4th and Long

The Ravens Redemption

By Caleb Musselman

Last week Ryan gave his preview of the AFC championship game and I did the NFC preview. This week we decided to swap stories and critique each other’s work. Before I begin, I would like to quickly respond to Ryan’s comment about my picks. I chose the Patriots because Ryan chose the Ravens. My head said Patriots, but my heart said Ravens. If we both chose the same teams, where’s the fun in that? From now on I’ll ignore my head and go with my heart every time. Maybe.

Photo Cred www.chuvachienes.com

            So, what did Ryan predict? And what actually happened? First, he said the Patriots needed to establish the ground attack. The three-headed rushing attack of Ridley, Vereen and Woodhead combined for a total of 97 yards on the ground (and 1 fumble). By all accounts, not a great game for the Patriots backfield. However, upon further review, Ridley received 18 carries for 70 yards for a 3.8 yards per carry average, a solid day in the backfield considering he was up against the Ravens D. Vereen and Woodhead combined for only 7 carries in the game, proving that they were not used enough to make a legitimate impact. With Gronkowski out, the Patriots needed their ground attack to step up. However, with Tom Brady playing the worst game of his postseason career, the running game could hardly save this New England team from impending failure.

            Second, Ryan said the Ravens needed to connect early and often on the deep ball to exploit the Patriots shaky secondary. According to sportsonearth.com, in 2012, the Ravens attempted 47 passes of more than 30 yards, completing 12 of them. Further, 20 of those passes were overthrows by the strong arm of Flacco. However, with the speed of Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones, and the leaping ability of Anquan Boldin, Flacco was able to capitalize much more consistently on the long passes towards the end of the season (particularly against Indy and Denver). I believe Ryan was spot on with this key; however, as Sunday rolled around, the weather did not agree. With gusts of over 20-25 miles an hour, Flacco’s attempts at the long pass were sent spiraling out of bounds or far beyond his intended targets. In fact, Flacco’s longest pass completion in the game was to Boldin for 26 yards.

Photo Cred www.nesncom.files.wordpress.com

            However, Flacco’s willingness to throw the deep ball opened up enormous opportunities to exploit the underside of this Patriots secondary. Although he only had 240 yards passing, his three TD’s show that willingness to stick to the game plan paid off in a big way.

            Finally, Ryan predicted a spirited Ravens team to stand behind Ray Lewis and beat the Patriots with a last second field goal. Now, this Baltimore team did play for Ray on Sunday. However, this defense played so well, that they put Tom Brady to bed in the beginning of the 4th quarter. No need for heroic redemption for Justin Tucker, Brady forgot he had to play the second half of this one.

Photo Cred www.gannet-cdn.com

            All in all, a solid call by Ryan on this game. Not even the most prophetic of sports analysts would have called Brady throwing for 140 yards/0 TD’s/2 interceptions. You went with your heart and it came through for you.

            Finally, there is one thing you hit absolutely spot on. Ray Lewis is an absolute monster who will not go down without a fight. In fact, I’m not convinced he’ll go down unless he puts himself down. This man is an inspirational leader who has made some big mistakes in his life. A mistake is a mistake no matter how big or small, so if any of you are perfect, feel free to speak up. *crickets* That’s what I thought.

4th and Long

49ers Strike Gold

By Ryan Frisco

Before I get into any football talk, I just need to announce one thing; I was perfect on my NFL picks this past weekend, going 2 for 2 with the Ravens and 49ers.  Caleb missed on the Patriots game.  That's it.

So to spice things up, I'm going to review the game Caleb previewed last week, and he's going to review mine.  This should be fun.

The San Francisco 49ers came into the Georgia Dome to take on the number one seed Atlanta Falcons and ended Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez's storybook run.  Last year, Alex Smith fell short.  This year, Colin Kaepernick got the job done.

I read over Caleb's preview of the game, and what he said was surprisingly spot on to what actually happened.  Let's take a look at what he said would be happening Sunday night.

Photo Cred www.csnbaltimore.com

First up was an expectation of fantastic quarterback play, highlighting Matt Ryan with his receiving core of Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez.  Matt Ryan threw for 396 yards.  Those three receivers combined for 360 of those yards, with three touchdowns.  Good start Caleb!

In regards to Kaepernick, the preview stated he would continue his excellent play.  Also, we should have been looking for a breakout game from Vernon Davis, who has been stalled as of late.  Well, Kaep continued to play well.  With no turnovers, he played the game very similar to how we're used to seeing Alex Smith play, by controlling the game well.  And, Vernon Davis had an amazing game, with 106 yards and a touchdown! Ta dah!  Well done Caleb.

Next, we saw what was expected, an above average rushing game that gave San Francisco the edge.  49er runners accounted for 150 yards and three touchdowns, with Atlanta gaining half the yardage and no scores.  Without the ground game, the Falcons couldn't control the game, and it got out of hand.

Photo Cred www.cnn.com

While Caleb felt the San Fran D Line would be too much for Matt Ryan to handle, the first half showed  the Atlanta quarterback doing pretty much anything he wanted.  There was only one sack on Ryan in the game.  They did force a big fumble on Ryan that took away any momentum the Falcons had in the second half.  Overall, the second half defense for San Fran was stellar, shutting Atlanta out.

Caleb's fourth expectation was that Atlanta would have a quick start.  And, like they did all season, they did.  After the first play in the second quarter, they had a 17-0 lead.  At the half, it was 24-7.  Caleb, you're 3 for 4 right now

The fifth and final prediction was that this game would be entertaining.  Perfect.  Entertaining from beginning till end.  From Caleb's preview article;

" Atlanta will use the home crowd to keep pace with San Francisco throughout this heavyweight battle, but Kaepernick and the 49ers D will come out the victors."

Photo Cred www.global14.com

Atlanta jumped out to an early lead, winning the first half 24-7.  San Francisco battled back behind the steady hand of Colin Kaepernick and won the second half 21-0, and the game 28-24.  Caleb, you called the 4 point victory perfectly.  Well done, well done.  I enjoyed watching your expectations come true.

One more prediction from me: Tony Gonzalez will not retire.  He is a top three tight end at the ripe age of 36.  He'll be back next year for 'one' more shot at the Big Game.

Showcase Showdown

In this section we will take a controversial topic and argue both sides against one another.

2012 NFL MVP: Adrian Peterson or Peyton Manning
By Ryan Frisco and Caleb Musselman

Photo Cred www.elitedaily.com

Caleb - I side with AP
Ryan - I’m taking Peyton

Ryan - Peyton Manning is the obvious choice for MVP this season.  He took a Denver Broncos team that barely made .500 last season in the weakest Division in football to an NFL best 13-3 record and the top seed in the AFC.  All this after four neck fusion surgeries.  How can you argue against that?

Caleb - Easy. You said it yourself. Peyton plays in the weakest division in football. Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders. Those last 3 teams could make their own Comedy Club. Peyton came to an already established team that went 9-7 with Tim Tebow at the helm. Yes, Tim Tebow. Adrian Peterson (AP) is on another level. After tearing his ACL and MCL last December, many questioned if he’d ever be the same. Well, all he did was set his own personal record for yards in a season and came up just 9 yards short of breaking the All-time record. On top of that, Peterson plays in arguably the best division in the NFL right now. Have you changed your mind yet?

Ryan - No, not yet.  Yes, I’ll admit, All Day had an amazing year.  But let’s rewind back to, say, Week 6?  Do we remember who one of the top candidates in the MVP running was at that point?  Percy Harvin.  The Vikings, in one of the NFL’s greatest divisions, was sitting on top with a 5-1 record.  And, before he got hurt, it was all thanks to Percy Harvin, not Adrian Peterson.  So, Percy takes credit for the first half, Peterson for the second.  If a good second half counts so much, let’s put Kaep and RGIII in the running. Not to mention they lost their first playoff game with Christian Ponder unable to play, which means it wasn’t ALL Peterson carrying them to victory.  Peyton Manning won the last 11 games of the year.  Story over.

Caleb - If AP didn’t play this year, there is no doubt in my mind that Peyton would deserve the MVP. Peyton’s 11 game win streak to finish the season was pretty stellar. However, if you take a look at their opponents over that span, it starts to make more sense: KC x2, SD x2, OAK, CAR, CLE, TB, NO, CIN, BAL. Only the last three there had any realistic chance of competing with this team. That’s a very soft schedule to end the year, and a few weak teams to pump up Peyton’s season stats before he bit the bullet in the playoffs. Here are a list of the defenses that AP sliced through during the final 8 weeks of the regular season: SEA, DET, CHI, GB, CHI, STL, HOU, GB. Not such an easy schedule. Did I mention in only one of those starts did he average less than 5 YPC? To come off an injury and challenge a seemingly untouchable rushing record in a passing generation is hall-of-fame worthy. Peyton and Adrian will see each other in the Hall, but this MVP goes to AP.

Ryan - Caleb, this is my last stab at it.  You make great points and valid points.  Yes, Peterson did play an overall tougher line of defense down the stretch.  Yes, he did shred them to pieces.  What AP did this year is beyond remarkable and I agree with that 100%.  You said it for me though, this is a passing generation.  We’re talking about an MVP award here; Most Valuable Player to his team.  What Adrian did is spectacular, but it is an individual feat.  The team fed him the ball as much as possible those last few games in big part so he could break that record.  He came close, but so have others in this newfound passing generation.  See CJ2K and Jamal Lewis.  Individual feats are great.  Team feats are better.  In this era, the Quarterback is the most valuable player on the field.  If they don’t get the job done, the team almost always won’t.  The team couldn’t lean on AP in the playoffs without Ponder.  Manning did his job; Rahim Morris blew a Super Bowl chance for him.  Bring on MVPx5.  Caleb, you may have the last word.  I expect you will give in and applaud me.

Caleb - The Vikings were 3-13 in 2011. The Broncos were 9-7 in 2011. Enough said......but I’ll say more. Without Peyton, the Broncos were good enough to beat the Steelers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Without a healthy AP, the Vikings muddled through a tragic season. In 2012, Peyton took an already playoff ready team to the #1 seed in the AFC and a Divisional Round exit. In the same calendar year, AP came back from an often career ending injury and placed the Vikings in the mix for the NFC North, and eventually a Wild Card spot that they had no business occupying. From 3-13 to 10-6. And this question is still being asked? Who is more valuable to their team? Some people in Denver are asking for Tebow back after Peyton’s lackluster performance against Baltimore. This time I’m serious, enough said.

Well that’s that.  What do you think?  Does Manning deserve a 5th? AP his first?  Or maybe someone else?  Vote in the poll on the right side of this blog!

Rounding the Bases

Preseason National League Power Rankings

By Caleb Musselman

            

The National League may have its standout offensive players, but this half of the league is dominated by the man on the mound. In the 2012 world series, the San Francisco pitching staff scoffed at the bats of the streaking Tigers en route to a scintillating 4 game sweep of Miguel Cabrera and his large partner Prince Fielder (the most un-athletic athlete in professional sports). Side note: Watching Fielder run the bases is my favorite form of comedy.

            In a year dominated by Cabrera’s Triple Crown and Trout Web Gems, the National League snuck in and stole another world series on strong pitching, brilliant defense and the pre-game speeches of Hunter Pence. If last year taught baseball fans anything, it should be that an all-star offensive lineup does not guarantee success. The Giants showed that any team can find the offensive magic when they have the best top to bottom pitching staff in the league.

Photo Cred blog.pennlive.com

            Now, as we stand just a few short months away from the 2013 season, it is time to rank our top 5 teams in the National League.

1.  Nationals - This Nationals squad is something special. In my 12 years of true fanhood, I have never seen a team this young with such a promising future. Strasburg, Gonzalez and Zimmermann highlight a rotation that is simply superb. With the acquisition of Rafael Soriano from New York, the back end of the Nationals bullpen looks just as lethal as their starting rotation. The beautiful piece of the Soriano pickup is that it comes with a buffer. If Rafael underperforms, Tyler Clippard (who saved 32 games for the Nats last season) will move back into the closing role, and Drew Storen moves to the 8th inning. That’s security. At the plate, Harper will only get better, and believe me, as a Phillies fan, that is a scary thought. If Strasburg can stay healthy and Jayson Werth can hit above .275, I don’t see this team winning less than 100 games.

Photo Cred www.yahoosports.com

2.  Giants - This Giants team seems to defy the ordinary. Built on the backbone of strong pitching, they have created a franchise that is a consistent contender year after year. Even more than the Nationals, the Giants survive on the strength of their pitching staff. Matt Cain supplanted himself into the conversation of top 3 starting pitchers this past season and the backend of their bullpen is unstoppable. There are a few serious questions for the Giants. (a) Will Lincecum bounce back? Huge question. He is critical to their rotation and without him they are only a wild card team behind the Dodgers. (b) Can their limited offensive weapons sustain them throughout an entire year? Posey is only getting better, but Brandon Belt will have to make a serious impact at the plate for them this season. Strong defense, immaculate pitching, and consistent clutch hitting will have San Fran back in the NLCS come next October.

Photo Cred www.blogs.ajc.com

3.  Braves - I hope you are noticing a trend in the top 3 teams. It is all about pitching in the NL. I have been picking the Braves to win the World Series the past 2 years, and, like the Nats, they are only getting better with age. A stellar rotation combined with the best setup-closer duo in the MLB (Venters-Kimbrel) make this team just as dynamic as Washington. The acquisition of B.J. Upton vaults them ahead of the Phillies in the NL East and greatly increases their speed on the base paths, which is already dynamite. If Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward have solid offensive seasons, watch out, Atlanta could very well take the Pennant.

Photo Cred www.zimbio.com

4.  Dodgers - The Dodgers, just like the Lakers, are trying to buy the Title. Thus far with the Lakers, it has failed miserably. I highly doubt this team because I have never been a proponent of this style of management, but I must put them in my top 5. They are just too dynamic offensively to leave out. Top to bottom, they look like an All-star team. My guess is that they’ll battle San Fran tooth and nail for that division. But only Hanley’s inconsistent play can determine this team’s fate. I wouldn’t put my money on them, but don’t be surprised if they’re playing in the Fall Classic come next October.

5.  Reds - It was a toss-up between Philadelphia and Cincinnati for the fifth spot in my rankings. But I figured I’d swallow my pride and give the NL Central an ounce of credit. I don’t think this Cincinnati team has what it takes in mental toughness to win it all, but they sure are fun to watch. Incredibly talented, this team lacks the consistency and stability to be a serious contender but they could easily win 90 to 95 games.

Honorable mentions - Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers, Pirates.

            Pitching will win the Pennant this year, it is yet to be seen if it can capture the precious. After all, those Angels are looking mighty powerful. Strike three, I’m out of words. 

Rounding the Bases

Preseason American League Power Rankings

By Ryan Frisco

The 2012 baseball season was one for the ages, especially for the American League.  We saw Miguel Cabrera win the first Triple Crown (league leader in Average, Home Runs and Runs Batted In) for either league since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967, one of the sport's greatest feats.  Mike Trout was introduced to the league as Center Fielder for the Angels, and wowed the world.  Between his weekly web gems gracing the SportsCenter Top 10 plays and his hitting ability both for average and power (not to mention his speed on the bases), it's obvious Trout will be around as an elite force for years to come.  

Photo Cred www.cbssports.com

And with all that talent and records set, the American League still missed out on the greatest feat last season; victory in the World Series.  The Detroit Tigers fell short of the title, as the National League took it home for the third year in a row.  And they let pitchers hit.

With the 2013 campaign fast approaching and players gearing up for Spring Training, let's take a look at who I believe are the Top 5 candidates to bring glory back to the better division in baseball.

1. New York Yankees - As much as personal bias is against the Yankees, I can't argue with the truth; they're good.  The Yankees always find a way to win.  As long as I've been alive, they have owned the league.  Derek Jeter rejuvenated his career last season.  Hopefully he can come back from his ankle injury.  Mark Teixeira has the power, along with Curtis Granderson.  Robinson Cano is still the best second baseman in the league.  Oh, and there's also Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki and Kevin Youkliss.  Seriously, how can this team not be in the conversation again this season?

Photo Cred sportsillustrated.cnn.com

2. Los Angeles Angels - Last year was tough for LA, who had high hopes early, but had trouble getting going.  It was obvious later in the year what talent they had, and they almost made a run.  This year will be good.  Listen to this outfield; Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout and Vernon Wells.  Oh yeah, they also have Albert Pujols, too.  With a strong enough pitching rotation to get them through the season, expect this team to be a powerhouse in the American League.  I would be surprised if they aren't battling to go to the World Series this year.

3. Oakland Athletics - The A's don't have a stacked roster.  There's no home run king or obvious MVP candidates.  These player's baseball cards aren't even worth investing in.  But starpower doesn't have anything to do with winning, and that's what this team does.  Oakland is a young, feisty, spunky team that gets the job done.  They had a great end of the year run last season to take the A.L. West Crown, and it's looking to me like that momentum will continue into 2013.

4. Baltimore Orioles - I know, I know, of course I'm going to put Baltimore in this list.  Okay, yes I may be biased because I'm a lifelong Orioles fan.  But come on, did you see what they did last year?!  Fourteen straight years of well below .500 baseball, and they come out and make the playoffs!  The O's exciting run ended at the hand of Raul Ibanez (all the credit to him, none to the Yankees) but these were huge steps they took.  Most of the pieces from last year are returning.  This team is young and they are talented; they'll be around for more than a year or two, especially with Buck Showalter at the helm.

Photo Cred www.sfgate.com

5. Boston Red Sox - This pick was tough.  I'm counting it as my dark horse this year.  Boston's had a couple rough seasons here, which doesn't happen often.  I don't think they can be kept down any longer.  They have the pitching.  They've got good hitting, and a few new big names this off season makes me believe they are revving up for a spurt of greatness this year.  It's a long shot at best, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Boston high up on the list come September.

I left out some great teams, I know.  Texas has lost too much talent the past two years.  Seattle is not ready yet.  Toronto is still just so so and Tampa hasn't done anything to better their roster.  The A.L. Central is still well sub par to the others.  My picks are probably completely wrong.  But one thing's for sure, 2013 will break records.  What will go down this year?  A home run record?  Maybe the all time team wins in a seaon?  Or maybe one of the more dubious records, like most losses or strikeouts?  It's time to PLAY BALL!

Domination Station

The Brothers' Grimm

By Caleb Musselman

This segment is dedicated each week to an athlete who dominated their sport that week

Photo Cred www.gamedayr.com

            A few times every decade, a pair of brothers make it to the professional level. In the NHL, the Staal family has defied the odds by taking the league by storm and placing four brothers at the highest level of competition. In the NBA, Marc and Pau Gasol made history by being the first pair of European brothers to not only play, but excel at the highest level. Now, all of these accomplishments are impressive, but in the NFL there stands a brother tandem that sets itself apart on the domination scale.

            Jim and John Harbaugh are the only logical choice for our first Domination Station. According to thesportsdigest.com, the odds of a high school senior varsity football player eventually being drafted into the NFL stands at .08%. A puny percentage compared to the plethora of self-identified all-stars across the nation who have dreams of professional stardom. Unfortunately for more than 99% of high school players, the varsity jacket and football will be traded for a suit jacket and desktop by the time they reach the age of RGIII.

Photo Cred www.fox59.com

             
          Now, try to get your mind around this. There are 53 players on each NFL team; however, each team has only one head coach. Thus, each high school varsity football player has roughly a 0.0015% chance of becoming a head coach. Obviously this is a rough calculation, however the point is not to be pin-point precise. The point is to show just how unbelievably unlikely it is for two brothers to become head coaches in the NFL.

            Now, you might be thinking, “what about the Ryan Brothers”? There is an enormous difference between two coaches making the league because of something their father did, and what the Harbaughs have done. Rex and Bobby have, in my opinion, displayed embarrassingly poor coaching skills in their respective jobs. On top of that, they have taken once thriving positions in NY and Dallas and made themselves the laughing stock of much of the league. This does not constitute brotherly domination. This constitutes two brothers who made it into the coaching sphere on the coattails of there father’s success.

Photo Cred www.facebook.com

            Now back to the Harbaughs. Check out some of these numbers...John Harbaugh (age 50), just 5 years into his first coaching stint in Baltimore has a career record of 54-26. He has captured the AFC North 3 out of those 5 years, and possibly more impressive, he has won at least 1 playoff game in each of these 5 years.

            Jim Harbaugh (age 49), just 2 years into the NFL coaching realm has taken the league by storm. After dominating at Stanford for 4 years, James Joseph Harbaugh decided to take his talents to Candlestick. His first year he posted an average 13-3 record (sarcasm noted), and fell just one game short of the Super Bowl with an average quarterback (sorry Alex Smith). His second year, with a major quarterback change and a more competitive NFC West, Harbaugh led the 49ers to an 11-4-1 season. In case you don’t have a calculator handy, that makes for an amazing .750 winning percentage in his first two seasons in San Francisco. That’s domination.

            Clearly with these two brothers, winning is first priority. Now, this titanic matchup between the Brothers’ Grimm on February 3rd in Super Bowl XLVII promises to be one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory.

Photo Cred www.mirror.co.uk

            Will John play the big brother role and beat up on little Jimmy just like the old days? Or will Jimmy show he’s all grown up and extend the undefeated Super Bowl streak to 6 for San Francisco? One thing is clear, we are in for a wild ride. The Harbaughs have established themselves as arguably the best 1-2 coaching tandem in the NFL, and in case you forgot, they are pretty new to this. With only 7 years total experience between the two of them, the wins will continue to pile up and the Super Bowl rings will likely multiply. Expect the domination to continue for many years to come. Bring on the Harbowl baby. 

Hot/Not

Some of these athletes dominated their sport this week...some of them did not

Hot

Mante Te'o's Girlfriend - She's so far off the hot-ometer that she doesn't even exist.

Photo Cred www.dailymail.co.uk

Sloane Stephens - Huge win for the 19 year-old against Serena Williams at the Australian Open. In her words, "I hope this gets me more twitter followers".

Atlanta Braves - Seriously upgrading the outfield by picking up the Upton brothers. Watch out NL East. 

Colin Kaepernick - Breaking records against the Packers, going to the Super Bowl in his 9th start...

Ray Lewis - Dude's got the entire Ravens team rallied around him.  He's on fire!

Not

Flyers - The Broad Street Bullies have been tossed around in their first 3 games resulting in a rancid 0-3 start. 

Lakers - Record 17-25. The Lakers haven't lost 25 games in a season in 5 years.

Photo Cred www.bleacherreport.com

Dwight Howard - Last night he scored 2 points and collected 2 rebounds. Plus, he picked up another injury. Things are getting embarrassing in LA. 

Lance Armstrong - It's bad enough Lance lied and doped for all those years.  Then he goes crawling to Oprah.

Mante Te'o - We feel for this guy.  He was Catfished.  But we have to say, seriously?!