Year In Sports 2015

2015 was a banter year in the world of professional sports. This year had a little bit of everything. Two huge scandals engulfed us at the start of the year: Deflategate and a corruption scandal in FIFA made a ton of noise at the start of the year. Things got a little crazy for fantasy sports nuts over the summer, as Fan Duel and Draft Kings had issues to deal with (IE whether or not they were gambling sites or not). As time passed things seemed to settle down and we became focused again on what was going on on those playing surfaces. American Pharaoh had this country captivated during his chase for the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) which he did claim, becoming the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win. Serena Williams came winith two rounds of pulling off a calendar Grand Slam in Tennis, but those hopes were dashed in a semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci when she retires in the third set to leave the court and chase down a spectator who stole her cellphone.

Oh but wait, there's a lot more. The Kansas City Royals won their first World Series in 30 years. American Pharoah won horse racing's first Triple Crown in 37 years. The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA championship in 40 years (and then won the first 24 games of the next season). At age 33, Serena Williams completed a Serena Slam and came within one major title of a calendar Slam. At just 21, Jordan Spieth became the youngest golfer to win the first two legs of a Grand Slam. Carli Lloyd scored a record three goals in the World Cup final to lead the U.S. to the championship (ESPN).

There was the fight of the century (or at least we thought it would be) when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally hooked it up in the Ring. It was a decent fight but well below standards as Mayweather walked away with the win. We also had one of the biggest upsets in MMA history as Ronda Rousey gets knocked out by Holly Holm in one of the biggest upsets in all of sports. That's just some of the big stories that went down in the world of Sports in 2015. Here now are the full list of championships that were collected in 2015!

Golf:
2015 Masters Tournament
-Winner: United States Jordan Spieth (first Major title; 3rd PGA Tour win)

2015 U.S. Open
-Winner: United States Jordan Spieth (second Major title; 4th PGA Tour win)

2015 Open Championship
-Winner: United States Zach Johnson (first Open Championship title; second Major title; 12th PGA Tour win)

2015 PGA Championship
-Winner: Australia Jason Day (first Major title; 5th PGA Tour win)

Tennis:
Australian Open
-Men: Novak Djokovic defeats Andy Murray
-Women: Serena Williams defeats Maria Sharapova

French Open:
-Men: Stan Wawrinka defeats Novak Djokovic
-Women: Serena Williams defeats Lucie Šafářová

Wimbledon:
-Men: Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer
-Women: Serena Williams defeats Garbiñe Muguruza

US Open:
-Men: Novak Djokovic defeats Roger Federer
-Women: Flavia Pennetta defeats Roberta Vinci

Baseball:
World Series:
Kansas City Royals Defeat New York Mets in 5 games!

College:
College World Series: University of Virginia defeats Vanderbilt!

Basketball:
NBA:
Golden State Warriors defeat Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the best-of-7 finals

College:
Men's Basketball Duke defeats Wisconsin 68-63
Women's Basketball Connecticut defeats Notre Dame 63-53

Football:
College Football:
January 12: 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship in Arlington, Texas (debut event):
The Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Oregon Ducks 42–20. It is the Buckeyes' eighth national title and first since 2002.

National Football League:
February 1: Super Bowl XLIX: The New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 28–24, to win their fourth Super Bowl title. Tom Brady Wins Super Bowl MVP

Hockey:
National Hockey League:
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4–2 in games played, to win their sixth Stanley Cup title.

So there you have it the year in Sports for 2015! Lets hope 2016 is just as much fun!

College Football Playoff Preview

Its time. After quite a bit of waiting, we are going to take another step in deciding a National Champion in College Football. This year the Semifinal has as good a matchups as any in years past. The Orange Bowl will pit Clemson against Oklahoma, while the Cotton Bowl will see Michigan State take on Alabama. Quite a few storylines to look into in both of these football games. Will underdog No. 1 Clemson hold off No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl semifinal, or can the Sooners' momentum propel them to a win over the Tigers in Miami? Can the No. 3 Spartans topple the mighty No. 2 Crimson Tide, or will Alabama running back Derrick Henry be able to break Michigan State's strong defense? Here we go with a game breakdown of the two semifinals.

First up is the Orange Bowl, which pits #1 Clemson taking on #4 Oklahoma. This could be more of the high scoring game of the two bowl games. I mean think about it, Clemson, who averaged 38.5 points per game and Oklahoma, who averaged 45.8 points per game, are coming in as two of the country’s top 20 scoring offenses. Offense is going to be a big factor in this game too. Clemson managed to run the table this year, going 13-0, doing so with an overhauled offensive line from what they had a season ago. Clemson has been able to scramble and use the short pass to be successful this season, something that helps make up for what some would call a weakness in the O-Line. Oklahoma can possibly exploit that with guys on defense like Eric Striker, Charles Tapper and tackles Charles Walker and Matt Dimon. If those guys can put pressure on Deshaun Watson, then the Sooners might have a chance at this thing.

Speaking of pressure on the QB, Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield may have his hands full tonight. They are going against a Clemson team that many consider the best in the entire ACC during the regular season. One game that sticks out for Oklahoma is that win over Tennessee. They were down 17-0 in that football game at one point if you remember. The offense of the Sooners was held cold for three quarters, but they arose in the 4th and managed to get the win in double overtime. That happened against Tennessee, imagine what could possibly happen when you go up against one of the better defenses in all of College Football.

As a side note I think some involved with this football game may recall what happened last time these two schools squared off. Last year, Clemson blew Oklahoma off the field 40–6 in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Both sides have dismissed that game because of Oklahoma’s coaching turnover (eight of nine different position coaches), a vastly improved secondary and the addition of Mayfield. But it’s also worth considering that Watson didn’t play that day, as Clemson ragdolled Oklahoma with a backup quarterback Cole Stoudt (Sports Illustrated). Oklahoma may be decisively better than last years version, but Clemson has improved in some areas as well.

There have been some skeptics who have wondered how good the Big 12 really has been this year. TCU, Baylor and Oklahoma State have been good this year, but by the time we got down towards the end of the season, they started to slip off the map. The only school to really make an impact out of that Big 12 was Oklahoma. They have had the 6th best offense in the entire country, the only school in the CFP that has had a better offense than the unbeaten Clemson. The difference is going to be the defense. Defense has been Clemson's bread and butter in recent years. Only one school in the playoffs has had a better defense then Clemson, and that's Alabama (who had the #2 ranked defense in the country). But we're not picking the national title game here, just the semifinal. Oklahoma has won on the back of its prolific offense. Clemson has shown it can with either way, and that's why I like the Tigers on New Year's Eve.

Now to the other National Semifinal Game. The Cotton Bowl will pit #2 Alabama taking on #3 Michigan State. The top ranked defense in Alabama is going to have a big factor in this game. But they are facing a good QB in Conor Cook. When Cook is on, he can fit passes into windows far narrower than the quarterbacks Alabama faced in the SEC. Its going to be a pretty good test for the Crimson Tide defense to deal with if Cook is playing as well as he has all year. For the Spartans to really make an impact, they have to be able to stretch the field out on the Tide defense, if they can't do that then they're in trouble. Part of what makes Alabama so tough to deal with is the fact that they keep rotating fresh bodies into each position, making it tough for opponents. Somehow, the only team to really be able to figure this Alabama defense out was Old Miss, who beat the Tide 43-37 back on September 19th. So if the Spartans were smart, that's a good game film to go look at.

You can make the same argument too for Alabama. The only team to beat the Spartans was Nebraska, who pulled out a 39-38 win on November 7th. One of the big things that the Crimson Tide have going for it, at least from an offensive perspective anyway, is the fact that they have the Heisman Trophy winner in their backfield. Derrick Henry has been all that and more this season. The big question I have heading into this football game is can Henry continue to carry such a heavy workload and still seemingly get stronger as the game progresses? It appears to be yes but with how well Michigan State can zero in on the oppositions star players. What has me a tad concerned is how well the offense can move if somehow Derrick Henry can't run the ball. He logged his largest carry totals in Alabama’s final two games and remained consistent in his ability to gain yards after first contact. He could possibly do what Ezekiel Elliott managed to pull off in last years College Football playoffs. Hell if any player out there can change the course of a game by touching the ball like Elliott did last year, it's Derrick Henry!

These two teams look fairly even, so a turnover or two could flip the result. Both teams could struggle early to gain yards on the ground, but don’t be shocked if each continues to pound the ball inside. Since the Tide shifted the emphasis of their offense to Henry following the loss to Ole Miss, Henry has found a way to break defenses. If Alabama’s defense can keep Cook in check, Henry may be able to break the dam late in the game. The Spartans are talented and could keep this close, but this is a team that had to grind out wins against its toughest competition. Doing that against Alabama is nearly impossible and without the threat of big plays, it's hard to see them upsetting the Tide outright.

So that's how I see the College Football Semifinals breaking down!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Sixteen

We reached the home stretch in the National Football League. As the playoffs get closer, more teams have punched their tickets to the big dance. The Bengals locked up the North joining the Patriots as the division winners in the AFC. Denver and Kansas City locked up a playoff spot, while that division still up for Grabs. The Jets are fighting for their playoff lives next week, while the AFC South is still up for grabs. Over in the NFC, their playoff teams are set, we just need to figure out seeding during the final week of the season. Washington clinched the division, as did Arizona. Green Bay and Minnesota are both in, they just need to figure out who walks out division winner there. Gang Green pulled off a thriller in overtime, while Carolina saw its perfect season go down the drains in Atlanta.

That's just some of what went down in the NFL last week. Here's the best and worst of the week that was in the National Football League!

Best:
Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver New York Jets
Is this guy good or is this guy good. He became the first Jets receiver to catch 100 passes in a single season, as he hauled in eight passes for 118 yards and a pair of scores Sunday against the Patriots in the Jets 26-20 OT win. Those two TD scores proved to be huge, as it helped the Jets take control late in the football game, for a little while at least. He's had over 1,000 receiving yards in every season he's played except for his rookie year in 2006 with the Broncos and last year while playing with the Bears. He's also now the first player in league history to have six seasons of 100 or more catches (he had done it three times in Denver and twice in Chicago). If it wasn't for his great catches late, the Jets might not have even been able to get to overtime against the Pats.

Worst:
Bill Belichick, Head Coach New England Patriots
I'm not arguing the greatness of the coach here, he's going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he decides to retire. What has me scratching my head here. Why the hell would you choose to kick the damn ball off in Overtime? I understand that the Jets defense has been putting pressure on your QB all day, but you do have Tom Brady taking the ball under center. He's going to the Hall Of Fame right along with you there Bill. And you had a chance to lock up home field throughout the playoffs. But no that didn't happen. The Jets took the ball right down the field and scored, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Best:
Tim Hightower, Running Back New Orleans Saints
His team is out of the playoff race, but Highitower is still writing a pretty good story right here. Think about it. In 2011 he tore his ACL. That injury and a subsequent infection kept him out of football for three seasons. For anybody in the NFL, more so for a running back, that an eternity. You won't find many players who are out of the game for three years, but Hightower pulled it off. On Sunday, Hightower's story got even better, with 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a Saints win. He looks a lot quicker than most 29-year-old backs. He looks quicker than plenty of 22-year-old backs, too. He's making a statement to say he could stick around next season to make a pretty good tandom with Mark Ingram when he comes back healthy.

Worst:
Eli Manning, Quarterback New York Giants
Again there's nothing really wrong with the guy, he's in the top ten among career touchdowns at 292. But he's had a rough go of it this year. Not totally his fault this year when his top weapon is available to him. Eli and the Giants got ROCKED by the Vikings on Sunday Night 49-17. Manning finished the day going 15 of 29 for 234 yards and one touchdown. He was also picked off three times and was sacked four more times. When you finish the night with a Quarterback rating of 50.7, you know you had a bad night. This is the lowest QBR he's had all season long. Don't get me wrong I think he's still a very good quarterback, but not having weapons around hurts his game. You could tell Beckham being out with the suspension hurt his game this week against the Vikings.

Best:
Atlanta Falcons
Yes the season is pretty much over for the Atlanta Falcons this year, but hey at least they went out with a bang this week. The Carolina Panthers hadn't lost a regular season game in over a year. They came into this matchup at 14-0. They left it at 14-1. This one is the biggest of the eight that the team has had this year. Matt Ryan finished throwing for 306 yards and one score. Julio Jones had that HUGE TD catch which he grabbed over the head of Panther Linebacker Luke Kuechly, who to his credit did his damndest to knock the ball away. But Jones had the TD catch, and finished the day with 9 grabs for 178 yards and the one score. With Carolina, they still sit atop of the NFC and have secured a bye week. However, a huge dose of humble pie served by none other than their divisional rivals pretty much stinks, despite the team’s secure postseason status.

Worst:
Chip Kelly, Head Coach Philadelphia Eagles
Na na na na, Na na na na, Hey hey hey, Goodbye. His time is now done in Philly. After the Eagles get beat by Washington on Saturday, giving the Redskins the NFC East title, Kelly is out as the team's coach. Chip Kelly’s club doesn’t just lose when they go down. They absolutely tank. His style is too up and down to get any flow from week to week. That’s the only explanation for his Eagles scoring big one week and getting boat raced the next. Kelly’s offense puts too much pressure on his own defense. Here's an even bigger kicker with Chip. When he first got to Philly two years ago, they had a good team and managed to make the playoffs. However over the last two seasons his team has tanked bigtime. A lot of the moves he made this past offseason is what cost him his coaching job in Philly this year.

Best:
Ryan Mallett, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
You would think that without Joe Flacco under center that Baltimore would be having problems. Well they didn't on Sunday, as the knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17. When you can shut down a high powered team like Pittsburgh that says a lot. As for Ryan Mallett, he  must have gained some maturity from somewhere after being run off from Houston. He filled in nicely for Baltimore with a 274 yard game along with a TD throw that helped the Ravens possibly ruin Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes. The Ravens defense held the high-powered Steelers’ passing game in check in the most shocking upset of the week. Mallett finished the day going 28 of 41 for those 274 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a guy who has gotten the royal run around this season

Worst:
Johnny Manzel, Quarterback Cleveland Browns
Well at least he can run the ball. Johnny Manziel had a nice day running the ball, but not so much in tossing it to actual receivers. When it comes to rushing the ball, he carried the ball eleven times for 108 yards. Those 108 yards were the 2nd most rushing yards in the entire league, behind Tim Hightower of the Saints. His passing game however, wasn't nearly as good. He only completed 13 of 32 passes against Kansas City. He hended the day with 136 yards throwing and an interception. Not a good percentage in case you’re new to this passing thing. Johnny Football lost his cool as time ran out as he was trying for the epic comeback. Got to throw it to the sidelines, my man, if you have zero timeouts.

Best:
Jeff Fisher, Head Coach St. Louis Rams
Somehow, this guy always finds a way to be able to keep his job. Here we are again, everyone. I can’t quite believe it. At times, I thought we wouldn’t reach the dizzy heights we’ve become so accustomed to. Nevertheless, Jeff Fisher once again upset the odds and negotiated the St Louis Rams to seven wins. With a victory next week against the lowly San Francisco, they will finish with a 5-1 record in the division. That record includes a sweep of Seattle and handing Arizona one of just their two defeats all season. Within the perennially strong divisional record lies Fisher’s greatest card in his game of coaching longevity. He offers hope, potential for the next step. As we’ve seen from three straight seasons of hovering below .500, though, that hope is closely followed by underwhelming inconsistency.

Worst:
Seattle Seahawks
No way Russell Wilson could continue his historic run of three plus touchdowns per game forever. I never imagined his Seahawks getting dropped by the Rams, though. Wilson finally threw an interception and only had two touchdown passes in a loss that could come back to haunt them.

There you have it some of the best and worst of the week that was in the NFL!

NFL Playoff Clinching Scenarios For Week 16

With Week Sixteen already underway, there are a lot at stake in this weeks games around the NFL. Since we are down to the final two weeks of the season, a lot is still to be decided. So with that being said, here is what the playoff clinching scenarios look like for this week in the NFL (thanks to our friends at NFL.com).

AFC 
CLINCHED:
New England - AFC East and a first-round bye
Cincinnati - playoff berth

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (at New York Jets, Sunday)
-New England clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win OR
2) NE tie + CIN loss or tie

CINCINNATI BENGALS (at Denver, Monday)
-Cincinnati clinches AFC North division with:
1) CIN win or tie OR
2) PIT loss or tie

-Cincinnati clinches a first-round bye with:
1) CIN win or tie

DENVER BRONCOS (vs. Cincinnati, Monday)
-Denver clinches AFC West division with:
1) DEN win + KC loss or tie OR
2) DEN tie + KC loss

-Denver clinches a playoff spot with:
1) DEN win + NYJ loss or tie OR
2) DEN win + PIT loss or tie OR
3) DEN tie + NYJ loss OR
4) DEN tie + PIT loss

HOUSTON TEXANS (at Tennessee, Sunday)
-Houston clinches AFC South division with:
1) HOU win + HOU clinches strength of victory tiebreaker over IND OR
2) HOU win + IND loss or tie OR
3) HOU tie + IND loss

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (vs. Cleveland, Sunday)
-Kansas City clinches a playoff spot with:
1) KC win + NYJ loss OR
2) KC win + PIT loss

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (at Baltimore, Sunday)
-Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss

NFC
CLINCHED:
-Carolina - NFC South and a first-round bye
-Arizona - NFC West
-Green Bay - playoff berth
-Seattle - playoff berth

CAROLINA PANTHERS (at Atlanta, Sunday)
-Carolina clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win or tie OR
2) ARI loss or tie

ARIZONA CARDINALS (vs. Green Bay, Sunday)
-Arizona clinches a first-round bye with:
1) ARI win or tie

GREEN BAY PACKERS (at Arizona, Sunday)
-Green Bay clinches NFC North division with:
1) GB win + MIN loss or tie OR
2) GB tie + MIN loss

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (vs. New York Giants, Sunday night)
-Minnesota clinches a playoff spot with:
1) MIN win or tie OR
2) ATL loss or tie OR
3) SEA win or tie

WASHINGTON REDSKINS (at Philadelphia, Saturday)
-Washington clinches NFC East division with:
1) WAS win OR
2) WAS tie + NYG loss

Now we hope this helps you get ready for what will be a fun week in the National Football League!

Merry Christmas!

Tis the Season To Be Jolly, Fa-La-la-la-lafontaine! That ever so magical time of the year has rolled around once again. From all of us to all of you we want to wish a very Merry Christmas to one and all!

With that in mind, we once again proudly present our holiday present to all of you. In the spirit of the holidays we present the following sports themed 12 Days of Christmas! First up is the 12 days of Rick Jeanneret:


But wait there's more to come. Next up for your viewing pleasure, we offer the 12 Days of Mike Lange:


And last but certainly not least, we proudly present the 12 days of hockey!



We hope you enjoyed! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Fifteen

Playoff pictures are taking shape more and more around the NFL as week fifteen comes to a close. This past week in the National Football League saw a lot of interesting storylines come out of it. Carolina is STILL unbeaten. Even though the Giants mounted an amazing comeback, and AALMOST pulled off the upset. This one was played with a backdrop of tempers flaring on both sides. Everybody has been talking about OBJ and his suspension for his action with Josh Norman. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals clinched the NFC West title after obliterating the Philadelphia Eagles on the road Sunday night. With the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have changed the playoff race on a dime with a 17-point comeback win against the Denver Broncos. Staying in that conference, Buffalo falling to the Washington Redskins guaranteed that Rex Ryan’s squad will miss the playoffs for a 17th consecutive season. It also gave Washington a clear path to the NFC East title. We were treated to a record-setting performance, a tantrum of epic proportions, some cringe-worthy quarterback play and many other developments worthy of being recognized.

With that being said, here's some of the best and worst performances from week fifteen in the NFL!

Best:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
You can't get much hotter than the way Cam Newton has played over the last year. Ever since the accident he had a year ago, he's played like a man possessed. Newton went off against the Giants on Sunday, in Carolina's 38-35 win. Newton finished the day by going 25 for 45 for 340 yards and five touchdowns. That's just throwing the ball. He also rushed for 100 yards on eight attempts. To make this day better, he even led the Panthers on a game-winning drive after the Giants came back from 28 points down to tie the game. Thanks to that performance, Carolina stayed perfect at 14-0. Newton also became the first player to produce 300 or more passing yards, five passing touchdowns and 100 or more rushing yards in a single game. Yeah this guy may have already stamped his name possibly on the MVP trophy.

Worst:
Matt Cassel, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys
Some people thought that Dallas might have a chance at reaching the playoffs. Facts are they flat out stink without Tony Romo under center. They still had a chance to make noise by helping keep the Jets at least out of the playoffs. Well that didn't happen.; The Jets clawed their way to a 19-16 victory. Matt Cassel had a bad day. After completing three of eight passes, for a total of 38 yards, and tossing a terrible interception, Cassel was yanked in the second quarter in favor of Kellen Moore. Here's a guy in Moore, who was once a star at Boise State who hadn’t played in a regular-season game during his first four years in the NFL. He played better than Cassel, who now has played himself out of a starting job. Dallas is now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Moore wasn't great, but he was a hell of a lot better than Cassel, who I can't see taking another snap in the league this season.

Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receivers
Here's a team who, much like the Jets and Chiefs, are fighting for a playoff spot in the tight AFC. Sunday they had a tough task of going up against the Denver Broncos, who have a tough trio of corners in their secondary, When you have guys like Aqib Talib, Kayvon Webster, Lorenzo Doss, and Chris Harris Jr. you have a tough day. And consider the fact that the Broncos have one of the best pass defenses in the entire NFL, you'd think the opposing wide outs would have a tough day. Yeah not the boys in Pittsburgh. Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton combined to catch 32 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Denver had no answer for Brown, who hauled in 16 of his 18 targets for 189 yards and two scores, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Worst:
Vernon Davis, Tight End Denver Broncos
When he left San Francisco for Denver, it appears that Tight End Vernon Davis has forgotten how to catch a football. He's had one game this season where he has had over 70 yards receiving in a game. This year, he's appeared to grow alligator arms. He had a costly drop last week against the Raiders/. This Sunday against Pittsburgh, he had one catch for five yards. That's bad. He could have helped his young QB on a crucial drive had he had some courage over the middle. He dropped a pair of easy catches on Sunday. He can't seem to find his game here in Denver. I think the Broncos might miss Demaryius Thomas.

Best:
Brandon Weeden, Quarterback Houston Texans
When he was starting in Dallas, Weeden couldn't catch a break at all. He lost all three of his starts in Dallas. Now he moves on to Houston and manages to rediscover his game again. He finished the day Sunday going 11 of 18 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Dude could not prostitute himself for a win in Dallas, yet took his Texans to victory over the Colts in relief of TJ Yates. That win in relief helped to keep Houston in playoff contention. This week was a two fold win. It helped keep Houston in the hunt (as of now it put the Texans on top of the AFC South a game ahead of the Colts). It also helped bring some more confidence to Weeden's game that he can play in this league.

Worst:
Indianapolis Colts
Unless things change fast for Indy, I could see them having a possible fire sale in the offseason. The Colts lost a de facto AFC South championship game at home against the Houston Texans. You can make the excuse that Andrew Luck was out, but at least Matt Hasselbeck is their second choice. But Hasslebeck has shown in games this year that he still had a little magic left. Maybe I guess the magic has run its course? The Texans were down to their fourth quarterback this season. And the Colts still lost. The Colts are the most disappointing team in the NFL and they win that award by a mile. They need a miracle to make the playoffs. Coach Chuck Pagano has seemingly been on the hot seat for a few months. General manager Ryan Grigson might have a tough time surviving because he put together this ill-fitting roster. Losing to a beat-up Texans team at home with the division on the line is not going to make team owner Jim Irsay happy.

Best:
David Johnson, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has clinched a division title for the first time since 2009! After putting a whipping on the Eagles, to the tune of a 40-17 thrashing, the Cards locked up that title. David Johnson was a big reason for that. Johnson finished the day with 29 carries for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also added 4 catches for 42 yards. By far the best rushing numbers of any back in the league this week. It was also the first time that Johnson had hit the 100 yard mark in a game this year. He's come close the two weeks prior, rushing for 99 and 92 yards respectively. It couldn't have come at a better time to hit the 100 yard mark in a game.

Worst:
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
It was fun watching this guys progression. He had a good run pulling the 49ers back to their feet a little. At the same time you knew this was coming. Gabbert came back to reality after going on that nice little run of his. Against a Bengals team without Andy Dalton, Gabbert was unable to keep pace with AJ McCarron and his Niners got beat as Gabbert flung three interceptions. The Bengals walked away with a 24-14 win. Gabbert finished the day by going 30 of 50 for 295 yards a touchdown and those three picks. He and Kellen Moore of the Cowobys were the only two QB's this week to toss three int's this week. San Francisco wasn't going to make the playoffs but at least they had a look at what they might do in the future with the QB position. Gabbert has returned to earth a bit. Now can he bounce back next week is the big question.

Best:
Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks
On Sunday, Wilson became the first quarterback in NFL history to have at least three touchdowns with no interceptions in five straight games. Two of those scores went to Baldwin. Baldwin and Jerry Rice are the only players in NFL history to have at least 10 touchdown receptions in a four-game stretch. Rice did that in 1987. Good company for Baldwin. The Seahawks kept winning, taking out the Cleveland Browns 30-13. The Wilson-Baldwin connection might keep the Seahawks winning in the postseason, too. Wilson finished the day going 21 of 30 for 249 yards and those three TD tosses. Baldwin finished with four catches for 45 yards, two of those came for scores. I know I said earlier that Cam Newton can make a strong claim for MVP and rightfully so. But with the way Wilson has played over the last few weeks, he has made a strong claim for putting his name in the hat as well.

Worst:
Buffalo Bills Defense
You would think that with a guy like Rex Ryan running this football team, that their defense was going to be good. Yeah that hasn't really happened this year. Washington’s offense had its way with Buffalo’s terrible defense, racking up 431 yards, 23 first downs and 35 points. Kirk Cousins was tremendous, passing for four touchdowns and rushing for another, and the secondary of Buffalo was clueless trying to defend DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed and Co. For all the talk that Rex does, I would hope that his team would be able to back it up. He had that ability with the defense when he was running the Jets. That's not the case here with Buffalo. To most people, it's obvious that the players are quitting on him. If Rex can't keep his players he won't last in Buffalo.

There you have it the best and worst of Week Fifteen!

Odell Beckham Jr. May Have Some Issues

Football is a rough game to play. You have to have skills in order to play in the best league in the world, the National Football League. Its not easy getting to that league. There's no denying that Odell Beckham Jr. has all the talent in the world. The guy could go down as one of the greatest receivers to ever step foot on a football field. At the same time, he does have a few issues he has to work out. No doubt he's cocky, hell he has every right to be. He's a damn good wide out. But at the same time, some of his cocky attitude can be over the top. Also, there's one other thing that Odell needs to work on and that's his attitude (and anger issues). We saw that rear its ugly head against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

You knew going into the game on Sunday against the unbeaten Carolina Panthers, it was going to be a battle between Beckham and defensive back Josh Norman. Nornan has been an outstanding shutdown corner this year, and now he's matched up against one of the best young wideouts in football. Lets just say the start of the day wasn't great for OBJ. By halftime, Beckham had more personal fouls (1) and drops (2) than catches (0). He finished with three personal fouls, one body-slam, one grazing right, and Tom Coughlin should have sat him for a series before someone got hurt when all hell and Ohell broke loose against Norman, who swung and missed a roundhouse right of his own at one point. To make matters worse, Beckahm really lost control of his emotions, leading him to do this:


Look I understand football is a physical and emotion filled game, but at the same time there really is no place for crap like this in the game. I know Beckham managed to compose himself and eventually caught what was at the time, the game tying touchdown late in the 4th quarter. Sure he did have six catches for 76 yards and the touchdown. What really has me scratching my head is how the hell Odell was allowed to stay in the football game after what he did to Josh Norman?

No action was taken by the refs, nothing was done by Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. Nothing happened at all. Lucky for Beckham, Norman wasn't hurt on the play but it could have been a lot worse. To be honest I was shocked he was allowed to finish playing the game. I thought Coach Coughlin would have pulled him out of the game for a while just to get him to calm down. If the Giants want to have a shot to even keep sniffing the playoffs, they need this guy on the field and to calm the hell down. Even halftime couldn't really calm him down, because he was still playing on the edge during the 2nd half. Look something has got to be done to get this guy under control.

As I stated before, I like watching this guy play. The stuff this man can do on a football field is just fantastic. But he needs to be able to stay on the damn field. He's lucky the ref's didn't throw is butt out of the game for his antics. In all likelyhood he's going to get a suspension from the league (at the time of this writing the NFL has not yet made a decision on the issue but it is being looked into).

Here's something else that bothered me a little. You would have thought that Coughlin would have sat the man down after that stunt and started chewing him a new one. But it never happened. When asked if he considered sitting Beckham to tame the wild beast within him, Coughlin said: “It was a consideration. A matter of fact, it was a strong consideration. He’s gotta learn at some point how to deal with some things, I’m out there to win the football game.”

Yeah I'm sorry Tom that can't happen. I understand you want to win a football game. There was a lot at stake for both teams in this game for both teams. Carolina was unbeaten (and stayed that way, improving to 14-0), the Giants are still fighting for a playoff spot and the NFC East title. You want to keep your best players on the field I get that. At the same time, common sense should have taken over. Coughlin should have sat Beckham down and read him the riot act. It may hurt the team for a little bit now, but it would have possibly saved the guy from fines and suspensions. Beckham has shown a bad attitude the last couple of weeks on the field, and it got worse going against Josh Norman this week.

If OBJ wants to stay on the field and get better, he really needs to work on controlling his anger issues or this is going to hurt him long term!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Fourteen

Week Fourteen has come and gone in the National Football League, with two more teams joining in the playoff chase. For the seventh year in a row, and the 13th time in the last 15 years, the New England Patriots have won the AFC East. Also joining the playoff rush are the Arizona Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot (haven't won the division yet but they are in the post season). Both teams joined the Carolina Panthers as locks for postseason play. Wee fourteen had a lot going on in the league, besides teams clinching playoff spots. Indy gets blown out by Jacksonville, New England snaps a two game losing streak by beating up on Houston who is still in the hunt in a weak AFC South. The Bengals may now be in jeopardy with the Andy Dalton season ending injury. Washington is holding onto first place in a terrible NFC East, the AFC South is just as weak and pathetic this season, both divisions could have a team .500 or worse make the playoffs, which wouldn't be good for the NFL.

So with that being said, here's a look back at some of the best and worst of the NFL from week fourteen.

Best:
Russel Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
Don't look now but I think Russel might be putting in a quiet claim for MVP of the entire league. Flat out the man is playing on a different level right now, its not even funny. In Seattle's 35-6 win over Baltimore on Sunday, he finished the day going 23 of 32 for 292 yards and oh year five touchdowns. This marks the 2nd time in the last three weeks that Russel has thrown five touchdowns in a game. He has now thrown 13 touchdowns in the past three weeks. That's not a typo he's done that in the last three weeks. Oh and to make that look even more impressive is that, during that time, he hasn't been picked off at all. In fact he hasn't thrown a pick since losing to Carolina back in week ten. Seattle is riding a four game winning streak and are right back in the thick of things in the NFC playoff race. That's a level that's out of this world right now.

Worst:
Indianapolis Colts Quarterbacks
This team can't catch a break at the QB position. Indy finished up Sunday’s loss with third-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst under center when Hurricane Jacksonville Jaguars stormed through and beat them 51-16. Whitehurst took the field when Matt Hasselbeck went down in the fourth quarter for what could be further damage to his ribs. After being shoved out of bounds by Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith, Hasselbeck couldn’t help but melting down. With him banged up and with Andrew Luck still on the mend, its a miracle that the Colts are still sitting atop the AFC South

Best:
Ted Ginn, Wide Receiver Carolina Panthers
He had himself a decent day on Sunday against Atlanta. Ginn caught two passes against Atlanta, both happened to be for scores. Gin finished the day with two grabs, again both for scores, and 120 yards receiving. His over the top performance gave Carolina a 21-0 lead in the first quarter as the Panthers wrapped up a first round bye with the win. The two touchdown grabs went for 74 and 46 yards, leading to the 120 total yards he had. Yeah I'd say that's a pretty good week.

Worst:
LeSean McCoy, Running Back Buffalo Bills
Friendly word of advice for you Shady, next time you gonna run your mouth, play a game that can back it up! As a way to welcome himself back to Philly, he kissed the logo at midfield at Lincoln Financial Field. He thought this was going to be the way to get back at his former team for trading him away. Well yeah that didn't happen. McCoy had himself a bit of a rough day, totaling 74 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards but failed to score. To make matters worse, McCoy bolted off the field and down the tunnel after the stinging loss. When he was asked about the game by reporters after the game, McCoy had nothing to say and stormed off. Next time you talk, back it up pal.

Best:
Todd Gurley, Running Back St. Louis Rams
Welcome back to the running game Todd Gurley! Hell welcome back St. Louis Rams! After five straight losses, the Rams finally got back on a winning track, beating the Lions 21-14. During that five game losing streak the Rams had, Running Back Todd Gurley had failed to break the 100 yard mark in rushing. Well against Detroit, he found the century mark again, rushing for 140 yards on 16 carries, including scoring twice. In fact, Gurley has had five games this season, and the Rams are 4-1 in those games. Gurley had a chance to shine this week, and he took full advantage of it.

Worst:
AJ McCarron, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals backup quarterback AJ McCarron compared himself to Tom Brady. Are you really that stupid dude? COME ON MAN! I wish this youngster the best, but he might want to tone down expectations. Here's why he was crazy enough to make those comparisons. Andy Dalton, the true number on QB with the Bengals, has a fractured thumb and is likely done for the season. That's where McCarron comes into play. Same thing happend with the Patriots too, if you remember. Drew Bledsoe got hurt against the Jets, Brady stepped in and the rest is history./ But McCarron is nowhere near the level of Tom Brady. Like I said I give the kid credit for having the guts to say that. McCarron did throw two touchdown passes against Pittsburgh, so maybe he deserves more benefit of the doubt. But then again, he followed that up with two INTs also, so maybe not.

Best:
Dwight Freeney, Defensive End Arizona Cardinals
Oh are these guys good, Beat up on the Minnesota Vikings 23-20 on Sunday. Locked up a playoff spot and sit on top of the NFC West at 11-2. Dwight Freeney is a big reason to thank for that mark. Unstoppable, Freeney came from behind at the Arizona 31-yard line and strip-sacked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, resulting in a fumble recovered by defensive end Calais Campbell. At the time of the game-ending sack, the score was 23-20 and the Vikings were at third and 10. Should Minnesota have decided to go for a field goal attempt on that play, the game would have gone into overtime with a successful kick. HE could not have come up with a bigger hit at a better time (at least to this point in the season).

Worst:
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were supposed to get whipped by Carolina. Not a shocker. Not scoring even a field goal was simply shameful, though. A six game losing streak after starting the year off 6-1 means heads are going to roll in Atlanta before the start of next season that's a guarantee!

Best:
Khalil Mack, Defensive End Oakland Raiders
Here's another defensive player making an impact last week in the NFL. Oakland SHOCKED Denver with 15-12 win by the Raiders! Mack had a big BIG hand in that. Coming into Sunday’s game, he had nine sacks. Mack then went out and abused the Denver Broncos for five sacks in a surprising 15-12 upset win in Denver. If it’s possible he was even better than the five sacks indicate, because he seemed to be getting pressure every single play. Not that there were many holdouts on Mack already being an NFL star, but Sunday definitely announced his arrival in the elite. Mack is clearly a defensive star, and it’s obviously now that he should have been the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft. He had an unbelievable day on Sunday, and it won’t be his last.

Worst:
Thomas Rawls, Running Back Seattle Seahawks
I really feel bad for this kid I do. Thomas Rawls went down for the year with an ankle injury, which puts the Seahawks in a bit of a pinch in the running game. The kid had been sensational in relief of Marshawn Lynch. I had become a big fan of him because he's one of those guys who came out of nowhere and can step right in and perform. It was just one of those freak things that happen.

There you have it the Best and Worst of the NFL from week fourteen!

What Cuddyer Retirement Could Mean For Mets

All he has known for the last 18 years of his life was playing baseball.; Now that's over with. This past Friday, now former Mets left fielder Michael Cuddyer has decided to call it a career after injuries have cost him playing time over the last four years. During the length of a good 18 year career, Cuddyer has been a pretty reliable player. At the plate, he averaged 21 home runs and 84 RBI's a year, hitting .277 over his career. He finished his career with a .277 average, 197 homers and 794 RBIs in 15 big league seasons. Those numbers were split between the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and New York Mets An interesting note is that he is retiring at the same time as former Twins teammates Torii Hunter and LaTroy Hawkins.

Cuddyer put up decent numbers while playing here in New York. He wasn't able to contribute quite the same way he once had, but considering the fact that he was 36 years old and was still a little bit productive, you have to be impressed by it. Another way to look at it is that he helped bridge the gap in left field until Michael Conforto came up and was ready to play everyday. Yes it kind of sucks that it was Cuddyer getting hurt that lead to Conforto getting more playing time, but credit has to be given to Cuddyer for being able to play when he got on the field.

Now then, this does help the Mets out a little bit. The retirement of Cuddyer may have left as much as $10 million for the team to work with in free agency, depending on how the exact finances work out. This could be really huge for the Mets going into the 2016 season. I'm already impressed by what the Mets have already done so far in free agency, bringing in Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera. So far its a good start from what they did at the Winter Meetings in Nashville last week. Now they have to finish the job and add another missing element to their team. One big thing is still evident is they are missing a big bat in the lineup. Sure they have Lucas Duda who can hit for Power (but is inconsistent) and Curtis Granderson (who's mostly used as a leadoff hitter). Then there's David Wright, and as much as I love Wright (being my favorite player) he isn't the same player he was a couple of years ago. So they need a consistent power hitter in their lineup.

Three names have come up as to potential suitors for the Mets. Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, and even take a look at Chris Davis. Daivs is the stretch of the three names that are listed. The Orioles want to keep him, but they apparently were frustrated enough by agent Scott Boras’ foot dragging to pull a seven-year, $150 million offer away to explore other options (WFAN). If the Mets can land him, somehow, he'd be a perfect fit for the Porch (whatever they're going to call it next season) in right field. That porch in righ could be very inviting for a guy who has hit 159 homers and won two AL home run crowns over the last four seasons. So if the Mets can somehow pull it off, why not go for it right?

The other two options on the table for the Mets are Cespedes and Upton.  With Cespedes, everybody knows about the hot run he had the last two months of the year, with those 17 monster home runs. He wasn't quite as effective in the post season, but you at least have an idea of how effective a hitter he can be. I think the asking price is too high at the moment, but if given time and no bites on the market, he may become desperate enough to take any offer that comes his way just to keep playing baseball. He has all the signs of becoming a consistent 30-homer, 100-plus RBI hitter who plays a solid outfield. Then there's Justin Upton, who is still sitting out on the market. Upton has put up good numbers in the past, having hit 29 homers and 102 RBI in Atlanta just two years ago. He was also able to smack 26 homers to go along with 81 RBI in San Diego last year. Not quite as good as what he produced in Atlanta two years ago but still good offensive numbers in a park that isn't quite as hitter friendly as Atlanta. Upton really has improved as a fielder over the last couple of years. Look at last year, he made only three errors in left field. He’s still got a lot of baseball left, as he's just 28 years old, so there is plenty of upside to trying to bring Upton on board. The thing is that Mets would have to pay as dearly for him as for Cespedes. But remember, they’ve got that money.

The Mets now have the money with Cuddyer retiring, but the bigger question is can they use it wisely to improve upon what they already have on the field right now? Only time will tell!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Thirteen

Week thirteen has come and gone in the National Football League and a few interesting things have started to take shape around the league. Not only are the Carolina Panthers still the only unbeaten team in the NFL at 12-0, they are also the first team to clinch a division title. For the third year in a row, Carolina is the champions of the NFC South. In that NFC playoff race, the Giants look like they're starting to possibly fall out of contention, Seattle has managed to claw its way back into a Wild Card position, and a possibly under .500 record can win you a division (NFC East). In the AFC, the Jets managed to clime back into a log jam for the last wild card spots with the Chiefs and Steelers. New England has slipped the last two games, as both them and the Giants had a few questionable play calls during their losses this week You could also have another team finish at or just below .500 win a division (AFC South). So things are still way up in the air for the playoff push. Week thirteen saw a lot go down on the field. The Hail Marry win Thursday for the Packers to go along with some atrocious quarterback performances that consisted of pick-sixes by none other than Tom Brady himself. Then there were other quarterbacks who made their team’s running backs look obsolete when they stole the show on the ground. Finally, there were the awesome and irritating touchdown celebrations that could help but make you laugh out loud and scratch your head.

Here's now some of the Best and Worst of Week Thirteen in the National Football League

Best:
Greg Olsen, Tight End Carolina Panthers
Carolina is STILL unbeaten, thanks to a big catch from Greg Olsen on Sunday. On fourth-and-4 just before the two-minute warning, Newton had nothing and scrambled to his left to buy time. He saw Olsen come open, and flipped a pass out to him. Because Newton couldn't get much on the throw, Olsen had to adjust. And he made a spectacular catch to keep the drive and the Panthers' perfect season alive. It's not out of the question that the Panthers could have gotten the ball back and scored anyway, but their chances of winning would have plummeted had the pass hit the ground before Olsen snagged it. He finished with a solid day that consisted of 9 catches for 129 yards. He did fumble once but that can be overlooked. If he doesn't make that catch to allow Carolina to pick up; that first down, there's no guarantees that the Panthers are still unbeaten.

Worst:
Adrian Peterson, Running Back Minnesota Vikings
It was no secret that this was going to be a tough matchup for Peterson. The best running back in the game was going up against the top rushing defense in the league in the Seattle Seahawks. Peterson finished with just eight carries for 18 yards on the ground, season lows for AP. This coming after rushing for just 45 yards two weeks ago against the Packers in Green Bay. Adrian is a fantastic back and is worth the money trust me. But news flash to him and the Vikings, you were playing Seattle who has an outstanding run defense. This wasn't the Swiss Cheese run defense of the Atlanta Falcons what did you expect to happen?

Best:
Allen Robinson, Wide Receivers Jacksonville Jaguars
This guy has been having a fantastic year this year, going off again this Sunday in the Jags 42-39 loss to the Titans. Robinson finished the day with ten catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns. With the exception of week one against the Panthers, he's had at least fifty yards receiving in every game this year, having broken the 100 yard mark three times in the last five weeks. Those 153 yards are the 2nd most hes had this year (155 yards in a week two win over Miami). He now has over 1,000 receiving yards on the year, making him one of only 8 receivers in the game this year to hit the mark this year.

Worst:
Matt Hasselbeck, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
Hasselbeck, at age 40, had to come back down to earth eventually. It happened against the Steelers in prime time as he threw two early picks and never got on track. He's been thrown in to take over for an injured Andrew Luck. Like I've said in the past I give this guy a lot of credit for still being able to play at this stage of his career. He finished the day going 16 of 26 for 169 yards, one touchdown, those two early picks, he was sacked twice and fumbled once. Somehow, even with this loss for the Colts, they are still a .500 football team and still lead the AFC South. If the playoffs were to start next week, Indy would be a division champion and a playoff team. But Hasselbeck has come back down this week. If Indy wants to distance themselves in the division race, he needs to step up.

Best:
Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver New York Jets
This guy has been great for the Jets this season. Marshall caught 12 of his 13 targets against the Giants' weak secondary. Calling the Giants secondary weak isn't saying a whole hell of a lot, because the Big Blue defense has been suspect all season. Marshall converted those looks into 131 yards and a big touchdown near the end of the game that got the game tied up. Marshall helped carry the Jets to the win on Sunday. Marshal has been more consistent, and his team is actually winning games, compared to what OBJ is doing with the Giants. Marshall went over the 1,00 yard receiving mark for the year, having now hit a thousand yards in a season with every team he's played for (Jets Bears Dolphins and Broncos). He also became the first Jets receiver since 2007 to hit the 1,000 yard mark

Worst:
Tom Coughlin, Head Coach New York Giants
It's really not looking good for the Giants head coach. Tom Coughlin may be close to losing his job as Giants head coach. Late game collapses won’t be the best bullet points for a resume going forward. Look no further than that bad play call on fourth and two on Sunday against the Jets. Common sense would dictate on that play that you kick the field goal and take a two score lead. Or at least try and run on that fourth down. I know the run game was almost nonexistent for the Giants but at least there's less of a chance of a turnover than throwing the ball. But no the Giants threw it, it was picked off, the Jets came down and scored, forced OT and the rest is history. There is an argument that its not all on Coach Coughlin as to why the Giants have fallen the last couple of weeks. But its making bad decisions like that late in a game that aren't helping his cause.

Best:
Green Bay Packers
Talk about a touch of luck on the Packers side last Thursday against Detroit. Detroit was hot, winning three straight, while the Pack had lost three of their last four games. Things looked grim at Ford Field as the Lions took a lead late and threatened to sweep the season series for the first time since 1991. Geen Bay down by three late in the game, they had to do something. The Packers got the untimed down after Detroit defensive end Devin Taylor was called for grabbing Aaron Rodgers' facemask on a tackle on what would've been the last play. The penalty proved to kill the Lions, because Rodgers threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Richard Rodgers with no time left to give Green Bay the 27-23 victory. It was as much the Packers winning the game as the Lions blowing it because Detroit is now all but done this season. Clutch throw by Rogers for the win.

Worst:
Cleveland Browns
This just really isn't a good year for the Browns is it. Cleveland got blasted by Cincinnati 37-3, meaning that the Browns may be the winner of the #1 draft pick next year. The team has now lost seven straight games, and have the worst offense in the league, one that averages 18 points a game. They might even take a QB, who’s interested in football more than Instagram party pics.

Best:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback Tennessee Titans
So far he's lived up to the hype this season, and Sunday was no different. Mariota was a stud against the Jaguars, throwing for 268 yards and then addind another 112 on the ground running. He put his Titans ahead with an 87, yes 87, yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He finished the day going 20 of 29 for those 268 pass yards and three touchdowns. The downsides were he was picked once and sacked four times. But when you can run the ball for 112 as a QB, including an 87 yard run late in the game, yeah that's pretti impressive

Worst:
Matt Schaub, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
In a typical Schaub-like performance, the Baltimore Ravens second-string quarterback reminded us all why he remains a backup in the NFL. Late second quarter, Schaub was intercepted by Miami defensive end Derrick Shelby who returned the pick for a 22-yard touchdown. Schaub’s pick-six made it the 14th of his career and his second in his two starts this year with Baltimore. Furthermore, Schaub’s pick-six came just three throws after he was intercepted in Ravens territory, which led to quarterback Ryan Tannehill connecting with DeVante Parker for a 38-yard touchdown. Joe Flacco’s turnovers routinely cost the team wins before his season-ending knee injury, and now Schaub fits the job description for a 2015 Ravens quarterback perfectly (Sportsnut).

Greatest Touchdown Celebration
There have been a few fantastic TD celebrations over the years, but I think this one by Antonio Brown on Sunday may be up there among some of the best ever:



So there you have the best and worst of the NFL from week thirteen!

College Football Playoffs Set

It's the most wonderful time of the year, at least for College Football it is anyway. Yes, bowl season is upon us. Forty bowl games are on tap for College Football, starting with the Celebration Bowl on December 19th and culminating with the College Football National Championship game on January 11th. An Annual event going on since the very first bowl game in 1902, which was the Tournament of Roses Association (Rose Bowl) between Michigan and Stanford, a game which Michigan won 49-0. Now everybody seems to get a bowl game. There are forty games (41 if you include the National Title game), all of which are tie in games. Lets think about this. Bowls can’t be justified by tradition. Yes, there’s the Rose, the Sugar, the Cotton and the Orange. Now, explain the existence of the TicketCity, the New Orleans, the Armed Forces, the Little Caesars, the Military, the Kraft Fight Hunger, the GoDaddy.com, the New Mexico, the Humanitarian, the Beef O’Brady’s, the Hawaii, the Champs Sports, the BBVA Compass, the Insight, the Pinstripe, the Poinsettia, the Texas, the Las Vegas and the Music City bowls. It's all about money, which is why there are so many bowl games. That being said, here's the full list of every bowl game being played this year, so you can decide which games you wanna watch.

Here's the full list of the College Football Bowl Games:

Dec. 19
Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T Atlanta
Cure Bowl San Jose State vs. Georgia State
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Arizona vs. New Mexico Albuquerque
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl BYU vs. Utah Las Vegas
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Ohio vs. Appalachian State
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech

Dec. 21
Miami Beach Bowl Western Kentucky vs. South Florida

Dec. 22
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Akron vs. Utah State
Marmot Boca Raton Bowl Toledo vs. Temple

Dec. 23
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Boise State vs. Northern Illinois
GoDaddy Bowl Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green

Dec. 24
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan
Hawai'i Bowl San Diego State vs. Cincinnati

Dec. 26
St. Petersburg Bowl Connecticut vs. Marshall
Hyundai Sun Bowl Miami vs. Washington State
Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl Washington vs. Southern Miss
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Indiana vs. Duke
Independence Bowl Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech
Foster Farms Bowl UCLA vs. Nebraska

Dec. 28
Military Bowl presented By Northrop Grumman Pittsburgh vs. Navy
Quick Lane Bowl Central Michigan vs. Minnesota

Dec. 29
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl California vs. Air Force
Russell Athletic Bowl North Carolina vs. Baylor
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Nevada vs. Colorado State
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl LSU vs. Texas Tech

Dec. 30
Birmingham Bowl Auburn vs. Memphis
Belk Bowl NC State vs. Mississippi State
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Texas A&M
Holiday Bowl USC vs. Wisconsin

Dec. 31
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Houston vs. Florida State
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Clemson
College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Alabama

Jan. 1 Outback Bowl Northwestern vs. Tennessee
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Michigan vs. Florida
BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual: Stanford vs. Iowa
Allstate Sugar Bowl Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss

Jan. 2
TaxSlayer Bowl Penn State vs. Georgia
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Kansas State vs. Arkansas Memphis
Valero Alamo Bowl Oregon vs. TCU
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl West Virginia vs. Arizona State Phoenix

Jan. 11
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T Glendale, Arizona

Phew! That's a lot of bowl games to take in. Now lets take a look at the three big games on the schedule, that being the College Football playoffs. The selection last year was a lot more dramatic than it was this year. The four teams getting in this year, Clemson (13-0), Alabama (12-1), Michigan State (12-1) and Oklahoma (11-1) were all but locked into their place, based on winning their respective conferences.

Clemson is the lone unbeaten team in the country, that coming thanks to Iowa falling to Michigan State in Saturday’s Big Ten championship game. Combine that with some of the big wins Clemson got during their unbeaten season, the Tigers earned the top spot without much debate. Think about it, they beat Notre Dame in October, Florida State in November and North Carolina this past Saturday. They will be matched up with Oklahoma in a rare rematch of a bowl game from a year ago. Clemson beat the tar out of the Sooners 40-6 in 2014’s Russell Athletic Bowl, but this Oklahoma team bears little resemblance to that one.

After a shocking loss to Texas on Oct. 10, Bob Stoops managed to flip the switch and turn this team into a national title contender. Here's a team in Oklahoma that averaged 52 points per game since then, including consecutive victories against Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State to claim the Big 12 regular season championship. A year ago, the Big 12 was left out of the playoff due to the lack of a conference championship. That wasn’t as much of a worry this season, especially with Pac-12 winner Stanford having two losses.

The semifinal games will be taking place on New Years Eve, with the winners meeting in the national championship game on January 11th. The National Title Game will take place in Glendale, Arizona. Ohio State took home last year's trophy as the four seed after beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Oregon in the CFP championship game. We will have a full previwe of both College Football playoff games and the National Championship game as we get closer to game day!

Red Sox Pay The Price

Every year, Major League Baseball teams look to find an ace for the top of the rotation. Its either they have it in the system already, or they grab one up in the market, either via trade or free agency. Boston is one of those teams that has been looking for an ace. Boston has made bold moves before, outbidding rival teams for expensive free agents and engineering trades that led to championships. They have done that this time. Not since the days of Pedro Martinez have the Red Sox had a true number one undoubted ace. Now they have one. Boston shelled out big money, to the tune of a seven year deal worth $217 million for Left handed starter David Price. According to sorces who have better knowledge of the agreement, the deal is pending a physical and an announcement is expected to come Friday at Fenway Park. Price, 30, has the right to opt out of the deal after the 2018 season.

This means a lot for a lot of people. First things first, it helps both David Price and the Red Sox. Price is one of the premier pitchers in all of baseball. Price is 104-56 lifetime in the Majors, with a 3.09 ERA. He went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA and 225 strikeouts last year, including going 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA after the trade to the Jays. Every place he has pitched, whether it be Tampa, Detroit, or Toronto, Price has wopn baseball games. He is lefthanded and can give you 200 innings and 34 quality starts. He is 6-1 with a 1.95 career ERA pitching at Fenway, which is the rubber he will be toing plenty of times over the next seven eyars. He is a five-time All Star. David Price really gives the Red Sox an ace. If you look at the starting rotation the Red Sox had last season, which was composed of Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, Joe Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez and Clay Buchholz, you can see the argument to be made. Boston hasn't had an intimidating pitching staff since 2013 when they had John Lester and John Lackey at the top of the rotation, hell they haven't had a 20 game winner in Boston since Curt Schilling won 21 games in 2004. This guy gives the Red Sox an ace in an era of mediocrity. This is also one of the biggest contracts that the Red Sox has given to a pitcher in quite some time.

It was something that was badly needed in Boston. Here was a team that seemed to make the playoffs with regularity. Now they have trouble doing that. Since 2010 the Red Sox have made the playoffs once, that was the World Series year in 2014. In fact, Boston has finished in last in three of the last four years, including the last two seasons. This gives the Red Sox a shot at legitimacy. It was something that had to be done in Boston, they needed to go out and make a move if they wanted to be able to compete in this division. Signing Price is reminiscent of what the Red Sox did when they got Manny Ramirez and Keith Foulke. The Sox have secured the best player on the market and they have done it without giving up prospects, which is going to be key if the Red Sox hope to compete for a long time in the East. With this signing, you have to give Boston GM Dave Dombrowski for the work that he has done so far.

Dombrowski has inked Craig Kimbrel to a deal, which locks up a good closer in the Sox pen. Then he went out and added the best free agent starter on the market in David Price. I also don't think he's done. Moves like this, plus the talent they already have on the roster make the team better.This makes the Red Sox legit. And if you really take the time to look at it, you will realize that Dave Dombrowski has had a hand in all three of Price’s moves the past two years. He picked Price up from Tampa in 2014, then just last year delt him away to Toronto. Now he's back at it again, helping the Red Sox land him. Dombrowski is hoping that Price can help another franchise make a turnaround. Look at what happened last year, Toronto hadn't made the playoffs since 1993, and Price helped them get there. Its not as dramatic in Boston, as they have made the playoffs between 1993 and now, but the team has been in last place each of the last two years. So he'll be called upon to try and help get Boston back on track.

With the contract signed by Price, it has to make you wonder a little what kid of offer sheets other free agent pitchers are going to get this winter. Think about this:

(Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe)

Think about this. Price got a huge contract. Jordan Zimmermann got a five year deal worth $110 million from Detroit. There are still some other big name starting pitchers out on the market. There are guys like Jeff Samardzija, Tim Lincecum, Mark Buehrle and oh yeah some guy named Zack Greinke. Greinke is the best pitcher out there on the market at the moment, now that Price has been scooped up by Boston. Since the year Greinke had, what with the lowest ERA in all of baseball, he is going to command a huge deal in his own right. This means that there could be potential for money to be thrown around like water in the offseason. Greinke you know is going to get himself a nice size deal, same as Price did. This could be a very promising year, financially at least, for free agents in baseball, especially those who happen to be pitchers.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Twelve

Ah week twelve has come and gone in the NFL. When we started this whole thing there were two unbeaten teams in the NFL, Carolina and New England. Now we're down to one left, the Carolina Panthers (who came off a big win over Dallas thanksgiving night). The three thanksgiving saw two blowouts and an upset. From a playoff perspective, there's no clear cut locks yet, but its getting a little bit clearer. New England and Carolina have a almost lock to hold down the top seeds in each conference. Washington has overtaken the Giants for the top spot in the NFC East, pushing the Giants out of a playoff spot. So there's a lot going on in the league right now. Featuring some disturbingly poor coaching, brittle quarterbacks, heroic one-handed catches and career-best performances, Week 12 in the NFL provided fans with a wide array of scenarios to experience. With that being said, here's some of the best and worst from the week that was in the National Football League.

Best:
Adrian Peterson, Running Back Minnesota Vikings
Last week wasn't a week to remember for the Vikings. Minnesota got blasted 30-13 by Green Bay and Adrian Peterson was held to 45 yards rushing on 25 carries. This was coming off his 203 yard game two weeks ago. This week, we saw Adrian Peterson return to form, if you want to call it that. He went up against the top run defense in the NFL in the Atlanta Falcons and flat out went off. Peterson vented his frustrations on a suddenly hapless Atlanta Falcons team that is in danger of tanking the season. Thanks to the running of AP, Minnesota walked away with a 20-10 win over Atlanta. Taking the bull by the horns and dishing the Falcons a whole lot of heartache, Peterson rushed for 158 yards at the breakneck pace of 5.4 yards per carry, scoring twice. Both the number of yards and number of carries were tops in the league this week among running backs. Yeah he had himself a pretty good day

Worst:
Chip Kelly, Head Coach Philadelphia Eagles
Things are falling fast for Chip and the Eagles. At one point it appeared to some that Philly would possibly be able to turn the corner. Well that hasn't happened. Philly has now lost three straight, including getting lit up like a cheap cigar by Detroit on Thanksgiving night, falling to the Lions 45-14. Philly was overwhelmingly outplayed by an on-point Lions offense that recorded 108 ground yards, a rushing touchdown, 337 aerial yards, five passing touchdowns by quarterback Matthew Stafford and a 48-yard Matt Prater field goal. Mark Sanchez wasn't on his game either, as Philly's offense was quite most of the day. Sanchez had an ok day, as he wasn't picked off at all, but his lost fumble, six sacks and nine quarterback hits were quite momentum-breaking. Philly also could not gain headway on the ground, ending the miserable outing with just 68 total rushing yards. Kelly I think is hoping things will get better when Sam Bradford comes back next week. But guess what? Your playing a Patriots team that is coming off a crushing loss to the Denver Broncos. Good luck with that one Chipper.

Best:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
Seattle played a big game, one they needed against Pittsburgh. Russel Wilson was a big factor in the Seahawks 39-30 win over Pittsburgh. Wilson had himself a day, going off against Pittsburgh to the tune of five touchdown throws. He hit Doug Baldwin for three and Jermaine Kearse for a couple on the way. He finished the day going 21 of 30 for 345 yards and those five TD throws. Doug Baldwin was the major beneficiary of Wilson’s big game on Sunday, catching six passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. Jermaine Kearse, who had four catches for 47 yards, scored the other two touchdowns. Wilson had himself a great day, not a bad way to celebrate a 27th birthday.

Worst:
Tony Romo, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys
This man really can't catch a break this year, no pun intended. Without Romo in the lineup, Dallas hasn't won a game. They won with him under center. He was trying to give them a big help this week but it wasn't ment to be. The guy could have sat out a couple more weeks but chose to come back to help his team for a shot at the postseason. It was not to be as he again broke his collarbone and is now done for the season. As somebody who's broken both of his collarbones I feel bad for Romo, I really do. Trust me Tony I been there its not fun at all. It really hasn't been the year of the Romo.

Best:
Odell Beckham Jr., Wide Receiver New York Giants
Is there anything that this man can't do. He had a solid day again this week, hauling in 9 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Those are numbers you would expect from a guy like him. What most people are talking about though is the grab. Everybody remembers the one handed TD catch he made against Dallas last season. Well he proved that he doesn't do it with just his right hand. He did the same thing, sort of with his left hand. Here's the proof:

Is there anything this guy can't do?

Worst:
New Orleans Saints Offense
Talk about a bad day in New Orleans. They were embarrassed in all phases of the game, getting outplayed in a 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans. With the Saints only able to manage two field goals, this game marked the first game in 155 that the team did not score a touchdown. This was also the team’s first game without former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who was fired after Week 10. We can ascertain from the disgusting play of New Orleans’ defense in this contest that the decision hasn’t provided any rewards just yet. A struggling Brees, who took two sacks by J.J. Watt, completed just 25-of-44 passes for 228 yards and an interception. Adding insult to injury, the ground game consisted of a paltry 50 rushing yards. The fact that New Orleans wasn't able to score at all against Houston says a lot as to how bad the year has been for New Orleans this season.

Best:
Matt Hasselbeck, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
Due to injuries to starter Andrew Luck, Indy had to go with 40-year old Matt Hasselbeck as the starting QB. It had me wondering going into this one whether he could still do this thing in the NFL. Well he did. Hasselbeck, who improved his personal record to 4-0 this year, passed for 315 yards — his first 300-plus yard outing in four years. And might we point out that he vastly out-performed his rookie counterpart Jameis Winston, who passed for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Capping off Hasselbeck’s squeaky clean performance, he threw two passing touchdowns to T.Y. Hilton, who totaled 95 yards along the way.

Worst:
New England Patriots Injuries
Talk about a team getting hit with a rash of injuries. Last week it was the Baltimore Ravens, who lost Justin Forsett and Joe Flacco due to injury. Now its the Patriots turn. Rob Gronkowski was carted off the field in Denver with a knee injury. The big man was in a lot of pain, but the hit didn’t look terrible like you might see with a player’s foot planted taking a hit. It was more of a glancing blow with Gronk’s leg still in the air. The Pats are hopeful the injury isn’t as serious as it looked from Gronk’s reaction. Still factor that in with the loss of Danny Amendola and Julian Edelma, it makes things tougher on the Patriots heading for the playoffs.

Best:
Brock Osweiler, Quarterback Denver Broncos
Not a bad way to get your first start in the NFL. Think about the pressure this kid was under. Replacing a legend like Peyton Manning, who was out due to injury. Its prime time football, your on Sunday Night. Oh and your going up against the unbeaten New England Patriots. Talk about bigtime pressure. Young QBs don’t beat Tom Brady, but Osweiler is a different kind of cat. Denver got the big win over the Patriots in overtime with a walk-off touchdown by CJ Anderson. The Pats couldn’t move the ball at all with their only overtime possession and are undefeated no more. Osweiler was sacked three times but did have himself a good game, going 23 of 42 for 270 yards a touchdown and a pick Still say that's a pretty good day.

Worst:
Travis Coons, Kicker Cleveland Browns
Monday night football. Big game, big stage and a battle between two bad teams. Baltimore and Cleveland were both down to their backup QB's by the time we got near the end of this ballgame. It came down to kicking and Travis Coons. Coons lined up to kick a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal with 3 seconds to go. The kick was set up perfectly, but it was deflected by defensive end Brent Urban, who was playing his first NFL game for the injury-riddled Ravens. Will Hill scooped it up and rumbled down the left sideline for an improbable win, stunning a Cleveland crowd which moments earlier was ready to celebrate. Coons had been perfect two for two on the day leading to this kick. Not exactly the way you wanted to try and hit your first 50+ yard career field goal.

Kobe Calls It A Career

For the last twenty years, one person has been synonymous with the Purple and Gold of the Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant. He has been the face of the franchise for well over a decade now, finally calling it a career on Sunday night. He will finish out the rest of the 2015-16 season with Los Angeles, saying in his announcement Sunday on The Players' Tribune website that he will retire after this season, writing that "this season is all I have left to give."

When Kobe does hang it up at the end of the season, he's going to go down as one of the greatest players to step foot on an NBA court. The numbers for Kobe speak for themselves. Kobe is a five time NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009–2010). Three of those NBA titles were with Shaquille O'Neal (2000, 2001 and 2002). Just to prove that those titles were no fluke, Kobe won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Those last two titles, Kobe won finals MVP in both of those years. Kobe was the MVP of the entire league in 2008. He was a seventeen time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2015), winning the MVP award of the game four time (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011). He was named to the All-NBA First Team eleven times (2002–2004, 2006–2013), an All-NBA Second Team twice (2000–2001),and and All-NBA Third Team twice (1999, 2005). Nine times Kobe was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003–2004, 2006–2011) and three more times he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001–2002, 2012). He has a pair of NBA scoring crowns in his back pocket (2006 and 2007). Kobe won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team that same year. Kobe will finish his career as the Los Angeles Lakers all-time leading scorer. Kobe has career averages of 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and put up a career-high 35.3 points per game in the 2005-06 season.

A lot of numbers to hit you with I know, but it goes to show the greatness of Kobe Bryant. He has proven on a lot of nights that he can dominate a game by himself. Hitting four or more points in a game is a pretty good effort in one night, but Kobe has done that with regularity. At the time of this writing, Bryant has played 134 games in which he has scored forty or more points. That's a mind blowing number for a guy who's playing in his 20th NBA season. Now out of these, 5 were sixty-plus point games and 26 were fifty-plus point games. He is third behind Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, who scored forty or more in 271 and 173 regular season games, respectively. 2003 was a banner year for Kobe, as scored 40 points or more in nine consecutive games, tying Jordan, who accomplished the same feat in the 1986–87 season. The only player with longer streaks of 40 or more is Chamberlain, who had 14 consecutive games twice in the 1961–62 season and 10 consecutive games in the 1962–63 season. In 2006 Kobe went off again, when scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. It was the second-highest number of points scored in a game in NBA history, behind only Chamberlain's 100-point performance in 1962. Then in 2007, Bryant scored 50 points or more in four consecutive games, another amazing feet. This accomplishment is fifth in NBA history behind streaks by Chamberlain, who had 50 or more in seven, six and five (twice) consecutive games in the 1961–62 season. Bryant has also played 12 playoff games in which he has scored forty or more points. Out of the 134 games, 21 resulted in Bryant notching a double-double and 42 resulted in losses.

Those numbers are flat out mind numbing to be able to read. If you get mentioned in the same breath with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, you know your going down as one of the greatest to ever play the game of Basketball. What set Kobe apart from a lot of guys around the league was his will to win and the skill that went along with it. At times, Kobe was a lot of trouble to deal with. Look at the mess Los Angeles was in in 2003-04. During that year, Phil Jackson said at times that Kobe was uncoachable (at least according to Phil's book). But still, there's no denying a rare talent when you have one, and Kobe was that rare talent. With the exception of MJ, nobody playing the game in the last 30 years could change the complexion of a game the way Bryant could. When he was on his game and in a groove, there are very few in basketball who were any better.

Kobe was taken 13th overall by the Hornets in the 1996 draft. He never played a game for Charlotte, as his draft rights were trade to the Lakers on July 1st in exchange for center Vlade Divac. The announcement of his retirement comes in the midst of one of his worst season's. He is averaging 15.7 points per game on 31.5 percent shooting from the field, the worst of his career.

Greatest Upsets In Sports

Upset. By definition, an upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win (the favorite), is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom. The underdog then becomes a giant-killer. This happens once in a while in the world of sports, from hockey to basketball to baseball to football to college sports to boxing and even the UFC. It's really what makes the world of sports a beautiful thing. Upsets are going to happen, and the best thing about them is they occur when you least expect it. after what happened Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 193, it got us thinking about some of the greatest upsets in sports history. So we offer that to you now. So here are ten of the greatest upsets in all of sports (in no particular order).

UFC 193: Holly Holm KO's Ronda Rousey
It was the kick heard around the world. Holly Holm knocked Ronda Rousey out cold 59 seconds into the 2nd round of their title fight at UFC 193. Heading into the bount, both fighters had been undefeated, Holm at 9-0-0 and Rousey at 12-0 going into this fight. Those numbers changed when Holm landed a kick to the head of Rousey about a minute into round two pout down the champion, thus ending her title reign. Holm became the second female bantamweight champion in UFC history, halting Rousey's run of six consecutive title defenses. It was the seventh knockout win of Holm's MMA career and her quickest finish. Here's an even bigger kicker. Prior to UFC 193, Rousey's past three fights lasted 34, 16, and 14 seconds. But she was no match for former champion boxer and underdog Holm. Rhonda is still one of the biggest, if not the biggest, star in the sport of MMA and UFC. But this loss knocked her down a peg. Don't be surprised if we get a rematch soon.

Boxing: Buster Douglas KO's Mike Tyson (1990)
How big of an underdog was James "Buster" Douglas when he stepped into the ring against Tyson in Japan? The Mirage, which had opened three months earlier, was the only Las Vegas casino to make odds on the fight. They had Douglas as a 42-1 underdog, which is why when he knocked out Tyson, who was 37-0 at the time, in the 10th round, Jim Lampley called it, "The biggest upset in the history of heavyweight championship fights!" In the sport of Boxing, nobody was better at that time than Tyson. Buster Douglas was given no chance what so ever. But Douglas did the impossible and knocked Tyson flat out. This is going down as the biggest upset in boxing history, and one of the greatest fights ever.

New York Jets defeat Baltimore Colts in SuperBowl III (1969)
Not too many people gave the Jets much of a chance in this football game. The NFL had dominated the AFL since the merger in 1966, in fact it wasn't even really close. Then all of a sudden, Joe Namath comes in with The Guarantee, saying the Jets were going to pull off the win. Sure enough, the Jets went out there, knocked off the Colts and claimed the only Superbowl title in New York Jets history. One of the most iconic images taken from this game was the slow-motion shot of him wagging his index finger as Namath ran off the field. Here's some food for thought about this game. Baltimore didn't score its touchdown until late in the fourth quarter but already trailed 16-0 by then to the 18-point underdog Jets. Yes the Jets were underdogs by 18 points in this game, but didn't let it get to them and walked away with the 16-7 victory.

New England Patriots defeaat St. Louis Rams in SuperBowl XXXVI (2002)
St. Louis was the highest scoring team in the NFL, ringing up 503 points and going 14-2 during the regular season. New England was coming in with an unknown in Tom Brady at QB, because Drew Bledsoe was taken out by the Jets in week two. So Brady lead the Pats on a run at the end of the season and a couple of nail bitting victories early in the playoffs. One of which was the Tuck Rule game against the Raiders in the wild card game. Now lets flash forward to the Super Bowl.While St. Louis piled up 427 yards of offense, the 14-point favorites held only one lead (3-0) and the Patriots' dynasty was born as Tom Brady set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard, game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 36.

New York Giants defeat New England Patriots SuperBowl XLII (2008)
The New England Patriots were looking to complete their perfect season, but it was the New York Giants who would play party pooper at the 2007 Super Bowl. This game of course had one of the most iconic catches in sports history, as David Tyree caught a pass by pressing the ball against his helmet. This catch would lead the Giants onto their game-winning drive, where they took the game with a 17-14 lead. There was no doubt that many had pretty much labeled the Patriots as winners before the game even started (12-point favorites), as this team was proven under coach Bill Belichick with quarterback Tom Brady. The Giants, on the other hand, were nobodies, but they became somebodies with this win. There is nothing more upsetting than losing a shot at perfection.

Appalachian State defeats Michigan (2007)
Going into the contest, Michigan was the #5 team in the country. It was supposed to be a cakewalk. Nobody told that to Appalachian State. But it came as a shock to the crowd of 109,000 people at the big house in Ann Arbor Michigan. Not only did the Mountaineers win, but they knocked the Wolverines completely out of the Top 25 in the process. Ranked No. 5 entering the season, Michigan had national-championship aspirations. But Appalachian State had different plans. Led by dynamic Quarterback Armanti Edwards and speedy wide out Dexter Jackson, the Mountaineers became the first Division I-AA team to beat a ranked Division I-A team, defeating the Wolverines 34-32. This is going to go down as one of the biggest upsets in all of football at any level.

Pittsburgh Pirates defeat New York Yankees (1960 World Series)
It was a tough series that went seven games in the 1960 World Series. New York Outscored Pittsburgh over the length of the series by a total of 55-27. Let that sink in for a second. New York scored 55 runs, compared to the 27 runs scored by the Pirates. Yet, thanks to the heroics of Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk off home run in game seven, the Pirates clamed the World Series Crown, the last one the team has to date. Yes the two teams were close in record during the 1960 season, Pittsburgh won 95 games while the Yankees won 97.This series was also loaded with players who would eventually win MVP awards at some point in their careers: Dick Groat (1960) and Roberto Clemente (1966) for the Pirates and Yogi Berra (1951, 1954, 1955), Bobby Shantz (1952), Mickey Mantle (1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris (1960, 1961), and Elston Howard (1963) for the Yankees. New York had the more talented and higher scoring roster, but Pittsburgh kept the series close (with the exception of game three a 10-0 Yankee win and game six a 12-0 Yankees win). Pittsburgh hung around and won it on the famous game seven home run from a light hitting second baseman.

New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles (1969 World Series)
This was a Mets team that was never supposed to be in the World Series. Here we had a team that had never finished higher than ninth place (next-to-last), and they had not won more than 73 games in a season since joining the National League in 1962. The Mets were not highly regarded before the 1969 season started, but nobody was saying that when the season ended. New York finished the regular season with 100 wins and came out of the National League as a big surprise. They were going up against a more experienced Baltimore team in the Series. Baltimore took game one and still showed the Mets that they weren't quite in their league. That was all Baltimore managed to win in that entire series. What made the Mets the better team in that series was their clutch hitting and defense. Cleon Jones and Ron Swboda made two of the most memorable catches in World Series history. You also have a huge turning point in the deciding game as well. The Orioles led Game 5 of the '69 World Series 3-0 when Mets manager Gil Hodges proved that a pitch thrown by Baltimore's Dave McNally had hit Cleon Jones in the foot. Hodges showed the umpire that there was shoe polish on the ball. Donn Clendenon, pictured left, followed with a crucial two-run home run in the Mets' 5-3 victory that clinched the Series.

Cincinnati Reds defeat Oakland A's (1990 World Series)
The Oakland A's were coming into the World Series winning once in two previous tries, so they had high hopes the third time around would give them their second title in three years. Plans changed when they were going to take on Lou Piniella and his Cincinnati Reds. The A's, being their for the third time in just as many years, were ready to become a dynasty. Unfortunately, one for three just won't do it. The A's were just never in it, as the Reds took Game 1 7-0. That was all she wrote, as the Reds went on to sweep them to claim the 1990 World Series.

Golden State Warriors defeat Dallas Mavericks (2007 NBA Playoffs) 
Golden State won 42 games and were heavy underdogs in this series, for good reason. They were facing the best team in the NBA in 2007, the 67 win Dallas Mavericks. Dallas was supposed to roll through this series and through the playoffs on the way to a title. Golden State had other ideas, as they managed to pull off the upset, winning the series in six games. You can easly pick a storyline for this one because this series had it all. Golden State became the first 8th seed to knock off a top seed in a seven-game series. Coach Don Nelson getting revenge on his former team and bitter enemy, Dallas owner Mark Cuban. The Warriors winning their first playoff series in 16 seasons. Baron Davis, on a gimpy hamstring, pulling a Willis Reed to score 20 points in the Game 6 clincher. It had a little bit of everything.

USA defeats USSR (1980 Winter Olympics)
Talk about a major upset of all time, look no further than this one. Nobody gave these kids much of a chance. Facts are they were going up against one of the mightiest teams in all of hockey history. Before the Olympics had started in 1980, the Russians had played 48 games, winning all 48 of them. It was supposed to be a no contest. Herb Brooks, coach of that scrappy USA team, didn't want to hear of it. He got the team geared up for the game, making sure they were ready to go. During the contest, the US was one of the first teams to actually be able to skate with the Soviets for an entire hockey game. Brooks taught the US team to play the Russian style and throw it right back in the Russians face. It will be forever known as the Miracle on Ice, the night when a scrappy bunch of U.S. amateur and collegiate players knocked off the favored Soviets 4-3 in Lake Placid.