Top Ten Greatest Goalies

So let the debate begin. What started out as a simple idea has now turned into this! Its really hard to try and accurately compare players from earlier eras to guys who play in pro sports today, because the games have changed so drastically over the years.  So with that being said, I'm going to make an attempt here and now. To help make this transition a little bit easier, I have narrowed down my list to just guys who have played in professional hockey and the National Hockey League over the course of my lifetime, which covers the last 28 years of NHL play. There was one other thing that played a factor. You will not find the names Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur on this list, as it is the general consensus that they are the two best netminders to ever step foot between the pipes in the NHL

Before we really get into the list here's a few netminders that came close but just missed out on making the list.

Honorable Mention: Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins 2005-06-Pres), Olaf Kölzig (Capitals 1995-96-2007-08, Lightning 2008-09), Ron Hextall (Flyers 1986-87-1997-98), Miikka Kiprusoff (Flames, 2003-04-2012-13), Marty Turco (Stars 2000-01, 2012-13), Pekka Rinne (Predators 2007-08-Present), Tim Thomas (Bruins 2002-03-2013-14)

10. Tom Barrasso (Sabres 1982-83-1988-89, Penguins 1988-89-1999-00, Senators 1999-00, Hurricanes 2001-02, Maple Leafs 2001-02, Blues 2002-03: 369 wins 3.24 GAA .892 SV%)
Starting off this list at number ten is one of the best "Money Goalies" of all time and the 2nd most winning American goalie in league history in Tom Barrasso. He started his career off with a bang right out of high school and straight into the NHL winning top rookie Honors with the Buffalo Sabres in 1983. He had solid years will playing for the Sabres, but when people think of Tom Barraso, most think of him with the Pittsburgh Penguins. While in the Steel City, he helped lead the franchise to back to back Stanley Cup Titles in the early 90's, which is where he really established himself as the "Money Goalie."

Ten Times in his career he managed to win twenty or more games in a single season, which a solid number for any goalie, including collecting a personal best 43 wins in 1992-93 while in Pittsburgh. He;s the second winningest netminder ever among Americans, trailing only John Vanbiesbrouck. What made Barrasso so good was that he was a very positionally sound netminder, he always had the right angle against the opposing shooters, and he made life very tough on shooters in the league. Just a very sound goalie and a guy who knew how to win. Great netminder

9. Carey Price (Canadiens 2007-08 to Present: 233 wins 2.43 GAA .920 SV%)
The first goalie that's currently playing to make this list., Carey Price is really establishing himself as one of the very best netminders to play the game right now. He won the Vezna trophy, as top goalie, and Hart trophy as league MVP two seasons ago. He's been able to hit double digits in wins in every single season he has played in the NHL. Injuries took their tole on Price last year, as he only managed to play in 12 games, but he did manage to win ten of them. To show just how much of an impact Price really has on Montreal, look no further then last year, when after Price got hurt, Montreal was on top of the league. Price missed the rest of the season and the Habs totally fell off, missing the playoffs completely.

Price has a style in net similar to that of Patrick Roy, in that he's able to cover a lot of the lower part of the net. He's very quick and can come back and cover the net quickly if he's ever caught out of position. The guy is a leader and keeps his mates in line when he has to. He made this list where he did because of his reflexes and his overall ability and deminor. He has carried the Habs at times and kept them in the race for the playoffs. Look at what he did two seasons ago.

8. Ryan Miller (Sabres 2002-03-2013-14, Blues 2013-14, Canucks 2014-15-present: 340 wins, 2.60 GAA, .915 SV%)
You wanna talk about a guy carrying a team at times, look no further then what Ryan miller did for the Buffalo Sabres during his six and a half seasons in the Blue and Gold. He won at least 30 games in every full season he played in Buffalo. There were times during his tenure in Buffalo, where Miller would steal games for the Sabres, even when Buffalo was the lowest scoring team in all of the NHL. Miller carried them to the playoffs on at least three different occasions. I really wish Miller had gotten a chance to really win the big one in Buffalo, because, much like Dominik Hasek before him, Miller was the heart and soul of the Sabres franchise. He made them better then they really were and he never really got the credit he deserved for what he did on the ice.

Miller is the Sabres all time leader in wins and he still has to carry some of that load now in Vancouver with the Canucks. He's quick for a guy who stands at 6'2 and he takes up a lot of the net. The biggest reason he's on this list where he is is because of what he was able to do for six and a half years in Buffalo. He helped bring the Sabres a little bit of respectability after they had a brief search to fill the skates of Hasek who left town. Miller couldn't get the Sabres a Stanley Cup title but he came close. It would have been nice to see him win the big one in Buffalo, oh if only management had given him a proper supporting cast.

7. Jonathan Quick (Kings 20008-09-Present: 252 wins, 2.27 GAA, .916 SV%)
It took the Kings a little while to find some stability among the goaltenders position during the turn of the century, but they finally found their guy in 2008 when Jonathan Quick became the full time starter in LA. He and the team hasn't really looked back since. I think the fact that the guy has lead the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup titles. Jonathan Quick has been nothing short of fantastic patrolling the cages for the Kings, having really helped establish them as a possible power in the Western Conference, when he's healthy. look at what he's been able to do during his career. In 2012, he set the team record for shutouts in the regular season with ten. Then to add to that, come playoff time he set another record. Quick set a new Stanley Cup playoff record after winning his 11th consecutive road game dating back to the 2011 post-season.

For a guy his size, at 6'1 and 218 pounds, Quick lives up to his last name. He is able to get across his goal mouth and make saves that any other goalie shouldn't be making at all, yet he manages to find a way to make those saves. His lateral movement is almost unmatched by any goalie in the league right now. There are very few goalies in the league who are able to make the tough saves look easy and he is one of those goalies. He's very intense in the net, which most of his Kings teammates manage to feed off of. Good goalie with a Playoff MVP resume that few can match today.

6. Mike Richter (Rangers 1989-90-2002-03: 301 wins, 2.89 GAA, .904 SV%)
One of the greatest American born goalies to ever step foot on the ice. Richter helped get the New York Rangers back to relevance in the early 90s. Every season in which Richter played in 40 or more games, he win at least twenty of those games every time. He was the steady force in net in 1994 that helped the Rangers snap a 54 year drought and lead them to a championship for the first time since 1940! Most hockey fans still talk about it today the kick save he made on Pavel Bure on the penalty shot Bure had in game four of that finals series. From that point on he was a made man. He was considered, during his prime years, to be one of the worlds top netminders. Its just kind of sad that his career had to be cut short due to concussion issues. He had retired as the winingest goalie in Rangers history and had been the Rangers shutout king as well (both which have been past by Henrik Lundqvist).

Richter will be remembered for his style of play. Richter's style of play was very acrobatic and quick. For a small goalie he made himself look big by using his lightning quick reflexes to make saves. He was rarely out of position and always square to his shooters. He was known for making plenty of desperation and sometimes unbelievable saves using his focus, flexibility, and athleticism. He had a focus and an intensity about him, that few other netminders could match. He was a little guy who played big when it really mattered and he gave the Rangers a new life.

5. Roberto Luongo (Islanders 1999-00, Panthers 2000-01-2005-06, Canucks 2006-07-2013-14, Panthers 2013-14-Present: 436 wins, 2.49 GAA, 919 SV%)
The man they call Bobby Lou is getting his due. He's been a solid goalie. He's won well over 400 games in his career and has been a rock solid goalie for a long time. After having losing seasons in each of his first five years in the league, one with the Islanders and four with the Panthers (his first go around with the team), he's had a winning record in each year since. He didn't get enough time to really develop while playing on Long Island, as the Islanders traded him after 24 starts in New York. He gets traded away to Florida and his career really starts to take off. He finally gets playing time that he needed. Luongo's numbers and career really started to take off after that. From 2002-03 to now, in a year when he's played at least 50 games, he's managed at least twenty wins in every year. The reason he's here on this list is that, at times, he's really been able to carry a franchise. He did it for the Panthers in his first tenure in the sunshine state. He also did the same thing when he signed on with Vancouver. Luongo is a six time all star (2004, 2007, 20080, 2009, 2015, 2016(, and the 2011 winner of the Jennings Trophy, along with Cory Schneider.

An athletic goaltender, Luongo is known for having quick reflexes, particularly with his glove, which he rarely gets beat on that side. Luongo is one of the bigger goalies to step foot between the pipes. Standing at six foot three, he takes up a lot of the net and gives shooters very little to look at. He's a very tough goalie to beat, as he never lets a lot of his soft goals get to him, which Makes him so good. One of the mentally toughest goalies ever.

4. Henrik Lundqvist (Rangers 2005-06-Present: 374 Wins, 2.28 GAA, .921 SV%)
They don't call him King Henrik for nothing. All this guy has done is win at least 30 games in every full season he's played in the National Hockey League. Nobody has been better in a big game, at least not in today's NHL, then Hank. He's been a finalist for the Vezina trophy five times, winning it once in 2012. He's carried the Rangers more then any other player and was one of the biggest reasons that the Rangers made it all the way to the finals in 2014, a five game series loss to the Kings. He has won his career high of 39 games in 2012, and had ten shutouts in a season twice. Hank also has his named stamped in the record book, for both the league and the Rangers.

Only goaltender in NHL history to record 30 wins in each of first seven seasons. Hank is the 1st NHL goalie to start his career with 11 straight, 20-win seasons, and became overall the 15th NHL goalie to have won at least 20 games in a season 11 times. He set the Rangers record for games played in a season in 2009-10, in which he played in 73 games. He holds the Rangers record for most wins (339) and shutouts (55). He's got the most Playoffs wins (43) by a New York Rangers goaltender. Most combined regular season and playoff saves. The guy can do it all and then some. He's an athletic goalies who can make the big saves when its needed. He sometimes gets caught out of position, but has enough athletic ability go get back into position to make the save. He's made numerous highlight reel saves. Hank will end up chasing down the biggest goalie records in the sport by the time all's said and done.

3. Curtis Joseph (Blues 1989-90-1994-95, Oilers 1995-96-1997-98, Maple Leafs 1998-99-2001-02, Red Wings 2002-03-2003-04, Coyotes 2005-06-2006-07, Flames 2007-08, Maple Leafs 2008-09: 454 Wins, 2.79 GAA, .906 SV %)
The man they call CuJo, was one of the toughest goalies to beat. He got his name made in goal in St Louis, helping the Blues to a big playoff upset of the hawks in 93. But he really saved his best work for playing with Edmonton a couple years later, when they knocked off the heavily favored Stars. It was on the strength of the outstanding netminding of Joseph. Those two playoff upsets in the early 90's made CuJo one of the best money netminders of ever. Or at least of that period of time. When he took off for Toronto in 1999, he had to try and put the Leafs back on the map once again. Don't believe me? Joseph played a key role in the Leafs' run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999 and 2002. In 2000, during Game One of the series against the New Jersey Devils, he was considered the deciding factor in the 2–1 win where the Leafs were outshot 33-21

Joseph made stuff look somewhat easy. He was a solid, very positionally sound netminder. He could play the position like a man bigger then his size. he could make some saves that he had no business making, case in point stopping Joe Nieuwendyk. He may have never won a Stanley Cup but he still, when you win 434 games, that has to count for a lot.

2. Ed Belfour (Blackhawks 1988-89-1996-97, Sharks 1996-97, Stars 1997-98-2001-02, Maple Leafs 2002-03-2005-06, Panthers 2006-07: 484 wins, 2.50 GAA, .906 SV %)
Eddie the Eagle soared above the rest. His 484 wins sit 3rd most in the history of the game, behind only Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. His career really took off in his first full year in net for Chicago. He started in 74 games, winning 43 of them. It gave him the Calder trophy as top rookie as well as the Vezina for top goalie. He was a made man after that. Spending a number of years in the Windy City allowed Belfour to prove that the first year was no fluke.  He finally got his due when he won a Stanley Cup backstopping the Dallas Stars to the title over Buffalo in 1999. While the title in 99 was the icing on the cake for Eddie the Eagle, there was more to him then just the cup and the Calder win.

He won the William Jennings Trophy (best goals-against average) on four occasions: 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1999 (shared with Roman Turek). He also won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best netminder in 1991 and 1993. Belfour was named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 1991 and 1993, and to the Second Team in 1995. Then when 2011 rolled around, Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Again he was one of those netminders who played a bigger game then he was. Rarely did he find himself out of position. Even when he was, Belfour still had the quickness to be able to make it back in time to make a save.

1. Dominik Hasek (Blackhawks 1990-91-1991-92, Sabres 1992-93-200-01, Red Wings 2001-02-2003-04, Senators 2005-06, Red Wings 2006-07-2007-08: 389 Wins, 2.20 GAA, .922 SV %)
During stretches during his career, there was nobody that could even touch the Dominator. He was the best player on the planet and could have broken every record in the book for goalies if Buffalo was able to get more talent on the ice in front of Lord Dom. He was never really able to find his footing in Chicago, so the deal was made to send him to Buffalo. After an injury to Grant Fuhr, Hasek's career took off, and he never looked back. He won 30 or more games five times while playing in Buffalo, and hit the forty win mark with 41 wins his first year in Detroit, where he finally got his cups. The numbers for Dom really are staggering when you sit back and look at them.

Hasek recorded 389 wins, which put him at 11th place all-time. His 81 shutouts placed him 6th all-time. Hasek was a six-time NHL All-Star (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001), By the time all was said and done for Hasek, he had a pretty impressive trophy case. Two time Hart Trophy winner (1997, 1998), two time winner of the Lester B. Pears award (1997, 1998), a six time winner of the Vezina Trophy (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001), three Jennings Trophies (1994, 2001, 2008) and Stanley Cup championships in 2002 and 2008.

His international play was equally impressive. He led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games and was awarded Best Goaltender, settling for bronze in 2006. Hasek was the Czech netminder for a silver medal at the World Championships in 1983 and bronze in 1987, 1989 and 1990, winning best goaltender award in 1987, 1989 and 1990. He was named Czech Hockey Player of the 20th Century in 1998, Czech Sportsperson of the Year in 1994, 1998 and 2001 and was awarded the Golden Hockey Stick in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1997 and 1998.

What made Dominik so unreal in net was his playing ability. There was no set style with Hasek, he just threw his body in front of waiting pucks and got as many of them as he could. Because of his flexibility, Hašek could make difficult saves that other goalies could not. It drew fans to the game of hockey like so few could. He really was a treasure to watch on the ice. I had just really wished he had gotten another crack at winning a cup in Buffalo, for all he did for that team and city, he deserved a better fate then what he got in Buffalo. Also felt he should have broken the 400 win mark, that would have been nice as well, but again that's what happens when you get stuck on teams that didn't really score a whole lot in Buffalo. Still there was no better goalie during this time period then Hasek, he was the king of the cages!

NBA All Star Rosters Announced

It always signals the halfway point of the season. On February 19th, the best of the best in the National Basketball Association will gather at the Smoothie King Center, in New Orleans. Why? To celebrate the 66th NBA All Star Game. Its where the best in the sport of basketball try and showcase their skills. Voting process for the starters changed a little bit this season. The starters for the first time are chosen by not only the fans, but also by the media and current NBA players. Fans make up 50% of the vote, and NBA players and media each comprise 25% of the vote. The two guards and three frontcourt players who receive the highest cumulative vote totals are named the All-Star starters. NBA head coaches vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which can be players on their own team. So here's what the rosters look like for this year's game.

Eastern Conference:
Starters 
G Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers
G DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors
F LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers
F/G Jimmy Butler Chicago Bulls
F/G Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks

Reserves
G Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics
G John Wall Washington Wizards
F/C Kevin Love Cleveland Cavaliers
G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors
F Paul George Indiana Pacers
G Kemba Walker Charlotte Hornets
F Paul Millsap Atlanta Hawks

Western Conference:
Starters
G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
G James Harden Houston Rockets
F Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors
F Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs
F/C Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans

Reserves
G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder
G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors
F Draymond Green Golden State Warriors
C DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings
C Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies
C DeAndre Jordan Los Angeles Clippers
F Gordon Hayward Utah Jazz

A little surprising to see no Knicks or Nets going to the game this year, but at the same time there's nobody on either of those teams who really stands out as being all star worthy. LeBron got named a starter for the 13th time in his career, which ties him with Dirk Nowitzki for most selections among active players. Jimmy Butler of Chicago is making his third consecutive all star game selection. Then there's Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, who's making his first all-star selection in his young career. He is the first Buck to be named an all-star since Michael Redd in 2004.

Oh but wait there's more. As is the tradition on All Star weekend, there is the Rising Stars game on Friday the 17th. The players are first- and second-year players selected by the NBA's assistant coaches. Two people designated as "general managers" draft players for the two opposing teams. So here's the list of players that can be chosen from for this game.

Team World:
C Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers Rookie
G Danté Exum Utah Jazz Sophomore
G Buddy Hield New Orleans Pelicans Rookie
C Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets Sophomore
F Trey Lyles Utah Jazz Sophomore
G Emmanuel Mudiay Denver Nuggets Sophomore
G Jamal Murray Denver Nuggets Rookie
F Kristaps Porziņģis New York Knicks Sophomore
F Domantas Sabonis Oklahoma City Thunder Rookie
F Dario Šarić Philadelphia 76ers Rookie

Team USA
G Devin Booker Phoenix Suns Sophomore
G Malcolm Brogdon Milwaukee Bucks Rookie
F Marquese Chriss Phoenix Suns Rookie
F Brandon Ingram Los Angeles Lakers Rookie
C Frank Kaminsky Charlotte Hornets Sophomore
C Jahlil Okafor Philadelphia 76ers Sophomore
G D'Angelo Russell Los Angeles Lakers Sophomore
G Jonathon Simmons San Antonio Spurs Sophomore
C Karl-Anthony Towns Minnesota Timberwolves Sophomore
C Myles Turner Indiana Pacers Sophomore

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

It's time! We have four teams left standing. We had great football to watch last weekend after a slow start to the playoffs, we got quality football in Green Bay beating Dallas, and Pittsburgh hanging on to beat Kansas City. Now we have two of the final three games left of the season. Winners go on to play in Super Bowl 51, while the losers go home and watch on TV like the rest of the country. Three of the four quarterbacks that are still left standing in the playoffs have won at least one Super Bowl. Brady has four rings, last win coming in Super Bowl 49, Rodgers won his lone title at Super Bowl 45, and Ben Roethlisberger has a pair of titles, his last coming in Super Bowl 43. The only quarterback to never play in the big game is Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. So let's dive right into it. Here's how championship weekend goes down.

First up, at 3:05PM on Sunday, from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the NFC North Champions, the Green Bay Packers, take on the NFC South Champions, the Atlanta Falcons. Green Bay won the North with a 10-6 record. They got the Conference Championship on the strength of a 38-13 win over the Giants in the Wild Card, then beat the Cowboys 34-31 in the Divisional Round. This marks the 2nd time in three years that the Packers are in the NFC title game, losing in 2014 to the Seahawks. Green Bay is looking to get back to the Super Bowl for the 6th time ever, and the first time since 2010. Green Bay is 32-21 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Atlanta, they won the NFC South with an 11-5 record. They got to this title game by beating the Seahawks 36-20 in the Divisional Round. Atlanta is playing in the NFC title game for just the 4th time ever, their first time playing in this game since losing to the 49ers in 2012. Atlanta is 8-12 lifetime in the post season.

This marks off the 4th ever meeting between Green Bay and Atlanta in the playoffs, with Green Bay holding a 2-1 edge in the playoffs. These teams met once during the regular season, with Atlanta coming away with a 33-32 win in week eight.

The Packers lead the all-time series 17-14 (including the postseason). Green Bay has won four of the past five meetings. Green bay maybe in a little trouble going into this football game, because they will not have the services of either Jordy Nelson, who's out with a rib injury, or Davante Adams, who's unsure with an ankle injury. This could leave Randall Cobb as the teams only proven wide receiver. But then again, Aaron Rodgers is still Aaron Rodgers. He does have weapons to work with on offense to go along with in Jared Cook and Richard Rodgers, his tight ends. That and Green bay has re-established a run game thanks to Ty Montgomery. So Green Bay has enough talent to score. They can also defend as well, which is going to have to make the Falcons pay attention to the pressure that's going to get put on Matt Ryan.

As good as Green Bay has been this year, so to has Atlanta, which has put up numbers that are almost other worldly. Atlanta did score 540 points during the regular season to lead the league, and they did hang 38 points on Seattle last week. Both Matt Ryan and Julio Jones have been playing out of their minds on offense this year. On the other side of the ball, Vic Beasley Jr has been a total force for Atlanta this year, as he lead the NFL with 15.5 sacks this season. And with two of the top targets for Rodgers that could be out on Sunday, it could make the shut down game for Atlanta easier.

Look the Falcons are a very good team, and this game is going to be as exciting if not more so, then last weeks Green Bay-Dallas game. Atlanta is going to try and take advantage of Green Bay missing two of its better players. But Aaron Rodgers is just playing too good a brand of football right now and they get it done on Sunday.

Prediction: Green Bay 31, Atlanta 30

Next up, at 6:40PM, from Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, its the AFC North Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, taking on the AFC East Champions, the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh won the AFC North with an 11-5 record. They started off the playoff run by beating Miami 30-12, then followed that up by beating the Chiefs 18-16 in the Divisional Round. This marks the 15th time that the Steelers are playing in the AFC title game. Pittsburgh is 35-23 lifetime in the playoffs. As for New England, they went 14-2 during the regular season to win the AFC East, for the eight year in a row. New England beat Houston in the Divisional Round, 34-16, to make the AFC title game for the 6th year in a row. This now marks the 13th time ever that the Patriots are playing in the AFC title game. New england is 29-19 lifetime in the playoffs.

This marks the fifth postseason meeting between the teams and the third in a row that will occur in the AFC Championship Game. New England has won three of the four playoff meetings against Pittsburgh. These two teams faced off during week seven of the regular season, a 27-16 win by New England.

The biggest thing that the Patriots are going to have to work on is figuring out how to stop Le'Von Bell. Bell has played a huge role for the Steelers the last two weeks, despite not finding the End Zone last week. I mean just look at his numbers. He rushed for 170 yards last week and is the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 150 yards in each of his first two postseason games. Bell, who had 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card win against Miami, has the two highest single-game rushing performances in franchise postseason history. And when your able to set the franchise record for rushing yards in back to back playoff games, that says a lot for how good a running back you are. And lets not forget about Antonio Brown, who had 108 yards last week. Thrown in Big Ben still slinging the football around, I like Pittsburgh's chances, from an offensive point of view. The Steelers defense has allowed a mere 28 points combined in the playoffs this year.

But the Patriots are no pushover. New England is 16-3 in home playoff games since the 2001 season. So it makes one wonder how tough its going to be for New England to lose in this game. Everybody knows how well Tom Brady and Bill Belichick work in tandem. But there are more pieces to this puzzle then just the coach and quarterback. Julian Edelman had eight catches for 137 yards against Houston. Edelman has 76 career postseason catches with the Patriots, the most in franchise history. To make this a tougher game for the Steelers, New England has a running game working right now, as Dion Lewis has had a big impact as of late. Then you have a good Patriots defense in the secondary, consisting of Logan Ryan, Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon, who each had an interception last week against Houston.

So where to go with this game? Sure New England has played great at home come playoff time, but they are facing a red hot Steelers team. A team that has won nine straight games. Pittsburgh is going to be in for a fight against the Pats on Sunday, but they will have enough talent to get over the hump. Steelers will take it.

Prediction: Steelers 34, Patriots 27

Doug Weight Era Begins

Oh coaching changes. They happen all the time in the sports world. When a team isn't playing up to potential, the change has to be made. Thus, the coaching tenure of Jack Capuano with the New York Islanders had to come to a head. It started in November 2010, when he took over for Scott Gordon getting fired. He was named head coach for good the following season, a post he held until Tuesday when he was let go by the Islanders. During his run with the Islanders, Capuano coached 483 games and finished with a record of 227-192-64. But that's now done with and enter Doug Weight.

The only thing I found a little curious was the timing of the firing. He was let go after a 4-0 shutout win in Boston against the Bruins, the first time the islanders have ever shut out the Bruins in Boston. It just seemed a little strange that the firing came after a big shutout win. But the record was an indication of the way things have gone for the team this season. When Cappy was let go, the Islanders sat at 17–17–8. That was good for last place in the Eastern Conference. This coming a year after the Islanders made the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time in 23 years.

I still put a lot of the blame on the general manager, Garth Snow, for not having the same talent level on the team as to why they have struggled this year, but that's another argument for another time. Let's stick with the topic at hand shall we. That topic is new head coach Doug Weight.

Weight had a pretty good playing career, finishing with 1,033 points in 1,238 games. Solid numbers for a solid hockey player. As a coach, its going to be interesting to see how things turn out. Well it certainly has gotten off to a good start. It started off on an interesting note at practice, when Islanders teammates Ryan Strome and Calvin de Haan dropped the gloves during a drill, though no punches were thrown. It started to show that the Islanders are starting to put up a little more fight and have a little more fire in their belly. Then they follow it up with a game against the Dallas Stars, a team that had come off a loss against Buffalo and almost blew a huge lead in a 7-6 win over the Rangers. Well it didn't work out well for Dallas in Brooklyn, as the Islanders gave Doug Weight a win in his first day as coach, a 3-0 Islanders victory.

Sure, the Islanders still have a shot at the playoffs, they sit eight points out of a playoff spot right now. They are going to have to play pretty much lights out hockey over the final now 39 games of the regular season if they want to have a possible chance of making the playoffs. This stretch of the season will answer two questions. How much metal does this Islanders team have and try and make the playoffs? And how good of a head coach is Doug Weight? Both will be answered in time, but right now it looks like they are off to a good start.

Baseball Hall Makes Call

Its a phone that every athlete dreams of getting. Congratulations, you've been selected for the hall of fame. That phrase means that you are just simply better then everybody else. By definition, a hall of famer is a person recognized as one of the top performers in a particular activity, especially a sport. As of now, there are 220 men that have been inducted into the hall, and that number will grow by three more this July. After about six weeks of debate and discussion as to who might get into the hall this year, we finally have our answer. This years inductees will be John Schuerholz, and Bud Selig, who were selected by the Veterans Committee, to be joined by the three men selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Iván Rodríguez.

Jeff Bagwell
Bagweel played his entire career with the Houston Astros, spanning from 1991 to 2005. Bagwell's numbers stack up pretty well for his career. He was a career .297 hitter, he played in 2,150 games, racking up 2,314 hits, 449 home runs, 1,529 RBI, and 1,517 runs scored. During his career, Bagwell was a four time All-Star (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999), he won National League MVP in 1994, this after winning NL Rookie of the Year in 1991. He also claimed a Gold Glove in 1994, to go along with leading the NL in RBI's that season with 116. On three different occasions, Bagwell won the Silver Slugger Award (1994, 1997, 1999), and his number is currently retired by the Houston Astros. Bagwell received 86.2 percent of the vote in his seventh year on the ballot.

Some of what Jeff Bagwell managed to do during his career was simply amazing. Bagwell is the only player in MLB history to achieve six consecutive seasons with each of 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored, and 100 walks, doing that from 1996 to 2001. Bagwell is just the fifth to achieve 300 home runs, 1,000 RBI and 1,000 runs scored in his first ten seasons. He is just one of 12 players in history to hit 400 home runs and record an on-base percentage of .400, and the only first baseman with at least 400 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

That's what made Bagwell so good, he was a balanced hitter and could do so much on both sides of the ball. At the plate he had good power, as his 449 home runs will show. Be he was a good hitter overall, as evident by collecting over 2,300 hits in his career. Lets also not forget, he was a pretty good fielder. Collecting a gold glove in 1994 should speak to that. He's no slouch in the field, but Bagwell was way more known for his hitting numbers.

Tim Raines
In his final year on the Ballot, Tim Raines will see induction into the hall, getting in with 86% of the votes. Raines played from 1979 to 2002. He played for the Expos from 1979 to 1990, the White Sox 1991 to 1995, the Yankees 1996 to 1998 (where he won two World Series), the Athletics in 1999, the expos and Orioles in 2001 and finally the Marlins in 2002. Raines played in 2,502 games, with a batting average of .294 lifetime. He collected 2, 605 hits, 170 home runs, 980 RBI's, 1,571 runs scored,  and 808 stolen bases. Raines finished as a seven time All-Star going from 1981 to 1987, he's got three World Series rings, winning in 1996, 1998 and 2005 (as a coach with the White Sox). He won the Silver Slugger Award in 1986, he was MVP of the All Star game in 1987, he won the NL batting champion in 1986, and he lead the NL in stolen bases four times, from 1981 to 1984.

What made Raines such a fan favorite was how aggressive he was on the basepaths. nobody really ran as fast or as hard as Raines did. He ranks fifth behind Ricky Henderson, Lou Brock, Billy Hamilton and Ty Cobb with 808 stolen bases, and his 84.7 percent success rate is the best ever among players with at least 400 career attempts. He isn't in the same relm with a bat in his hand as Bagwell, but that's not what he's paid to do. He was paid to get on base and make something happen out on the paths He was, and still is in many eyes, considered one of the greatest leadoff hitters to ever play the game.

Iván Rodríguez
Better known to most baseball fans as Pudge, Ivan Rodriguez will go down in the books as one of the greatest all around catchers to ever play the game. Pudge played 21 seasons in the Majors, going from 1991 to 2011. He played for the Rangers from 1991 to 2002, the Marlins in 2003, the Tigers 2004 to 2008, the Yankees in 2008, the Astros and Rangers in 2009 and the Nationals from 2010 to 2011. During his career, Pudge played inn 2,543 games, he collected 2,844 hits, placing him with a .296 lifetime average. he finished with 311 home runs, drove in 1,332 runs and scored 1,354 runs. Pudge won his lone World Series in 2003 as a member of the Marlins. Fourteen times Pudge was named an All-Star, from 1992 to 2001 and 2004 to 2007. He won MVP of the American League in 1999 and was named MVP of the NLCS in 2003. He also bagged thirteen Gold Glove Award (1992–2001, 2004, 2006, 2007) and seven Silver Slugger Award (1994–1999, 2004) .

Rodriguez joins Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda and Roberto Alomar as the fourth Puerto Rico native in Cooperstown. He also joins Johnny Bench as only the second catcher to make the Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot. His 2,844 hits, 1,354 runs, 572 doubles and 2,543 games played are the most ever for a catcher. Which means the guy had no trouble handling the bat. Oh yeah and he was pretty good with the glove too. the fact that he won thirteen gold gloves behind the plate speaks a lot to how good he was on the defensive side of the game.

For my argument with Pudge is he's going to go down as one of the greatest all around catchers to ever strap on the gear. He just so happened to play in the same era as Mike Piazza as one of the greatest hitting catchers ever, but Piazza had the way better power numbers. Pudge is without question the best defensive catcher I have ever seen play. There was nobody better behind the plate then Pudge. And to back it up he could swing a pretty good bat too.

Now for the guys who didn't get in. I'm quite surprised that Vladimir Guerrero isn't in this year, missing out three and a half percent. Then there's Trevor Hoffman, who missed out by one percent on getting in. Those two guys are more then likely to get in next year. Also, it is worth noting some of the names on the ballot for next year. I mean think about it. Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Johan Santana, Scott Rolen, Omar Vizquel, and Andruw Jones are just a few of the names who are on the ballot for the first time next year. Out of that group and the guys who are left on the ballot, here's who I see getting in. I see Hoffman, Vlad and maybe Chipper getting in next year. Rolan and Omar are long shots.

Now, of course, there's the big story. is the guys who haven't gotten in yet, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Those two still have a shot to get into the hall of fame and with the trend over the last couple of years I think its possible that it might happen. One of the reasons is because Bud Selig, the man who oversaw the "steroid" era in the game, is getting inducted this year as well. Some believe that because he's getting in, the steroid guys should as well. I can see the argument, but not all the guys who were accused should get in. The only two should be Bonds and Clemens. Reason being is because both put up outstanding numbers throughout their entire careers. Not just a stretch of time, but they put up great numbers wire to wire.

NFL Divisional Round Preview

Here we are once again. Its time for the divisional round of the National Football League playoffs. We started this playoff race with twelve teams, now the field has shrunk down to eight. Oakland, Detroit, Miami and the Giants are all heading home after getting eliminated from the playoffs last weekend. Of the eight teams that are left standing, seven of them are really good. Houston, not so much, they got lucky playing in a crappy division. A couple of big questions arise going into this weekend. Can Houston keep it close against New England? Can Dallas get payback on Green Bay for the Dez game two years ago? Can Seattle win on the road in Atlanta? How healthy and effective is Big Ben going to be for Pittsburgh? All those questions, and a whole lot more, will be answered in the next 72 hours. They are all rematches of games that were played earlier this season.

First up, at 4:35PM Saturday, the NFC West winners, the Seattle Seahawks, travel to the Georgia Dome, to take on the NFC South Champions, the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta won the NFC South this year, with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time since 2012. This was Atlanta's first division title, and winning season, since that 2012 playoff run. The falcons are looking to try to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time sin 1998. Atlanta is 7-12 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Seattle is playing in the divisional round for the 5th straight year, this coming after a 26-6 win over the Detroit Lions last week in the Wild Card game. The last time Seattle missed the Divisional Round was in 2011, when they last missed the playoffs. Seattle is looking to get a win in the divisional round for the first time since 2014. Seattle is 16-14 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between Seattle and Atlanta in the playoffs, with Atlanta winning the only other meeting between the teams in 2012. This year, they played each other during week six, a game which Seattle won 26-24.

This game should be a solid game to watch this week. Atlanta is the highest scoring offense in the NFL, scoring 63 touchdowns and 540 points. They come into this game after a week off and have a fully rest Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Its even bigger that Jones is rested, because Jones missed two of the team's final four games and didn't seem to be at 100 percent at all in the final month. it may not have mattered much because the Falcons won their final four games and 38.5 points per game. Oh yeah and you've got Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman running the football, both of whom are better then anybody Detroit has. And it does help the cause, if your the Falcons, that you are a good team at home, as compared to a road club. Atlanta is 5-3 at home, while 6-2 on the road. That's a balanced club. And they are a more dangerous offensive team now then they were when these two teams met back in week six in October.

But lets not count out Seattle here, they are a very tested playoff team. Seattle is dominate at home, they did go 7-1 on the year at home. However, the record for the Seahawks on the road isn't as good, as Seattle is 3-4-1 on the road this year. What I really want to know is, what we saw from Seattle last week against Detroit, was that legit and they've turned the corner, or was it just a flash in the pan against Detroit? Thomas Rawls did have a big week last week, running for 161 yards against Detroit, which showed that the Seahawks do have a run attack after all. This could create a huge mismatch against an Atlanta run defense that is rated just 28th against the run. Which is not good considering some of the running backs that they may have to face the rest of the playoffs.

Just in case you forgot, Ryan threw for 335 yards the last time these two teams met week six, and that was with Earl Thomas patrolling Seattle's secondary. Now he's not there. Seattle might be able to hang around for a little while, but I think the Atlanta offense is going to be too much to handle.

Pick: Atlanta Falcons

Next up, at 8:15PM Saturday, the AFC South champions, the Houston Texans, travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the AFC East Champions, the New England Patriots. Houston won the South for the 2nd year in a row at a 9-7 record and are coming off a 27-14 win over the Raiders in the wild card game last weekend. Of Houston's four trips to the playoffs in their history, this is the 3rd time they are playing in the 2nd round. Houston has never gotten past this round in their history. Houston is now 3-3 all time in the playoffs. As For New England, they won the AFC East for the 8th straight year and the 14th time since 2002. New England finished the year 14-2. They haven't lost a game inn the divisional round since falling to the Jets in 2010. New England is 29-19 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the 2nd meeting between the teams in the playoffs, with New England winning the 1st one in 2012. They met in week three of this season in New England, a 27-0 Patriots win.

The meeting earlier this year was without Tom Brady in the lineup. Well guys what Texans fans, he's back for this matchup! The only way I can even really see Houston keeping this game even remotely close is that defense. Just look at what the Texans defense was able to do against Oakland last week. I know it was against a third string quarterback bu still. And when J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus are on the same field next season, they're going to be terrifying. On the offensive side of the ball, Houston doesn't leave a whole lot of wiggle room. Last week, Brock Osweiler wasn't that impressive. He completed just 56 percent of his passes for 168 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score. This came against a Raiders defense, who last time I checked they weren't all that great. Now they got to go up against a better defense in New England's, who by the way have the 4th best defense.

The Patriots are powered by, who else, Tom Brady. Tom Brady has been downright lethal this season, passing for 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions. That's almost other worldy, and its even more amazing considering the fact that the guy missed the first four games of the season due to the suspensions over deflate gate. Lets face facts, this maybe the easiest game of the entire weekend to predict. Houston is an OK team at best, while the Patriots are one of the top teams in all off the game.

Picks: 
Solly: New England Patriots
Steve: New England Patriots
3rd Mic Dan: New England Patriots

Next up, Sunday at 1:05PM on Sunday, the AFC North Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the AFC West Champions the Kansas City Chiefs. The 11-5 Steelers are coming off a win in Wild Card weekend, beating the Dolphins 30-12. This marks the 2nd year in a row that the Steelers are playing in the divisional round. The Steelers are looking to reach the AFC title game for the first time since 2010. Pittsburgh is now 35-23 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Chiefs, they finished the year going 12-4, winning the AFC West for the first time since 2010. This marks the second year in a row the Chiefs are playing in the divisional round, a round which hasn't seen a Kansas City win since 1993. Kansas City is 9-16 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between these two teams in the playoffs, Kansas City took the first meeting in overtime, 27-24, in the 1994 wild card game. These two clubs met in week four, a 43-14 whipping by the Steelers.

Lets make a bit of a long story short here, Andy Reid coached teams coming off a bye week, of sorts, in the playoffs is usually really good.

Picks: 
Solly: Pittsburgh Steelers
Steve: Pittsburgh Steelers
3rd Mic Dan: Kansas City Chiefs

Last game of the weekend, at 4:40PM on Sunday, the NFC North Champions, the Green Bay Packers, head to AT&T Stadium to take on the NFC East Champions, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas comes in having won the NFC East at 13-3, the most wins in a single season in Cowboys history, good enough for an NFC East title, the first win for the boys since 2014. Dallas is looking for payback, because the last time they were in the playoffs, they played the Green Bay Packers in the Dez Bryant "No Catch" game. Dallas is looking to get to the NFC title game for the first time since 1995. Dallas is 34-26 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Green Bay, they are coming off a 38-13 win over the New York Giants in Wild Card Weekend. Green Bay won the division at 12-4 and are looking to get to the NFC title game for the first time since the overtime loss to Seattle two years ago. Green Bay is 32-21 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 8th time that Dallas and Green Bay will face off in the post season, with Dallas holding the 4-3 advantage in the all time playoff matchup. During the regular season, these two teams met in week six, a 30-16 Cowboys win in Green Bay.

This will be the best game of the weekend, this I have no doubt.

Picks: 
Solly: Green Bay Packers
Steve: Green Bay Packers
3rd Mic Dan: Green Bay Packers

NHL All Star Rosters

It's that time of the year. We are a little more then two weeks away from the NHL All Star Game, which this year emanates from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Once again, the league is going with the 3 on 3 tournament style game that it went with a season ago. What we will once again see is a 3-on-3 tournament between All-Star teams representing the league's four divisions; the Atlantic division played the Metropolitan, while the Central played the Pacific. Each game was played in two 10-minute halves, and went directly to a shootout in the event of a tie. The winners of the two semi-final games played in a championship game to determine the winner of the competition.

So the announcement came down and here's what the rosters look like for this year's game.

Atlantic Division
Head Coach: Michel Therrien (Canadiens)
Carey Price (Canadiens)
Tuukka Rask (Bruins)
Nikita Kucherov (Lightning)
Brad Marchand (Bruins)
Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs)
Frans Nielsen (Red Wings)
Kyle Okposo (Sabres)
Vincent Trocheck (Panthers)
Victor Hedman (Lightning)
Erik Karlsson (Senators)
Shea Weber (Canadiens)

Metropolitan Division
Head Coach: John Tortorella (Blue Jackets)
Sergei Bobrovsky (Blue Jackets)
Braden Holtby (Capitals)
Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
Taylor Hall (Devils)
Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
Wayne Simmonds (Flyers)
John Tavares (Islanders)
Justin Faulk (Hurricanes)
Seth Jones (Blue Jackets)
Ryan McDonagh (Rangers)

Central Division
Head Coach: Bruce Boudreau (Wild)
Corey Crawford (Blackhawks)
Devan Dubnyk (Wild)
Patrik Laine (Jets)
Patrick Kane (Blackhawks)
Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)
Tyler Seguin (Stars)
Vladimir Tarasenko (Blues)
Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks)
P. K. Subban (Predators)
Ryan Suter (Wild)
Duncan Keith (Blackhawks)

Pacific Division
Head Coach: Peter DeBoer (Sharks)
Martin Jones (Sharks)
Mike Smith (Coyotes)
Connor McDavid (Oilers)
Jeff Carter (Kings)
Johnny Gaudreau (Flames)
Bo Horvat (Canucks)
Ryan Kesler (Ducks)
Joe Pavelski (Sharks)
Brent Burns (Sharks)
Drew Doughty (Kings)
Cam Fowler (Ducks)

So now the question is, did the league get the all star rosters right? And I say yes! It supposed to be the best players, and the biggest names getting to play in the game. It would have been nice to see one of the Sedin twins, but Horvat has had a better year for the Canucks then they have. You could also make the same argument for Franz Nielsen with the Red Wings, and Henrik Zetterberg.  Otherwise I think its a solid all star lineup and should be fun to watch this year!

Tigers Topple Tide For Title

It was the rematch that most college football fans around the country had been waiting for. It was just a year ago when Alabama claimed the National Championship with a 45-40 win over unbeaten Clemson. This year, the Tigers wanted payback. The Crimson Tide had been perfect this season, going 14-0, but that elusive 15th win would never come. In one of the most thrilling National Championship college football games ever, Clemson walked away with a 35-31 victory. Heisman finalist, Quarterback Deshaun Watson played the game of his life for the title.

What Watson has done over the last two years is quickly going down in the books as stuff of legend on college football. In last years title game, Watson hung 478 yards on Alabama in a five-point loss, Watson calmly led the Tigers back and wore Alabama down with a performance that will cement his legacy as one of the greatest individual players in college football history. This year, Watson finished with 420 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, three of which came through the air. And the kicker is, Clemson was contained in the first half.

Alabama's defense came up big, mostly in the first half, to keep Clemson at bay. Guys like Ryan Anderson, Da'Ron Payne and Reuben Foster showed incredible instincts, closing speed and hard hitting in the open field to keep Watson and company contained. But, like any other great player, Watson found a way in the 2nd half to lead his team back. In the 2nd half of play, Watson completed 11 of his 15 passes. None were bigger though, then the two he threw late for touchdowns. The first came early in the 4th quarter. Clemson scored just three plays into the final quarter as Watson threw a touchdown pass to Mike Williams, thus cut the Alabama lead down to 24–21. The biggest pass of all came from Watson at the end of the ballgame. Watson tried to hook up with Williams again late in the game, but Williams was tripped up in the end zone, which resulted in a pass interference call. That call gave the Tigers 1st & Goal with the ball placed on the 2-yard line with six seconds left. On the next play, Watson threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second left on the clock, thus putting Clemson back in the lead, 35–31. On the ensuing on-sides kick the Tigers recovered to seal the game away and walk away with the national title.

In a very physical football game, both sides lost players to injury. Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell and Alabama star running back Bo Scarbrough from the contest no doubt played a huge role in the outcome. With Scarbrough out, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts was asked to do more. Hurts went 13 of 31 for 131 yards and a touchdown, which is pretty good. But his low numbers, at least by comparison to what Watson did, shows that the Tide's passing attack was lacking both intimidation and effectiveness. Hurts biggest play was a 30-yard touchdown run with 2:31 left to give the Crimson Tide a 31-28 lead. That was later trashed when Watson found Renfrow at the end of regulation.

Lets not misconstrue the facts, Alabama is a great football team. They are considered one of the best defenses in the entire country and have been the last two years. But consider this. Over the last two National Championship games, Deshaun Watson has totaled 941 yards of offense. This time, it resulted in a national championship. Congratulations to the Clemson Tigers, the CFP National Champions in 2017 in what was a truly fantastic football game!

NFL Wild Card Preview

Here. We. Go. The best time of the year for football fans has finally arrived. Its time for the playoffs. When this journey started back on September 8th, there were 32 teams that were battling to try and get their hands on that Lombardi Trophy. Now, here we sit with twelve teams standing. Can Dallas cap off this fantastic season? Can anybody beat the Boys? Can the Giants make a long run this year? Can Green Bay stay hot? Is there anybody in the AFC who can beat the Patriots? Will we see round three in the Super Bowl of Giants-Patriots? Can Rodgers keep up his hot pace? Can Big Blue ride the play of their defense? Does Matt Stafford still have fourth quarter magic left in him? All of those questions, and so much more, will be answered over the next month.

In order to start answering those questions, we have to get through Wild Card weekend first. Here's the matchups.

First up, we have the Wild Card winners, the Oakland Raiders, heading to NRG Stadium in Houston, to take on the AFC South Champions, the Houston Texans. Houston comes into the playoffs having won the AFC South with a 9-7 record. This marks the 4th ever playoff appearance for the Texans, and the second year in a row that they are playing in the playoffs. Houston is looking for its first playoff win since beating the Bengals in 2012, and they are 2-3 lifetime in the playoffs. As for Oakland, they come in as the top wild card seed in the AFC, finishing 2nd in the West with a 12-4 record. This marks the first playoff appearance for the Raiders since losing to the Bucs in the 2002 Super Bowl. This is also the first time the Raiders have hit double digits wins in the season since that 2002 season. Oakland is 25-18 lifetime in the playoffs. This is the first ever meeting between these two teams in the playoffs. They met once during the regular season, a game which Oakland won 27-20 in week eleven.

Of all the possible playoff matchups in this years post season, this may be the worst quarterback battle. Houston is starting Brock Oswiler because Tom Savage is hurt. And making his first career NFL start for the Raiders is Conor Cook, who takes over for injured Derek Carr and Matt McGloin. If you are the Houston Texans and coach Bill O'brein, this not an ideal situation, because he had pulled Osweiler late in the season for overall ineffectiveness. So now you have no choice but to go back to him, which isn't exactly a good move but what choice do you have if your Houston. Houston is one of the stronger defensive teams in all of the NFL, they have the best overall defense and are the 2nd best pass defense in the entire league.

if you're Oakland, you may have a problem. When Carr went down in week sixteen, you had to go with McGloin and Cook against Denver and it didn't end well, causing you to get passed for the AFC West title by Kansas City. The Raiders have struggled on defense throughout the regular season, ranking 26th in yards allowed. However, when they need a big play, they turn to hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack. After a relatively slow start, Mack had 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and three recoveries this season.

Oakland looks like a mixed bag right now. Sure the offense has talent to possibly make a game of it, but with the rookie quarterback under center, its going to really hurt their chances. Oakland might not really be able to muster 100 yards on offense on the day, which is going to leave a sour taste in the Raiders mouth.

Prediction: Houston Texans

Next up, its the Wild Card winners, the Detroit Lions, traveling to CenturyLink Field in Seattle, to take on the NFC West Champions, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle comes into the playoffs winning the NFC West with a 10-5-1 record. This marks the 5th straight year and 6th time in the last 7 years that the Seahawks are playing post season football. Seattle is looking to move on to the divisional round for the 5th straight year. The Seahawks are 15-14 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Lions, they won the wild card spot with a 9-7 record, finishing behind the Packers in the NFC North. Detroit is making its appearance in the playoffs for the 2nd time in the last three years, but the Lions haven't won a playoff game since 1991 (they beat Dallas in the divisional round). Detroit is 7-12 lifetime in the postseason. This will be the first ever playoff matchup between these two teams. They didn't face each other during the regular season.

Detroit has struggled the last three weeks of the season, losing to the Giants, Cowboys and Packers. One of the big things that the Lions are going to have to face is the same thing that's been bugging them down the last three weeks, the injured finger on the throwing hand of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Physically, his numbers are about the same as they were before he got hurt, but if you watch him throw, he's off his game. He's missed open receivers with throws since he got hurt. Oh and if you look at the numbers of the Lions in the playoffs as of late, they aren't good. The Lions have never won a wild-card game, they are 0-8. The Lions have never won a playoff game on the road in the Super Bowl era, they are 0-10. Detroit is 0-3 when they play outdoors this year.

And to be fair, the Seahawks haven't looked like world beaters as of late either. They were beaten soundly at home in Week 16 by the Arizona Cardinals, and they closed the year with a narrow victory in Week 17 over the 2-14 San Francisco 49ers. Seattle, who has been known for its running game, hasn't had it this year. Seattle is ranked 25th in rushing, and that means it's nearly all on Wilson and wideouts Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse to get the job done.

Seattle still has a tough defense to play against. Richard Sherman always finds a way to come up with a big play in the big games, so expect him to make another one this week. I know Seattle doesn't look quite like they did when they won the title back in 2013, but they are still a decent team. Detroit has come in on a slide the last few weeks and have to go into one of the toughest places to play in football.

Prediction: Seattle Seahawks

Moving on to Sunday, its the Wilde Card winners, the Miami Dolphins, traveling to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to take on the AFC North Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh comes in having won the AFC North for the 7th time, finishing the season with a 11-5 record. This marks the 3rd straight year for the Steelers in the post season. Pittsburgh is 34-23 all time in post season play. As for the Miami Dolphins, they finished the year with a 10-6 record, clinching the other wild card spot in the AFC. This is the first trip to the playoffs for the Dolphins since 2008, which also happened to be the last year that the Dolphins finished with a winning record. Miami has a record of 20-20 lifetime in the playoffs. This will be the 4th ever meeting between these two teams in the playoffs, Miami having won two of the previous three meetings. These teams met once during the regular season this year, a game which Miami won 30-15 in week six.

If you are the Dolphins, there's a lot of pressure on you to try and pull this off. Matt Moore is under center of the Dolphins in this game. he's a solid quarterback but solid is about it. Moore can read the defense and handle short- and medium-range passes, but he is limited beyond that. One of the things that the Dolphins have going for them is Jay Ajayi. Ajayi first came to prominence when he broke the 200-yard mark in the win over the Steelers, and keeping him in check must be one of Pittsburgh's top defensive priorities. But that's really the biggest threat that the Dolphins have going for them right now. Also, think about this. The last two times the Dolphins made the playoffs (2001 and 2008) they lost to an AFC North team (the Ravens).

Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are dominating for the Steelers, and the Dolphins don't have the same kind of firepower to compete for 60 minutes. This is going to be the 2nd straight year that the Steelers are going to be facing a backup quarterback in the playoffs. It was AJ McCarron last year, and now its Matt Moore. Pittsburgh defense could have a field day with the backup QB. Picking this game should be somewhat easy. Pittsburgh is really rolling, having won seven straight games to close out the regular season. They're hitting all the right notes at the right time.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers

Finally, closing out the weekend, its the Wild Card winners, the New York Giants, traveling to Lambeau Field in Green Bay to take on the NFC North winners, the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay finished the year 10-6, winning the NFC Nroth, which the Packers have done now for 9th time since 2000. This is the 7th straight year, and 8th time in the last ten years that the Packers are playing in the playoffs. Green Bay is looking to get out of the wild card round for the 3rd year in a row. Green Bay is 32-21 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Giants, they finished the year 11-5, good enough for a wild card spot and 2nd in the NFC East, behind only the Dallas Cowboys. For New York, this is their first taste of playoff football since winning the Super Bowl in 2011. New York is 24-24 lifetime in the post season. This is the 8th all time meeting between the Giants and Packers in the playoffs, Green Bay holding a 4-3 all time edge in the matchup. They met once during the regular season, back in week five, which saw Green bay walk away with a 23-16 win.

Its going to be a cold one in Green Bay this weekend, but that hasn't really effected the Giants the last two trips to Lambeau Field during the playoffs, the Giants won both of those games. One of the biggest pluses for the Giants this year has been their defense. Big Blue's defense is led by strong safety Landon Collins, who has enjoyed a magnificent year with 125 tackles, four sacks and five interceptions. Collins returned one of those picks for a touchdown and was also credited with 13 passes defensed. And the Giants offense is OK in its own right, They do have one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL in the form of Odell Beckham Jr. Victor Cruz has shown flashes and Sterling Sheppard looks like he could be a stud in this league. Then there's the man throwing the ball in Eli Manning, who kind of knows what he's doing in the playoffs. One thing though that is going to stick out for me is the lack of a running game for the Giants, who has the 29th ranked rushing attack in the league.

Green Bay has there own problems as well as the Giants. The Pack's defense has looked average at best as of late and it looks like they will be without Quinten Rollins, Damarious Randall and Makinton Dorleant in the secondary, who got hurt the final day of the season against Detroit. As good as the Giants pass game has been this year, if you can find a way to contain Odell, you have a solid chance of winning, because the Giants offense doesn't really set the world on fire. Green Bay's offense does, more so over the last six games. Aaron Rodgers has gone 6-0 with 15TD's no picks and a 121 passer rating during this Packers winning streak. I'm sure Rodgers is going to be looking at his favorite target, Jordy Nelson. Nelson caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns, and he has shown a knack for making his biggest plays when Rodgers is forced to scramble out of trouble and make a last-second throw downfield.

There's no doubt that the Giants will try to get pressure on Rodgers, but he showed last week against Detroit that he has no trouble getting away from pressure and extending a play till a receiver can get open. The Giants will put up a fight, of this I have no doubt. I really don't feel comfortable saying what I'm going to say, because two of the last three trips to the playoffs for the Giants have been great, so I don't want to bet against them. But they are playing a red hot Aaron Rodgers. I can't bet against him

Prediction: Green Bay Packers

Best & Worst Of NFL Week Seventeen

Well, we've reached the end of the line. The final week of the National Football League regular season is in the books. All the playoff sports are locked up, while everybody else gets ready for next season and starting their draft boards. There was still a lot to play for on the final day of the season. Cleveland put up a great fight against Pittsburgh. An NFL record was set, and we saw one of the game’s best return to action in triumphant fashion. Unfortunately, on the flip side a team that had a run of tough luck got hammered again at the worst possible time. So lets not waste anymore time, here's a look at the best and worst performances from the final day of the NFL season.

Best:
Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback Green Bay Packers
Look at how much things have changed for the Green Bay Packers. They were 4-6 after week ten and losers for four straight games. A lot of people were starting to question the heart of the Packers QB. What was causing the Packers best player to have an off year? Well, whatever the distraction may have been, it has clearly been taken care of. Sunday, Rodgers lead the Packers to a 31-24 victory over the Detroit Lions, which meant that the Packers had won the NFC North! Rodgers had himself a day in the Packers win, as he went 27 of 38 for 300 yards and four, yes four, touchdowns. To really prove that Rodgers is back to his old self, look no further then his late game score. He scrambled and bought about eight seconds before hitting Geronimo Allison for one of the better plays of this NFL season.

Worst:
Joe Flacco, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
As much as I like Joe Flacco, I'm not crazy about how he played this week. Baltimore lost 27-10 to the Bengals, and it wasn't pretty for Flacco. Watching Flacco this week, it was hard to believe that this is the same QB who once caught fire, brought his team to a Super Bowl victory, and earned himself a monster contract off the back of it. Flacco was a disaster this week, throwing an ugly interception, routinely missing his targets and having another pass over the middle fortunate to escape being picked off by the defensive end Will Clarke. He finished the day Sunday going 32 of 49 for 267 yards, zero touchdowns, the pick and getting sacked three times.

Best:
Jordan Heyward, Running Back Chicago Bears
Chicago may have been comfortably handled by the Vikings this week, as the Bears beat the Vikings 38-10. One of the biggest stories on the day was Jordan Howard, who from capping a fine rookie season with another excellent display on the ground. Howard carried the ball 23 times for 141 yards, with 69 of them coming after contact thanks to some good displays of power and three broken tackles. The longest carry he had all day was just 18 yards, but he averaged 6.1 per carry, and had success no matter what gap along the line he was hitting. He's kinda good and if the Bears want to have a great future, keep handing this kid the ball and let him do his thing.

Worst:
Mike Adams, Safety Indianapolis Colts
A thankless job the position of safety is in the game of football. The job of a safety is typically to prevent big plays and limit the damage already done by players in front of or around him. Missing tackles as a safety is usually pretty bad, and even more so when those come in coverage away from the line of scrimmage. It's made to look even worse when you miss the tackle, and there's nobody there to back you up and possibly mop up the mistake. Well that's kinda what happened to the Colts Mike Adams, who missed a pair of tackles in coverage this week. Oh yeah, Adams was beaten for a touchdown and also bailed out by his teammate Vontae Davis deep on a pass he could not defend. Granted the Colts did come away with a 24-20 victory, but still Adams looked really bad and ALMOST totally cost the Colts a win

Best:
Kansas City Chiefs
Well it was looking like it might be a long shot for Kansas City to claim the AFC West. But, never say never. Oakland looked like they may have had the West locked up. But the wheels fell off the wagon for Oakland, losing their starting quarterback and now the division title. Kansas City took care of business on Sunday, beating the Chargers 37-27 in San Diego. You never would have known it was in San Diego, because Qualcomm Stadium was full of Chiefs fans. Tyreek Hill had a lot to do with the win, as has become his custom. Alex Smith threw for two touchdowns and rushed in another to give Kansas City the offensive production it needed to claim the AFC West crown., With the win, and Oakland’s loss, the Chiefs  have an opening round bye in the playoffs  Not a bad way to close the regular season I'd say. now KC just needs to try and get it done in the playoffs.

Worst:
Washington Redskins
This was a MUST WIN game if there ever was one. Washington was at home, playing a divisional rival, with a lot at stake for them. But they came up empty in a BIG way. Washington’s offense never got into a groove. Washington's running game, which has been robust for most of the season, was shut down to the tune of just 38 yards and 2.5 yards per carry. New York’s defensive line made Washington’s offensive front very uncomfortable and they weren't able to get things going. Kirk Cousins had one of his worst games of the season, throwing two interceptions to go along with a late touchdown that tied the game up in the fourth quarter, 10-10. His second interception pretty much sealed the game in favor of New York. Trying to hit Pierre Garcon with about 90 seconds left in the game, he double-pumped before finally letting loose with his pass, which was easily picked off by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. It was a must win, now the Redskins are home watching the playoffs on TV like the rest of us.

Best:
Zach Ertz, Tight End Philadelphia Eagles
Philly didn't have one of its best weapons in Jordan Matthews in the lineup on the final day of the season. No problem, Zach Ertz will help take care of it. When Matthews is out of the lineup, the Eagles decided that it might be a good idea to load up Ertz with targets. It was a smart idea as Ertz is the only viable receiving weapon, and he responded with a huge game. Ertz was thrown at 16 times, a season-high, and caught 13 of those passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Ertz gained 73 of his yards after contact and broke two tackles along the way. Those 13 receptions were a season-high mark as well for him, as was his yardage mark and two scores, and marks just the second time this year he topped 100 yards. He's kinda good and really needs to be fed the ball more in future years for the Eagles.

Worst:
Graham Gano, Kicker Carolina Panthers
I don't know what it is, but this year has been a rought year for kickers. Graham Gano was to blame for this week's debacle. Gano was effectively the difference between the two teams this week in Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay, a 17-16 win by the Bucs. Sure, Bucs kicker Roberto Aguayo tried to match him miss for miss. Aguayo could at least point to a block for one of his misses, but Gano was simply off-target three times, with two of the misses coming on expected kicks of under 50 yards, one from under 40. Carolina lost this game by a point in the end, and Gano left at least six expected ones out on the field. Yeah, that's pretty bad.

Best:
Tom Brady, Quarterback New England Patriots
I don't really know what it is, but the guy is still really good. Tom Brady was magnificent, as he’s been all year. Brady was as sharp as a tack all game long. He finished with 276 yards and three touchdowns on 26-of-33 passing. He also passed Dan Marino to move into the No. 4 spot on the all-time passing yards list. Here's evidence of just how on point Brady and company was on the day. New England started out the game with a clock burning, 13-play drive that ended with a touchdown from Brady to Martellus Bennett. He's 39 years old and he missed the first four games of the season due to that whole suspension thing. But he still managed to put up fantastic, almost videogame like numbers. The guy is great and will no doubt be in the conversation for league MVP this season.

Worst:
Cleveland Browns
Well, they seem to be back to their old ways once again. Cleveland finally got a win last weekend beating the Chargers. Then they kept that momentum rolling by racking up a  14-0 lead on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland may have gotten that they are, in fact, the Browns. The wheels proceeded to fall off the wagon, in a 27-24 Steelers overtime win. Robert Griffin III fumbled right before the half, allowing the Steelers to score a touchdown before the intermission. Briean Boddy-Calhoun intercepted Landry Jones in the third quarter and appeared poised to score on a pick-six, only to fumble into the end zone, where Jones fell on it for a touchback instead. They blew a lead once again this year, dropping the heartbreaker in overtime. The only real consolation for the Browns at this point in the season would be the fact that they have the #1 overall pick in the draft in April.

Black Monday Hits NFL

As a coach in any sport, its something you never want to hear. You had a year or so at the helm of a sports team and then, all of a sudden, you are now out of a job. Its never a fun experience, whether you're a coach, a construction worker, or have any other job for that matter. Nobody likes to lose their jobs. For coaches, it could be something that could be self inflicted. It could mean that he had nothing to do with how the season went. Either way, as a coach, its never fun to lose your job. It happens every year, the first Monday after the end of the regular season. Coaches, and General Managers as well, will get the ax for how things went. This year, a lot of new coach openings took place before the end of the season, so this is somewhat considered a light day for coach firings as we have had by comparison to seasons past. That being said, here's a look at the coaches that are looking for new jobs, and teams that are looking for new coaches.

San Diego Chargers fire Mike McCoy
This just didn't go very well for McCoy in San Diego this season. The first couple of years went well for McCoy in San Diego. He wen't 9-7 and lead the Chargers to a wild card spot. The next year, the same exact record, 9-7, but this one wasn't good enough for a playoff spot. Then, the wheels fell off the last two seasons. San Diego slipped to 4–12 and 5–11 in McCoy's final two seasons with the club, giving him an overall mark of 27–36.Yeah, that's not good, and it looks even worse when you look at how well the first two seasons went. Some of the biggest problems the Chargers had were the trouble closing out close games late and getting hit with injuries. The biggest sign that McCoy could be in trouble came in the first week of the season, when San Diego was 27-10 against KC, only to lose the game in overtime, 33-27.

Now the question is, who is the best to take over the head coaching job for San Diego?  Some names that are being thrown around for the job are: Jim Schwartz, Sean McDermott, Dave Toub, Austin, Matt Patricia, Kyle Shanahan, and Josh McDaniels. The one name it sounds like that could be the best fit would possibly be Matt Patricia. He's got a good defensive mind, which is something that the Chargers could really use some help with.

San Francisco 49ers fire Chip Kelly, General Manager Trent Baalke
It alomst doesn't seem right for Chip Kelly to be coaching in the NFL. Look some coaches are made to be coaching in the best football league in the world. Others are more suited to coach in the college ranks rather then in the pros. Kelly, I don't think, can really be able to coach in the NFL and would probably be better off going back to college. San Francisco finished just 2–14 this season, with their only two wins coming against the Rams. They also featured one of the worst run defenses in NFL history. The defense in San Francisco was just bad, and some of that could be connected to the high octane offense that Kelly likes to run. San Francisco's offense can't stay on the field for very long, meaning that more is relied on the defense, which means that the defense will run out of gas faster.

Baalke’s run at GM, which began ahead of the 2011, included a successful breakthrough early on. He did a good job at the start, as the 49ers improved from 6–10 to 13–3 in his first season. Then advanced to the Super Bowl the following year. But Baalke then pushed Jim Harbaugh out of his coaching post and replaced him with Jim Tomsula, who, like Kelly, lasted just a year. That's not exactly a good thing. To be fair, Baalke lasted a little bit longer in town then Kelly did.

So now, if your the 49ers, what are you going to do at this point? First things first, you need to hire a GM, which is going to be a tough sell, as well as head coach, because of how tough things are with all the drama going on in San Francisco. Here's some of the names that are going thrown around in San Francisco: San Francisco R=requested interviews with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, Bills interim coach Anthony Lynn. Harold Goodwin, Matt Patricia, Teryl Austin, Jim Schwartz, David Shaw, and Mike Shanahan are other names that are being thrown around as possible intervies for this job.

Gary Kubiak resigns as Denver Broncos Head Coach
This was one of the more interesting moves that took place on Black Monday. I mean think about it, the guy went 12-4 during the regular season last year, got into the playoffs and won the Super Bowl. Now, in year two, it didn't go as well. Denver lost four of its final five games, finished the year at 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Now, for the record, Kubiak wasn't fired at all from this job, he stepped down on his own terms. It was health issues that lead to wanting to leave the position. He just couldn't take the coaching pressure anymore I guess.

Now the question is, who's next to take over as coach in Denver? There are a few names that have been thrown around for the job: Denver has requested an interview with Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan. Other potential names thrown around for an interview are Teryl Austin, Vance Joseph, Darrell Bevell, Jim Bob Cooter, and Anthony Lynn. Kyle Shanahan maybe the best fit to take over as coach in Denver. The reason Shanahan might be the best fit is because of what he has been able to do with Matt Ryan. Denver doesn't feel really comfortable with the quarterback right now, and Shanahan maybe able to best help develop him under center. They have weapons on offense in Denver, they just need to get the quarterback comfortable and Shanahan is probably the best fit to help him out and get the offense clicking.

Then we have other coaches who were let go before the season even ended.

Los Angeles Rams fire Jeff Fisher
In Jeff Fisher's time in St. Louis/Los Angeles, he was asked to try and turn around a 2-14 football team. Well in four years, he was never able to do that, never finishing with a record above .500. Fisher finished his time as Rams coach with a record of 31-45-1. He is now 173-165-1 all-time, tied for the most coaching losses in NFL history. One of the biggest problems that Fisher had was quarterback. I mean look at the number of quarterbacks that the Rams have gone through with him at the helm: Sam Bradford, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles and finally Case Keenum. It wasn't just the quarterback. The line wasn't very good and Todd Gurley was average at best.

Now, if you're the Rams, what do you do with the position? Well, there have been a few names tossed around for the job. Requested interviews for the Rams are with Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan, Buffalo interim coach Anthony Lynn, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, Patriots DC Matt Patricia, Washington OC Sean McVay, Jacksonville's Doug Marrone. Other potential names for the job are Jon Gruden, David Shaw, Sean Payton. It will be interesting to see where the Rams decide to go with this job.

Jacksonville Jaguars fire Gus Bradley
Jacksonville has a ton of talent on their football team, they really do if you look at it. Things just never really seemed to click with Gus Bradley running the ship. In four years as head coach of this Jacksonville squad, Bradley won a total of 14 games. Yes you did read that number correctly. During that time frame, Jacksonville never more than five in any one season.  His .226 overall win percentage (14–48) is one of the worst in NFL history. Rather amazingly, despite those numbers, this will be the first season under Bradley’s watch that the Jaguars finish in last place in the AFC South. Which goes to show how weak that division really is. There has been so much wrong with the Jaguars that it would take way too long to really dive into the problems with this team to accurately describe what happened in Jacksonville. One of the biggest things that you can put your finger on, is that he lost the locker room, and his players weren't really trusting of him. That can't happen in this league.

Now, the big question is: Who's gonna take over as coach in Jacksonville? There have been quite a few names thrown around. Jacksonville has already requested interviews with Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan. Other potential names for the Jaguars job include Tom Coughlin, Matt Patricia, Doug Marrone, Sean Payton. Josh mcDaniels, from the Patriots, amybe the best fit for the Jags, as his experience, both as a head coach and within the Patriots’ organization, give him a leg up.

Buffalo Bills fire Rex Ryan
Buffalo didn't work out quite the way Rex wanted. he went 8-8 in his first year and was 7-8 before his firing this year, as Buffalo finished the season 7-9, missing the playoffs both years. Its been quite some time since the Bills made the playoffs, 17 years to be exact. Fans in Buffalo are growing a little aggravated waiting for their team to play playoff football again. And it seemed like no matter what Rex was able to do as head coach, nothing ever really seemed to click at the right time. The offense would be playing good, but the defense would suck, and if the defense was playing well, the offense would suck. That's just the way it seemed to go under Rex. So he was dismissed.

Now what do you do if you are the Bills? Well, there are a few options. Buffalo already scheduled an interview with Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin. They have also requested to speak to Panthers DC Sean McDermott. Other potential names to land in Buffalo are Anthony Lynn, Tom Coughlin, Teryl Austin, Todd Haley, Kyle Shanahan, Josh McDaniels, and Sean McVay.

Only time will tell what coach is going to land with what organization, but I can tell you one thing. It's going to be fun to watch to see who ends up where.