canadiens, Predators and Ducks for the most in the league. Because the Rangers have played fewer games than all three others, they own the NHL’s highest points percentage (.689) (WFAN). To put this into perspective as to just how good the Rangers have played, since the calender switched to 2015, the Rangers have lost just four times in regulation. No that isn't a typo, they have lost four games in regulation in a little over two months. THAT'S impressive. To make this more impressive, they have done it all without the services of star goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who has been out with injury since January 31st. Don't get me wrong, I even felt nervous for the Rangers when Hank went down, because lets face it he's the best goalie on the planet in my mind. I felt the Rangers might be in a little bit of trouble. So Hank goes down, enter Cam Talbot. Talbot has been playing outstanding hockey in replace of Lundqvist. He has been so good as of late that he's helped the Rangers earn points in 15 of 17 games. I'd say that's pretty impressive.

But wait there's more. Lets not forget that you also need to score goals in the NHL to be successful. Most know of the scoring exploits as of late of one Rick Nash, who currently ranks 2nd in the NHL in goals with 39 (as of this writing). There's more to it than just Rich Nash. They still have a productive Martin St. Louis, who is 3rd on the team in scoring. There also Derick Brassard, who 2nd in total scoring and leads the club in assists. You also have Chris Kreider playing a big role and rookie Kevin Hayes has stepped up and produced when needed.

They have been playing outstanding hockey, turning hotter than a wildfire over the past few weeks. They are heating up at the right time, leaving one to wonder is this really THE year for another parade down the Canyon of Heros.

NFL Free Agency Starts With A Bang

In any sport, this always marks off the start of the next season. For three or so days prior to free agency actually got going, rumors began flying all over the place around the NFL as to who might head where. Once the deadline hit and everything began, this turned into one of the craziest free agency days in NFL history. Not only did some big names sign with new teams, but there were at least two blockbuster trades that went down at the start of free agency. And this was only the start of free agency, there still plenty of time to go for players to sign with new teams. So for now, lets look back at some of the big moves that went down at the start of free agency.

First, before we get to the free agent signings, lets look at the two blockbuster trades that went down.

Saints trade Jimmy Graham (and Pick) to Seahawks for Max Unger (and Pick)
Big move made by both football clubs. New Orleans were WAY over the salary cap heading into the 2-15 season, so you knew they were going to be looking to get rid of some of their parts. But not too many people would have figured it would be one of their best receiving threats in Jimmy Graham. Don't get me wrong, New Orleans gets a solid player in Center Max Unger, a guy who has talent to fill a void that the Saints need in their offensive line help. I'm sorry but its not worth getting rid of Graham. I know the saints needed to cut salary cap, but it leaves me wondering a bit why you would give up a player who you just handed a 4 year deal worth $40 million. From a Seattle standpoint, this is a great The Seahawks get a player who is possibly the NFL's best at his position in his prime. They get a guy who has averaged over 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit scores over the past four years. Its a huge boost to what was a somewhat weak passing game last season. Now its adding another threat for Russel Wilson & Company to work with.

Rams Trade Sam Bradford To Eagles for Nick Foles
I, like most other people, were kinda left scratching their heads after this move was announced. Chip Kelly has done a lot of wheeling and dealing the last few days. There was the trade of LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, now this move. Both QB's are good but I really thing, from an Eagles perspective, this is a downgrade. Foles was hurt last year, playing in only eight games. But when he did play, he threw for 2,163 yards and 13 touchdown passes, to go along with 10 interceptions. Foles has been a serviceable QB, unlike Sam Bradford. For whatever reason, Bradford can't stay healthy. Foles accomplished more in 2013 than Bradford has in five NFL seasons. Bradford has missed 25 games over the past two years alone thanks to a pair of ACL tears. To make matters worse, Bradford is set to make $13 million for 2015. That's a lot of money for a quarterback with a career winning percentage well below .400. St. Louis is making out like gangbusters in this trade. They get a stable quarterback for a team that is on the upswing. So St. Louis comes out the big winners in this trade.

Jets acquire Brandon Marshall from Bears for Draft Pick
I like this trade I really do. This was made before the start of free agency but still a big move for Gang Green. Here you have a guy who has had over 1,000 yards receiving every year in the league except two, his rookie year of 2006 and last year due to injuries. The guy has all the talent in the world, enough to be a top ten wide receiver in the entire league. The one thing that has me even a little bit worried is how cheap the Jets got him for. All they gave up is a 5th round draft pick. It makes me wonder if him possibly being a headcase could be a problem. Another thing that could worry me is that, as good a receiver as Marshall is, can he produce with somebody as bad as Geno throwing to him?

Now that we got some of the big trades outta the way, heres a look at some of the big free agent signings.

Darrelle Revis to Jets: 5 Years, $70 Million; $39 Million Guaranteed
Revis was set to make $20 million this year in New England. That was before the Patriots decided not to pick up the Cornerbacks option for this year. Revis spent the first six years of his eight year career here in New York, and is coming off a Super Bowl title in New England just a season ago. Now he's back in New York, but at a bit of a price. The deal pays $70 million over five years, including a staggering $39 millionin guaranteed money. It's the largest deal for a cornerback in NFL history. Is he a bit of a headache when it comes to his contracts and money? Yes he is. But is he worth every penny of it? Yes he is. Revis is still arguably the NFL's top player at a premium position, and given that Jets secondary has been a 14-alarm dumpster fire since the moment Revis left, his return coming back here is very welcome indeed.

Julius Thomas to Jaguars: 5 Years, $46 Million, $24 Million Guaranteed
I have to say I give the Jaguars credit for going after Thomas. His numbers dipped a little last year from what he produced in 2013, but still he a very solid tight end. Even though he had ankle trouble, which limited his playing time, he still managed to grab 12 TD catches a season ago. Its a downgrade slightly going from having Peyton Manning throwing to him a year ago, to now having Blake Borttles throwing to him. Still he was the best available free agent at the tight end position, now property of the Jaguars. Since Denver lost their top tight end target, they brought in Owen Daniels to replace him. Daniels, who had 48 grabs for 527 yards and four scores for the Ravens in 2014, does have a habit of getting nicked up. However, when he's on the field, Daniels is a steady veteran with intimate familiarity with Kubiak's offensive scheme.

Frank Gore to Colts: 3 Years, $12 Million; $8.5 Million Guaranteed
So far as I could tell, not since Edgerrin James have the Indianapolis Colts had a stud, power running back. Last year experiment with Trent Richardson didn't work out the way the Colts wanted. Indy's biggest hole, from an offensive standpoint, has been the running game. That issue has finally been addressed. Enter Frank Gore, who has proven out in San Francisco that he can be a stud back in the NFL. Gore has had over 1,000 yards rushing in every year he's been in the NFL except for two seasons, 2005 and 2010. I know Frank Gore's age might be an issue, after all he is 31 years old. Still he's now gained over 1,000 yards in four straight seasons and eight of the last nine. It's a no-brainer for a team trying badly to keep up with the Joneses in the AFC.

Torrey Smith to 49ers: 5 Years, $40 Million; $22 Million Guaranteed
It had been a bit of a rough go for the 49ers leading up to the kickstart of free agency. Things haven't really looked good in San Fran as of late. Last year didn't go so well for the 49ers. Running back Frank Gore signed with the Colts. Guard Mike Iupati already bolted for the Arizona Cardinals. Linebacker Patrick Willis stunningly announced his retirement Tuesday. San Fran finally gets themselves a break by adding the presence of Torrey Smith. San fran needed to make something happen, considering that Michael Crabtree becoming a free agent and Stevie Johnson potentially the victim of a cap-cutting move, the 49ers were desperate to upgrade their pass-catchers.

Andre Johnson to Colts: 3 years, $21 Million
Houston lost its star wide out. Andrew Luck has a new weapon to work with in an already explosive offense. Johnson spent twelve years in the NFL, playing his entire career in Houston to this point. In his time with the Texans, he caught 1,012 passes on 1,599 targets for 13,597 yards. He had injury problems at times but is, overall, one of the best threats in the league. The Johnson signing was almost a way to replace Reggie Wayne in the Colts lineup, as Wayne was let go earlier this week. In fact, adding Johnson is more of an upgrade than Wayne in that Indy lineup. Team Johnson with TY Hilton as targets for Andrew Luck, then you really have something to work with for the Colts.

Ndamukong Suh Signs Record Deal With Dolphins
$114 Million. That how much the Dolphins feel Suh is worth, making him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. There no denying how good a football player Suh is. Since 2010, he's led all defensive tackles in sacks (36), disruptive plays (50 percent) and total snaps (4,107) (ESPN). This guy knows how to create havok in a backfield. As good as a defensive player as Suh is, he can also cause headache. Suh has had a tendency to get into trouble with the league.In all, Suh has lost $420,669 because of fines and suspensions. Still he can add a valuable intimidation factor to the Dolphins defensive line.

So there you have it. Some of the big moves done at the start of free agency. We will keep you posted ona ll the other moves made during the offseason!

Winners, Losers From NHL Trade Deadline

The day has come and gone. Trade deadline time in the National Hockey League has come to pass. There have been other trade deadline days where some big names have been moved at the deadline. Last year we saw Roberto Luongo and Martin St. Louis get traded. So there is a chance where a big name could get moved on deadline day, it has happened before. This year was a little bit different. This year it was quantity over quality on deadline day. There were 24 trades made with 42 players moved, along with 21 picks. That’s ahead of last year’s total, but most of the big moves were made leading up to the March 2 deadline day. So with all that being said, lets see who won and lost on deadline day this year.

Winners:
Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim has the 2nd best record in the Western Conference, and are tied for the 2nd most points in the league for that matter. Going into the deadline, they were looking really for one thing, that being a veteran presence on the blueline. GM Bob Murray plucked a gem by bringing in a guy the talent of James Wisniewski. This deal addresses a need for winning now, and it also brings a known quantity who can help the power play. Simon Despres for Ben Lovejoy was a nice steal of a trade. Adding a guy the talent of Tomas Fleischmann is a depth offensive player that Boudreau knows well. These moves, in theory, can really help the Ducks out. It could all be for nothing though if Anaheim falls flat on their face again in the playoffs.

Montreal Canadiens
General Manager Marc Bergevin actually made the Habs deeper. Montreal is the best team in the eastern Conference, points wise. They just got better thanks to the sly moves. Jeff Petry is a huge addition to the defense for minimal return. He was developed in Edmonton and looked to be poised for a breakout, now he has that chance. He added to a solid blueline that already has Andrei Markov, Sergei Gonchar and P.K. Subban. This standing in front of a good netminder in Carey Price. The forward depth was added with the likes of Brian Flynn, Torrey Mitchell and Devante-Smith Pelly. All that it really cost was Jiri Sekac off of the NHL roster to make it happen. Good moves for Montreal.

Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is right now sitting in the 1st wild card spot in the Western Conference. They are looking good right now to make the post season this year, something they have yet to do since they moved from Atlanta in 2011. Yes I know they got rid of Evander Kane, when they shipped him and Zach Bogosian to Buffalo a few weeks ago. Now they have gotten a bit deeper in the forward department by adding role players like Jiri Tlusty and Lee Stempniak. With Tlusty, Winnipeg gets a solid second or third line role player from Carolina who can add scoring punch. Stempniak, a solid pickup from the Rangers, can add some depth scoring, take on tough defensive assignments and add valuable playoff experience to a young team. The Jets made good moves to try and hold on to that Wild Card spot out West.

Losers:
San Jose Sharks
Its been a long time since San Jose has missed out on the playoffs. During the 2002-03 season was the last time that the Sharks failed to make the playoffs (that's not including the lockout of 04-05). Sure they are tied right now in points win Calgary for the final spot but have less wins, which means they sit on the outside looking in. Despite that fact, the Sharks did nothing to improve their roster for a playoff run. This comes as a bit of a surprise because some of their best players, including Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, don’t have many prime years left, if any. The Sharks also didn’t go into sell mode and move any impact players, so overall it was a lackluster deadline for the them.

Edmonton Oilers
Misery never ends with the Oilers. This was once a team with pride and a tradition of winning. Those days are long gone right now. It's the same thing over and over again with Edmonton. They start the year with new fresh faces and new look roster. Then it all falls apart. One of the big points of interest for Edmonton is defense. They had one guy on the roster that they drafted, developed and turned into an NHL caliber defender and that was Jeff Petry. Then they pissed him away for nothing. I almost feel bad for Oilers fans because they get to watch nearly every player Edmonton has given up on star for another team this season.

Detroit Red Wings
It kind of bothers me that I have to say this but I have to say it. Yes I know Detroit is sitting pretty in a playoff spot right now and good for them. But it's coming at a price, in the sense of the long term success of the franchise. I know they picked up Erik Cole and Marek Zidlicky to help add depth to the team. But news flash neither guy is as young as a spring chicken anymore. I know they want to bring the Cup back to Hockey town but Cole hasn't scored a goal in his last 34 playoff games. Plus Detroit paid a bit of a steep price to pick those guys up. They gave up two young prospects and a couple of draft picks, which could hurt them a little bit in their future. Sure they got a little better, but not much better than they were a week ago.

Local Teams
New Jersey Devils
This is a team that's in a possible rebuild mode. The fact that they were able to grab draft picks for Marek Zidlicky from Detroit and picks from the Florida Panthers for Jaromir Jagr was pretty good. But that was about it. New Jersey is getting old, they have paid too much for those aging stars. The Devils, sad to say it, aren't contenders and don't look to be for quite a while.

New York Rangers
From a short term perspective I like what the Rangers did at the deadline. They went all in when it came to picking up Keith Yandle. He gives them one of the deepest defense corps in the entire league, not just the Eastern Conference. Yandle can play 20-plus minutes per game and provide scoring in a top-four role. This adds to an offensive upside to a blueline that already ranks third in goals scored per game and 11th in power-play percentage. Yandle, Dan Girardi and Dan Boyle are three of New York’s four best defensemen, which means they have talne to go deep again in the playoffs.

At the same time the Rangers, from a long term perspective, may have shot themselves in the foot. This deal also leaves the Rangers without a first-round pick in 2015 and 2016 after not having one in 2013 and 2014, too. Four consecutive years without a first-rounder could prove costly in a few seasons, especially if the team’s current group of prospects doesn’t meet expectations. The Rangers are also getting a bit older, something that isn't going to be good come long term, they won't be able to hang with some of the younger, and quicker teams. New York also doesn’t have a first- or second-round selection in the talent-rich 2015 draft. As if that wasn’t enough, giving up on a top prospect in Duclair could turn into a horrendous mistake. We will see how things play out for the Blueshirts.

New York Islanders
Not a bad day on deadline day for Garth Snow. It's nowhere near an impact day as it was before the season when he added Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. Still a solid day for the Islanders General Manager. The team got a little deeper up front by adding Tyler Kennedy. He isn't the flashiest player in the world, but he does have playoff experience, going in two deep playoff runs with the Pittsburgh Penguins. So by adding him, they bolster their playoff depth in this team and have talent now with guys like Kyle Okposo, Mikhail Grabovski and Casey Cizikas alol out hurt. So not only did they address the forward injuries right now, they also addressed the issue of possible backup goalie. Chad Johnson hadn't been putting up that great a numbers in his first year on the Island. So the team shipped him off to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Michal Neuvirth, who was putting up decent numbers on a bad Buffalo team. It looks like Halak is still the #1 goalie on Long Island, but depending on how well Neuvirth plays when he starts, that could be up for grabs. Either way a solid trade deadline day for the Islanders.