QB Injuries Pile Up

If there's any professional sport out there that is powered by one player at one position right now, its the National Football League. It's really started to show over the last five or so years that the NFL truly has become a Quarterback driven league. QB's are throwing the ball a lot more now then they have in the past, and maybe that's just the way the offensive game plan is leaning towards now a days. With that being said, two teams are really being hit hard by it heading into the start of the season. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings are hit with QB injuries and will have to find a way to make up for some of that this year.

The biggest story of late is Teddy Bridgwater, the Minnesota Vikings QB. He suffered a dislocated knee and a torn ACL when he went down during a noncontact drill at practice Tuesday, ending his 2016 season. He was getting ready to start his 3rd year under center in the NFL, this coming a year after leading the Vikings to an NFC North title and almost pulling off a major upset in the Wild Card game against Seattle. Last year he threw for 3,231 yards and 14 TD's to go with only nine picks. It was a pro bowl year for Teddy. Him and the vikings were expected to have a monster year this year, but that went right down the drain when he's knee gave out on him. Now it looks like Saun Hill might be the starting option for the Vikings under center. He's 36 years old and only played sparingly over the last few years.

An injury like this could be deadly for the Vikings because they have no stability at the QB position behind Teddy. This is afterall the NFL a very pass happy league and now its up in the air as to how well Shaun Hill or whoever is under center in Minnesota. Can they perform well with such big expectations in Minnesota? And can Adrian Peterson still put up great numbers running the ball when a lot is expected of him? Only time will tell.

You can make the same argument with the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has yet to announce who is going to be the opening week starter. Why? Because Tony Romo is out for six to ten weeks with a broken bone in his back. So now it falls on Dak Prescott to take over the duties Now its not set that Dak will start, but that's where the signs are pointing. Dallas was supposed to be one of the favorites to win the NFC East, but with Romo hurt, that kinda puts that plan in jepordy. Dallas has a good team, but much like Minnesota, if they don't have a solid Quarterback, then they may miss out on the playoffs. This also brings to light another issue in Dallas, that being the health of Tony Romo. Between dealing with his back, collar bones, shoulder and other various injuries, he's been a constent question mark.

Don't get me wrong, Romo is a great quarterback when he's healthy and on the field, the Cowboys are a very very good team. They were 3-1 with him last year before he got hurt, but ended up missing the playoffs. I'm sure that the running back combo of Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris can handle the load, while Dez Bryant, Jason Whitten, Cole Beasley and company will have to be counted on to help out Dak as he gets adjusted to life in the NFL. Dallas could be OK and may end up in better shape then the Vikings are at the end of the year so who knows.

Bu this will really be a tell tale sign of things for the National Football League. Its been well documented that the NFL really is a QB driven league, so we will see how well both Minnesota and Dallas handle things without their two regular gun slingers under center

Dominant Sports Teams

Domination. Something that is so big or high its easy to notice. The US Women's basketball team has been doing that so far at the Olympics in Rio. Heading into the game against France on Thursday, Team USA was 5-0, winning by margins of 46, 30, 26, 40 and 65 points. Those are numbers that are mind numbing in terms of how dominating the team has been so far in the Olympics. So ESPN came up with a list of teams that dominated in the same way that Team USA has done. So what we're going to do is we're going to take that ESPN list and split it in two (and maybe add to it more). With that list, they combined single season dominance and dominance over a number of years. What we're going to do here is split that list in two. We're making not one but two top eight lists, one showing single season dominance and teams that dominate over multiple years. Some teams have dominated and not won a championship in their sport, so that does play a factor into where they may possibly fall on this list (at least as far as single season dominance goes).

So with that in mind, here we go. First up is eight dominating teams over the course of multiple years.

1963-75 UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball
John Wooden had his team playing at a level that most people never thought to really be attainable. Over the course of twelve years, the Bruins of UCLA won ten national championships. The only years during that stretch that the Bruins couldn't claim a title were 1966 (Texas Western won beating Kentucky) and 1974 (North Carolina State won beating Marquette). Oh and there was that little 88 game winning streak that the team had from 1971 to 1974. During that twelve year stretch, UCLA managed to help produce future Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Gail Goodrich and Jamaal Wilkes. Yeah, they were kinda good.

1953-57 Oklahoma Sooners Football
The Sooners did in College Football for a time what UCLA did in Basketball, before it was cool. Bud Wilkinson had Oklahoma primed and ready to go during this four year stretch. IN that time span, the Sooners won 47 consecutive games. Think about that. Oklahoma won 47 straight football games, something that has never been done before or since in major college football. Oklahoma won the Orange Bowl twice during that streak, but it also had to sit out the postseason twice during an era when many conferences didn't allow teams to play in bowl games in consecutive seasons. They started setting a mark for teams in any sport to try and match.

2008-present Connecticut Women's basketball
What John Wooden was able to do at UCLA, Geno Auriemma is doing right now in the Women's game. For one thing, there's winning six national titles in the last eight years, including the last four in a row. The only time in the last eight years that UCONN hasn't had a say in the National Title game were 2011 (Texas A&M beat Notre Dame) and 2012 (Baylor beat Notre Dame). Oh yeah, lets not forget the fact that the Huskies won a record 90 consecutive games from November 2008 to December 2010 and went 40-0 in 2013-14.

1949-53 New York Yankees
Five years, five world titles. In fact, you could throw in the two years prior to that, 1947 and 1948. In 1947 the Yankees won 97 games and a World Series. Then in 1948, the Yanks won 94 games and missed the playoffs, finishing 3rd in the division. But from 1949-53, the Bronx Bombers were loaded. Casey Stengel had plenty of talent to work with on those teams, when you have guys like Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Phil Rizzuto in the fold. During that five year run, the Yankees won 97, 98, 98, 95 and 99 games during the regular season. Then, the Yanks went 20-8 during those five World Series, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers (1949, '52, '53), Philadelphia Phillies (1950) and New York Giants (1951).

1979-83 New York Islanders
No team since them has dominated the NHL like the Islanders during their glory days. Four straight Stanley Cups and nineteen straight playoff series wins for the Islanders during this run. It ended in 1984 with a five game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the Finals. They had a team that will never be seen again in the sport of hockey, because since they lost in the 84 finals, no other team has managed to win more than two Cups in a row. Those Islanders teams set a level of excellence in the game of hockey that may never be matched again.

1975-79 Montreal Canadiens
Before the Islanders had their run, the Montreal Canadiens had their last great dynasty team. As good as they Islanders were after them, Montreal helped set the standard for what was to become in the NHL. Montreal won four straight Cups, right before the Islanders had their run of four straight titles. In winning their four consecutive Stanley Cups, Montreal went 48-10 in the playoffs. Les Habs also won five consecutive Stanley Cups from the 1955-56 season through 1959-60, during an era when the NHL had only six member clubs. Montreal is the greatest franchise, at least in terms of championship success, in the history of the game of hockey. This was the last great dynasty and dominating era for the Montreal Canadiens.

1958-66 Boston Celtics
This was a stretch of Pro Basketball that may never be touched again. The run started during the 1958-59 season. Boston begain that year to establish the mark for NBA excellence that almost certainly will never be broken. That year began a run for the Celtics for winning eight consecutive NBA Championships. If you don't really feel convinced yet that the Celtics dominated the sport of Basketball during this eight year stretch, then maybe these numbers will help[ you out. During that championship run, the Celtics went 461-165 in the regular season and compiled a 67-33 postseason record. I don't think anybody will be able to get anywhere close to that level again.

1974-1979 Pittsburgh Steelers
It's hard to keep a dynasty together in sports, the NFL may be one of the hardest to keep one in, with the salary cap and what have you. The last really great dominant run by an NFL team has to go to the Steelers. From 74 to 79 the Steelers won six straight division titles, four of those years they won the Super Bowl (1976 and 1977 were the only years they missed winning the big one). The Steelers were led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw and wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, and running back Franco on offense. Mean Joe Greene was the anchor of the Steel Curtain defense, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest defenses to ever be assembled.

Now here's the top eight examples of teams dominating a single season.

1972 Miami Dolphins
How this year isn't really talked about a whole lot is a bit of a shame. Its the only time in the history of the NFL that a team has ran the table during the regular season and the playoffs to capture a Super Bowl. Miami went 14-0 during the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs en rout to beating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. They may not have demolished opponents like some other teams who are going to pop up on this list, but they dominated the rest of the league to run the table. Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka were the main pieces on that team that was lead by coach Don Shula to be the only team to run the table in the NFL.

1985 Chicago Bears
Chicago totally steamrolled their opponents during that season. IT was one of the few NFL teams ever to gain and embraced celebrity status on their way to winning Super Bowl XX. Chicago went 15-1 (the only loss was to the Miami Dolphins during week 13) , and its ferocious defense allowed the fewest points and yards in the league. Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton racked up 2,034 yards and 11 touchdowns from scrimmage to anchor the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense. Here's another way to look at how the Bears dominated that year. Chicago won their three postseason games by a combined score of 91-10, including a 46-10 blowout of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. That my friends is domination if I've ever heard of it.

1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team
First of all, there's the fact that this Nebraska team ran the table with a 13-0 season in 1971. What gets talked about most when people mention this year in college football was the "Game of The Century," the No. 1 Cornhuskers played No. 2 Oklahoma. Nebraska had the nation’s top-ranked defense, while Oklahoma had its most productive offense. The cover of Sports Illustrated (Nov. 22, 1971) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska." Nebraska got the win and went on to dominate everybody in their path that year in claiming the National Championship.

1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team
After settling for bronze at Seoul in 1988, the U.S. took advantage of professional eligibility for the subsequent Olympics to assemble the greatest team in basketball history. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson headlined a roster that included 11 future Hall of Famers. The Dream Team went 8-0 in Barcelona, with a 43.8-point average victory margin, to capture the gold medal and restore the U.S. as the world's top basketball power. To really put this into perspective as to how good this Dream Team was, U.S. coach Chuck Daly called exactly zero timeouts during those '92 Olympic games.

1995-96 Chicago Bulls
Behind Michael Jordan on the floor and Phil Jackson on the bench, the Bulls ran roughshod through the league. They set the league record (at that time) with 72 regular-season wins. The discussion of the Bulls' dominance could extend to much of the 1990s, but the team truly reached its zenith in 1995-96. That year, Chicago was leading the league with 105.2 points per game and ranking No. 3 defensively by allowing only 92.9 points per game. Most importantly, Chicago won its fourth championship in six seasons.

1927 New York Yankees
The legendary Murderers' Row lineup started with four Hall of Famers: Earle Combs (.356 with 231 hits), Tony Lazzeri (102 RBI), Babe Ruth (.356 batting average, 60 Home Runs, 164 RBIs, 158 runs scored, walked 137 times, and slugged .772) and Lou Gehrig (.373, with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, and 175 RBIs). The '27 Yankees went 110-44 and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. They also combined to hit 158 home runs, which led the majors by 49 and the AL by 102.

1998 New York Yankees
Its a bit of a surprise to think that this Yankees team lost four of their first five games. Owner George Steinbrenner was growing impatient, and manager Joe Torre was being questioned about his job security. Then history happened, as the Yankees stormed to a 114-48 regular-season record and went 11-2 in the postseason on their way to a World Series championship. Those 125 combined victories stand as an MLB record. IT helps that the Yankees led the majors with 965 runs. Now this comes as a bit of a surprise considering that the Yankees were one of the oldest teams in the league that year, with an average age of 30.5.

1987-88 Edmonton Oilers Season
The Edmonton Oilers made quick work of the Boston Bruins capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. During the regular season, Edmonton was good going 44-25-11, good enough for 2nd in the Division behind the Calgary Flames. But what really makes this Oilers team so dominant is what they did in the playoffs. Edmonton only lost two games due to the stellar play of Vezina-winner Grant Fuhr and the unbelievable 43 points from the great Wayne Gretzky. This would be Gretzky's last season as an Oiler, as he would be traded to the Kings in the off-season. In a rare occurrence, game four of the Stanley Cup Finals ended in a tie. The game was suspended at 16:37 of the second period due to a power failure in the Boston Arena. As NHL rules stated, the game was suspended at a 3-3 tie. The series shifted back to Edmonton where the Oilers won the deciding game 6-3. Gretzky was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after amassing 43 playoff points.

Honorable Mention (teams that dominated during the season but came up short in the playoffs)

1995-96 Detroit Red Wings
Talk about domination. Sergei Federov lead the way in scoring with 107 points (39 goals 68 assists) and Chris Osgood picked up 39 victories in goal during the regular season. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the Red Wings finished the regular season with a record of 62–13–7. It happens to be the best record ever in the history of the NHL. You'd think that with a record like that the Wings would have walked right through the playoffs to win the Cup. Wrong. They were knocked off in the 2nd round by the eventual champions the Colorado Avalanche. Close but no cigar.

2001 Seattle Mariners
Two reasons why this year was so memorable. First was the arrival of Ichiro Suzuki to play in America. Second, the Mariners equaled a 95-year-old MLB record for regular-season victories by going 116-46. But the Yankees ended Seattle's dream season by winning the AL Championship Series in five games, thus protecting the 1998 Yankees' record of 125 combined regular-season and postseason victories. So despite their best efforts, Seattle came up just short.

2007 New England Patriots
New England had the best regular season in NFL history, going 16-0. To show their dominance, they outscored their opponents by a gaudy 315 points. Then came the helmet catch and one of the biggest upsets in sports history when the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLII.

2015-16 Golden State Warriors
Nobody thought that the Bulls 1996 season record of 72 wins would be toppled. Then the Warriors came along. Golden State came out and set an NBA record with a 73-9 regular-season record and led the league in scoring. But they also ranked 19th of 30 teams in scoring defense and lost the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers after leading the series 3-1.

NBA Schedule Announced

Well, well, well, here we are once again. Its time to start marking off your fall calenders. The National Basketball Association announced its schedule for the 2016-17 season. According to reports, the 76wers and Nets have the two toughest schedules in the entire NBA, while Boston and Utah are projected to have the two easiest schedules this season. Some of the bigtime games to keep an eye on this season: KD makes his return to OKC on February 11th, Christmas day will have a rematch of last year's NBA finals between the Warriors and Cavs, and Dwayne Wade plays his first game in Miami as a member of the Bulls on November 10th. Those are just some of the big games to be played on the hardwood this season. Since there's way too mmany games to really look at, lets help take care of some of that now. Below are the schedules for the two local teams the Knicks and Nets.

Here's the 2016-17 schedule for the New York Knicks:

OCTOBER
Tue, Oct 25 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Sat, Oct 29 vs Memphis 7:30 PM

NOVEMBER
Tue, Nov 1 @ Detroit 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 2 vs Houston 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 4 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 6 vs Utah 12:00 PM
Wed, Nov 9 vs Brooklyn 7:00 PM
Fri, Nov 11 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Sat, Nov 12 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Mon, Nov 14 vs Dallas 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 16 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Thu, Nov 17 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Sun, Nov 20 vs Atlanta 12:00 PM
Tue, Nov 22 vs Portland 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 25 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Sat, Nov 26 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Mon, Nov 28 vs Oklahoma City 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 30 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM

DECEMBER
Dec 2 vs Minnesota 7:30 PM
Dec 4 vs Sacramento 7:30 PM
Tue, Dec 6 @ Miami 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 7 vs Cleveland 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 9 @ Sacramento 10:30 PM
Sun, Dec 11 @ Los Angeles 9:30 PM
Tue, Dec 13 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM
Thu, Dec 15 @ Golden State 10:30 PM
Sat, Dec 17 @ Denver 9:00 PM
Tue, Dec 20 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Thu, Dec 22 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
Sun, Dec 25 vs Boston 12:00 PM
Wed, Dec 28 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 30 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
Sat, Dec 31 @ Houston 8:00 PM

JANUARY
Mon, Jan 2 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 4 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 6 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Sat, Jan 7 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Mon, Jan 9 vs New Orleans 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 11 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Thu, Jan 12 vs Chicago 8:00 PM
Sun, Jan 15 @ Toronto 3:00 PM
Mon, Jan 16 vs Atlanta 1:00 PM
Wed, Jan 18 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 21 vs Phoenix 7:30 PM
Mon, Jan 23 @ Indiana 8:00 PM
Wed, Jan 25 @ Dallas 8:30 PM
Fri, Jan 27 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Sun, Jan 29 @ Atlanta 3:00 PM
Tue, Jan 31 @ Washington 7:00 PM

FEBRUARY
Wed, Feb 1 @ Brooklyn
Sat, Feb 4 vs Cleveland 8:30 PM
Mon, Feb 6 vs Los Angeles 7:00 PM
Wed, Feb 8 vs LA 8:00 PM
Feb 10 vs Denver 7:30 PM
Sun, Feb 12 vs San Antonio 3:30 PM
Wed, Feb 15 @ Oklahoma City 9:30 PM
Thu, Feb 23 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Sat, Feb 25 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Mon, Feb 27 vs Toronto 7:00 PM

MARCH
Wed, Mar 1 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Fri, Mar 3 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Sun, Mar 5 vs Golden State 3:30 PM
Mon, Mar 6 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Wed, Mar 8 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Sat, Mar 11 @ Detroit 5:00 PM
Sun, Mar 12 @ Brooklyn 6:00 PM
Tue, Mar 14 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar 16 vs Brooklyn 7:30 PM
Mon, Mar 20 @ LA 10:30 PM
Wed, Mar 22 @ Utah 10:30 PM
Thu, Mar 23 @ Portland 10:00 PM
Sat, Mar 25 @ San Antonio 9:30 PM
Mon, Mar 27 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Wed, Mar 29 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 31 @ Miami 8:00 PM

APRI
Sun, Apr 2 vs Boston 1:00 PM
Tue, Apr 4 vs Chicago 8:00 PM
Thu, Apr 6 vs Washington 7:30 PM
Fri, Apr 7 @ Memphis 8:00 PM
Sun, Apr 9 vs Toronto 12:00 PM
Wed, Apr 12 vs Philadelphia 8:00 PM

Here's the schedule for the 2016-17 Brooklyn Nets:

OCTOBER
Wed, Oct 26 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 28 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Sat, Oct 29 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Mon, Oct 31 vs Chicago 7:30 PM

NOVEMBER
Wed, Nov 2 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 4 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Tue, Nov 8 vs Minnesota 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 9 @ NY Knicks 7:00 PM
Sat, Nov 12 @ Phoenix 9:00 PM
Mon, Nov 14 @ LA 10:30 PM
Tue, Nov 15 @ Los Angeles 10:30 PM
Fri, Nov 18 @ Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 20 vs Portland 3:30 PM
Wed, Nov 23 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 25 @ Indiana 8:00 PM
Sun, Nov 27 vs Sacramento 6:00 PM
Tue, Nov 29 vs LA 7:30 PM

DECEMBER
Thu, Dec 1 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Sat, Dec 3 @ Milwaukee 5:00 PM
Mon, Dec 5 vs Washington 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 7 vs Denver 7:30 PM
Sat, Dec 10 @ San Antonio 8:30 PM
Mon, Dec 12 @ Houston 8:00 PM
Wed, Dec 14 vs Los Angeles 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 16 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Sun, Dec 18 @ Philadelphia 6:00 PM
Tue, Dec 20 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Thu, Dec 22 vs Golden State 7:30 PM
Fri, Dec 23 @ Cleveland 7:30 PM
Dec 26 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
Wed, Dec 28 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
Fri, Dec 30 @ Washington 7:00 PM

JANUARY
Mon, Jan 2 vs Utah 7:30 PM
Thu, Jan 5 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
Jan 6 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM
Sun, Jan 8 vs Philadelphia 12:00 PM
Tue, Jan 10 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
Thu, Jan 12 vs New Orleans 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 13 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
Sun, Jan 15 vs Houston 6:00 PM
Tue, Jan 17 vs Toronto 7:30 PM\
Fri, Jan 20 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
Sat, Jan 21 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Mon, Jan 23 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
Wed, Jan 25 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Fri, Jan 27 @ Cleveland 7:30 PM
Sat, Jan 28 @ Minnesota 9:00 PM
Mon, Jan 30 @ Miami 7:30 PM

FEBRUARY
Wed, Feb 1 vs NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 3 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
Feb 5 vs Toronto 12:00 PM
Tue, Feb 7 @ Charlotte 7:00 PM
Wed, Feb 8 vs Washington 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 10 vs Miami 7:30 PM
Mon, Feb 13 vs Memphis 7:30 PM
Wed, Feb 15 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
Fri, Feb 24 @ Denver 9:00 PM
Sat, Feb 25 @ Golden State 10:30 PM

MARCH
Wed, Mar 1 @ Sacramento 10:30 PM
Fri, Mar 3 @ Utah 9:00 PM
Sat, Mar 4 @ Portland 10:00 PM
Mon, Mar 6 @ Memphis 8:00 PM
Wed, Mar 8 @ Atlanta 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 10 @ Dallas 9:00 PM
Sun, Mar 12 vs NY Knicks 6:00 PM
Tue, Mar 14 vs Oklahoma City 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar 16 @ NY Knicks 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 17 vs Boston 7:30 PM
Sun, Mar 19 vs Dallas 12:00 PM
Tue, Mar 21 vs Detroit 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar 23 vs Phoenix 7:30 PM
Fri, Mar 24 @ Washington 7:00 PM
Sun, Mar 26 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM
Tue, Mar 28 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
Thu, Mar 30 @ Detroit 7:30 PM

APRIL
Sat, Apr 1 vs Orlando 6:00 PM
Sun, Apr 2 vs Atlanta 6:00 PM
Tue, Apr 4 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Thu, Apr 6 @ Orlando 7:00 PM
Sat, Apr 8 vs Chicago 5:00 PM
Mon, Apr 10 @ Boston 7:30 PM
Wed, Apr 12 @ Chicago 8:00 PM

So there you have it the NBA schedule for New York basketball this season!

Alex Rodriguez Done As A Yankee

Th writing has been on the wall for quite some time now with A-Rod. It was announced on Sunday that he will be playing his final game in a Yankees uniform Friday August 12th at Yankee Stadium and will then become a special adviser to the team until December 2017. So the question now remains what does the future hold for the slugging star? This is being viewed as a fitting end to a career filled with what could have been. Alex Rodriguez is going out on Friday.

When the announcement came down Sunday morning, nobody knew what was going to happen. Then it was announced that this week will be the last week of A-Rod as a player with the New York Yankees. His final game will be as a DH against the Tampa Bay Rays. He then will be released, collecting the balance of his guaranteed $20 million salary this season and his entire guaranteed $20 million salary next season. After that, the Yankees will keep him on staff as a special adviser to the team. There is still a chance that he could be picked up by another MLB team, but with the way things have gone over the last couple of years with Alex, his playing career will be done on Friday. This isn't exactly the way he wanted to go out I'm sure, but then again I don't think this is the way his career seemed to pan out when this wild ride began.

Sure he is sitting at 696 home runs and would have wanted to become just the 4th player in baseball history every to hit 700 or more home runs in the Major Leagues. He had all the talent in the world when he was playing in Seattle. During his seven year stretch in the great Northwest, he averaged 38 home runs a year, and this was all before steroids. He didn't start using the banned substance until he joined the Texas Rangers in 2001, the year his numbers really started to take off. He's been mired in controversy ever since, especially over his last few seasons with the New York Yankees. Lets put it like this. Alex just turned 41 years old, his production is starting to go downhill and the Yankees are right now paying him a lot of money to pretty much sit on the bench and take up space. Now if he had been able to put up any kind of offensive production like he had last year, then things might be a little bit different. When you consider those low offensive numbers, he's hitting .204 with just nine home runs in 62 games this year.

A-Rod had a great career but it will always have the steroids stigma attached to it. The fact that he lied and dragged out this entire saga with steroids really tarnished his record and image and it's something that he will never be able to get back. Had he just admitted it taken his punishment like a man and moved on I think this would have been a little less painful for Alex. This is also coming as a changing of the guard for the Yankees as well. Trading away Miller, Chapman and Beltran. Seeing the retirement of Teixeira at the end of the year and now with A-Rod heading out the door, its signaling the end of an era and the start of a new one in the storied history of the New York Yankees.

Facts are that yes Alex Rodriguez has done a lot to help this Yankees team out in his twelve years with the organization. The last few haven't been that great. Sure he's had a fantastic career, there's no argument about it. At the same time, Alex career is over and he's the one responsable for it because of his actions. A great career will end in disapointment.

Ichiro Hits Milestone

Its a magical number for a baseball player to try and reach. In fact it 29 players before have reached the magic number. Now the club has a newest member. Coming into Sunday's game against the Rockies, Ichiro Suzuki was still two hits shy. After smacking a triple against Colorado's Chris Rusin in the seventh inning of the Marlins' 10-7 win at Coors Field, he became the 30th player ever to reach 3,000 hits. After 16 years in the Majors, that's a tough thing to do, especially when you consider he spent his first nine years of pro baseball (all in his prime mind you) playing in his native Japan. Getting into that club is pretty rare, only 30 guys have ever done it. Lets take a look at a few numbers that going along with Ichiro and other guys in the 3,000 hit club.

Most folks know that Ichiro started his Major League career at 27 years old, which is the oldest debut for a player with 3,000 hits, passing Boggs, who was about two months shy of his 24th birthday when he played his first game with the Red Sox in 1982. If you look at the numbers from age 27 and on in the Majors, Pete Rose is the only guy to have more hits than Ichiro from 27 and on. Ichiro has 3,000, while Pete rose collected 3,357 hits (to be fare Pete Rose played till he was 45 years old). Ichiro is the second-oldest player to reach 3,000 hits. Ichiro reached the mark at 42 years, nine months and 16 days old. Only Cap Anson (45 years, three months, one day) was older when he reached the hallowed number. Ichiro joins the 3,000-hit club 119 years after its charter member, Cap Anson, got there with a single in 1897. Of the 30 players on the list, Suzuki is just the fourth born outside the US. He joins Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba) and Hall of Famers Rod Carew (Panama) and Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico). Alex Rodriguez is the only active player that has more hits than Suzuki. Ichiro is also the 13th member of the club to do so as a left handed hitter. Oh and Ichiro is just the fourth player with 3,000 hits and 10 Gold Glove awards, joining Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline. Ichiro is the sixth player to have 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases, joining Lou Brock, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Ricky Henderson and Paul Molitor.

Those are just where he compares to other members of the 3,000 hit club. But there's more to it for Ichiro. Here's a little breakdown of some of those 3,000 hits. Ichiro has notched his greatest number of hits (316) against Oakland. Next on the list are fellow American League West clubs Texas (313) and Los Angeles (276). The top non-AL West team is Toronto (187). In addition, Ichiro's 2,404 hits as a right fielder are the second most in history, behind only the 2,880 from the legendary Tony Gwynn. Ichiro reached the 200-hit mark in each of his first 10 Major League seasons, his best year coming in 2004. That year, he collected 262 hits, which broke George Sisler's single-season record of 257, set in 1920, although Sisler did it over a 154-game schedule. Since Major League Baseball expanded to 162 games, Ichiro is responsible for the top two single-season hit totals, three of the top six and five of the top 18. Ichiro is the seventh member of the 3,000 club to have played for the Yankees, the third to have played with the Mariners and the first to have suited up for the Marlins.

Those are just some of the staggering numbers about Ichiro getting to 3,000 career hits. One of the big questions now is, will this lead to a hall of fame induction? I think most people will follow with a resounding YES! Granted his career numbers have dipped since 2012, his last year in Seattle (he was traded to the Yankees that year). before that, he was a fantastic hitter and was very tough to get out. Case in point, his single season high for strikeouts was 86 in 2010. That year he had 680 at-bats, 2314 hits and finished the year hitting .315. He could do it all at the plate and in the field. At the dish, he wasn't really a power hitter, but that's not what he got paid to do. He was paid to hit the ball and get on base, which he was kinda good at.

So congratulations are indeed in order for Ichiro Suzuki for reaching the 3,000 hit mark!

(Stats and numbers provided by MLB.com and ESPN.com)

Mark Teixeira To Call It A Career

Switch hitters. These guys are a rare breed in the world of baseball. Some guys can do it sure, but there are few that can do it really well. When you think of switch hitters in the game of baseball, Mark Teixeira's name usually comes to the top of the list. The switch hitting 1st baseman has done a lot in his career, winning a World Series is at the top of the list. He's done it all in this game, and it looks like he's getting out. According to reports, Teixeira will be calling it a career today, after 14 years in the Major Leagues. The announcement will come this afternoon that he will retire at the end of the year.

Tex started off his career with the Texas Rangers, the team that drafted him. During his time in Texas, he .283 with 151 homers and 499 RBI. After his time in Texas, he spent a year and a half in Atlanta and a half a season with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. When the 2008 season came to an end, Teixeira hit the free agent market. He then signed an eight year deal worth $180 Million to play with the New York Yankees. I'd say he's had a pretty good time in the Bronx. During that time, he's .249 with 201 homers and 601 RBI, to this point. His best year was with the Yankees came in 2009, where he hit .292 for the year, while smacking 39 home runs and driving in 122 runs. Those 39 Homers were tied with Carlos Pena of Tampa for the most in the AL while the 122 RBI lead the league. He finished 2nd in AL MVP voting that year to Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins. Tex got the last laugh as he helped lead the Yankees to a World Series Championship that year.

He's had good years since then, but injuries have cost him dearly the past few seasons. First, he missed almost all of the 2013 season with a wrist injury. Then last year, he fractured his right shin when he fouled off a pitch in the middle of August, which ended his season. He missed a chunk of time this year with a leg injury. He hasn't appeared in more than 123 games in a single season since 2011.

He's a solid defensive first baseman, having won five gold gloves in his career. He's been to the all star game three times and has received votes for MVP on seven occasions over the 14 years. Oh yeah and he's a pretty good hitter too, if you didn't know that already. He's a .269 career hitter, who's belted 404 homers and driven in 1,281 runs. Tex is one of five switch-hitters in baseball history to hit 400 home runs, joining Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (468) and Carlos Beltran (415). He's also one of only four switch hitters ever to smack over four hundred home runs and four hundred doubles, joining Eddie Murray, Chipper Jones, and Carlos Beltran.

Injuries, and the fact that his production is way down this season (he is hitting under .200 at the time of this writing) are major factors into why Teixeira may be calling it a career. He's had a good career over the last 14 years and given everything he's had during his playing days in Texas, Atlanta, Anaheim and New York. Thanks Tex for a great career.

Trade Deadline Winners And Losers

Ah yes the trade deadline. A lot can be done on this day, and also leading up to it, that can change the fortunes of a franchise, both short and long term. Look at what happened last year. The Mets got Cespedes from the Tigers, he helped propel them to the World Series. Michael Fulmer, who went to Detroit in that trade, has been pitching pretty well for the Tigers this season. So sometimes it works out and other times it doesn't. One team may get a lot out of the deal while the player that goes the other way doesn't work out. Eighteen trades were made on Monday, and since the beginning of June a total of 48 deals have been struck. It means that teams are retooling for either a playoff push or fore their futures. So with that being said, lets take a look at some of the winners and losers from this year's trade deadline.

Winner: 
New York Yankees
You could be looking at this right now and kind of wondering how does this make the Yankees winners? They trade Carlos Beltran (their best hitter this year), Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman (two of their best relievers) and they are winners in all of this? Well to be honest, yes they are winners out of these deals and moves at the deadline. In dealing Chapman, it brought back in pitcher Adam Warren, minor leaguer Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford. In sending Miller to the Indians, Clint Frasher, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, J.P. Feyereisen came back to New York to bolster the Minor League system. Then in the deal for Beltran, Texas sent back Dillon Tate, Nick Green and Erik Swanson. By adding all of this talent to the system, it sent the Yankees from one of the lower systems to one of the top systems in baseball. The Yankees now have seven of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball in their minor league system. Some may look at it as the Yankees giving up. Well for this year they almost are. But you have to understand that if you want to get something you have to give something. If the Yankees want to win championships and win them a lot, then you need the system to be able to do that. Its helping set the building blocks for the future and gives them a foundation to build around. Fear not Yankees fans, they'll be back in contention once again.

Loser:
Chicago White Sox
All the White Sox did was trade Zach Duke to St. Louis for Charlie Tilson and that's been it. This team has had a chance to take this thing apart and possibly rebuild. I mean if you look at it, Chris Sale and Jose Quintana had started drawing significant interest on the trade market. Also, it was possible David Robertson could have been flipped to a team desperate for bullpen help. The team decided to keep all three, ensuring they’ll remain in baseball limbo for at least the next couple months. The core talent level is here on the South Side of Chicago, they've had a chance to grab talent to that part of town and build around a core that can win. But they haven't really been able to, only really seeming like they want to make half hearted attempts to get over that hump, something they've been trying to do since they won the Division in 2008. It can be a little madening sometimes if you know your team can make the moves but don't really have the heart to pull the trigger.

Winner:
Texas Rangers
One of the best teams in baseball this season may have just gotten better. Sure they lost Prince Fielder again due to a neck injury, but boy did they add major offensive pieces. Adding a guy like Jonathan Lucroy is worth the risk. Last time they pulled off a move like this, they won the pennant. The price was steep, with Lewis Brinson being a top-25 prospect and tools-laden behemoth, but they got a player in return who will be around here for next season as well. He's a true all star who has a big offensive upside and can deliver at the plate. Now throw in Carlos Beltran to the mix. Sure he's 39 but he can still hit, as he's batting .306 heading into the trade. They may still try and rotate Sin-Soo Choo and Nomar Mazara in right, Beltran can be thrown in there as well. He can DH and will be another big bat in the middle of that lineup for the Rangers, which will provide more support for Beltre, Desmond and Odor in the middle of the lineup. For a team that’s had so much success and disappointment over the last few years, this might be the most talented Rangers team yet. That’s saying something.

Loser:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
And we thought the minor league system for the Yankees was bad. The Angels have the worst one in all of baseball. It didn't get any better. They added 33 year old Ricky Nolasco from the Twins for Hector Santiago, a young pitcher who has some upside to him. Nolasco has been below average the last few years so have fun with that one Anaheim. To make a long story short, the Angles had a chance to try and bolster that farm system, since they weren't going to make the playoffs this year. They had a chance but let it pass them by on the market.

Winner:
Cleveland Indians
It does suck if your an Indians fan that they lost out on Jonathan Lucroy, who could have been a big piece to add to this puzzle. But by adding a guy like Andrew Miller, who nicely fits a need that Cleveland had at the back end of the Pen, will really help them out. That trade worked out nicely for both the Indians and the Yankees. If you don't believe me that Miller has been good lately, then consider that over the past four seasons, he has a 1.98 ERA over 200 innings. During that period, he’s notched an incredible 328 strikeouts. Cleveland has him locked up until 2018, so that's a good plus for them. They've got the balanced offense now they have a bullpen that can also match the starting staff, so it turned out to be a win for Cleveland.

Loser:
Kansas City Royals
Things didn’t go the Royals’ way at the deadline, and it’s not really their fault. When Wade Davis went down with an arm injury just a few days before the deadline, the club lost its biggest trade chip. Despite the fact that the club is currently in fourth place, the Royals opted to stand pat. Other than the weird Brett Eibner for Billy Burns trade, Kansas City didn’t do anything else. Edinson Volquez stayed despite the fact that there weren’t many starters available. Sure, it’s possible the Royals could still make a second half run, but it seems like they should have traded any piece that wasn’t going to help moving forward and try to retool for next season. They mostly just stood pat.

Winner:
Los Angeles Dodgers
Playing second fiddle in the National League West right now to the San Franciso Giants, and not having Clayton Kershaw at the moment, kind of left the Dodgers in the need to make a move to get better. They didn't have to give up their top four prospects for basically two rental players in Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. Hill is dealing with a blister, but he’s been fantastic when healthy. The 36-year-old has a 2.25 ERA over 76 innings. Reddick has been quietly fantastic this year. He missed time due to a thumb injury, but has hit .296 in 272 plate appearances and can play a very solid right field. Formerly a low-average, high strikeout hitter, Reddick has worked hard to cut whiffs out of his approach in recent seasons. Combine that with his strong walk rate and power potential, and the Dodgers got a pretty solid contributor. The only question now is how the club will find playing time in an already crowded outfield. That kinda worked itself out shortly after the deadline passed. This team may still be able to go for it against the Giants in the West

Subway Series Preview

Oh you gotta love rivalries. It's a beautiful thing when you can play and beat a rival. New York is no exception to that rule. Subway Series has hit the city over the next four days, with both the Mets and Yankees set to square off. No matter where both teams sit in the standings, whether both teams are in the playoffs or not, and right now both are on the outside looking in, its always fun seeing these two teams face off against each other. So before we get into a breakdown of the next four days of baseball, lets take a look back at some of the past history of the rivalry.

In the all time series, the Yankees are 60-44 against the Mets during the regular season. Each team has swept a season series once, the Yankees swept all six games in 2003, while the Mets swept the four game series in 2013. The Mets have won three of the season series, 2004, 2008 and 2013 and there have been seven series that have been split between the two teams. Nine times the season series has been won by the Yankees. Its been well documented some of the great games that have been played between the two teams. There's the first ever game between the two teams in June of 1997 when Dave Mlicki pitched a complete game shutout in a Mets 6-0 win. There's the whole bean incident with Clemens and Piazza in 2000, with piazza later returning the favor hitting a Grand Slam off the Rocket a year later. Then we have David Wright with the walk off hit against Mariano Rivera in a wild, high scoring game in May of 2006 at Shea Stadium. Carlos Delgado went off in 2008 at Yankees Stadium, driving in nine runs against the Yanks. June of 2009, Luis Castillo dropped what would have been a game ending pop up off the bat off Alex Rodriguez to give the Yankees a miracle win.

A lot has gone on in the history books in the battle for New York baseball bragging rights. There is a little more to it than that right about now. As it sits at the moment, both teams haven't really been playing very well lately. The Mets are in 3rd in the NL East (at the start of the series) six and a half games back in the division and two and a half back in the wild card. Don't laugh Yankees fans, they aren't much better. The Yankees (at the start of the series) are sitting in 4th in the AL East, seven games out of first place and five and a half out of the wild card. The Yankees have lost four straight and are 4-6 in their last ten games. Meanwhile the Mets have lost four of the last five games and are also 4-6 in their last ten games. So with that being said here's a breakdown of the series.

Pitching Matchups:
Monday August 1st (Citi Field 7:10PM)
Logan Verrett (3-6, 41.2 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (6-8 3.95 ERA)

Tuesday August 2nd (Citi Field 7:10PM)
Jacob deGrom (6-5 2.56 ERA) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (7-3 3.16 ERA)

Wednesday August 3rd (Yankee Stadium 7:00PM)
Steven Matz (8-73.35 ERA) vs. TBD

Thursday August 4th (Yankee Stadium 7:05PM)
Bartolo Colon (9-63.58 ERA) vs. Nathan Evaldi (9-7 4.78 ERA)

Now lets get really into it and break it down by position.

1st Base
James Loney vs Mark Texiera

Over the last couple weeks, Loney has proven himself to be a nice surprise, as he's hitting .282 with six homers 21 RBI, all of which are almost outperforming Texiera. Sure Tex has more home runs, nine to Loney's six, but Loney has more RBI and is hitting for a better average. Neither guy at that position has played very well this year, Loney was a pickup after Lucas Duda went on the DL with a back injury and Tex has missed time with a knee injury. Still that being said and all tings put into consideration, I gotta give the edge to the Mets.

2nd Base
Neil Walker vs. Starlin Castro

Overall, this has been pretty even. Walker had some big shoes to fill when he came over after the Mets let Daniel Murphy go. As for Castro, he's been able to hold down the position both at the plate and in the field. Castro has been fantastic for the Yankees this year. So too has Walker for the Mets. He's been hitting well, with 17 home runs and 45 RBI, while hitting .259. He's defense has been solid and the way he's swinging the bat has been great. Slight edge to Walker at the dish but overall this has been pretty Even at 2nd base.

3rd Base
Wilmer Flores vs.Chase Headley

Since David Wright went down with his injury, its been a mixed bag with what the Mets have tried to do at 3rd base. Jose Reyes has been the latest experiement. Wilmer Flores has spent time at 3rd this year, so has Kelly Johnson. Wilmer has gotten most of the time at the hot corner and has done a fair job at it. Chase Headley has held down the job since he got it from the start of the year and has done a fine job at that position, hitting .260 with ten home runs and 36 RBI. He's had a good overall defensive game and has played well this year. In the past, when healthy, the edge might have gone to the Mets, but the way things sit right here and now, the Yankees get the nod at the Hot Corner.

Shortstop
Asdrubal Cabrera (hurt replaced by Matt Reynolds) vs Didi Gregorius

Cabrera has been a stud for the Mets so far at shortstop, when he's been able to stay on the field. He's missed time due to a knee injury this year, and it hit him again over the weekend, which is going to take him out of this series. Jose Reyes too is out with a injury as well. That means its going to be Matt Reynolds, who was called up to replace Cabrera while he's hurt, and/or Wilmer Flores playing short. Didi has played every game so far and looked good doing it. Under normal circumstances I'd say Cabrera has played a little better at short but right now the Yankees get the edge at Shortstop.

Catcher
Travis d'Arnaud vs. Bryan McCann
This one isn't even really close. d'Arnaud has been hurt part of this year and hasn't really found much of a hitting groove. Rene Rivera and Kevin Plwecki has done admerable, but there's nothing really set behind thie plate for the Mets. McCann has been doing just fine behind the plate for the Yankees, both on offense and defense. The choice here is easy. Yankees get the nod behind the plate.

Outfield
Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto Curtis Granderson (Soon to Be Jay Bruce) vs. Jacoby Eisbury, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner

Seeing as Carlos Beltran was traded to the Texas Rangers right before the start of the series, it takes a little steam out of the battle in the outfield. Beltran had been the Yankees best hitter in all three offensive catagories hitting .306 with 22 homers and 64 RBI, but now that's taken out of the lineup. Still the outfield in the Bronx isn't that bad. Elisbury and Gardner both have speed, case in point each has double digits in steals, both way more then the entire Mets team. They can also get to plenty of fly balls in the outfield. The Mets outfield doesn't have that much speed, but they do get a big boost by adding Jay Bruce, who is supposed to be in the lineup for the game on Tuesday. Cespedes is still one of the best hitters in the National League. Bruce is the leading RBI man in the NL with 80, so adding that into the mix will be a big help. Strikeout numbers are a little high but that's expected. I'd say, with the way things look right now, this could be an Even meeting in the outfield.

Starting Pitching
Nova was traded at the deadline, so that leaves the Yankees right now without a starter for the 3rd game of the series. I know CC has pitched better as of late, but there are still some concerns about him. Tanaka has been the most consistent Yankees Starter this year. The Mets have had the better staff all year. Sure that deGrom and Bartolo have looked a little off lately but they have seemed to come around again. Verette and Matz have been pitching a little better as of late. Both pitching staff's haven't met expectations this year, but with everything that has gone on this year with these teams, the Mets still have the edge among starters

Bullpen
For a good chunk of time, the Yankees have had a three headed monster at the back end of its pen. Two thirds of that have been traded away, Chapman to the Cubs and Miller to the Indians, leaving only Betances left in that back end. The Mets have had trouble with Familia near the end of last week, but he seems to have come out of it. Overall I'd say its Even out of the Pen.

Final Verdict
Both teams made moves leading up to the trade deadline and by the time the series is well in, the teams will have their new players, so it will make things look a little different. Out of the entire series, Tuesday has the best pitching matchup with deGrom against Tanaka at Citi Field. A-Rod is not hitting, Neil Walker is. Both teams have been trending in the same direction the last week, so its going to make for an interesting and fun series. Based on what's gone on the last week I see it being a SPLIT in this year's Subway Series!

Training Camp Storylines

The time has arrived. NFL Training Camps are open and running, which means that we are getting closer and closer to the start of football season. Everybody starts prepping for a chase for a Super Bowl, and seeing who can make their respective clubs. Everybody wants a shot to play in the NFL and help make their teams better. New York Football is no different. Both the Jets and Giants open up training camp today and there a few questions and stories to look at as camp moves right along. So with that in mind, lets take a look at some of the big storylines that will dominate camp over the next month.

Gang Green is looking to shake off missing the playoffs a season ago, despite finishing the year with a 10-6 record. But now there's more questions going into this year then answers. So lets look at the Jets storylines for a moment shall we.

Quarterback 
Its been a bit of an interesting last few days. Now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is back in camp and back under center where he belongs, at least for one more year. Now with that saga finally done and over with, the Jets can get back to work. They need to figure out who is going to be Fitzpatrick's backup. It looks, on paper at least, like it could be Geno Smith. But here in lies a problem. Because now that Fitzpatrick is back in the mix at QB, the Jets have four on the roster. Its Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg. So who is going to get the 2nd and 3rd string job here in New York? I don't think Hackenberg is going to go anywhere, because the Jets just took him in the 2nd round of this years draft, so he's going to stay. I still don't trust Geno Smith and his constant turnover issues. I'm still not sure yet if Bryce Petty is ready for the big time. So one of the two is really going to have to emerge as a solid Quarterback so that way the Jets can have something solid in place behind Fitzpatrick, just in case something should happen to him.

Players Coming Back 
A couple of members of this Jets squad are trying to make it back after injuries. Yes its fantastic that Muhammad Wilkerson signed a new deal and won't miss any time during training camp. He's going to need to get as many reps in as possible. The reason being is that he broke his leg near the end of the final game of the season last year against Buffalo. So one of the big questions is, how back to normal is Mo and how effective can he be? Only time is going to tell as camp moves along. Then we have the newest member of the Jets offensive line. Ryan Clady is being counted on big time to replace D’Brickashaw Ferguson at left tackle. When Clady has been healthy, he has been a Pro Bowler, but he has missed 30 games over the past three years, including the entire 2015 season with the Broncos. Clady is coming off a torn ACL he suffered last spring. This spring, he gradually did more and more in practice and the Jets are confident he is 100 percent. Still, they probably will ease him in during training camp.

Position Battles 
While those two things are going on, there are a couple of position battles that might be taking place, and seeing how new players are going to get adjusted to this new system. On the defensive side the Outside Linebacker battle is going to be one to watch. Not having Calvin Pace on the team anymore leaves a bit of a hole at that position. To add on to that fact, the Jets moved on from Quinton Coples in the middle of last season. That leaves the two starting jobs up for grabs. There is going to be plenty of guys fighting for those spots, but all of them are unproven. You have 2015 third-round pick Lorenzo Mauldin and this year’s third-round pick, Jordan Jenkins both fighting for that spot. Throw into the mix guys lie Freddie Bishop, Trevor Reilly, Deion Barnes and Mike Catapano, who are all also fighting for those two starting spots as well.

Running Back Fun
Running back is going to be something to look at with the Jets this year. It has always been a position that the Jets have relied on in their offense. Chris Ivory is gone, taking his 1,000+ yards with him to Jacksonville. Lets not get our facts mixed up Matt Forte is a fantastic running back, and will be in for a test replacing Ivory. Forte has proven in the past that he can be a very productive running back. His 12,718 yards from scrimmage lead the league since he entered it in 2008. The biggest question with Forte is how much does he have left? At 30, there will be plenty of doubters. But Forte should be a nice addition to the Jets’ offense, particularly with his pass-catching ability.

Help For Revis
It's no hidden secret around the league that Derrell Revis is one of the best cornerbacks in all of football. Here's something to think about. Look at last year, when the other cornerback Antonio Cromartie, didn't perform well. Teams made note of it and took advantage of it at times. The Jets took care of it by letting Cromartie go during the offseason. The question here is, now what happens? Somebody has to be able to step up and play somewhat at the level of Revis at the other Corner position. A combination of Buster Skrine and Marcus Williams will be used at the other corner position, depending on the defensive alignment. Skrine and Williams will be tested a lot, because quarterbacks typically don't like to often throw in Revis' direction.

As for the New York Giants, they went through quite a few changes this offseason as well. Tom Coughlin is no longer head coach, with Ben McAdoo taking over the role. Aside from the shift in coaching staff, the Giants have quite a few new faces of their own in the place.

New Coach, New Era
Things are going to look a lot different with Ben McAdoo running the team now instead of Tom Coughlin. Sure McAdoo has experience dealing with this team as offensive coordinator the last two seasons. First time head coaches will always be looked at under the microscope, so McAdoo has that to deal with, as well as trying to break out of the mold and shadow of Coughlin and his legacy here in New York. Its going to be a bit of an interesting transition from running just the offense to now having to run the entire team, but I think that helps. Having McAdoo as a coach the last two years have helped make things a little easier because he knows a lot of the players already, so there is that level of comfort right there. Sure its going to take some time to see how well he gets things moved into place and get his style and system down, so we shall see how it goes.

New Look Defense
One of the biggest things that the Giants did in the offseason was address the Defense, which had been a big weakness for them last year. Big Blue has started to unveil one of the biggest classes of free agent signings that they have ever had. That class was headlined by defensive end Olivier Vernon (Dolphins), defensive tackle Damon Harrison (Jets), and cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Rams). They were three of the most coveted players on the market this year, and part of the Giants’ primary objective this offseason and that is improve the defense. That's what happened. On paper, this defense could be one of the best in the entire league this season. But what's on paper and what happens on the field could be two totally different things. So lets hope the defense plays like its supposed to in theory.

Health Issues/Combacks
Two names that need to be focused on during camp, at least from an injury perspective, are Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz. With JPP, the question still remains as to how well he can play and how productive he can be with that club on his hand from his fireworks accident last year. But that is minor by comparison to what's going to be looked at for Victor Cruz. There are no certainties coming off the ruptured right patella tendon that ended Cruz’s 2014 season after six games and left calf injury and surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. That’s some serious wear and tear on his legs. Which Cruz will we get?  Can he still be productive or is his career pretty much done? Everyone around the Giants is holding their breath and crossing their fingers.

Position Battles
There's at least two position battles that can be quite intriguing at camp this year. One is on offense and one is on defense. On offense, the big question is who's going to be the next target behind Odell Beckham Jr? Rueben Randle is gone, having departed in free agency. Sterling Shepard, Dwayne Harris, Myles White, Geremy Davis and others will have their say while the Giants await the status of Victor Cruz. So the Giants are going to need to see who can fill in and catch passes other than Odell. Then there's the defense. Now a days, the #3 cornerback is viewed as a starter, and the identity of the nickel corner will be revealed this summer. Trevin Wade and first-round pick Eli Apple are the most logical candidates. This will be a classic rags-and-riches competition. Wade, a 2012 seventh-round pick of the Browns, kicked around in Cleveland and New Orleans and played in all 16 games in 2015 for the Giants. He is a grinder and well-suited for the slot. Apple, long and rangy, was the 10th overall pick in the draft out of Ohio State, arrives with a sublime pedigree. Can he adjust to the rough-and-tumble demands of the slot?