4 Nations Set For Battle

The best of the best are gathered for battle. The 4 Nations tournament is finally here. For the next two weeks, the NHL is taking a pause so that the best players from the top four hockey nations can hook up. USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland are gathering over the next two weeks in Montreal and Boston for the first international best on best tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. And its sure to be one hell of a tournament.

This is really simple. Four teams play a round robin style opener. Three games each. Two teams with the best point total face off in a final game. NHL rules will be used. OT during round robin is ten minutes. If still tied, we go to a shootout. Final game is played under the same overtime rules as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we go till we have a winner. Simple as that.

Rosters are fully loaded with the best talent the four nations have to offer.

Goaltending is going to be a bigtime factor over the next two weeks , and the advantage has to go to the Americans in that department. The other three nations have fine goalies, all of them, but the US is top heavy in that department. On the blueline, Sweden and Canada have the best mix of stay at home and offensive threats. They can find the back of the net and shut down the opposition just as well. 

A small part of me feels bad for Finland going into this tournament. While yes, the do posses a good roster and a solid hockey team, on paper, they're the weakest of the four teams. Sweden has some punching upside up front, but its the defense and in net that's going to keep them hanging around. But really, its going to come down to the US and Canada, the two most balanced and loaded teams in this whole thing. When you have Crosby and McDavid leading your team, you always have a great chance in any tournament. I only hold some level of hesitation putting Canada over the top here because of what's in net. Nothing against Aiden Hill, Jordan Binnington or Sam Montembeault, but nobody knows how well these three guys can really hold up well on an international stage such as this one.

All four teams are good, not taking anything away from anybody. Having said that, based on the talent that's assembled, edge has to go to the Americans here.

Standings: 1) USA 2) Sweden 3) Canada 4) Finland

Final: USA 5 Sweden 3

Fly, Eagles, Fly

Two trips to the Super Bowl in three years for the Eagles. Last time didn't go as they had planned. This time, there was no mistake. Philadelphia dominated Kansas City to one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history, a 40-22 win.

The stats tell only cold facts. The eye test reveals a lot more. And boy did that reveal a lot on Sunday.

We talked about how big the running game was going to play a factor in this game going in.  As a team, the Eagles rushed for 135 yards, only 57 of which we're gained by Saquan Barkley. Jalen Hurts had more rushing yards than Barkley did. Hurts managed to be able to spread the ball around to his other weapons in a balanced offensive attack. It was a master class on both sides of the football. The offense spread the ball around evenly and did a nice job between run and pass.

The big story to come out of the game was from the other side. Kansas City looked nothing like themselves. Mahomes hadn't been pressured like this since the 202 loss to the Buccaneers. The Eagles defense, lead by coordinator Vic Fangio, put more pressure  Mahomes had no amasser for the Eagles defense all day long. He didn't look like himself for all but three plays on the day. Mahomes threw a couple of picks on the day, one of which Cooper DeJean for a touchdown. Sure, Xaviery Worthy had a monster day with 157 receiving yards, but by the time he got the bulk of those yards, the game was already out of reach for KC. For most of the day, Mahomes looked really uncomfortable, which is something that wasn't seen most of the last couple of seasons.

This should be something that other teams around the league need to take notice of. If teams want to stop Kansas Coty, take note of what the Eagles defense was able to do to slow down this team.

Of course, what happened lead to the talk of Mahomes and his level of greatness and where Kansas City falls as a dynasty. Mahomes would have come a lot closer to GOAT status if he had been able to pull off the three peat. It would have been huge for his status as a legend. Now, as for the Chiefs being a dynasty, that would have been locked up with a win. They have made three straight Super Bowls and five of the last six games. IF they can make it again next year and possibly win again, then it would propel them right into the mix. There's no denying that they have been a very good football team the last half decade. If they build off it next season, then a year from now those talks of dynasty could be ramped up even further.

All in All, it was a solid Super Bowl. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles on their vicotyr!

Super Bowl 59 Preview

The time has finally arrived. The big day is here. Super Bowl 59 is upon us. We started this journey back in September with 32 teams all having a chance to play on this final Sunday. Now we are down to two left. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kansas City got here by going 15-2 during the regular season, winning the AFC west and getting a first round bye. They got by the Houston Texas in the division round and the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Title game to reach the Super Bowl. Kansas City is playing in its seventh Super Bowl, going 4-2 in its previous appearances. They are the two time defending Super Bowl Champions.

The Eagles got here by going 14-3 during the regular season, winning the NFC East. They marched through the playoffs by beating the Packers in the wild card round, then the Rams in the divisional round, and finally the Commanders in the NFC title game. This marks the Eagles 5th ever Super Bowl appearance, going 1-3 in previous four games.

This marks a rematch of the game two years ago.

So how are things going to play out on Sunday?

Well, from a Kansas City point of view, there's quite a bit more pressure on the Chiefs. They are looking to become the first team in NFL history to ever three-peat as champions. Only thing causing slight hesitation in this prediction is the KC offense. Yes, Kansas City has a solid offense. By its own standards it's having a down year this year. Sill, there's enough firepower on this offense to be able to put points on the board.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has weapons across the board on offense. The biggest one being Saquan Barkley, who's coming off an out of this world rushing year. Philadelphia also brings in a hard hitting defense that will bring a ton of pressure onto the Chiefs offensive line.

Philadelphia well put KC to the test more than the Bills did last week. hell Philly will be a tougher test even that the 49ers were in last years game. Kansas City is going to be able to overcome the running of Barkely and, by the skin of their teeth, be able to pull out a victory.

Prediction: Kansas City 34 Philadelphia 31

NFL Honors

Earlier this week, the NFL honored the best of the best from the 2024 regular season with NFL Honors. This year, we saw four names get announced for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, taking place in August. Along with that, the guys who stood head and shoulders above the rest during the regular season were honored for their achievements. Here's a look at who walked away with what for this season.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
-Sterling Sharpe
-Antonio Gates
-Eric Allen
-Jared Allen

Now for the big awards. Here's who walked away with hardware from NFL Honors

Assistant Coach of the Year: Ben Johnson (Lions Offensive Coordinator)

Coach of the Year: Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

Comeback Player of The Year: Joe Burrow (Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals)

Defensive Rookie of The Year: Jared Verse (Outside Linebacker, Los Angeles Rams)

Offensive Rookie of The Year: Jayden Daniels (Quarterback, Washington Commanders)

Defensive Player of The Year: Patrick Surtain II (Cornerback Denver Broncos)

Offensive Player of The Year: Saquan Barkley (Running Back Philadelphia Eagles)

Most Valuable Player: Josh Allen (Quarterback Buffalo Bills)

Solid work done by the writers in handing out the hardware for this year. The only award, or voting for an award I should say, is MVP. The fact that Saquan Barkley got NO first places votes at all for MVP is surprising. Nothing against the two guys who did get the first place votes in Lamar Jackson and winner Josh Allen. But it shows how hard it is to win MVP if your aren't a QB. Last non QB to win was Adrian Peterson in 2012. Saquan had a HUGE impact on the Eagles and what they were able to do this season. Rushing for over 2,000 yards should have meant more in my mind. I know its Most Valuable and the Eagles had quite a few stars. But you can't deny the performance of what Barkley did and how important to the Eagles he was.

So what do you think? did the NFL get it right with the awards this season?