Super Bowl 48 Preview

The day has finally arrived. The Big Game is finally here. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey is the setting. We will see the NFC Champions the Seattle Seahawks take on the AFC Champions the Denver Broncos. We will see the #1 defense in the league, Seattle, take on the best offense in the league in Denver. Before we really start breaking down the game, lets take a look at how both teams got to the big game.

Seattle finished the season 13–3, winning the NFC West division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The team scored 417 points during the season, while giving up just 231.

The offense was led by second year quarterback Russell Wilson, a third round draft pick who had immediately picked up the starting role, leading the team to a playoff win in his rookie season. He finished his second completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns, with only 9 interceptions, while also rushing for 539 yards and another score. His 101.2 passer rating ranked him 7th in the NFL, and made him the first quarterback in history with a triple digit passer rate in his first two seasons. His top target was Pro Bowl receiver Golden Tate, who caught 64 passes for 898 yards and 5 touchdowns. Tate was also a major asset on special teams, returning 51 punts for 585 yards (2nd in the NFL). Other key targets included Doug Baldwin (50 receptions, 775 yards, 5 touchdowns) and tight end Zach Miller (33 receptions, 387 yards, 5 touchdowns). Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch was the team's leading rusher with 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also a reliable receiver, hauling in 36 passes for 316 yards and two more scores. The Seahawks' offensive line was led by Pro Bowl center Max Unger. Kicker Steven Hauschka ranked 4th in the NFL in scoring (143 points) and second in field goal percentage (94.3%, 33/35).

Seattle had the NFL's top defense, leading the NFL in fewest yards allowed per game (273.6), fewest points allowed (231), and most takeaways (39). Seattle's defensive line featured defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, both of whom recorded 8 sacks. Avril also forced 5 fumbles, while Bennett recovered three, returning them for 39 yards and a touchdown. Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald also made a big impact with 5.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception. Linebacker Bobby Wagner led the team in combined tackles (120), while also racking up 5 sacks and two interceptions. But the best aspect of the defense was their secondary—collectively known as the Legion of Boom—which sent three of their four starters to the Pro Bowl: cornerback Richard Sherman, who led the NFL in interceptions (8, with 125 return yards), along with free safety Earl Thomas (5 interceptions, 105 tackles, 2 forced fumbles) and strong safety Kam Chancellor (99 tackles, 3 interceptions, 78 return yards).

In the playoffs the Seahawks took down the New Orleans Saints 23-15, the they beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in the NFC Championship game.

As for the Broncos, Denver finished the season 13–3 for the second straight year, winning the AFC West division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Broncos had the best offense in the NFL, leading the league in points scored (606, the highest total in NFL history) and yards gained (7,313). The offense was so explosive that they scored points on their opening possession at least eight straight games leading into the playoffs and a ninth time against the San Diego Chargers during the Divisional Playoffs game. During the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, they broke that streak, only to score on the opening possession of the second half.

In command of the offense was 16-year veteran quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning had enjoyed a stellar career with the Indianapolis Colts for his first 13 years in the NFL, making 11 Pro Bowls, winning four NFL MVP awards, and a championship ring in Super Bowl XLI. However, it all came to an end in 2011, when Manning, who had never missed a game in his career, had to miss the entire season due to neck surgery. Without Manning, the Colts finished the season with an NFL-worst 2-14 record, and with uncertainty about Manning's future looming, they decided to release him and use their number 1 draft pick to select quarterback Andrew Luck.

Manning signed with Denver for the 2012 season and quickly put any doubts about his future to rest, leading the team to a 13-3 record. However, the year ended in disappointment, with the team losing in the divisional round of the playoffs. Now in his second year as the team's starter, Manning posted one of the best seasons of any quarterback in NFL history, leading the league in completions, attempts, yards, and touchdown passes. His 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown completions both set new NFL records. His 450 completions were the second highest total in NFL history, and his 115.1 passer rating ranked second in the league. Denver's leading pass-catcher was Pro Bowl receiver Demaryius Thomas, who caught 92 passes for 1,430 yards and 14 touchdowns. But Manning had plenty of other reliable options, including Eric Decker (97 receptions, 1,288 yards, 11 touchdowns), Wes Welker (73 receptions, 778 yards, 10 touchdowns), and Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas (65 receptions, 788 yards, 12 touchdowns). Overall, they made Denver the first team in NFL history ever to have four players with at least 10 touchdown receptions in a season. Running back Knowshon Moreno was the team's leading rusher with 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also catching 60 passes for 548 yards and another 3 scores. Rookie running back Montee Ball was also a big contributor with 554 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 20 receptions. The team's offensive line featured Pro Bowl guard Louis Vasquez. On special teams, Pro Bowl kicker Matt Prater ranked second in the NFL in scoring (150 points) and first in field goal percentage (96.2%, 25/26). His only miss of the year was from 52 yards, and he set a new NFL record for the longest field goal ever made (64 yards), breaking a record that had stood for 44 years.

Defensive end Shaun Phillips anchored the Broncos' line with 10 sacks, while linebacker Danny Trevathan racked up 129 combined tackles, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions. Linebacker Malik Jackson was also a key component of the defense with 42 tackles and 6 sacks, helping compensate for the loss of Von Miller, who had 5 sacks in 9 games before suffering a season-ending injury. Cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Chris Harris led the secondary with 3 interceptions each.

So this is going to be a battle of two titans from the regular season. In fact, this will be the 5th time in history that the #1 offense and #1 defense will square off in the big game. Those previous four games were in 1978 (Cowboys vs. Steelers), 1984 (Dolphins vs. 49ers), 1989 (49ers vs. Broncos), and 1990 (Bills vs. Giants). Of those four previous meetings, only once has the #1 offense come out on top, that game being the 49ers over the Broncos in 1989. The other three times, the best defense has won the championship. So if history is any indication, then the luck is on the side of the Seahawks.

As for the actual game itself, its going to be a close, highly contested football game. Looking at the offenses, the running attack is about even, so the running games may cancel each other out. It's the passing game that's going to be key. Sure the Broncos have the best pass attack in the league, but the big question is can the Seattle secondary shut down the passing game. Think about this, Peyton Manning hasn't been sacked at all during this years playoffs, his offensive line has been that good. Knowing Peyton Manning as a passer, he is one of the most patient guys in the pocket in the world, so he has no problem waiting for the play to develop. He has four dangerous weapons to throw to, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas and Wes Welker. Plus Denver has a very ballanced attack in that if the passing game doesn't really work out they can run the ball with good effectiveness from Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball.

But they are going up against the best defense in the leauge. Seattle has the top ranked defense for a number of reasons. Their defensive backs get most of the attention because of what Richard Sherman says and what they all do. They cover, hit hard and tackle well. Add it up, and it’s difficult to get first downs, let alone long balls and big plays after the catch. The Seahawks' deep edge pass rush led by Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett is one of the most fierce in the NFL. Sop this is going to be a fun matchup to watch.

Now lets not sell Seattle short on offense here. We all know about Seattles running game with Marshawn Lynch, who has had a good post season, but he hasn't really looked like "Beast Mode" that people are expecting. Also lets not forget Russel Wilson can throw the football too, if the running game isn't going to pan out. Whether it’s Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin or Jermaine Kearse, Wilson will hit on a few deep balls, the sneaky strength of Seattle’s offense. That’s before getting to the fact healthy wild card Percy Harvin will draw plenty of attention working the slot, facilitating the outside routes. They are doing this against a slightly banged up Denver defense. The Broncos are without their most disruptive pass rusher (Von Miller) and top cover man (Chris Harris). So its going to be a fun game to watch.

This is going to be a tight game, and its going to be a very tough test for the Seattle defense. The Legion of Boom had a good week two weeks ago against the 49ers, but now they are facing a tougher offense in Denver and they won't get as lucky. I got the Denver Broncos winning it 30-27!

Women's Hockey Pushes Elmira To The Limit

The Oswego State Women's Hockey team had a fierce battle on their hands at home this past weekend, facing a team that they  have never been able to beat yet in program history. the first game of the weekend was won by Elmira 5-2 but the game was closer than the score would indicate.

Elmira got the only 2 goals in the opening period, one scored by Cassidy Delainey and the other from Ella Stewart to give the Soaring Eagles a 2-0 lead. To the 2nd period we go, one which was dominated by the Lakers, who outshot Elmira 16-4 in the 2nd period. Phoebe Piku scored for Elmira at the 3:11 mark to give the Soaring Eagles a 3-0 lead, but Oswego would finally get on the board at the 18:16 mark when Kendall Appelbaum scored her 6th of the year. To the 3rd period we go and in that final frame Oswego managed only 3 shots but one went in, thanks to Jocelyn St. Clair's 2nd of the season. But the goal was stuck in between two Elmira goals, one from Ella Stewart and one from Jessica Prance to seal the 5-2 win for Elmira.

Shots finished 27-26 in favor of Elmira and Oswego went 31-28 on faceoffs in the game, so you can kinda see that the game was closer than the score indicated. Lisa Marshall got the win for Elmira, improving her record to 9-2-1 on the year, as she stopped 24 of the 26 shots she faced. Catherine Cote took the loss for Oswego, dropping her record to 5-4-0 on the year, as she stopped 22 of the 27 shots she faced.

Now to the Sunday game we go and Elmira dominated the play that day but Oswego pushed them to the very very limit, as the Soaring Eagles came away with a 2-1 overtime win. Ashton Hogan scored the only goal in regulation for Elmira, at the 11:46 mark of the 2nd period. Leslie Jarvis tied the game for Oswego with exactly 1 minute left in regulation to force overtime. Elmira got the last laugh though, as Brooke Wilgosh scored on the powerplay with justover a minute left in overtime.

Lisa Marshall got the win for Elmira, improving her record to 10-2-1 on the year, as she stopped 12 of the 13 shots she faced. As for Oswego, Tori Trovato took the loss, dropping her record to 2-2-0 on the year, as she stopped 38 of the 40 shots she faced. Oswgo came oh so close to knocking off one of the best teams in the nation.

The Lakers return to action this weekend, February 1st and 2nd, as Stevenson comes into town to play the Lakers at the Campus Center Ice Arena!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Men's Hockey Splits Western New York Road Trip

After splitting games last weekend against Nazarth and Elmira, the Oswego State Men's Hockey team looked to rebound on a Western New York road trip. First up was the Fredonia Blue Devils, a team who beat Oswego in Oswego the first game of the season. The Lakers were looking for payback for that loss, and did so in a big way, skating away with a 5-1 victory.

Oswego got on the board first at the 6:57 mark when Denton King scored his 2nd of the year, the only goal of the opening period. To the 2nd period we go, and Oswego scored twice more to improve the lead to 3-0. First at the 5:20 mark Matt Galati scored his 16th of the season, then at the 14:42 mark Kenny Neil scored his 9th of the year. Alex Perkins scored the lone goal for Fredonia at the 19:05 mark of the 2nd period to cut the lead to two. Oswego put the game away in the 3rd thanks to goals from Nick Rivait and Chris Carr to put the game away at 5-1. Alex Botten (2 assists), Denton King (goal assist) and Nick Rivait (goal 2 assists) each had multi-point games.

Jeff Flagler took the loss for Fredonia, dropping his record to 2-4-0 on the season, stopped 25 of the 30 shots that he faced. Matt Zawadzki picked up the win for Oswego, improving his record to 8-1-2 on the year, stopping 25 of the 26 shots he faced.

Oswego followed this up with a game against the Buffalo State Bengals in Buffalo, a place where Oswego has had great success, going 38-0-4 all time against the Bengals. That perfect record came to an end as Buffalo State beat the Lakers 4-0.

All the scoring in the game came in the 2nd period, as Kyle Whipple (4th of the year), Mike Zannella (6th of the year), Taylor McGraw (3rd of the year) and Dan Turgeon (10th of the year) were able to find the back of the net in the win. Kevin Carr got the win for Buffalo State, improving his record to 9-8-3, as he stopped all 33 shots that he faced. Matt Zawadzki got the start, but was pulled after the 2nd period. He stopped 16 of the 20 shots he faced as his record fell to 8-2-2. Justin Gilbert came in to play the 3rd period and stopped both the shots he faced.

Only one game this weekend for the Lakers get set to host the Cortland Red Dragons on Saturday February 1st.

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

Yankees Spending Spree Sounds Very Familiar

With the Yankees latest deal,signing Japanese Star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year contract worth $155 million, his agent, Casey Close, confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com. This just adds to the massive amount of spending the Yankees have done in the offseason, already signing the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury (7 years, $153 million), Brian McCann (5 years, $85 million), Carlos Beltran (3 years, $45 million), Brendan Ryan (2 years, $5 million), Kelly Johnson (1 year, $3 million), Brian Roberts (1 year, $2 million) and Derek Jeter (1 year, $12 million). Of course McCann, Ellsbury and Beltran are the biggest names signed by the Yankees during this time period, and they don't have Alex Rodriguez contract on the books for this season, as he is facing a suspension, but still the Yankees have spent $475 Million on ballplayers.

I understand why the Yankees are doing this, they are unhappy about missing the playoffs a year ago. Same thing happened after the 2088 season. They missed the playoffs in 2008, then during that offseason went out and spent around $425 million on players. That year they went out and picked up A.J. Burnett (5 years $82.5 million), Andy Pettitte (1 year $5.5 million),  CC Sabathia (7 years $161 million) and Mark Teixeira (8 years $181 million), among a few others. That 2009 season the Yankees went on to win the World Series, their first title since 2000, and only the 2nd title of the new century!

Sure the Yankees have gone out and spent the money, and sure it may help bring them a title right now, but over the long run I'm not sure how much this helps the team. I understand totally wanting to win right now, every single team in baseball wants to do that. But what I think separates the Yankees now from the Yankees of the late 90's is the way they are doing business. What I mean is, the reason the Yankees turned in a dynasty team at the end of the century is they didn't spend all this money on talent, they built through the draft and their farm system. The team now has the money and is deciding to spend it all and not build a farm system.

Sure it could get them another title. Maybe it changes this time, five years after Hideki Matsui’s huge October and after John Damon changed everything one night by stealing two bases on the same play, and Sabathia looked, in all ways, like the biggest ace in the game. Maybe the new guys do for the Yankees what all the new guys with beards did for the Red Sox last season. But if they are trying to build another dynasty team this isn't the way to do it. Since the Yankees finished the 3 titles in 4 years, they have made it to the World Series three times winning once in 2009 (losing in 2001 to Arizona and 2003 to Florida). So sometimes spending money works out and sometimes it doesn't. Will it work in this case, only time will tell!

Tight Games and Post Game Comments Define Championship Sunday

Championship Sunday in the NFL lived up to all the hype and then some. We had a tight game, right down to the wire in the NFC title game, and a battle for supremacy in the AFC title game. Peyton Manning finally got over the hump and was able to beat longtime rival Tom Brady in the playoffs. Seattle's defense was able to find a way to shut down the high power 49ers offense in a tight football game in Seattle. Before Seattle and San Francisco could dop battle, it was Brady vs. manning in another bigtime playoff game.

Tom Brady and the Patriots were on the road in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, which was also the last time they faced Peyton Manning when he was with the Colts. But the story was all about Denver as their offense racked up 507 yards without turning the ball over or giving up any sacks as they advanced to the 7th Super Bowl in franchise history. That was going to be a key in the ball game was to whether or not Denver could hang on to the ball, something they did with great effectiveness. Peyton Manning set a conference championship record with 32 completions for 400 yards and two touchdowns. The team also got a big performance from receiver Demaryius Thomas, who caught 7 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown, and kicker Matt Prater, who made four field goals. The win was especially satisfying for head coach John Fox, who lost to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in Super Bowl XXXVIII 10 years earlier when he was with the Carolina Panthers.

Midway through the first quarter, Manning got the Broncos into scoring range with an 18-yard completion to Knowshon Moreno, a 29-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas, and a 19-yarder to Eric Decker. Prater finished the drive with a 27-yard field goal to put the team up 3–0. The next time Denver had the ball, they advanced 93 yards in 15 plays on a drive that took up nearly half the second quarter. At one point they faced 3rd and 10 from the Patriots' 39-yard line, and made the conversion with a 28-yard draw play by Moreno. Manning eventually got the team into the end zone with a 1-yard pass to tight end Jacob Tamme, making the score 10–0.

This time New England managed to respond, with Brady completing a 27-yard pass to receiver Aaron Dobson on the first play of their next drive; this ended up as Brady's longest completion of the game. The Patriots eventually reached the Broncos' 18-yard line, but Denver lineman Robert Ayers sacked Brady for an 11-yard loss on third down, forcing them to settle for Stephen Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal. Denver then took the ball back and drove for more points, as Manning hooked up with Demaryius Thomas for a pair of completions that netted 53 yards. Prater finished things off with a 35-yard field goal, giving the team a 13–3 lead with 25 seconds left in the half.

Denver started out the second half with a long touchdown drive that took up almost the same amount of time (7:08) as their last one (7:01), moving the ball 80 yards in 13 plays. Manning completed 7 of 8 passes for 59 yards on the drive, the last a 3-yard touchdown toss to Demaryius Thomas that increased Denver's lead to 20–3. New England responded with a drive to the Broncos' 29-yard line, but on a 4th and 2 conversion attempt, Brady was sacked for a 10-yard loss by defensive tackle Terrance Knighton. Denver then took over and set up a drive for more points, with Manning completing two passes to tight end Julius Thomas for 28 yards and a completion to Demaryius Thomas for 30. New England managed to halt the drive at their own 1, but Prater kicked his third field goal to put Denver up 23–3.

New England finally scored a touchdown with just over 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Starting the drive with an 18-yard pass to tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, Brady followed it up with completions to Austin Collie and Julian Edelman for gains of 20 and 16 yards. He eventually completed the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Edelman, cutting the score to 23–10. However, Denver scored again with their next possession, with Manning's 37-yard completion to Julius Thomas setting up Prater's 4th field goal, this one from 54 yards.

New England now faced a 26–10 deficit with 7 minutes left in regulation; Brady completed 5 of 7 passes for 54 yards on their next drive, and took the ball into the end zone himself on a 5-yard run. However, their 2-point conversion attempt failed, keeping the score 26–16. Then after Decker recovered New England's onside kick, Denver managed to run the final 3:07 off the clock with their last drive. Brady finished the day 24-for-38 for 277 yards and touchdown, along with 2 carries for 7 yards and a score on the ground. Edelman caught 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Julius Thomas had 8 receptions for 85 yards for Denver, while Decker had 5 catches for 73.

Now after the game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick made some interesting remarks towards former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Welker took out Patriots defensive back Aqib Talib when Welker made a block on him late in the ball game. Belichick said it was a “deliberate attempt” by Welker to “take out Aqib,” who was injured on the play. The Patriots coach said he “would let the league handle the discipline on that play,” Yeah sure you would their Bill.

In the 2nd game of the day Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks showed up in a big way against the 49ers. With 22 seconds left in regulation, Seattle defensive back Richard Sherman deflected a pass in the end zone into the arms of linebacker Malcolm Smith for a game clinching interception as San Francisco was trying to drive for a winning score.

Things got off to a rough start for the Seahawks as their quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked on the first play of the game by linebacker Aldon Smith, resulting in a fumble that was recovered on the Seattle 15-yard line. However, their defense managed to keep San Francisco out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for Phil Dawson's 25-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead. There would be no more scoring until the 2nd quarter, when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took off for a 58-yard run that gave the team a first down on the Seattle 10-yard line. Three plays later on 4th and goal, running back Anthony Dixon dove over the goal line pile to score a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 10–0. This time, Seattle managed to respond with Wilson's 51-yard completion to Doug Baldwin leading to a 32-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka with just under 6 minutes left in the quarter. Near the end of the quarter, the 49ers appeared to have a chance to drive for points when Wilson threw an incomplete pass on 4th down from the 38-yard line with 20 seconds to go. Defensive back Carlos Rogers was flagged for shoving receiver Golden Tate out of bounds after the incompletion, resulting in a penalty that pushed San Francisco back 15 yards and the team decided to run out the clock. Commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman both said they felt the penalty call was improper, as it appeared to be only a mild push.

San Francisco was forced to punt on their first drive of the second half, and Tate returned the ball 10 yards to his 40-yard line. Three plays later, Marshawn Lynch scored on a 40-yard touchdown run, tying the score 10–10. The 49ers struck back with Kaepernick completing a 22-yard pass to Michael Crabtree and then rushing for a 22-yard gain himself. Kaepernick fumbled the ball on the next play, but center Jonathan Goodwin recovered it and ran for a 6-yard gain. Kaepernick then finished the drive with a 26-yard scoring completion to Anquan Boldin, putting the 49ers back in front at 17–10. Baldwin returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards to the 49ers' 33-yard line, setting up Hauschka's 40-yard field goal that made the score 17–13 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter. Seattle took their first lead of the game on the second play of the fourth quarter, 20–17, scoring on Wilson's 35-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse on 4th down and 7. A series of fumbles and turnovers followed; firstly, Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril forced and recovered a fumble from Kaepernick on the 49ers' 23-yard line. Seattle then drove to the 10-yard line, and on third down Wilson completed a pass to Kearse. But Kearse fumbled on the 1-yard line as he was going in for a score, while being tackled by linebacker NaVorro Bowman. Replays showed Bowman making a recovery and being touched down by contact, but the play did not end and the ball was pulled away from Bowman. Seattle receiver Michael Robinson ended up with the ball, allowing the Seahawks to maintain possession. The play was not reviewable, and to make matters worse for San Francisco, Bowman suffered a severe leg injury. Now with 4th and goal on the 1-yard line, Seattle coach Pete Carroll decided to go for the touchdown. But Lynch fumbled a handoff from Wilson and the 49ers ended up getting the ball back on the Seahawks 15-yard line. However, all they managed to do with this opportunity was give it back, as Kaepernick was intercepted by safety Kam Chancellor on the second play of their ensuing drive.

Now with the ball on the San Francisco 40-yard line, Seattle drove to the 29-yard line where Hauschka kicked a field goal to give the team a 23–17 lead with 3:37 left in the game. San Francisco responded with a drive to the Seahawks' 18-yard line, featuring a 17-yard reception by running back Frank Gore on 4th down and 2. With 30 seconds left, Kaepernick threw a pass intended for Crabtree in the end zone, but Sherman made a leaping deflection and the ball fell right into the arms of Malcolm Smith for an interception to put the game away. Wilson completed 16 of 25 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. Lynch rushed for 109 yards and a score. Baldwin had 6 catches for 106 yards, and added another 102 yards on three kickoff returns. Chancellor had 11 tackles – of which 5 were solo tackles – and an interception. Kaepernick finished the game 14-for-24 for 153 yards and a touchdown, with 2 interceptions and a lost fumble, while also rushing for 130 yards on 11 carries. This was his second 100-yard rushing game in the postseason; only two other quarterbacks in NFL history up to this point ever had one. Bowman had 14 tackles – including 6 solo tackles – along with a sack, and a forced fumble. Both teams achieved the same amount of total yards, with 308.

In the postgame Richard Sherman went off on 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree saying something to the effect of that Cabtree should never have called him out ect. Of course Sherman later apologized for his outburst but still it left a pretty good impression.

So there you have it. The Super Bowl is now set as the Seattle Seahawks will take on the Denver Broncos. We will have a full preview of the game next week!

Championship Weekend Ready To Kick Off

The time has finally arrived. We have FOUR teams left standing in the NFL Playoffs, thew Denver Broncos, new England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. By the time all is said and done this Sunday, we will have ourselves two teams left to play for the biggest prize in professional football today. But that's still a little over two weeks away. We still have to decide who will be playing in that game.  So lets now take a look at the 4 teams left standing.

In the first game of the day, its the AFC Championship game in which the Denver Broncos play host to the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. game is set for a 3PM kickoff on CBS. These two franchises have met twice before in the playoffs, with Denver winning two of three, but New England won the last meeting back in 2011. The big storyline in this matchup is the battle of the Quarterback, as we will once again see Peyton manning go up against Tom Brady. Brady has won 10 of 14 matchups with Manning's teams, including a 2-1 mark in the postseason in which the home team has prevailed each time. We know both QB's can throw the football, as Brady had 4,343 pass yards this year, while Manning set a new record with 5,477 pass yards this season. Both teams have 1,000+ yard receivers this year, for the Patriots it was Julian Edleman, while Denver had both Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. So it's almost a given the passing game will be there.

In this game however, I feel its going to be the running game that's going to be a key, especially if New England wants to stand a chance. Look at what happened against the Colts, when LaGarret Blunt went off for 4 TD runs and over 100 yards rushing. For the Patriots to pull off the upset this week, as the Broncos are favored, they need to control the clock by running the football, and put pressure on Peyton Manning on Defense. The Patriot defense needs to rush Peyton like crazy. For the Broncos, they need to do the same on defense and try to get to Brady, making him as uncomfortable as possible in the pocket. Also the Broncos running game will have to be a bigtime factor too. Knowshon Moreno had a career-high 1,038 rushing yards this season, and the Patriots will be very familiar with him after he had a career-best 224 yards in the November meeting. And while the Patriots remember what Moreno did to them in the last meeting, While New England knows what to expect from Moreno, Denver can't say the same about LeGarrette Blount, who had two carries for 13 yards the last time these teams met. So it's going to come down to a battle of running backs, which will make for an interesting battle.

Now if the past has been any indication, then Denver has to be the favorite here. In the last three playoff meetings between the two clubs, the home team has won every game. Sure the Patriots took the last playoff meeting in New England, but that was a bigtime mismatch. This is going to be a different game. Its going to be a high scoring game, with coming down to who has the ball last. It's going to be a tight ball game but in the end I just think Peyton has more to work with and will be better suited for this ball game than in past meetings with the Patriots. Denver takes it and advances to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1998!

Next up we have the NFC Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks playing host to the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, with kickoff set for 6:30PM on Fox. This will be the first meeting between these to franchises in the playoffs. San Francisco is coming in red hot, having won eight straight games, including the last two in the playoffs over Green Bay and Carolina, both on the road mind you. Though the teams have split the last four meetings, Seattle has owned the 49ers, forcing seven turnovers and outscoring San Francisco 71-16 to win the last two at raucous CenturyLink Field. It's already tough enough playing in Seattle, as we know that the 12th man has been known to be quite loud. Factor that in with a good Seahawks team, it looks like a very daunting task for the 49ers.

When these two teams met in week two this year, Kaepernick completed 50.0 percent of his passes for 371 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions in his two starts at Seattle. His 87 yards on nine carries highlighted San Francisco's 29-3 loss there in Week 2. However, once the playoffs roll around, Colin Kaepernick is a different quarterback, as he's 4-1 in the postseason, including 3-0 on the road. He posted a 92.7 passer rating and threw six TDs and three INTs in those five games, while rushing for 377 yards and four touchdowns with a 9.4-yard per-carry average. So yeah, the guy can perform come playoff time. So Seattle has the unenviable task of trying to containe him and a decent running attack, lead by Franke Gore.

Lets not forget that Seattle has a pretty good QB in their own right in Russel Wilson. Seattle's Russell Wilson has thrown for five TDs and two INTs while posting a 101.4 passer rating in the past two at home against the 49ers. So he has good numbers in his career against the 49ers. And lets not forget about the running back the Seahawks have, some guy name Marshawn Lynch, who had another big week last week against the Saints, a team he always seems to dominate come playoff time. For San Francisco to pull this game out, he has to be contained.

The biggest problem Seattle is going to have thought, is trying to deal with a team in San Francisco that's allowed averages of 15.5 points and 304.9 yards over the last eight weeks. This contest is going to be just as close and just as exciting as the AFC title game. In this game however, I think its going to be the passing game that's going to be the deciding factor. Just by looking at the numbers, San Francisco has a better pass attack than Seattle this season. Seattle is going to be a tough team to beat, but it can and will be done as the 49ers will be playing in the Super Bowl for the 2nd year in a row.

So there you have it, our preview for the AFC and NFC Title games. Now sit back relax and enjoy some good hard hitting FOOTBALL!

Dodgers Lock Up Clayton Kershaw Long Term

Everybody knows that Clayton Kershaw is one of the best young arms in baseball today. The Dodgers know it and have locked him up to a long term deal. The team has signed their best pitcher to a seven year deal worth $215 million. It is the richest deal for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history, eclipsing the seven-year, $180 million contract Detroit gave Justin Verlander last winter, and his average annual salary of $30.7 million is the highest ever for any baseball player. Kershaw will also have the opportunity to become a free agent again in five years, if he chooses (ESPN).

Kershaw has won two of the last three NL CY Young Awards (RA Dickey won the other), is getting his new deal off of a very solid year last year, going 16-9 with a 1.83 ERA and 232 strikeouts. In fact, Kershaw has a 2.60 career ERA and recorded at least 212 strikeouts in each of the past four seasons (ESPN). With the new deal for Kershaw, the Dodgers now have five players with an average annual value of $20 million or more. Among active contracts (or contracts signed that have not yet started), the Dodgers now have five of the 22 largest average yearly salaries in the sport on the roster -- Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Matt Kemp (ESPN). So its obvious the Dodgers are not afraid to spend money to keep their players in tact.

The big question here is whether or not Kershaw was worth that much money? I say yes he is, at least amongst pitchers anyway. Very few pitchers that currently pitch in the National League are as dominant as Kershaw. Sure you have guys like Adam Wainwright, Stephen Strausberg, Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum, but I think it is safe to say that Kershaw is the best of the bunch.

Now we can see if he can live up to his new contract. Kershaw should be able to I have no doubt, but the reason I bring this point up is we have seen in other sports recently that some stars have trouble living up to their new bigtime deals. Kershaw can handle it though!