Year In Sports 2017

Think its safe to say that 2017 was an interesting year in Sports. There were some ugly moments, like the Charles Oakley incident at MSG, or the President's tweets about the NFL. We also had some great moments, like the what the Astros did for the city of Houston. Below is every major championship that was won during the year 2017!

Football:
2017 College Football Playoff National Championship: Clemson defeated Alabama 35–31
Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots beat Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in overtime

Baseball:
World Baseball Clasic: United States beat Puerto Rico 8–0 (first WBC title for US)
College World Series: Florida defeated LSU 2 games to 0
World Series: Houston Astros beat Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 3

Basketball
Men's Basketball: North Carolina beat Gonzaga 71-65
Women's Basketball: South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 67–55
NBA Finals: Golden State beat Cleveland 4 games to 1

Golf
Masters: Sergio García
US Open: Brooks Koepka
Open Championship: Jordan Spieth
PGA Championship: Justin Thomas

Hockey
Men's National Champions: Denver beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2
Women's National Champions: Clarkson beat Wisconsin 3-0
Stanley Cup Finals: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Nashville Predators 4 games to 2

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series: Martin Truex Jr.
Daytona 500: Kurt Busch
Coca-Cola 600: Austin Dillon
Brickyard 400: Kasey Kahne

Tennis
Australian Open: Roger Federer, Serena Williams
French Open: Rafael Nadal, Jeļena Ostapenko
Wimbledon: Roger Federer, Garbiñe Muguruza
US Open: Rafael Nadal, Sloane Stephens

In Memoriam:
-Roy Halladay
-Jake Lamotta
-Y.A. Tittle
-Yordano Ventura
-Aaron Hernandez
-Terry Glenn
-Charles Shackleford
-Dan Rooney
-Jim Bunning
-Milt Schmidt
-Mike Ilitch
-Dallas Green
-Luis Olmo
-Jack McCloskey
-Gene Michael
-Lee May
-Ara Parseghian
-Darren Daulton
-Don Baylor
-Jerry Krause
-Bobby Doerr
-Cortez Kennedy
-Connie Hawkins

That was the year in sports for 2017! Here's to what the sports world has to bring us in 2018!

Playoff Clinching Scenarios For Week Seventeen

We have arrived at last, the final weekend of the regular season is here. Everybody will be playing a game on New Years Eve, the final day of the season in the National Football League. All games will end before prime time TV, so will have all of this sorted out before the end of the day Sunday. So lets cut right to it. Here's how the final playoff spots can be clinched on the final day of the season.

AFC
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 
-New England clinches home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with either a win, a Pittsburgh loss or a tie in both their's and Pittsburgh's games

PITTSBURGH STEELERS
-Pittsburgh clinches home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs With a wind and a New England loss, or a tie and a New England loss

BALTIMORE RAVENS
-Baltimore clinches a playoff berth with a win or a tie. They can also clinch with losses or ties by both Buffalo or Tennessee

TENNESSEE TITANS
-Tennessee clinches a playoff berth with a win, a tie and losses by the Bills and Chargers or just losses by the Bills and Chargers

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
-L.A. Chargers clinch a playoff berth with a win and losses by the Bills and Titans.  They can also clinch with a win and losses by the Titans and a Ravens win. Finally they can clinch  with a tie and a Bills and Titans loss

BUFFALO BILLS
-Buffalo clinches a playoff berth with a win and a Raves loss, or a win and losses by the Titans and Chargers, or a Bills tie and losses by the Chargers and Titans

NFC
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
-Minnesota clinches a first-round bye with either a win or tie, a Panthers loss or tie, a Saints win or a Rams win

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
-New Orleans clinches the NFC South with either a win, a Panthers loss or a tie in both the Saints and Panthers games

CAROLINA PANTHERS
-Carolina clinches the NFC South with a win and a Saints loss or tie. Carolina can also clinch with a tie and a Saints loss
-Carolina clinches a first-round bye with a win and a loss by the Saints Vikings and Rams

ATLANTA FALCONS
-Atlanta clinches a playoff berth with a win, a Seattle Loss or a tie by both teams

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
-Seattle clinches a playoff  birth with a win and an Atlanta loss or tie. They can also clinch with a tie and an Atlanta loss

Best And Worst of NFL Week Sixteen

The holiday season has arrived and with that we have one week left in the regular season. After week sixteen we have a few more questions then answers in the National Football League. In a total of fourteen games over the weekend, a few teams clinched playoff spots while a few more got eliminated from contention. There were some players who had themselves a day, like Todd Gurley who went off in the Rams win. While we have that, we also have the boneheaded challenge of a great catch in Buffalo. Jimmy Garoppolo has really made a name for himself, while the Cowboys and Jaguars chances might be fading. All that and more went down in week sixteen, and here are some of the best and worst of the week that was.

Best:
Todd Gurley, Running Back Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles has been playing fantastic football the last couple of weeks and Todd Gurley has been a huge reason why. Los Angeles walked away with a 27-23 win over the Titans and Gurley went off. Talk about a magnificent performance. Gurley rushed for 118 yards while hauling in 10 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, including an amazing 80-yard dash. Jared Goff had a huge game as well throwing for four touchdowns and over 300 yards. Both him and Gurley had outstanding afternoons. But its performances like this and what Gurley did last week that are helping propel his MVP candidacy. If the Rams are to really make noise in this years post season, Gurley is going to be the reason why.

Worst:
Devonta Freeman, Running Back Atlanta Falcons
Freeman has been one of the best backs in the game in past years, but he didn't look like it Sunday. New Orleans walked away with a 23-13 win over the Falcons and Atlanta's best back didn't look like it on Sunday. Two huge plays were made by the Saints against Freeman. First he had a massive fumble on the goal line early, which New Orleans recovered. Then, at the start of the fourth quarter, Freeman was stopped on 4th and goal at the one. The fact that Freeman was stopped in both of those circumstances shows that the back hasn't really be able to steadly find his game this season. Atlanta really needs a win in the final game of the season against Carolina. In order for that to happen, they need Freeman to have a monster game if the Falcons want to make the post season.

Best:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
You can't get much hotter then Jimmy Garoppolo is playing right now and the Jacksomville Jaguars found that out the hard way on Sunday. San Fran walked away with a 44-33 win in a wild game, which was surprising enough. To make it even more surprising, is how Garoppolo played on Sunday. Garoppolo went 21 of 30 for 242 yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pick. This coming against one of the top defensive teams in all of the league. This kind of showing could be huge for Garoppolo come the end of the year. Think about it, he's now won four straight games since being acquired from the Patriots in a trade. He's been playing lights out football since the move and the way things are going, Garoppolo could be looking at a huge payoff over the offseason. San Francisco hopes that he can stay with the team next season, the way he's been playing that looks like it could be a possibility.

Worst:
Blake Bortles, Quarterback Jacksonville Jaguars
And while the 49ers and Garoppolo had themselves a good game, the same can't be said for Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville had been playing well in December, winning three straight games and Bortles had been playing pretty well. That all came to a stop against the 49ers. Bortles went 32 of 50 for 382 yards, which was tops in the league, and a pair of touchdowns. But why he's here on this part of the ;ist is because of the three picks and almost a fourth turnover. Those three turnovers resulted in 21 points for the 49ers, who stunned Jacksonville en route to winning their fourth straight game. Not the way Jacksonville wanted to spend Christmas. They need a win next week if they want to gain any type of momentum going into the playoffs.

Best:
Antonio Gates, Tight End Los Angeles Chargers
When you think about some of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game, one of the first names that comes up is Antonio Gates. His showing on Sunday in the Chargers 14-7 win over the Jets was that he still had plenty of gas left in the tank. Lets not take anything away from what Melvin Gordon did for the Chargers, but this more about the performance that Gates had. Gates finished the day with six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, just his third this season but second in as many weeks. He still got something left in the tank at the position. There's no telling whether or not Gates will be back next season, but for now lets just relax and enjoy watching one of the very best at his position play while we still have him.

Worst:
Eli Manning, Quarterback New York Giants
This dumpster fire of a season for the Giants can't come soon enough. New York got smacked around by the Cardinals, falling 23-0 in a horrible effort from the Giants. Eli couldn't lead a scoring drive for the Giants out in the desert. Eli finished going 27 of 35 passing for 263 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Both of picks were hauled in by Antoine Bethea. Manning also lost one of the two fumbles he had in the game, which led to a Robert Nkemdiche touchdown. He also had zero help from his running game or offensive line from start to finish. It was a miserable effort from the Giants all the way around on both sides of the ball. I hate putting blame on Eli for what he's had to go through this season. He's taken the fall for this, which isn't right but somebody has to take the fall and right now the only one who can is Eli.

Best:
Dion Lewis, Running Back New England Patriots
Not exactly sure how they manage to do it, but somehow the Patriots always find a way to produce that diamond in the rough. Lewis is one of those diamonds. New England walked away with a 37-16 win over the Bills, with Lewis being a big part of that. He finished the day with 24 carries and 129 yards on the ground, plus a touchdown. New England had found a way to save his career. He was unsigned through the 2014 season and the Pats took a chance on him, which really elevated his game to what we see right now out in New England. Lewis has become a nice role player and when he has been asked to do more, he delivers. He's helped the Patriots lock up their 8th straight season of 12 or more victories. They are a good team and they keep right on rolling along.

Worst:
Dak Prescott, Quarterback Dallas Cowboys
Dallas playoff hopes are slim and even with Zek Elliott having a big game in his first game back, it didn't help the Cowboys out. Dallas fell to 21-12 to the Seahawks, which knocked the Boys out of the playoffs this year. Dak Prescott had a rough go of it against Seattle and now made it even harder for the Boys to try and make the playoffs. Dak threw two really bad interceptions, one of which was returned for six points by Justin Coleman. It was his fourth pick-six of the season, which is the most in the NFL. Dak finished the game going 21 of 34 for 182 yards, no touchdowns and those two nasty picks. Those picks killed any hopes the Cowboys had of making it into the playoffs this year. Those picks loom even larger when you consider the fact that Seattle had only 136 yards of offense. Good job Dak.

Best:
Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals
This year hasn't been one to really remember if you're a fan of the Arizona Cardinals. One reason to keep watching though has been Larry Fitzgerald. He's a sure fire Hall of Famer, there's no doubt about that, and he just keeps pilling up accolades this year. In the win over the Giants discussed earlier, Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 119 yards and one touchdown. Fitzgerald eclipsed the 100-catch, 1,000-yard threshold once again. He’s now the oldest player in NFL history to catch at least 100 passes for 1,000-plus yards. There's no way to know whether or not Larry will play again next season, so if he doesn't then it really has been a true pleasure to watch this man play week in and week out for the better part of the last fifteen years. There have been few players in this game who have played at such a high level and with such class.

Worst:
Cleveland Browns
0-15. Let that number set in for just a moment. That is the record of the Cleveland Browns, following their 20-3 loss to the Chicago Bears. Cleveland now sits at 1-30 over the last two seasons. On Sunday against the Bears, turned the ball over three times, allowed Mitch Trubisky and Co. to run rampant and had a defensive touchdown negated by an offsides penalty. Just a typical week for the Factory of Sadness, really. Seems like stuff like this could only really happen to the Browns. Now they have to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers the final day of the season, with a chance to be come the 2nd team ever, along with 2008 Detroit Lions, to go winless during the regular season.

Merry Christmas

From all of us here at Solly On Sports to all of you we would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas! In the spirit of the holiday, we present the following videos for your viewing enjoyment.

First up its the 12 Days Of Rick Jeanneret:


Next up, its the 12 Days of Mike Lange:



And last but not least its the 12 Days of Hockey:



Have a very Merry Christmas!

Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week Sixteen

Two weeks left to go in the regular season in the National Football League. Still plenty of teams trying to lock down post season births over the next two weeks. All that being said, here's what the clinching scenarios look like for this week.

AFC 
New England Patriots
-New England clinches homefield advantage throughout AFC playoffs with a win and losses by Pittsburgh and Jacksonville
-New England clinches a first round by with a win and a Pittsburgh loss, a win and a Jacksonville loss or a tie and a Jacksonville loss.

Pittsburgh Steelers
-Pittsburgh clinches a first-round bye with a win and a Jacksonville loss or a tie and a Jacksonville loss

Jacksonville Jaguars
-Jacksonville clinches the AFC South with a win or a tie, or a Tennessee loss or tie.

Kansas City Chiefs
-Kansas City clinches the AFC West with a win, or a Chargers Loss, or a tie in both their game and the Chargers game

Tennessee Titans
-Tennessee clinches a playoff berth with a win and losses by both Buffalo and Baltimore

NFC
Philadelphia Eagles 
-Philadelphia clinches homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win, a Minnesota loss or a tie in both there game and Minnesota's game

Minnesota Vikings
-Minnesota clinches a first-round bye with a win and a Carolina Loss, or a Minnesota tie and losses by Carolina, new Orleans and the Rams

Los Angeles Rams
-Rams clinch the NFC West with a win or a Seattle loss
-Rams clinch a playoff berth with losses by Detroit Carolina and Atlanta

New Orleans Saints 
-New Orleans clinches the NFC South with a win and a Carolina loss
-New Orleans clinches a playoff berth with a win or a tie, or even a tie in Seattle-Dallas

Carolina Panthers
-Carolina clinches a playoff berth with a win or tie, or even a tie in Seattle-Dallas

Atlanta Falcons
-Atlanta clinches a playoff berth with a win, or a tie in their game plus a tie in Seattle-Dallas and a loss by Detroit

Pro Bowl Selections

Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida will be the site. January 28th is the date. The best in the NFL get together for the annual Pro Bowl. Quite a few players in the NFL aren't too fond of playing in the game, as some see it as meaningless, but still its considered an honor to be selected for the game, With that being said, here's the rosters for this years Pro Bowl.

AFC:
Offense 
Wide Receiver: Antonio Brown*, Steelers; DeAndre Hopkins*, Texans; A.J. Green, Bengals; Keenan Allen, Chargers
Tackle: Alejandro Villanueva*, Steelers; Taylor Lewan*, Titans; Donald Penn, Raiders
Guard: Kelechi Osemele*, Raiders; David DeCastro*, Steelers; Richie Incognito, Bills
Center: Maurkice Pouncey*, Steelers; Rodney Hudson, Raiders
Tight End: Travis Kelce*, Chiefs; Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
Quarterback: Tom Brady*, Patriots; Philip Rivers, Chargers; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
Running Back: Le'Veon Bell*, Steelers; Kareem Hunt, Chiefs; LeSean McCoy, Bills
Fullback: James Develin*, Patriots

Defense 
Defense End: Joey Bosa*, Chargers; Calais Campbell*, Jaguars; Khalil Mack, Raiders
Interior Linemen: Geno Atkins*, Bengals; Jurrell Casey*, Titans; Malik Jackson, Jaguars
Outside Linebacker: Von Miller*, Broncos; Jadeveon Clowney*, Texans; Terrell Suggs, Ravens
Inside/Middle Linebacker: C.J. Mosley*, Ravens; Ryan Shazier, Steelers
Cornerback: A.J. Bouye*, Jaguars; Jalen Ramsey*, Jaguars; Aqib Talib, Broncos; Casey Hayward, Chargers
Free Safety: Eric Weddle*, Ravens Strong safety: Reshad Jones*, Dolphins; Micah Hyde, Bills

Special Teams
Punter: Brett Kern*, Titans
Kicker: Chris Boswell*, Steelers
Return Specialist: Tyreek Hill*, Chiefs
Special Teamer: Matthew Slater*, Patriots

NFC
Offense
Wide Receiver: Julio Jones*, Falcons; Adam Thielen*, Vikings; Michael Thomas, Saints; Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
Tackle: Tyron Smith*, Cowboys; Trent Williams*, Redskins; Lane Johnson, Eagles
Guard: Zack Martin*, Cowboys; Brandon Brooks*, Eagles; Brandon Scherff, Redskins
Center: Alex Mack*, Falcons; Travis Frederick, Cowboys
Tight End: Zach Ertz*, Eagles; Jimmy Graham, Seahawks
Quarterback: Carson Wentz*, Eagles; Russell Wilson, Seahawks; Drew Brees, Saints
Running Back: Todd Gurley*, Rams; Alvin Kamara, Saints; Mark Ingram, Saints
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk*, 49ers

Defense
Defensive End: Everson Griffen*, Vikings; Demarcus Lawrence*, Cowboys; Cameron Jordan, Saints
Interior Linemen: Fletcher Cox*, Eagles; Aaron Donald*, Rams; Gerald McCoy, Buccaneers;
Outside Linebacker: Chandler Jones*, Cardinals; Ryan Kerrigan*, Redskins; Anthony Barr, Vikings
Inside/Middle Linebacker: Luke Kuechly*, Panthers; Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
Cornerback: Xavier Rhodes*, Vikings; Patrick Peterson*, Cardinals; Marshon Lattimore, Saints; Darius Slay, Lions
Free Safety: Earl Thomas*, Seahawks
Strong Safety: Landon Collins*, Giants; Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles

Special Teams
Punter: Johnny Hekker*, Rams
Kicker: Greg Zuerlein*, Rams
Return Specialist: Pharoh Cooper*, Rams
Special Teamer: Budda Baker*, Cardinals

So thoughts on the roster? Did they miss anybody?

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Fifteen

Things have started to get more and more interesting around the National Football League, as some crazy things went down in week fifteen. The game of the week lived up to the hype and then some, which could spell great things for the playoffs should the two teams meet again. As for the rest of the games, well some went well while others not so much. Todd Gurley and Kareem Hunt both went off in wins. Eli Manning had an amazing game, but you almost kind of feel bad for him because of the way things ended for the Giants. Of course the definitive rule on what is and isn't a catch strikes again, this time costing the Steelers a win. With that being said, here's some of the best and worst from week fifteen in the NFL.

Best:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco has embarked on something I didn't think was possible for them, they have won three games in a row. The Niners now sit at 4-10 thanks to their 25-23 win over the Titans. Jimmy Garoppolo was pretty good on the day, going 31 of 43 for 381 yards and a touchdown, which was pretty much the only offensive hope that the team had this week. The 49ers scored seven times in eight opportunities on Sunday, they didn’t turn the ball over once and racked up 23 first downs. If the 49ers are smart, they need to lock this guy up soon, because he may very well be the answer that this team has been looking for under center. San Francisco would be foolish not to get Garoppolo locked up fast, as they may have finally found the answer that fits their offensive system perfectly.

Worst:
Players Scoring Touchdowns Late
There were a couple of instances where the rule book's definition of what is and isn't a catch strikes again. First, there was the game of the year between the Steelers and Patriots. new England got the win to wrap up their 9th division title, but it was the play near the end that got them the title. Pittsburgh Tight End Jesse James seemed to have a touchdown, but the ruling on the play was that this wasn’t a catch. Yes, James had control of the ball, and maintained that control of the ball as he brought it across the goal line. We’re often told a play is a touchdown the very instant the ball breaks the plane of the goal line, but not here: James was “going to the ground,” and therefore, had to control the ball through his initial contact with the turf to register a catch. Since the ball jostled and hit the ground when James’s arms crashed down, the pass was incomplete. He never really had possession of the ball, so we have what we have. Then, in the Sunday night game between the Cowboys and Raiders, Oakland QB Derek Carr had a similar thing happen to him. He tried reaching for the pylon late in the game and fumbled the ball out through the end zone, which is a touchback. Had he just gone out of bounds it would have given Oakland a golden chance to pick up a win, but it was to no avail. Just bad rule interpretation and mismanagement all the way around this week.

Best:
Todd Gurley, Running Back Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles absolutely rolled to a win over the Seahawks, dominating from start to finish in a 42-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle, without K.J. Wright and with Bobby Wagner hobbled, was helpless to stop him. Gurley went off, romping for a total of 152 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, adding another 28 yards and a touchdown on three catches. By the time Gurley was taken out of the game, Los Angeles had opened up a 40-0 lead. Los Angeles now sits at 10-4 and are the top team in the NFC West, which is one of the toughest divisions in all of football to play in. Gurley has been a total beast all season and I will go so far to say that right now it looks like Gurley could be a possible front runner for MVP of the league. With two weeks to go in the season, Gurley already has 257 carries for 1,187 yards and 13 scores. He is a big reason why Los Angeles sits where they are and he was a big reason why the Rams were able to do what they did against the Seahawks.

Worst:
Russell Wilson, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
After carrying the team for the last couple of weeks, it seems like Russel Wilson might have finally reached his breaking point this week. Seattle hasn't given him much support, yet somehow the Seahawks have manged to hang around in the NFC West. The last two weeks however, going up against a top flight defense, Wilson has come back down to earth and looked human. The Los Angeles Rams totally dominated the Seahawks, running away with a huge victory, as mentioned above. Wilson was sacked seven times for 71 yards and at one point threw a pass behind himself while getting dragged to the turf by Aaron Donald. He also lost one of two fumbles and endured a safety in the fourth quarter. Wilson finished with 71 net passing yards and did throw the one touchdown pass, but by the time he threw it, the game was already over. This was one of the worse losses by the Seahawks in recent memory and I feel bad for Russel for having to carry the team and not get much relief.

Best:
Rob Gronkowski, Tight End New England Patriots
Gronk had to sit out last week because of the suspension for his actions in Buffalo. When he came back this week, in New Englands 27-24 win over the Steelers, Gronk did Gronk things. Tom Brady threw for 298 yards, and guess what, half of that went to Gronkowski. Gronk finished with nine catches for 168 yards and also hauled in the two-point conversion that gave the Patriots the three-point lead heading into the final moments of the game. Gronk came up with clutch catch after clutch catch throughout the football game. He did what he does best, dominate a game from start to finish. Good on ya Gronk.

Worst:
New York Giants Special Teams
This was a bit of a crazy game on Sunday between the Giants and Eagles. Philly won 34-25 and that was with Nick Foles under center. Eli had a massive day, throwing for 434 yards and three touchdowns. Still it wasn't enough to get the Giants their 3rd win of the season. The Eagles defense took advantage of mishaps by the Giants special teams. The Giants had a field goal, extra point and a punt all blocked in this game. To allow any of these things is a failure. To allow all three in a game, essentially costing yourself 11 points in a game you lost by five, is as bad as starting Geno Smith over Eli Manning.

Best:
Carolina Panthers Offense
A lot of the talk on Sunday had been about the return of Aaron Rogers in the matchup with Carolina. The Panthers deserve a lot of credit for being able to expose the holes in the Green Bay defense. Carolina walked away with a 31-24 victory, eliminating Green Bay from playoff contention for the first time since 2008 and their big weapons were on full display on Sunday. Cam Newton threw four touchdown passes and went for 242 yards. Greg Olsen reintroduced himself finishing with 116 yards on nine catches and a touchdown. Finally Christian McCaffrey had 18 touches and a touchdown, finishing the day with a total of 136 yards. With this explosion win over the Packers, it pulled the Panthers record to 10-4, which tied them with the Saints for the top record in the NFC South with two weeks left to go in the regular season.

Worst:
Cincinnati Bengals
The report came out early Sunday that Marvin Lewis was leaving the team after fifteen years as the head coach of this team. A few hours after this announcement was made, the team decided not to come out and play against the Vikings. Minnesota away with a 34-7 over the Bengals, and Cincy looked just awful in this one. Andy Dalton threw two inexcusable interceptions, the first of which was thrown in the vicinity of four Vikings defenders for a pick-six. The entire offense accounted for just eight first downs and 161 yards. Oh and lets not forget about how bad the defense looked. Case Keenum was nearly perfect, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon combined for 242 total yards. Kyle Rudolph sealed the win with a score late. Lets face the facts not only was this an embarrassing loss for the Bengals, but in reality its a continuation of what we’ve seen all year from this club. It just seams like the Bengals have quite on their management and coaching staff, which could possibly explain why Lewis is leaving at the end of the season.

Best:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville didn't have Leonard Fournette against Houston on Sunday, but it didn't really matter. Jacksonville rolled to a 45-7 win over Houston, thanks to big days from Keelan Cole and Jaydon Mickens. Cole caught seven passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Mickens was the guy who got all the scoring going, catching Blake Bortles’ first two touchdowns. He finished with four catches for 61 yards after coming into the game with just one career reception for 11 yards. This was more then just another win to Jacksonville. It clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Long suffering Jaguar fans can now rejoice, tasting playoff football after such a long wait has to be one hell of a feeling

Worst:
Mitch Trubisky Quarterback Chicago Bears
Chicago had to rely a lot on Trubisky on Sunday in their 20-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, mainly because they couldn't really run the football. So what did that mean? It meant that Mitch Trubisky had to throw the ball 46 times in this game, going 31 of 46 for 314 yards a touchdown and three picks. All three interceptions, two of which came at the hands of Darius Slay, were ones Trubisky would like to have back. He also struggled with accuracy throughout the game, missing badly on many of his incompletions. So, while Bears fans have been begging their team to let the rookie loose, it backfired when it finally did. It took a long time this year for Mitch to finally get under center, and when he has, he has shown the marks of a rookie. Just give him time though, and I think this kid can have the kinks worked out and be a pretty good quarterback.

Islanders Return Home

Looks like Christmas may have come a little bit early for the fans of the New York Islanders. After having to haul all the way to Brooklyn to go to games at Barclays Center, fans will have a new home to go to. It was announced earlier today that the Islanders won the bid to build an arena on the site of Belmont Park. This will end a rough stretch of play at the Barclays Center, the arena which the Islanders had signed a 25 year lease with to play home games there. The Islanders beat out NYCFC in order to be able to snag the property.

As of now, the exact details have yet to be announced for whats going to happen with the site, or the naming of the arena. As of this moment, the plan is as follows. The Islanders plan consists of an 18,000-seat, year-round arena that would be host to about 150 events each year, according to Jim Baumbach and Stefanie Dazio of Newsday. Along with the arena, 435,000 square feet would be available for retail as well as a hotel and 10,000 square-foot "innovation center." This center will be built with input from residents in the area. Another interesting note is that, in this deal, the Islanders' developers are Sterling Project Development, which is run by the Mets' Wilpon family, and Oak View Group, who is partially funded by Madison Square Garden and specifically deals with arena development. Just found that interesting for the people involved in this project.

Now would it have been nice to just end the whole mess and move back to Fort Neverlose in Nassau Coliseum? Yes it would. Would that be possible right now? Not likely. The fact that they are moving back out to Long Island is a very good thing. It makes travel to games easier for one thing. The biggest thing I can take away from this is how the arena will work for the team. Look, don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Islanders were able to stay in New York being able to play in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. But lets face the facts, Barclays Center isn't a hockey arena. It tried really hard to be one, but it just doesn't fit the game. Some of the sight lines suck and the ice surface has been viewed by many as one of the worst in the entire league.

Now that the new arena looks like its going to happen, a lot can finally go right for the Islanders. They can actually have an arena that's built to properly watch a hockey game, with some of the best sight lines in the league. They can have a playing surface that won't suck. They can have the vibe that they once had at the Coliseum. It won't be an exact duplicate there's no doubt about that. At least its a step back in the right direction.

The Islanders are heading back out to where they belong. When will it take place, that is to be announced. At least this is a step in the right direction.

Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week Fifteen

Week fifteen has arrived in the NFL and we are yet another step closer to the Playoffs. We had two teams clinch spots last week, the Steelers and Eagles. There's more spots to be clinched this week. Here's how that would go down in week fifteen.

NFC 
Philadelphia Eagles
-Philadelphia clinches home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with a win and a Minnesota loss.
-Philadelphia can clinch a first round bye with a win, plus a loss or time by the Rams Saints and Panthers

Minnesota Vikings
-Minnesota clinches NFC North Division with a win or a  tie
-Minnesota clinches a playoff berth with losses by Seattle, Atlanta and New Orleans


AFC
Pittsburgh Steelers
-Pittsburgh clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with a win and a loss or tie by Jacksonville
-Pittsburgh clinches first-round bye with a win or a tie and a Jacksonville loss

New England Patriots
-New England clinches AFC East Division with a win or a Buffalo loss
-New England clinches a playoff berth with a Ravens loss or tie

Jacksonville Jaguars
-Jacksonville clinches a playoff berth with a win. If they tie, then Buffalo has to lose or tie, or a tie and a Ravens loss or tie

Thank You Mike

We have reached the end of an era on WFAN, the top sports talk station in the New York market. Mike Francesa, who had been hosting on the network for the last 28 years, held his final broadcast on Friday, ending a long and very storied run on the airwaves. He is a big reason why not only WFAN is the success it is, but a big reason why sports talk radio is as successful a format as it is on the radio dial.

Francesa did things a little bit differently then other talk show hosts. He kind of considered himself like a Grand Poobah when it came to sports talk and sports in general. He felt that his opinions were the right one and that everybody else was either misguided or wrong. That's what made this entertaining because you never knew what he was going to say next. He had a lot going behind him to back him up however. He was a sports encyclopedia, he knew pretty much everything in relation to sports in New York (with the exception of hockey which he admitted he didn't know much about).

Francesa talked about what he felt he was right about when it came to sports whether it was right or not, it was his opinion and he stuck with it. It drew many ranges of emotions out of his listeners and it got the phone lines lighting up, which is the ultimate goal in sports talk radio. He was right on some of his opinions, he knows college basketball better then any other talk show host I've ever heard. Some areas like hockey, he doesn't know very well but he did a admirable job covering up for it. Sure he had his moments. Like hanging up on fans he was unhappy with. If he ever had a bad caller, or one he was just annoyed with, he'd drop the caller right away. That annoyed a few people, and I'll admit I was one of those who on occasion got annoyed by it as well. But because he took so many calls during the course of a day he had to do things like that at times. Every time he would open up his microphone he was always ready to go. He had passion in every single segment he did and it was infectious.

On a personal note, I do want to take this opportunity to thank Mike. I was such a big fan of him and Mad Dog, listening to them everyday was a joy. Hearing them on WFAN was a big reason why I wanted to get into the broadcasting profession in the first place. They were the reason why I wanted to host my own radio show. Just hearing the emotion he had in his voice and the passion behind every one of his arguments made for fantastic radio. It really helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my career.

When Francesa closed out his final broadcast on WFAN by saying this: “More than anything else going out, I want to thank you guys, the listeners, the audience, because without you, we don’t last a week, we don’t last a month. So what I’d like to say to you is I’ll miss you, I thank you, and from the bottom of my heart, I love you. Goodbye.”

No Mike, thank you. Thanks for keeping us entertained all this years and making it fun to tune into the fan each and every day.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Fourteen

Week Fourteen in the National Football League turned out to be one of the more interesting weeks in the league this season. We had two teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, clinch division titles. Philadelphia's title, though, came at a bit of a price, now that Wentz is done for the season with an injured knee. New England laid an egg in Mexico City against the Dolphins, while the 49ers have picked up a winning momentum with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting QB.  One of the coolest things going on this week was the snow game in Buffalo between the Bills and Colts, while the Bengals laid a total dud against the Bears. There was lots of other stuff to talk about from this week, so lets get right into it. Here's the best and worst from week fourteen in the NFL.

Best:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
After what I've seen from him the last couple of weeks, Jimmy Garoppolo could be the very answer that the 49ers could be looking for. Think about this. With Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard at quarterback, the 49ers started the season 1–10. Now with Garoppolo. Both of wins with Garoppolo at quarterback have come on the road, including this weeks 26-16 win over the Houston Texans. San Francisco gained 416 yards in this game, while Garoppolo went 20-of-33 for 334 yards. He also threw an interception but more than made up for it in the third quarter with his first touchdown throw as the team’s starter. It’s clear they have found their answer at quarterback, which makes the rest of the rebuild much easier in the coming seasons. It gives the Niners something they've been needing all year, stability under center. If this keeps up, San Francisco may have found their future and can finally stabalize the position.

Worst:
NFL Concussion Protocal
How this was allowed to even happen on Sunday is just beyond wrong. not only did Houston fall 26-16 but what happened to Tom Savage was beyond description. Savage was hit by a blitzing K'waun Williams and knocked for a loop. Savage was hit so hard that he was seen fencing, which is an involuntary physical response to a concussion. Even if it wasn’t a textbook example of the fencing response, it was a clear sign that something bad had likely happened to Savage’s brain. And yet, some how, for some reason, Savage was allowed to continue playing. He went through the concussion protocol and was cleared by one of the independent neurologists placed on the sidelines as part of the league’s attempt to better protect players who have potentially sustained brain injuries. After playing a single three-and-out series, he was inspected again and taken out of the game. He hadn’t sustained an additional injury. It was pretty clear that he wasn't right mentally and that hit had knocked him for a clear loop. The rest of the league really needs to take a closer look at this so that way somthing like what happened to Savage doesn't happen again.

Best:
Jonathan Stewart, Running Back Carolina Panthers
Big players show up in big games and JOjnathan Stewart did that on Sunday. Carolina was facing off against the top seed in the NFC in the Minnesota Vikings. Carolina walked away with a 31-24 victory and Stewart had a big hand in that. He reached the 100 yard mark for the second time this season, finishing with 103 yards on 16 carries and also had three touchdowns. He got the game started with a tremendous 60-yard dash to pay dirt that put the Panthers up 7-0 in the first quarter. His three touchdowns on Sunday matched his season total to that point and the carries and yards were the most this season for the 30-year old running back. If Stewart can keep this going the final few games of the season and into the post season, then the Panthers could be well on their way to making a lot of noise in the post season

Worst:
New York Jets
After what the Jets managed to pull off against Kansas City last week, fans of the team might want to commit that to memory, because it didn't happen against Denver. The Jets managed 100 yards on the day. Not 100 passing or rushing yards, but 100 yards of TOTAL offense, which was their worst offensive output since 2010. With those numbers, its no surprise that the Jets were shut out 23-0 by the Broncos. They could really do nothing right in this game, on either side of the ball, and it showed in this one. Josh McCown was awful, going 6-for-12 for 46 yards before suffering a broken left hand that will likely end his season. Backup Bryce Petty was worse, going 2-for-9 for just 14 yards, including badly missing Robbie Anderson for what could have been a surefire score. Just hen I thought the Jets might show some life and look like they MIGHT be able to make the push to become a playoff team, they go out and do that. Bad time to decide to lay an egg gang green.

Best:
Kareem Hunt, Running Back Kansas City Chiefs
There was a bit of a spell during the season where Kareem Hunt looked like he may have hit a wall. He hadn't been able to find the holes like he once did. He looked a little unsure of himself. But Sunday, in the Kansas City 26-15 win over the Raiders, Hunt found his game again and it was needed in a big way. Hunt had 25 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown and added 22 more yards on three catches. Hunt hadn’t rushed for over 100 yards since Week 5, and his touchdown was the first rushing score since Week 3. Kansas City needed this win in a bad way, and tSunday night for Bills vs Colts was a winter wonderlan.d hanks to Hunt and the defense, the Chiefs improved to 7-6 to keep pace with the red-hot Los Angeles Chargers atop the AFC West with three weeks left to play.

Worst:
Ending Of Seahawks-Jaguars
Jacksonville won the game 30-24, but that was just the start of it. Fans started throwing things at the field, which was just plain stupid. Then it went to another level. As Seattle defensive end Quinton Jefferson. Jefferson decided to take note of it, walked over towards the stands and start having a shouting match with the fans. Then, to make things worse, he started to try and climb into the crowd going after the fans. That can't happen. Fans are out there and I would have loved to see video of that fans reaction when Jefferson started to climb up to go after the guy. It had been a choppy football game and the Seahawks had a rough night. Jacksonville is sitting at 9-4 and was poised to make the playoffs. The way this football game ended Sunday night is I think one both organizations want to try and forget.

Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers Killer B's
Going into this Sunday's game, the Ravens looked like they had a solid defense, one that was ranked 7th overall in the league. If you hadn't watched a game all year until Sunday, you would have thought this Ravens team was a joke. Pittsburgh beat the Ravens 39-38 in dramatic fashion and the Killer B's of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown were all feeling it on Sunday Night. Rothlisberger threw for an eye popping 506 yards passing, to go along with two touchdown tosses. Bell totaled 125 yards and three touchdowns, and Brown caught 11 passes for 213 yards. All told, Pittsburgh racked up 545 yards, 31 first downs, and 39 points. Somehow, it was barely good enough to edge the Ravens by a point. Baltimore played out of their minds but the Killer B's were just that much better in helping the Steelers win the division.

Worst:
Marvin Lewis, Head Coach Cincinnati Bengals
There are some who might come to wonder if Marvin Lewis day's as head coach of the Bengals might be numbered. First, there was blowing the lead against the Steelers on Monday night the week before. Now, the Bengals get rolled over, 33-7, by the Bears. Embarrassing only begins to describe it. At home, the Bengals lost by 26 points to a Bears team that came in with a 3-9 record and hadn’t won since October 22nd. Look I'll give credit where its due, Cincinnati didn't look very good before Lewis came aboard to run this team. He's done a fantastic job bringing this team back to respectability. But with the way things have gone this year, Marvin Lewis days have been numbered. He might not get fired but his contract is up at the end of the year, so that will probably be the end of the line. I almost feel bad for him with the way things have gone this year.

Best:
LeSean McCoy, Running Back Buffalo Bills
Sundays game between the Bills and Colts was played in a winter wonderland. Snow was falling all over the place, it really was a pretty sight to see. Buffalo walked away with a 13-7 overtime victory and Shady McCoy was a HUGE reason Buffalo was able to come away with the win. Buffalo’s passing game was pretty much inert. The Bills managed just 92 total yards through the air. So for most of the game, the offense ran through McCoy. He finished with 156 yards on 32 carries and won the game for Buffalo in overtime on a 21-yard dash for glory. it might also be worth noting that Frank Gore had 130 yards on the ground for the Colts as well, which was a big reason why the Colts ALMOST came away with the win, but McCoy's scamper near the end of the game helped Buffalo come away with the victory.

Worst:
Oakland Raiders Offense
To say that the Raiders offense has been a mess this year would be an understatement. Oakland went into the game at 6-6 and had a chance to take a lead in the AFC West with a win, but that didn't happen as the Chiefs walked away with the win. Kansas City got torched by the Jets last weekend, but they showed up against the Raiders, shutting down the Raiders run game and making Derek Carr look uncomfortable. Carr completed just 24-of-41 passes and was generally out of sorts. It’s just a continuation of what we’ve seen all year long. Whether it’s due to Oakland firing offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave after last year, or a case of Carr simply regressing, he’s taken a step back. As such, so have the Raiders, who had no answers Sunday.

Memo To Sandy Alderson

This past weekend turned out to be a very bad one for fans of the New York Mets. First, the New York Yankees managed to add the reigning National League Most Valuable Player in Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins into what was an already loaded lineup. Then, in a way to respond, if you will, the New York Mets went out and reminded everybody why they are the New York Mets. This is all thanks to the brilliance of the General Manager, Sandy Alderson.

Any Mets fan can tell you what a headache it is having to listen to the same old babble come from the upper management of this baseball team. Sandy came out with more of the same over the weekend. In summation, Alderson indicated, from what I've read in some reports, that the Mets will not be aggressive in the relief or second-base markets and wait for the prices to drop, though those are their two main areas of need. He said the plan is not to get a first baseman who takes Dominic Smith out of the competition. He described finding a starter as the fourth need on a three-need list. He also went on to add that “our farm system right now is not brimming with prospects.”

From every indication I'm getting at this point, it looks like, just like the year before Cespedes came to the team, that the starting pitching is what is expected to save this franchise again this season.

I'm so sorry, but as good as the pitching staff is, when healthy, they can't carry the team. The offense and defense have too many glaring holes in it that need to be addressed. If Alderson and the rest of upper management had any spines at all they would go out and make moves that were necessary to put a competitive team on the field every day. All Mets fan want that from their team day in and day out, make us want to spend our hard earned money to come out and watch this team.

Look I'll give credit where its due, Sandy has done good things for this team in the past, but this is the here and now. When the Yankees pull off a move like they did, it does have some benefit to the Mets in that it gets Stanton out of the division. But it also reminds you this is still the Mets, a team that has been noted for being cheap in years past. They have a reputation at times for not going out and getting the best players available. Which can really hurt a team that has holes that it needs filed and a minor league system that apparently isn't ready yet to be a contending team. Also news flash to the Mets upper management, those stud starters in your rotation, they are going to want nice paydays when their contracts are up. What are you going to do then huh?

So memo to Mets upper management. I know you want to get the salary down a little, but don't do it and sacrifice giving this team a chance to be at least somewhat good. How about you wake up and work hard at trying to get a good team on the field like now, otherwise the fans will be driven away because of your inability to put a decent product on the field!

Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week 14

As we head into week fourteen in the NFL, a few teams already have a shot to clinch playoff spots and even division titles. So here's what the clinching scenarios look like for this week.

AFC 
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-2)
-New England clinches AFC East division with a win, or a Buffalo loss or tie.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (10-2)
-Pittsburgh clinches AFC North division with a win and Pittsburgh clinches a playoff berth with a Buffalo loss

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (8-4)
-Jacksonville clinches a playoff berth with a win plus, losses by Buffalo, Miami, New York, Los Angeles and the Oakland-Kansas City game does not end in a tie

NFC 
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-2)
-Philadelphia clinches NFC East division with a win or tie OR a Dallas loss or tie

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (10-2)
-Minnesota can clinch NFC North division with a win or tie OR a Detroit loss or tie and a Green Bay loss or tie

LOS ANGELES RAMS (9-3)
-Los Angeles can clinch a playoff berth with a win, plus losses by Detroit, Green Bay, Dallas, Carolina and Atlanta

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Thirteen

We continue to inch closer and closer to the finish line in the NFL, as week thirteen has now passed us by. We got four weeks to go in the regular season and the playoff picture is starting to take a little more shape. We got four teams, the Steelers, Patriots, Vikings and Eagles, that now sit at 10-2. We got division races heating up in the South and West Divisions. As for week thirteen, the Kansas City offense finally decided to show up, but they were somehow outplayed by the Jets. Tom Brady had an off day against Buffalo, but the Pats still found a way to pick him up and get the Win. Green Bay has somehow managed to climb its way back to .500. All that and more went down this week in the NFL. Here's a look at some of the best and worst from week thirteen.

Best:
Marshawn Lynch, Running Back Oakland Raiders
Oakland had a little trouble getting the air attack on Sunday against the Giants, which had a lot to do with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper not being there. So it was the ground game that got going in the Oakland 24-17 win. Oakland’s offense went through Marshawn Lynch, who had started to look like the beast mode of old. He finished the day rushing for 101 yards and one touchdown on just 17 carries. One of those was a 51 yard romp in the opening quarter that looked like a flashback from his days in Seattle. Lynch also added 20 yards on one reception. He was the biggest reason why Oakland won by a touchdown over the hapless New York Giants. Beast mode went into full effect from the start and the Giants had no way of stopping it.

Worst:
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback Arizona Cardinals
Blaine had showed up a little in his first couple of games, throwing five touchdowns and three picks. But the bad Blaine Gabbert decided to make an appearance for the Cards on Sunday. Following a Rams field goal, on his first attempt of the game, Gabbert threw up a putrid attempt deep down the right side of the field that never had a chance. It was picked off by Lamarcus Joyner, and seven plays later the Rams punched in a touchdown to take an early two-score lead. He later threw a pick six to Alec Ogletree that easily lead to the 32-16 win by the Rams. It was a hell of a time for Bad Baline to decide to show up

Best:
Tarik Cohen, Running Back, Chicago Bears
It was one of the weirdest plays of the year when it started out, but boy did it turn out to be a big play indeed for the Bears on Sunday. I know the final score didn't go the way the Bears wanted, as they fell 15-14 to the San Francisco 49ers, but this play was one of the highlights of the year in Chicago. With just under six minutes left in the first half, Cohen caught a punt at his own 39 yard line, ran backwards to his own 24, being chased by about seven of the 49ers, and somehow managed to turn the ball upfield, outrace all of them and score a touchdown. He outran everybody to get to the endzone and put six points on the board for Chicago. Not much else really went right for the Bears, but this was the biggest highlight on the day for the boys from the Windy City.

Worst:
Rob Gronkowski, Tight End New England Patriots
There's no argument that Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in all of the game of football. What happened on Sunday in the Patriots win over the Bills was just disgusting. He was ticked off about officials not giving him calls and took a vicious, dirty cheap shot on rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White, who ended up suffering a concussion during the incident. The worst part about it all is that White was laying on the ground when Gronkowski laid into him, giving him a forearm shiver to the head. It was a cheap shot that's for sure and Gronk has gotten a one game suspension from the league for it, which was a good call by the league. This was a surprise outburst from a guy who usually has more control over his emotions then that.

Best:
Alfred Morris, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys
There had been some thought as to how well the Cowboys were going to play this week with no Zek Elliott in the lineup. Well there's no real need to worry, as Morris showed some life and potential for life in the Dallas run game when Zek isn't there. Dallas pulled out a 38-14 win over the Redskins on Thursday night, and Morris was a big part of that attack. He had 27 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. He was making Redskins defenders look just silly and he was on his game. Morris showed that he still has plenty left in the tank and that Dallas can hold on till Zek comes back into the mix.

Worst:
DeShone Kizer, Quarterback Cleveland Browns
Its been a rough going of it for Cleveland football fans. The Browns are now one loss away from becoming the first NFL team ever to start  0-13 in consecutive seasons. Sunday, they went to 0-12 after falling to the Chargers 19-10, and Cleveland did a good job on defense to hold that Chargers offense to just one touchdown. It was rookie QB DeShone Kizer who had a rough going of it late in the ballgame. Kizer turned the ball over on each of his final two drives, down by nine points. First he fumbled the ball when Joey Bosa came screaming off the edge and took him down for a sack. Then, Kizer threw his only interception of the game. That was all she wrote. Now at 0-12, the Browns appear destined to set a new mark for futility in the NFL and another No. 1 overall draft pick next April.

Best:
Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
Welcome to San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolo. He didn't blow everybody away in the win but he was a part of the 49ers 15-14 win over the Bears, and he did have an impact in this football game. He completed 26 of 37 passes for 293 yards. Not earth shattering numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a good beginning. And Garoppolo made one huge play. Just before the two-minute warning, on third-and-9, Garoppolo’s 33-yard pass to Trent Taylor was the play of the game. The calm, accurate strike over the middle set up the game-winning field goal. It was a solid enough performance to make one thing. All the 49ers sent over to New England was a second round pick. This guy could be the answer in San Francisco. Is it too early to tell? Yes. But was it a good start? Yes it was.

Worst:
Vance Joseph, Head Coach Denver Broncos
He looked like he couldn't get the Broncos ready to play on Sunday, and at the way the Broncos are going, they might not win another game this season. Denver fell 35-9 to the Dolphins and were badly outplayed in this football game. Denver’s offense was absolutely dreadful, this time with Trevor Siemian back as starter. Denver’s only touchdown was from the defense. The offense gained just 14 first downs. Its not all on the coaching staff. The Broncos have three quarterbacks and they’ve all been terrible. However, Denver had practically the same quarterbacks last season and a different coaching staff went 9-7. A 3-13 mark will be tough to take. The Broncos have never lost 13 games in a season. The blame has to land somewhere, and its gonna fall on the coach.

Best:
Frank Gore and Larry Fitzgerald
Both guys have had hall of fame careers and will one day end up in Canton. That's not for quite a while yet, lets just enjoy what we have from these two great players while we have them right now. Gore and Fitzgerald both moved up their respective all time lists this week. Gore passed Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis and Ladainian Tomlinson on Sunday to take the No. 5 spot on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. He finished with 61 yards on just 13 carries, bumping his career total up to 13,697 yards. As for Fitzgerald, he moved up the ranks on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards list. Moving into fourth place to eclipse the great Isaac Bruce, Larry Legend caught 10 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Worst:
Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons
Last week Julio Jones went off in a big way against Tampa Bay, snagging passes for 253 yards. This Sunday at home against one of the best defensive secondaries in the league, Jones was darn-near invisible. He caught just two passes on six targets for a total of 24 yards. In a game that was decided by five points, that definitely stands out as a big reason the Falcons lost, falling 14-9 against Minnesota. Atlanta had a bad day all around offensively, so not all the blame should fall on the shoulders of Julio Jones, but his no showing is a reason why Atlanta came up short on Sunday.

2017 Bowl Season

College football's regular season is now in the books. That means one thing and one thing only. Its time to go bowling! All roads will eventually lead to determining a National Champion, which will be decided on January 8th in Atlanta. In total there are 40 bowl games scheduled for this year. Don't worry we have you covered. Here's the full list of every bowl game on the schedule for this year.

AIR FORCE RESERVE CELEBRATION BOWL
North Carolina A&T vs. Grambling State ​Saturday, Dec. 16 11 a.m.

R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL
Troy vs. North Texas Saturday, Dec. 16 1 p.m.

AUTONATION CURE BOWL
Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State Saturday, Dec. 16 2:30 p.m.

LAS VEGAS BOWL
MWC vs. Pac-12 Saturday, Dec. 16 3:30 p.m.

GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL
Colorado State vs. Marshall​ Saturday, Dec. 16 3:30 p.m.

RAYCOM MEDIA CAMELIA BOWL
Middle Tennessee vs. Arkansas State Saturday, Dec. 16 8 p.m.

CHERIBUNDI TART CHERRY BOCA RATON BOWL
FAU vs. Akron Tuesday, Dec. 19

DXL FRISCO BOWL
Louisiana Tech vs. SMU Wednesday, Dec. 20 8 p.m.

BAD BOY MOWERS GASPARILLA BOWL
FIU vs. Temple Thursday, Dec. 21 Time: 8 p.m.

BAHAMAS BOWL
Ohio vs. UAB Friday, Dec. 22 12:30 p.m.

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL
Central Michigan vs. Wyoming Friday, Dec. 22 4 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM BOWL
Texas Tech vs. USF Saturday, Dec. 23 Noon

LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL
San Diego State vs. Army Saturday, Dec. 23​ 3:30 p.m.

DOLLAR GENERAL BOWL
Appalachian State vs. Toledo Saturday, Dec. 23​ 7:00 p.m.

HAWAI'I BOWL
Houston vs. Fresno State Sunday, Dec. 24 8:30 p.m.

ZAXBY'S HEART OF DALLAS BOWL
West Virginia vs. Utah Tuesday, Dec. 26 1:30 p.m.

ADVERTISING QUICK LANE BOWL
Northern Illinois vs. Duke Tuesday, Dec. 26 5:15 p.m.

CACTUS BOWL
UCLA vs. Kansas State Tuesday, Dec. 26 9:00 p.m.

WALK-ON'S INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Southern Miss vs. Florida State Wednesday, Dec. 27 1:30 p.m.

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL
Iowa vs. Boston College Wednesday, Dec. 27​ 5:15 p.m.

FOSTER FARMS BOWL
Purdue vs. Arizona Wednesday, Dec. 27​ 8:30 p.m.

ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS TEXAS BOWL
Missouri vs. Texas Wednesday, Dec. 27​ 9:00 p.m.

MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN
Virginia vs. Navy Thursday, Dec. 28 1:30 p.m.

CAMPING WORLD BOWL
Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State Thursday, Dec. 28 5:15 p.m.

VALERO ALAMO BOWL
Stanford vs. TCU Thursday, Dec. 28 9:00 p.m

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION HOLIDAY BOWL
Michigan State vs. Washington State Thursday, Dec. 28 9:00 p.m.

BELK BOWL
Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M Friday, Dec. 29 1:00 p.m.

HYUNDAI SUN BOWL
Arizona State vs. NC State Friday, Dec. 29 3:00 p.m.

FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL
Northwestern vs. Kentucky Friday, Dec. 29 4:30 p.m.

NOVA HOME LOANS ARIZONA BOWL
New Mexico State vs. Utah State Friday, Dec. 29 5:30 p.m.

GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC
USC vs. Ohio State Friday, Dec. 29 8:30 p.m.

TAXSLAYER BOWL
Mississippi State vs. Louisville Saturday, Dec. 30 Noon

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL
Memphis vs. Iowa State Saturday, Dec. 30 12:30 p.m.

PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL
Washington vs. Penn State Saturday, Dec. 30 4:00 p.m

CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL
Wisconsin vs. Miami Saturday, Dec. 30 8:00 p.m.

OUTBACK BOWL
South Carolina vs. Michigan Monday, Jan. 1 Noon

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL
Central Florida vs. Auburn Monday, Jan. 1 12:30 p.m.

CITRUS BOWL PRESENTED BY OVERTON'S
LSU vs. Notre Dame Monday, Jan. 1 1:00 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AT THE ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL
Oklahoma vs. Georgia Monday, Jan. 1 5:00 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AT THE ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
Clemson vs. Alabama Monday, Jan. 1 8:45 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY AT&T
Matchup: TBD Atlanta, Georgia Monday, Jan. 8 8:00 p.m.

Meet The New Yankees Skipper

He isn't the most conventional choice, but he was apparently the best fit to manage this team. There had been a few names that had come up for consideration to take over as the manager of the New York Yankees. Recently retired outfielder Carlos Beltran, longtime Yankees coach Rob Thomson, former big league manager Eric Wedge and Dodgers third-base coach Chris Woodward had all interviewed. As was San Francisco Giants bench coach Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens, who had finished runner up for the position. At the end of the day, former Yankees 3rd baseman Aaron Boone was selected to take over the most storied franchise in all of baseball.

What made Boone a hero for the Yankees, came in the 2003 Playoffs, game seven of the ALCS against the Red Sox. In extra innings, Boone cracked a Tim Wakefield knuckleball into the left field seats to send the Yankees into the World Series. He spent 12 years in the Majors as a player, retiring in 2009 with a career.263 batting average, hitting 126 home runs and 555 RBI's. Boone becomes the 9th active manager in the Majors to manage a team he once played for. He joins Kevin Cash of the Rays, Alex Cora of the Red Sox, Craig Counsell of the Brewers, Terry Francona of the Indians, Dave Martinez of the Nationals/Expos, Mike Matheny of the Cardinals, Paul Molitor of the Twins, and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers.

He was a solid baseball player, there's no taking that away from him. It's his experience with managing a team that has one a little worried.  He does have this working for him: he's been covering Major League Baseball for ESPN since 2010. So he's been keeping plenty of tabs with whats going on in the game. He has a clear understanding of what's going on in the game of baseball, as is evident by his work on TV.. Now, one has to wonder, how he can be able to handle the room.

Sure, shouldn't have a problem being able to play his numbers and trust his gut when making decisions on the field. Its being able to handle his players that is going to be fun to try and watch. Dealing with Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and Masahiro Tanaka, for example, are dealing with three different personalities. The sign of a good manager is somebody who can have control of his locker room and being able to push the right buttons to get the best out of his players.

The pressure is going to be high for the new skipper, replacing someone like Girardi and inheriting a win-now roster full of young stars like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino. I think with the mental calm that Boone shows, he should be able to handle the high pressure of this job. Boone should be fun to watch with this team to see how he handles this club as a first time skipper.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Twelve

Ah thanksgiving weekend football is always fun. One of those games on that day were quite fun, but the other two not so much. Then on Sunday, things got a little bit better. We had a few more entertaining games, but, much like thanksgiving night, there were a few stinkers thrown in as well. New England and Philly came up huge again, while the two New York clubs laid an egg. Julio Jones was fantastic in more ways then one, while Devonta Freeman has seemed to dropped a dud. We are starting to get divisional races to tighten up and some teams are dropping like flies. With all that being said, here's some of the best and worst from week twelve.

Best:
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia just kept on rolling right along, dominating the Bears to the tune of a 31-3 victory. They dominated the Bears in every facet of the game, and it was just plain fun to watch. Carson Wentz is showing he could be a possible MVP candidate, throwing for three touchdowns, giving him a total of 28 for the season. Heading into the final month of the regular season, Philly is averaging nearly 32 points per game and is holding teams to just 17.5 points per game. That’s how you win a lot of games.

Worst:
New York Giants
Things just keep going from bad to worse, having fallen to the Redskins 20-10 on Thanksgiving night. Eli had one of his worse games of his career, just 13-of-27 passes for 113 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The team’s only touchdown of the game came on a pick-six by Janoris Jenkins. Big Blue’s offense managed a grand total of seven first downs and 170 yards, going 2-for-14 on third downs in the game. Ben McAdoo has lost his team, there's no doubt about it. Things have gone totally ugly for the Giants, which is almost sad for a guy who's had a great a career as Eli has.

Best:
Julio Jones, Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons
There's no doubt that Julio Jones is a fantastic wide receiver. Atlanta rolled over Tampa, with a 34-20 win over the Bucs, who have one of the worst passing defenses in the game. Well Jones took full advantage of it, hauling in twelve passes (two of which for a touchdowns) for a league best 253 yards. He had only hauled in one touchdown pass all year long, and doubled that quite nicely on Sunday. The second one was flat out beautiful, juking his defender out of his shoes before finishing with a superhuman effort to reach the front pylon before falling out of bounds. That is a man who was feeling it on Sunday. Welcome back Julio!

Worst:
Marlon Mack, Running Back Indianapolis Colts
Indy had a golden chance to try and right the ship against Tennessee on Sunday. Marcus Mariota threw two interceptions in the first half, and the Colts used those turnovers to score 10 points. They had a 16-6 lead in the third quarter. Then it all started to fall apart. Marlon Mack is one of the biggest culprates for why the Titans walked away with a 20-16 victory. Jacoby Brissett tossed a pitch to Mack with a couple minutes left in the third, but Mack couldn’t handle it and it lead to a big turnover. Brissett was charged with the lost fumble, but it’s clear the blame lies on Mack for failing to hold the ball. From that moment on, Tennessee claimed momentum and rattled off 14 unanswered points to walk away with the victory. I feel bad for this kid because of the way things have gone down for the Colts this year, and this is just another notch in that belt of bad luck.

Best:
Dion Lewis, Running Back New England Patriots
When you think of the New England Patriots offense, Tom Brady, Brandon Cooks and Rob Gronkowski are usually the first ones that pop into your mind. Now you can add another weapon to that list in running back Dion Lewis. New England started the year almost with a back by committee concept, but that was quickly snuffed out when Lewis started to emerge as the guy in the run game for the Pats. Lewis was a big factor in the Patriots 35-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday, picking up 112 yards on the ground on just 15 carries. This new dynamic gave the Pats balance and unpredictability as the Dolphins pass rush started to get home. With a threat on the ground now this Patriots team is even more dangerous than normal, which is already saying something. This is why the Pats are threats every single year.

Worst:
Blake Bortles, Quarterback Jacksonville Jaguars
If Jacksonville wants to stay around in the playoff hunt in the AFC, Blake Bortles is going to have to play better then what happened on Sunday. Arizona walked away with a 27-24 win over Jacksonville, and some of the blame has to fall on Bortles. With the game tied at 24 late in the fourth quarter, Bortles had the ball in Arizona territory. A field goal would have won the game. Instead, Bortles threw a bad interception to Tyrann Mathieu, right at the defensive back. Arizona would later go on to kick the winning field goal, but the pick was a costly one for the Jags. Bortles finished going 19 of 33 for a lousy 160 yards, with no touchdowns and that poorly thrown pick. He’s the biggest reason it’s hard to get behind the Jags as a legitimate contender in the AFC next January.

Best:
Robbie Anderson, Wide Receiver New York Jets
It sucks that this kid plays on a Jets team that has been riddle with bad luck (and some bad calls this season). The Jets fell to Carolina 35-27 at home after a bad overturn on a replay by the refs, but Robbie Anderson wasn't at fault in this football game. Anderson had nine catches for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns. he now has touchdown catches in five straight games.He has picked up 714 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on the year and has been the biggest threat in the receiving game for the Jets this year. One of the few bright spots he really has been a joy to watch this season.

Worst:
Denver Broncos Quarterbacks
This has been a problem in the mile high city ever since Peyton Manning decided to call it a career. Denver fell 21-14 to the Raiders and there seems to be no answer under center. Not only did they lose their seventh game in a row to fall to 3-8 on the season, they couldn’t get through it with recently promoted starter Paxton Lynch. At the time Lynch got hurt, Oakland had a 21-0 lead, and Lynch had only managed 41 yards and one interception on 9-of-14 attempts in the game. It didn’t help Lynch’s cause that Trevor Siemian came right into the game and threw two touchdown passes in the 21-14 loss. Now the Broncos are right back where they started, with Siemian. Denver really can't seem to get this thing figured out right now and its costing them bigtime.

Best:
Alvin Kamara, Running Back New Orleans Saints
With the way the Saints had been playing, I thought they might run the table the rest of the way. But that didn't happen, falling 26-20 to the Rams on Sunday. Alvin Kamara did everything he possibly could to keep that streak alive for New Orleans. He turned nothing swing passes into first downs, and a zone run into a 74-yard touchdown. He finished with 188 yards on just 11 touches and took two trips to the endzone. Kareem Hunt and Leonard Fournette seemingly running out of steam as far as rookie of the year is concerned. Kamara is just starting to pick his game up at the right time. Kamara is taking over games and making defenders look like pee wee players. He has a legit shot to run away with the award, with the way he's been playing as of late.

Worst:
Broncos-Raiders Fight
This has got to be one of the more boneheaded things that has happened all week. All of this started with Aqib Talib ripping off Michael Crabtree's chain off his neck during week seventeen of last season. This boiled over into the game on Sunday. Within a few minutes of kickoff, Crabtree and Talib got into a brawl that got them both ejected. They rolled on the ground, they threw punches, they threw helmets. It turned into an ugly scene and it all started over something as stupid as grabbing a chain. This was just tough to watch. Don't get me wrong, I love watching athletes play with passion, but not this kind of passion over something as stupid as grabbing a chain. Crabtree and Talib both got a two game suspension over over, which won't hurt both teams a lot because both teams will miss the playoffs. Still this was a bit of a black eye on the game.

Best And Worst NFL Week Eleven

Not sure what it was about week eleven in the NFL, but something was amist around the league. There were quite a few games that went down to the wire, and even had a few going into overtime. And at the same time, there were a couple of lopsided games as well, so this week had a little bit of everything. Week eleven saw some great performances, like the one Kenny Stills had against Tampa. Then you had some awful performances, like Nathan Peterman against the Chargers (that was just plain bad). Dallas and Green Bay look to be in real trouble, while Philly, Minnesota and New Orleans keep rolling right along. With all that being said, here's some of the best and worst of the week that was in the NFL.

Best:
Kenny Stills, Wide Receiver Miami Dolphins
Yes it came in a losing effort, but still what an effort it was for Kenny Stills on Sunday. Tampa beat Miami 30-20, but Stills had himself quite the day. He had seven catches for a league best 180 yards and a touchdown. This was the first time that Stills had cracked the 100 yards mark in a game this season, which is a bit of a surprise considering how good of a receiver he is. He pulled out  all the stops on Sunday against Tampa, only to see his Finns fall short because the rest of the team couldn't get up to his level and play as well as he did. They put up a fight, with Stills leading the charge in one hell of a football game.

Worst:
Nathan Peterman, Quarterback Buffalo Bills
Can somebody out there please try and explain this decision to me. Buffalo, who's above .500 and has a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999, decide to bench Tyrod Taylor for Nathan Peterman. Buffalo got run over 54-24 by the Los Angeles Chargers, and Peterman was a big reason why Buffalo was getting their rear ends handed to them. His stat line was just horrible. He was 6 of 14 passing for 66 yards and his five picks. No, you didn't read that wrong, Peterman threw five picks in the first half of what was a dive bomb of a performance on Sunday. He was the first player in NFL history to throw five interceptions and no touchdowns on fewer than 15 passes. How does that happen? What was Sean McDermott even thinking for allowing him to even start is mind numbing.

Best:
Leonard Fournette, Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars
This showed a little bit of guts on the part of Fournette. There was some thought that he wasn't going to play in Cleveland on Sunday due to dealing with ankle stiffness and it being cold in Cleveland. Well not only did he play, but he played pretty well too. Jacksonville walked away with a 19-7 win and did it with decent play from Blake Bortles. So it was up to Fournette to keep the offense chugging along, doing just that, rushing for 111 yards on 28 carries, throwing in two receptions for good measure.

Worst:
Brett Hundley, Quarterback Green Bay Packers
Hundley had himself a pretty good week last week. He threw for 212 yards and looked decent in getting the win over the Bears. Now, this week, Green Bay wasn't as lucky, falling 23-0 to the Baltimore Ravens, the first time that the Packers have been shutout in a game since 2006. He opened the game with two straight interceptions and finished with three as Green Bay turned the ball over a total of five times. He finished 21 of 39 for 239 yards and no touchdowns. The running game wasn’t much help, either, as Jamaal Williams managed just 57 yards on 18 carries behind Green Bay’s injury ravaged offensive line. Still it was a bit of a tough outing for Hundley, who I do actually have some holding hope for as he could possibly try and keep the Packers in the fight until Rogers gets healthy.

Best:
Matt Prainter, Kicker Detroit Lions
Field Goal kicking has been getting more notice as of late, and for good reason. NFL teams have been relying more on kickers late in games this year. All that really matters in the kicking game is whether or not it goes over the crossbar for three points. Matt Prainter understands this and was able to do the job on Sunday. Detroit came away with a 27-24 win over the Bears on the strength of his leg. He came up huge, drilling a 52 yard field goal to seal the win for Detroit. This helped power the Lions to their 3rd straight win and keep them within two games of Minnesota for the Division title.

Worst:
Connor Barth, Kicker Chicago Bears
While Matt Prainter had a good day in the Lions win, Chicago kicker Connor Barth had a bad day. There was eight seconds left on the clock, and Detroit had a three point lead. Connor Barth not only missed a game tying field goal, he missed it by a wide margin. It was so far out there it would have made Bob Uecker blush. If somebody reads the box score it will appear as a missed field goal kick all the same. But you tell that to a Bears fan or even management of the Bears, and they will tell you something totally different. Barth flat out embarrassed himself with the kick on Sunday, it was that ugly.

Best:
Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals didn't have the ending to the game they wanted. Houston beat the Cardinals 31-21, but Larry Fitzgerald had himself a decent day and moved up a little higher into the history books in the NFL. During the loss to Houston, Fitzgerald hauled in nine passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. In the process, the legendary receiver moved into fifth place all time for most career receiving yards. Fitzgerald now has 15,157 yards in his fantastically great career. Now Fitzgerald sits just 52 yards away from passing Isaac Bruce for 4th place on the all time list. By the time the season is over (he needs just 136 yards to do this) Fitzgerald will end up passing Randy Moss for 3rd place on the all-time list.

Worst:
Todd Gurley, Running Back Los Angeles Rams
This has a bit of a strange feel to it. Los Angeles, who has the 9th best rushing attack in football this year, was held in check by Minnesota, as the Vikings walked away with a 24-7 victory. Yes Minnesota has the 7th best rushing defense in all of the game, and they looked the part against the Rams this week. Gurley, who's been a stud most of the year, was kept quiet, rushing just 37 yards on 15 carries. Though, he did keep his fantasy owners happy with three catches and a rushing touchdown on the game’s first drive. This showed me that the Rams running game can't handle playing against a tough run defense. Yes they've had a solid run this year, but Gurley needs to get it going against tough defensive teams if they are to really make any noise whatsoever in the post season.

Best:
New Orleans Saints
The winning streak has now hit eight games. New Orleans pulled out a 34-31 win over the Redskins. Washington had a lead in this game too and looked like they might be the team to snap the streak. They had a 15 point lead with about six minutes left in the game, after Cousins threw his 2nd TD pass on the afternoon. Then New Orleans took over, responding with two straight touchdown-scoring drives that went 12 plays in total for 162 yards. The final drive was vintage Drew Brees, hitting Alvin Kamara with an 18-yard touchdown catch and the two-point conversion. After forcing the Redskins to punt in overtime, Mark Ingram put the Saints in field goal range with two runs that went 51 yards. With the Saints playing this well, they're going to be a tough team to beat down the stretch.

Worst:
Denver Broncos
My how this team has fallen. It was just a few short years ago, they won a Super Bowl and looked to be one of the more dominant teams in recent memory. Now, the Broncos look like a shell of themselves, falling to the Bengals on Sunday 20-17. Denver’s defense was its usual self, holding Cincinnati’s offense to just 12 first downs, 192 total yards and 49 rushing yards. The offense was moving OK as a whole, racking up 341 yards and 20 first downs, but were hopeless when it came to actually putting points on the board. Denver still found a way to lose this ballgame. They have no threat at quarterback. Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch have all proven that they can't really find their mojo in helping Denver put points on the board.