NFL Top 10 Power Rankings Week 2 Edition

Week 2 of the 2011 NFL Season has come to an end and it is time to update the latest power rankings. Looks like there will be some major changes this week. To take a look at last weeks rankings, take a look here: http://damnilovesports.blogspot.com/2011/09/nfl-top-10-power-rankings.html 


1.Green Bay Packers (2-0) defeated Carolina Panthers 30-23. Last Week (1)
2.New England Patriots (2-0) defeated San Diego Chargers 35-21. Last Week (2)
3.New York Jets (2-0) defeated Jacksonville Jaguars 32-3. Last Week (5)
4.Detroit Lions (2-0) defeated Kansas City Chiefs 48-3. Last Week (8)
5.Houston Texans (2-0) defeated Miami Dolphins 23-13. Last Week (7)
6.Buffalo Bills (2-0) defeated Oakland Raiders 38-35. Last Week (9)
7.New Orleans Saints (1-1) defeated Chicago Bears 30-13. Last Week (N/A)
8.Washington Redskins (2-0) defeated Arizona Cardinals 22-21. Last Week (N/A)
9.Atlanta Falcons (1-1) defeated Philadelphia Eagles 35-31. Last Week (N/A)
10.Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) lost to Atlanta Falcons 35-31. Last Week (6)


NFC Player Of The Week: Lions QB Matthew Stafford: 23 of 39, 294 yards , 4 TDs , 1 INT.
HM - Cowboys WR Miles Austin: 9 catches , 143 yards , 3 TDs.
AFC Player Of The Week: Patriots QB Tom Brady: 31 of 40 , 423 yards , 3 TDs , 0 INTs.
HM - Chargers WR Vincent Jackson: 10 catches , 172 yards , 2 TDs.
Upset Of The Week: Tennessee Titans defeat Baltimore Ravens 26-13.
HM - Atlanta Falcons defeat Philadelphia Eagles 35-31.
Most Exciting Game Of The Week: Atlanta Falcons defeat Philadelphia Eagles 35-31.
HM - Buffalo Bills defeat Oakland Raiders 38-35.


***HM = Honorable Mentions.


Got different views? Share them in the comments section.

Week 2 NFL Picks

We are one day away from the start of week two of the NFL season. It is now time to make the weekly picks. I will also include my four picks with the spread.


Raiders over Bills
Lions over Chiefs
Ravens over Titans
Colts over Browns
Buccaneers over Vikings
Saints over Bears
Steelers over Seahawks
Cardinals over Redskins
Packers over Panthers
Cowboys over 49ers
Broncos over Bengals
Texans over Dolphins
Patriots over Chargers
Falcons over Eagles * UPSET PICK
Jets over Jaguars
Giants over Rams




Spread Picks:
Raiders (+3) against Bills
Cardinals (+4) against Redskins
Buccaneers (+3) against Vikings
Ravens (-6) against Titans


Don't agree with my picks? Leave feedback in the comments section.

NFL Top 10 Power Rankings

Week 1 of the 2011 NFL Season is complete and we saw some big upsets over the weekend and some memorable performances by a few stars and rising stars. Lets get to it, here's my top 10 in the power rankings for after week 1.


1.Green Bay Packers (1-0) def. New Orleans 42-34
2.New England Patriots (1-0) def. Miami Dolphins 38-24
3.Baltimore Ravens (1-0) def. Pittsburgh Ravens 35-7
4.Chicago Bears (1-0) def. Atlanta Falcons 30-12
5.New York Jets (1-0) def. Dallas Cowboys 27-24
6.Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) def. St.Louis Rams 31-13
7.Houston Texans (1-0) def. Indianapolis Colts 34-7
8.Detroit Lions (1-0) def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20
9.Buffalo Bills (1-0) def. Kansas City Chiefs 41-7
10.San Diego Chargers (1-0) def. Minnesota Vikings 24-17
***NOTE: Ranking are based on Week 1 performances, not preseason expectations and week 1 performances combined.


NFC Player Of The Week: Panthers QB Cam Newton: 24 of 37 , 422 yards , 2 TDs , 1 INT. 
HM - Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: 27 of 35 , 312 yards , 3 TDs.
AFC Player Of The Week: Patriots QB Tom Brady: 32 of 48 , 517 yards , 4 TDs , 1 INT. 
HM - Dolphins QB Chad Henne: 30 of 49 , 416 yards , 2 TDs , 1 INT.
Upset Of The Week: Bills defeat Chiefs 41-7.
HM - Bengals defeat Browns 27-17
Most Exciting Game Of The Week: Packers defeat Saints 42-34
HM - Jets defeat Cowboys 27-24


***HM = Honorable Mentions

Week 1 NFL Picks

The 2011 NFL season has arrived and it's time to make the weekly picks for the games. Here are my week 1 NFL picks.

Browns over Bengals
Steelers over Ravens
Lions over Buccaneers *upset special
Falcons over Bears
Chiefs over Bills
Texans over Colts
Eagles over Rams
Titans over Jaguars
Cardinals over Panthers
49ers over Seahawks
Chargers over Vikings
Giants over Redskins
Jets over Cowboys
Patriots over Dolphins
Broncos over Raiders                                         .        

Should Pitchers Be Eligible For the MVP Award?

Should pitchers be eligible for the MVP award? This is a question I’ve been asking for quite awhile now. Part of me says yes, pitchers should be eligible to win MVP, but then another part of me says no, pitchers have there own award. I’ll now go on to make my case on why pitchers should and shouldn’t be eligible for the MVP award.

Why Pitchers Should Be Eligible For MVP: Pitchers should be eligible for the MVP award because the MVP award signifies the most valuable player on a team. If a team makes the playoffs courtesy of their ace more then their best offensive player, their pitcher should win it depending how good his numbers are and how far ahead they were in the standings to end the season.

I bring this up because of the season the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander is having. The Tigers have a eight and a half game lead over the Whitesox in the AL Central. Justin Verlander’s numbers appear as such: 22-5 , 2.44 ERA , 232 K’s , 0.91 WHIP , 4 CG’s, 2 SO’s and 1 no hitter. It’s also only September 7th, Verlander could end up racking up 25 wins and 250+ K’s. Verlander leads the MLB in W’s , K’s , WHIP and is 2nd in ERA.

If the Tigers didn’t have Verlander, who knows where they are in the AL Central race, they could be 1-10 games out. Without Verlander, the Tigers go from 81-62 to 59-57. Of course a replacement would be in place and they’d be at 65-70 wins at least but then they would be somewhere between a few games out of first place to maybe a couple games up or tied for first maybe. It’s a big difference going from eight games ahead to a couple games out. Verlander is having his best season and seems to be locking up the Cy Young award. The Cy Young award, an award for the best pitcher, this is where i bring up my point on why pitchers shouldn’t be eligible for the MVP award.

Why Pitchers Shouldn’t Be Eligible for MVP: Pitchers have their own award, the Cy Young award. No hitters are eligible for this, only pitchers. This award honors the best pitcher in each league. In the AL there was a three way race in July between Verlander , the Yankees C.C Sabathia and the Angels Jered Weaver. Justin Verlander has been virtually untouchable all season and has started to run away with the award.

The Cy Young award shows the best pitchers, so shouldn’t the MVP honor the best hitter? I’ve heard many mixed views on if pitchers should be considered for the MVP also, more people saying no. The last pitcher to win the AL MVP was in 1992 when Dennis Eckersley won it in Oakland. The last time a pitcher won the NL MVP was in 1968 when Bob Gibson won it in St.Louis. It’s been a long time since a pitcher won either league’s MVP award. If the Cy Young is an award for the best pitcher, why shouldn’t the MVP be awarded to the best position player with the best offensive numbers?

This is why I think pitchers shouldn’t be eligible for the MVP award since they have their own award, the Cy Young. Then again, MVP does stand for Most.Valuable.PLAYER. If a pitcher has a ridiculously good season, better then any one position player, why shouldn’t he win the MVP? In my opinion, i think pitchers should be excluded from the MVP discussion and just stick with the Cy Young and let the position players battle it out for MVP. That’s just my take, what’s yours?

2011 NFL Predictions

The final preseason games have been played and it is finally time for the 2011 NFL Regular Season to begin. We are one day away from the first game of the season on Thursday where the New Orleans Saints will visit the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. I have completed my full predictions for the upcoming season and some may surprise. This is shaping up to be a great fun season ahead of us, so let's get the predictions rolling and have some fun! Here are my predictions, feel free to provide feedback and your own predictions. * indicates Wild Card team


NFC EAST:
1.Philadelphia Eagles 13-3
2.Dallas Cowboys 10-6 *
3.New York Giants 7-9
4.Washington Redskins 4-12


NFC NORTH:
1.Green Bay Packers 14-2
2.Detroit Lions 9-7
3.Chicago Bears 8-8
4.Minnesota Vikings 7-9


NFC SOUTH:
1.Atlanta Falcons 13-3
2.New Orleans Saints 11-5 *
3.Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-8
4.Carolina Panthers 3-13


NFC WEST:
1.Arizona Cardinals 10-6
2.St.Louis Rams 9-7
3.San Francisco 49ers 3-13
4.Seattle Seahawks 2-14


AFC EAST:
1.New England Patriots 13-3
2.New York Jets 12-4 *
3.Buffalo Bills 5-11
4.Miami Dolphins 5-11


AFC NORTH:
1.Pittsburgh Steelers 12-4
2.Baltimore Ravens 10-6 *
3.Cleveland Browns 8-8
4.Cincinnati Bengals 2-14


AFC SOUTH:
1.Houston Texans 11-5
2.Indianapolis Colts 7-9
3.Tennessee Titans 6-10
4.Jacksonville Jaguars 3-13


AFC WEST:
1.San Diego Chargers 11-5
2.Kansas City Chiefs 9-7
3.Denver Broncos 6-10
4.Oakland Raiders 2-14
____________________________________________________________


NFC PLAYOFFS:
3 Philadelphia defeats 6 Dallas
5 New Orleans defeats 4 Arizona


1 Green Bay defeats 5 New Orleans
2 Atlanta defeats 3 Philadelphia


2 Atlanta defeats 1 Green Bay
_____________________________________________________________


AFC PLAYOFFS:
3 San Diego defeats 6 Baltimore
5 New York defeats 4 Houston


5 New York defeats 1 New England
3 San Diego defeats 2 Pittsburgh


5 New York defeats 3 San Diego
______________________________________________________________


SUPER BOWL: 5 New York defeats 2 Atlanta


MVP: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers
Offensive Player Of The Year: Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles
Defensive Player Of The Year: Lions DT Ndamukong Suh
Coach Of The Year: Jim Schwartz Detroit Lions
Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Falcons WR Julio Jones
Defensive Rookie Of The Year: Broncos LB Von Miller
Comeback Player Of The Year: Jets WR Plaxico Burress
Executive Of The Year: Howie Roseman Philadelphia Eagles
Most Improved Team: Detroit Lions (Miss out on being NFC 6 Seed by virtue of losing to Dallas)
Most Disappointing Team: San Francisco 49ers


Cincinnati Bengals select Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the #1 overall pick in the 2012 Draft
Seattle Seahawks select Oklahoma QB Landry Jones with the #2 overall pick in the 2012 Draft.
Oakland Raiders select USC QB Matt Barkley with the #3 overall pick in the 2012 Draft. (Raiders turn Terrell Pryor into a WR)

NCAAF Top 10

The first week of college football is over and  three top 25 teams fell in there opening games. Now, for my first ever college football rankings, I will distribute a top 10 after week 1. Do I have any one team too high or too low? Let me know in the comments section.


1.Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) defeated Tulsa 47-14.
2.LSU Tigers (1-0) defeated Oregon 40-27
3.Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) defeated Kent State 48-7
4.Boise State Broncos (1-0) defeated Georgia 35-21
5.Florida State Seminoles (1-0) defeated UL-Monroe 34-0
6.Stanford Cardinals (1-0) defeated San Jose State 57-3
7.Texas A&M (1-0) defeated Southern Methodist 46-14
8.Wisconsin Badgers (1-0) defeated UNLV 51-17
9.Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) defeated Chattanooga 40-7
10.Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0) defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 61-34


Also receiving consideration for the top 10: Virginia Tech Hokies,Oregon Ducks & South Carolina Gamecocks

NCAAF Predictions

I'm not much of a NCAAF fan but i'm trying to get into it this year. I'll go on to make some predictions on this up coming season.

NATIONAL TITLE GAME: Oregon vs Boise State
ROSE BOWL GAME: Wisconsin vs Stanford
FIESTA BOWL: Oklahoma vs Virginia Tech
ORANGE BOWL: Florida State vs Texas A&M
SUGAR BOWL: Alabama vs Oklahoma State

HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER: Stanford QB Andrew Luck. 2nd - Oregon RB LaMichael James

SLEEPER TEAM: Michigan
DISAPPOINTMENT TEAM: Auburn
SLEEPER PLAYER: Michigan QB Denard Robinson
DISAPPOINTMENT PLAYER: Alabama RB Trent Richardson

AFC West Will Be An Interesting Division This Season

The 2011 NFL Regular Season is right around the corner. With just about almost every big named free agent signed, it's time to look at each division and see what teams will be vying for the division crown. In this piece i'll discuss why the AFC West is a division you should look at as the Chargers,Chiefs,Broncos and Raiders will be teams to watch out for. I will state the cases why each team could win the division.


San Diego Chargers - They have a top 10 QB in constant 4,000 yard passer Phillip Rivers. They have 6'5 WR Vincent Jackson back and to play a full season. They also re-signed 6'5 WR Malcon Floyd. Rivers is equipped with two very tall WR's which could post match up problems with opposing corner backs. He also has arguably the best tight end in the game in Antonio Gates. Also, the run game should be a solid force to with one year veteran Ryan Matthews being the #1 back now that Darren Sproles has bolted for New Orleans. If the defense replicates last years defense as being the #1 defense in football, they could make a serious case to be a top three team in the AFC and challenge for a Super Bowl berth. 


Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs won the AFC West last year in shocking fashion, surprising a lot of people. They have a solid QB in Matt Cassell, a top five RB in Jamaal Charlers and a under rated solid WR in Dwayne Bowe. They've added veteran WR Steve Breaston through free agency , defensive tackle Kelly Gregg from Baltimore and full back Le'Ron McClain from Baltimore. They've had a solid under the radar off season. I don't see why they can't possibly repeat as AFC West champs if the team plays at the same level as last year and shock the nation again. They had the 14th overall defense last season but with the addition of Gregg on the defensive line should be a big help and with Eric Berry having his first full season under his belt, the defense should be even better then 14th this year. If they can put it all together like last year, they should once again be a force in the AFC West.


Denver Broncos - They have a QB controversy with veteran Kyle Orton the projected starter but the fans want one year veteran Tim Tebow, who you never know could become the next Michael Vick as he can pass and run the ball. The WR's are solid with Brandon Lloyd,Eddie Royal and Demaryious Thomas. The run game should be solid with Knowshon Moreno and LenDale White. I really can't see the offense being much of a problem but it's the defense you have to pay attention to as they had the 31st rush defense and 25th pass defense, both together gave them the worst overall defense last season. They didn't make no big changes to the defense except for adding line backer Von Miller out of Texas A&M with the #2 overall pick in the 2011 draft. With Denver's offensive options, i can see them putting up points but the defense has to be better after how bad they were last year.


Oakland Raiders - They had the 11th overall defense last year but they lost their star corner back in Nnamdi Asomugha when he went to Philadelphia this off season. Their rush defense was 25th even with the pass defense being second. Now with Asomugha out of Oakland, expect the defense to get a lot worse after not picking up no one of significance this off season. The offense is a mess as well with no consistent guy but Jason Campbell looks to be their man. The running game was second with Darren McFadden being a beast and even when he was injured for parts of the season, backup Michael Bush carried the load and did as well as McFadden. If the run game has the same success, they will be a strong force and be able to disrupt even the best rush defenses. They got a nice young WR core with Darius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy, and Jacoby Ford. They finished the 2010 season with an 8-8 record but they swept their other AFC West rivals. 6-0 in the division but only 2-8 outside of their division. They are always a good upset specialist but don't fall in love with them because they are a inconsistent football team but could surprise and make a case for a AFC West title if they can beat teams outside of their division. 

Rockies Trade Ace Ubaldo Jimenez To The Cleveland Indians

In what became the biggest trade at the trading deadline, the Colorado Rockies traded their ace pitcher 27 year old Ubaldo Jimenez to the Cleveland Indians for four prospects, two being highly ranked pitching prospects. The Rockies fell out of contention after a hot start to the season. The Indians, who i don't think were given a chance to be a playoff team this year started the season off hot and have maintained pace in the AL Central although they are two games out of first place behind the Detroit Tigers currently. They have surprised many people with there great play through the first four months of the season. Now that they are out of first place, which they were in for a majority of the first three and a half months of the season, they needed a front line starter to solidify their rotation. Now they got one in Ubaldo Jimenez. They did give up a hefty package of prospects to obtain Jimenez, including pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. In the deal, Colorado also got back pitcher Joe Gardner and utility man Matt McBride. White was rated the 47th best prospect entering 2011 according to Baseball America and Pomeranz the 61st best prospect. McBride was having a solid season at AA Akron batting .297 with 14 HRs , 53 RBIs and a .359 OBP , .535 SLUG equating into a .894 OPS, which got him a promotion to AAA Columbus where he has started off very slow in 12 games so far. Gardner isn't having such a good season so far in AA Akron where he is sporting a 7-8 record and a 4.99 ERA. He has 60 strikeouts and 47 walks in 97.1 innings. He also has a 1.59 WHIP which is not good at all. The Indians made this deal so they have Jimenez for two more years after this year and so they can have a legit ace to help them get to the playoffs and win the AL Central division. A 1-2 punch of Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson isn't bad for a young upstart team chasing a playoff spot. Many people say why would the Rockies trade Jimenez who is still under control through next year with a $5.75 million club option for 2013 and $8 million club option for 2014. Well Jimenez had a Cy Young caliber 2010 season going 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA striking out 214 batters to go along with a 1.15 WHIP. He finished third in Cy Young voting. This season he is 6-9 with 4.46 ERA with 118 K's in 123 innings and a 1.37 WHIP. He has lost 3 MPH off his fastball and he has been more wild. There are concerns there is something wrong with his arm but nothing has come up this season. People think he was just a one year wonder and is falling apart at a young age and don't know how a 27 year old pitcher can lose 3 MPH off his fastball. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd was smart to pull the trigger on the deal with the Indians as he gets back four prospects and two big ones that can replenish there system and be future top of the rotation starters for them. Alex White and Drew Pomeranz project to be top of the rotation starters and possible sure fire #1's. Pomeranz has shown to be a strikeout machine in the minors posting 11.1 K's per 9 innings in high A ball and 10.9 K's in AA ball. Alex White is a ground ball pitcher with an alright K's rate. For the Rockies to get these two pitching prospects means a lot because now they get rid of possible damaged goods in Ubaldo Jimenez and get two top flight prospects back and two other solid minor pieces for the future. With Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez anchoring the offense in the major league level and no big named pitchers on the Rockies staff, they will have two possible future aces join the staff in 2012 along with injured Jorge De La Rosa. Barring any injuries, both White and Pomeranz should be at the major league level together by opening day 2013. White is already up in the majors and Pomeranz recently was promoted to AA. Gardner is projected to possibly be a solid bullpen guy come in the future and by the way McBride is hitting in the minors, he could maybe make a splash in the majors not too long from now. The Indians simply made this deal to show the fans they are committed to winning this year and in the coming years. It's a risky move by Cleveland to trade for a guy who has lost 3 mph off his fastball and give up four prospects with two being top 75 pitching prospects. It's a solid trade by Colorado as they get really solid pieces for the future for a guy who may be breaking down at a young age. If everything pans out well for the Rockies, they will have made a great trade when they look back on this in a few years. Great trade for Colorado it looks to me and we will have to wait and see how Ubaldo adjusts to a new league,division and batters to see if Cleveland also made a good deal. It's a deal both teams, to me, had to make.