10 Most Memorable Sports Stories

10.   Linsanity

Hey remember Linsanity?  Jeremy Lin took the league by storm as a last ditch replacement and he saved the New York Knicks season.  The man was basically Tim Tebow but almost worth the hype.  After Lin’s incredible start to his career where he was able to put up a PER of 19.9, which in case you are wondering is quite good.  He missed a decent chunk of the season because of injuries and missed the post season.  He controversially left New York because of petty argumentation as James Dolan didn’t like that Lin tried to get a good deal and wasn’t eternally grateful to the team.  He has struggled a bit this season adjusting to playing with James Harden but the talent is still evident and the pairing seems to be improving.

9.       Miraculous Recoveries

Well 2012 seem poised to be a passing of the guard in football.  Peyton Manning looked to be done as a quarterback in general and Adrian Peterson was supposed to take some time recovering from injury.  Neither of these has happened as both these players have returned completely to form.  They are the top 2 candidates for MVP and Comeback Player of the Year.  They are probably the best quarterback and running back in football respectively and have just been pure joy to watch play this season.  To watch two of the greatest of all time compete at a level like this when neither was expected to be the same player ever again is exciting for the future of sports.  Expectations of recovery times are changing and the impact of injuries on careers.

8.       New Dodgers

As a franchise the Dodgers have changed dramatically quite quickly.  Up until May 1^st this team was one of the most dysfunctional sports franchises out there.  The McCourt family destroyed the storied franchise and seemed to leave it for dead.  Then the Magic Johnson “led” group bought the team and everything changed.  The team basically became the Yankees on steroids.  As every other team in baseball attempts to get under the punitive luxury tax line the Dodgers completely ignore it.  They seem to have no budget and have made the craziest trade deadline and offseason moves.  They traded for Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino before the deadline. They basically bought Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford from the “large” spenders the Boston Red Sox.  They then went out this offseason to sign Zach Greinke to a massive contract.  At some point all of these moves have been criticized but the way to look at it from a completely different perspective.  Every team in the history of sports in some way has operated under a budget, and while some are significantly larger than others it does in fact exist.  That doesn’t seem to exist for the Dodgers.  There seems to be no limit to how much this team is willing to spend so that should completely recalibrate our mindset about the team going forward and how they make decisions.

7.       Trout vs. Cabrera

The most intellectually frustrating story of the entire year was Mike Trout’s inability to win MVP award in a year he clearly deserved it.  This story spawned articles form both Taylor and I talking about it’s the ridiculousness of it all and the dismay we felt over it.  Also if you haven’t noticed read Taylor’s 2012 awards then check them out because he mentions this quite frequently, the Hungry Dog Blog has a huge crush on Mike Trout.  Really though it was a sad story where a community of baseball writers and analysts continue to ignore the statistic revolution in baseball and insult those who have embraced it.  You would think for baseball statistician turned political blogger Nate Silver nailing his 2012 election predictions would have helped with that, but it seemed to have little impact.  While the movement has made much headway and many now understand advanced statistics important, especially those inside baseball, the sad part becomes when prominent writers who cover the sport don’t understand it.  Let’s also never forget this is the year that Mike Trout became the best player in all of baseball and took the sport over. 

6.       Bounty Gate

There were a lot of scandals in football this season between the replacement refs and miraculous recoveries, but there might have been nothing stranger than Bounty Gate.  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell found out that former Saints Defensive Coordinator ran a bounty program when there and decided to act swiftly.  He decided to suspend Williams indefinitely, Head Coach Sean Payton for a full season, a half season for General Manager Mickey Loomis, and 6 games for assistant head coach Joe Vitt.  That was fine and fair for a horrible program.  However what Goodell did to the players was unforgiveable.  He suspended Jonathon Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita without really looking into it and investigating at all.  These players all appealed vigorously and were willing to testify under oath that they led any program.  Scott Fujita wasn’t even involved with it and ended up being suspended.  Eventually Goodell had to call in former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to clean up his mess as he rescinded the suspension of all the players involved.  Combining this scandal with the replacement ref debacle really made a strong case for worst commissioner in sports. 

5.       NHL Lockout

However as hard as Goodell tried he couldn’t take the award away for worst commissioner in sports, seemingly annual winner Gary Bettman outdid himself as it looks to throw away its 2^nd season in 8 years.  This lockout has the potential to cripple the sport that was just beginning to recovery from the last one which devastated the league.  It will likely lose all the casual fans it has regained.  This is an ideal time for the league to showcase itself, it has good teams in big markets like Los Angeles, New York and Boston, it has arguably the best player since Gretzky in his prime in Crosby and yet there is no hockey to be watched.  This is destroying careers, for most players it really isn’t worth it at all to miss a full season of income considering the majority of NHL careers are quite short.  Really the lockout is just a total disaster for all involved owners, players and fans, it just plain sucks, there are people who want it back, the problem for the league might be there just aren't enough.

4.       Sandusky Scandal

There was no scandal that was sadder as the year progressed then the Sandusky Scandal.  This scandal destroyed the lives of all of Sandusky’s victims and had a profound impact on Penn St.  Between Paterno’s firing in 2011 and death in 2012 this scandal destroyed his reputation and everything he had built.  Sandusky being found guilty and going to jail the rest of his life.  The scandal was sad from every angle.  My deepest sympathy goes out to all the victims who were harmed over the years.  There is also the impact that the scandal had on Penn St.  All involved with the scandal were fired and Penn St. was fined for its wrong doing, all reasonable punishments.  Then we get to the non-reasonable punishments placed on Penn St’s football program.  They received a 4 year postseason ban, and many scholarships were taken away, which would all be fine if they were punishing people who did something wrong.  Literally the only people punished in this situation are Penn St Football players and their new coach Bill O’Brien.  They did nothing wrong but are being punished.  It was quite impressive how the team banded together under O’Brien as he led them to an impressive 8-4 season. 

3.       Usain Bolt’s Olympics

This is the even that I will always remember the 2012 Olympics for.  Not Lebron leading the US to gold, not Phelps and Lochte going at it in the pool, Missy Franklin dominating swimming events while still in high school, Gabby Douglass becoming America’s sweetheart or even McKayla Maroney’s face.  No what my enduring memory will be is the self-proclaimed “most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen” living up to his own billing.  I’m not a track and field guy, and am someone who will honestly say that he only watches it every 4 years during the Olympics.  Watching Usain Bolt run though is just the most insane sight to see.  The way he accelerates through the pack is incredible and just doesn’t seem human.  The run itself and the way he did it was what was most memorable.  The man is the cockiest man on the face of the planet, but for some reason this rubs no one the wrong way, including myself, and only adds to his likeability and the amazement of watching him.  He has a charisma that is quite telling even on television and the fact that he is the greatest runner the human race has ever seen only adds to the wonder.  I will remember watching Usain Bolt run, those less than 10 seconds when he blew away the field will be my most memorable 10 seconds of the year. 

2.       Super Bowl

Look every single year the Super Bowl is going to be a major story.  This is especially true if it involves two of the league’s most talked about franchises playing in a rematch of arguably the greatest Super Bowl of all time.  The best part was that the game didn’t disappoint, well except for Patriots fans.  The Giants got a thrilling victory led by the one-of-a-kind Eli Manning, and the ferocious front 4.  The Giants honestly might be the worst Super Bowl team ever though considering this was a team that got outscored in the regular season before miraculously turning it on and not only sneaking into the playoffs but getting to and winning the Super Bowl.  The Patriots were a dominant team that lost because their top target Rob Gronkowski was clearly playing severely injured during the Super Bowl and was quite limited.  The Patriots lack of post Spy Gate Super Bowl wins continue and Bills fan could take solace in that. 

1.       Year of Lebron

Usain Bolt may claim to be the “most naturally gifted athlete the world has ever seen” but in reality that honor belongs to one Lebron James.  Now to the terror of the rest of the NBA Lebron seems to have fully figured out how to maximize his gifts and play like one of the all-time greats in league history.  The year was quite a trial for Lebron as well.  He was on the brink of defeat against both the Pacers and the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Finals respectively.  The Skip Bayless led criticism of his “clutchness” seems to be pointing toward possibly being true before Lebron decided that it wouldn’t.  He had all-time great performances in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals before his dominant NBA Finals.  O after that NBA season where he destroyed all his demons, won MVP, and won Finals MVP he went out and dominated the Olympics.  He was clearly the leader of the team and was the team “closer” who took over any time a game seemed to be in question.  This was the year of Lebron; he won the much deserved Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.  When we think back at this year I think we’re going to remember it above all else for being the year Lebron James figured it out and took the NBA over. 

Also Mike Trout is awesome! Never ever forget this fact!

Stay Hungry My Friends and Happy New Year

First Annual Hungry Dog Blog Awards: 2012's Finest in Sports

Hello everyone and welcome to the first-annual Hungry Dog Blog Awards! 2012 was quite the exciting year in sports; thus deciding who would win each award wasn’t easy. In fact, I felt compelled to include honorable mentions with nearly every award. So, without further interruption, here are your 2012 Hungry Dog Blog Award winners.

STORY DIVISION:

Feel good storyline of the year: With all due respect to R.A. Dickey, the feel good story of 2012 has to be everything surrounding the Indianapolis Colts. From Tony Dungy to Peyton Manning to Jim Caldwell, the Colts organization has always been synonymous with character and good will. This year may have topped all of those previous Colts teams in terms of sympathetic backers. The Colts have gone from 2-14 laughingstocks to 10-5 playoff contenders all while suffering through the loss of first-year coach Chuck Pagano to chemotherapy treatments. Bruce Arians took over and along with rookie Andrew Luck has led the Colts back to the playoffs. But now he will step down as Pagano is fully healthy and will return to coach the team for the playoffs. If Luck and Co. keep up the good work, this team could be the feel-good story of 2013 as well.

Most annoying story of the year: As bad as this summer’s coverage of Jets training camp was, this spot belongs to all those who made Jeremy Lin out to be the second coming of Santa. Lin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated not once, but twice at the height of a movement that should never have been taken so seriously in the first place. Don’t get it twisted, this is not a shot at Jeremy Lin, but a shot at those who made him out to be far more important than he actually was.

Honorable Mentions: Everything Involving Skip Bayless, everything the NCAA did, RG III’s “blackness”, LeBron not being able to win a title, Brett Favre (this story is still annoying two years after anyone’s talked about it).

Biggest WTF story of the year: Jerry Sandusky: Not only did this story sicken and sadden a country and paralyze one of the most prestigious programs in college football; it changed America’s perception of one its most beloved characters. Just a few short months ago, Joe Paterno’s legacy seemed untouchable. Now, he’s dead and unable to defend himself against well-founded allegations that he was a character-less tyrant who cared only about winning and his legacy.

Honorable Mention: ESPN not firing Rob Parker after making totally serious, totally racist comments about Robert Griffin III.

Most underrated story of the year: The 8^th-seeded Kings Stanley Cup run: The first ever Stanly Cup championship run by an 8^th seed seems important enough to be a major story. Then, when you throw in the utterly dominating fashion in which the Kings plowed through the playoffs and you have the most compelling and interesting story in the NHL in years. But, because of Johan Santana’s no-hitter and LeBron’s triumph, the King’s run was lost in the shuffle. The lockout has ensured that this run will be discussed even less.

Honorable mentions: The NHL Lockout, Sidney Crosby’s concussion issues, everything involving hockey.

Worst/most discouraging storyline of the year: The evolution of the Trout vs. Cabrera debate: The fact that this was an actual debate was troubling enough. Then, throw in the backlash of those who don’t believe that advanced metrics and you have the most disgraceful few weeks of journalism since…oh Linsanity a few months before! Respected and renowned journalists such as Mitch Albom openly bashed the so called “stat nerds” and their preposterous claim that numbers could show you who the best player in baseball was. This wasn’t just an attack on a group’s opinion; it was an attack on research, learning and modern techniques to measure athletic performance. Basically, the entire movement was an attack on learning.

Local story of the year: This spring both the men’s and women’s basketball teams of St. Bonaventure University made runs to the NCAA tournament. Led by current Orlando Magic forward Andrew Nicholson, the men’s team went on a second-half tear to earn a first round bye in the conference tournament. The Bonnies would go on to win nail biters over St. Joes and Massachusetts before upsetting Xavier in the finals. Unfortunately, the Bonnies were unable to closeout Florida St. in a three-point loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The women’s team would go all the way to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to a superior Notre Dame team.

Honorable mention: Bills renew their lease deal.

ATHLETE DIVISION:

Surprise athlete of the year: Mike Trout: In just over a month, Trout went from an obscure call-up to the most dominant player in baseball. Trout not only deserved the MVP (as we’ll get to later) but he put up one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. All this from a guy who was taken 25^th overall in the 2010 draft and wasn’t even in the opening-day lineup.

Honorable Mention: Johnny Manziel

Disappointment of the year: Ilya Bryzgalov: After years of being quietly brilliant in Phoenix, Bryzgalov signed a whopper of a contract (9 years $61 Mil) with Philadelphia in the offseason. He rewarded the Flyers with a career-low .909 save percentage which dipped to .887 in the playoffs. Instead of being the extra piece the Flyers needed to win the Stanley Cup, Bryzgalov was the weak link in a disappointing five-game loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Honorable Mention: Dwight Howard

Breakthrough athlete of the year: Johnny Manziel: After backing up Ryan Tannehill in 2011 (that really happened), Manziel  burst on to the scene in 2012 in the most impressive way possibly. Johnny Football ensured Texas A+M’s move to the SEC would go smoothly by becoming one of the most dangerous run/throw threats in NCAA history. He announced his arrival to the sports world when he out-dueled A.J. McCarron and carved up the nation’s most formidable D in an upset of top-ranked Alabama. Manziel would go on to break the SEC total yards record and become the first freshman (red shirt) to win the Heisman trophy.

Honorable mentions: AJ Green, James Neal, Mark Trumbo, Colin Klein, Geno Smith, Mike Trout

Hockey player of the year: Jonathan Quick: Not only was Quick the best goalie in the NHL last year (.929 Sv. % 1.95 GAA), he single-handedly kept the Kings in playoff contention for the entire season. He then followed up his incredible regular season by carrying the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Championship while earning the Conn Smythe Trophy along the way. All in all, Quick had about as successful a year as possible for an NHL goalie.

Honorable Mentions: Steven Stamkos , Evgeni Malkin

Baseball man of the year: R.A. Dickey: Dickey dominated both the literary and sports world in 2012. After releasing one of the most personally-revealing books any athlete has ever written, Dickey went on to win the Cy Young award at the age of 37. He displayed true brilliance during a mid-season stretch when he hurled 40 consecutive scoreless innings. The knuckleballer capped off the year with his 20^th win; an incredible feat by someone pitching for a team that won only 74 games.

Football man of the year: Peyton Manning: No one would have blamed Manning if he retired after undergoing four surgeries on his neck in a year and being replaced by the best quarterback prospect since…himself. But Manning did not retire. Instead, he signed with the Denver Broncos and undertook the incredible task of learning a new offense full of unfamiliar players/personalities while playing for a team that wasn’t the Colts for the first time in 15 years all at the age of 36. Not only did he adapt to his new surroundings, he played like vintage Manning and as the 2012 season comes to a close, he is expected to be named MVP for a record fifth time.

Athlete of the year: LeBron James: As a citizen of America who owns a TV/laptop, you most likely heard LeBron won his first NBA championship this season. In doing so, LeBron shed his reputation as a choker AND treated basketball fans to a truly spectacular postseason performance. He started off the calendar year with his best regular season to date and his third MVP award. King James then carried a banged-up Heat team to the Finals with spectacular performances against Indiana and Boston before being named Finals MVP. James carried this momentum into the Olympics where he was obviously the best player on the gold-medal-winning Team USA. It’s tough to envision a year going any better than that for an athlete.

Most impressive comeback athlete: Adrian Peterson: Having one of the best seasons ever for a running back in an era where running the ball just isn’t very important is might impressive. Returning from a torn ACL and MCL in less than nine months is also impressive. Now, when you combine those two seasons, you have one of the most impressive comebacks in sports history. There’s not much more I can say about Peterson that hasn’t already been said, he’s a medical marvel.

Honorable Mention: Peyton Manning

Most impressive Olympian: Missy Franklin: Franklin was easily the best female swimmer in the world this summer in London as she won four gold medals and set the world record in the 200-meter backstroke. Oh yeah and this was BEFORE her senior year of HIGH SCHOOL. Franklin (who’s two years younger than me, sigh) will attend Cal in the fall. Good luck Pac 12!

Honorable Mentions: Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps

Worst person in sports: Gary Bettman: Depending on how you look at it, the players union could be at fault or the owners could be at fault. Either way, there’s no excuse for Bettman to allow the fourth work stoppage of his tenure to go on this long. Bettman has long been considered the worst commissioner in sports history but 2012 might be his worst year yet.

Coach of the year: Bruce Arians: If Arians was just overseeing one of the best one-season turnarounds in NFL history; he’d get consideration for this award. But this does not tell the entire story. As I mentioned above, Arians took over for Chuck Pagano who was diagnosed with cancer in October. This is truly one of the greatest coaching accomplishments ever.

Ageless Wonder Award: Kobe Bryant: While the end of the 2011-2012 season wasn’t Kobe’s strongest finish, Bryant did end up second in scoring. The Black Mamba has played the beginning of the 2012-13 seasons incredibly efficiently. He’s leading the league in scoring while shooting nearly 50% and dishing out five assists per game. Despite all the criticism he receives, Kobe is incredible and ageless.

Honorable Mentions: Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, the Knicks, Ray Whitney, Tom Coughlin, R.A. Dickey, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Derek Jeter

TEAMS:

Baseball team of the year: Stony Brook Unversity: The tiny school out of the America East conference shocked the college baseball world when they advanced all the way to the College World Series.

Honorable Mentions: San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Whoever ended up winning the College World Series

Basketball team of the year: Kentucky Wildcats: The freshman-heavy Wildcats were uttlerly dominant in 2011-12. They lost only one game all season (a buzzer-beater against Indiana) and faced very little adversity on their run through the bracket. As expected, nearly every contributor on the team declared for the NBA draft. The team broke an NBA record by having six players drafted including five in the first round and both of the top two. This was all overshadowed, however, by five-star recruit Nerlen Noel’s beautiful high-top fade. Pure beauty.

Honorable Mentions: Miami Heat, Baylor Bears

Football team of the year: Alabama: The Crimson Tide rang in the New Year with a dominating 21-0 victory over LSU in the National Championship. They closed the year with an exciting, come-from-behind victory over Georgia in the SEC championship to earn a spot in the National Title Game. This has been quite the year for Alabama, Roll Tide.

Hockey team of the year: Los Angeles Kings: This is already the third mention of this year’s Kings Team. I can’t stress this enough; the Kings had the BEST playoff run since the 80’s Oilers. There will be no honorable mention, no one was close. They deserve all three awards they’ve been given, we were witnesses to a truly special run.

Surprise team: Notre Dame: The Irish were so under the radar this summer they didn’t even receive their famous “courtesy” ranking from the Associated Press. The Irish quickly turned the doubters to believers by ripping through the toughest schedule they’ve faced in year to finish undefeated. In doing so they re-earned the respect of the college football world and awoke “die hard” Notre Dame fans across the country. However, the Irish’s true test will come in the first week of 2013.

Disappointing team: The City of Los Angeles (non-hockey/Clippers department): The Lakers, Angels, Dodgers and USC Trojans all made major headlines for their “talent-laiden rosters” in 2012 yet they all failed to live up to expectation. Each team disappointed for a different reason but they’ll all look to 2013 with a renewed sense of hope…and likely the exact same amount of press.

EVENTS:

Snub of the year: Mike Trout not winning MVP: This was the sports travesty of the year. Miguel Cabrera winning MVP over Trout had nothing to do with a backlash against advanced metrics; it was a matter of complete bullshit. If you were to view the entire spectrum of statistics pertinent to player performance, Trout would be the easy choice for MVP. But, if you were to take stats totally out of the argument, you’d see that…Trout would be the easy choice for MVP. I still haven’t heard a case for Cabrera to be MVP that wasn’t one sentence or a crusade against “nerds” ruining sports.

Game of the year: 49ers/Saints divisional round matchup: This matchup between Jim Harbaugh’s oober-stingy defense and Drew Brees’s hotter than hell offense was truly something to behold. Early in the game Donte Whitner employed the bold strategy of injuring as many Saints as possible so he wouldn’t have to cover anyone. This plan would begin to falter in the second half as Drew Brees began to pick on Whitner during the Saint’s comeback run. Down late in the 4^th quarter, Jim Harbaugh made one of the balliest play-calls these eyes have seen. He called for Alex Smith to run a bootleg which went for the lead-changing touchdown. The Saints answered with a touchdown of their own less than a minute later. Vernon Davis provided the final blow, however, as he caught the game-winning touchdown. This was possibly one of the greatest late game back and forths in playoff history.

Honorable mention: SEC Championship, Game 5 Cardinals/Nationals, Game 3 Yankees/Orioles

Underrated finish of the year: Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference Finals: The Kings went into the game up 3-1 and needed to win just one game to advance to their first Stanley Cup in 19 years. The teams were locked in an overtime battle when Dustin Brown nailed Michal Rozsivel with a somewhat-questionable hit. Seconds later, while the Coyotes were still stirred up from Rozsivel’s injury, Dustin Penner put home the game winning goal. The Coyotes were obviously still furious as Martin Hanzel and Shane Doan exchanged words with Brown and Penner in the handshake line. Here’s to hoping 2013 brings a season for these teams to hash things out.

Wildest finish of the year: The Seahawks/Packers MNF finish: This finish wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t especially good, it wasn’t super exciting but it was wild. After Russell Wilson heaved up a game-ending interception that was inexplicably called a game-winning touchdown, chaos ensued. The twitterverse nearly exploded with everyone’s thoughts on the debacle while Jon Gruden and Mike Tirico were as confused on how to handle the situation as anyone else. Overall, I think Michael Silver summed it up best when he exclaimed “what the f*ck just happened” on national T.V. What a finish.

Upset of the year: Duke and Missouri losing to #15 seeds in the first round of the NCAA tournament: Before March 16, 2012; teams seeded 15^th or high had won only four games in NCAA tournament history. That day, Norfolk St. and Lehigh University BOTH accomplished the feat when they toppled Duke and Missouri. Sadly, both teams runs ended later that weekend.

Honorable Mention: New York Giants/L.A. Kings playoff runs.

Media Member of the Year: Bill Simmons: The Sports Guy was one of the main inspirations for the creation of this blog so we're very familiar with his work. Simmons has been one of the most read/popular members of sports media for a number of years. But 2012 might have been his finest work yet.He landed his long-coveted TV role on ESPN NBA Countdown. He oversaw the re-booting of the 30 for 30 series which added a few shorts that appeared on his blog, Grantland.com. The same Grantland that continued to be the best cross section of sports, movies, television and music on the internet is totally overseen by Simmons. He had quite the column-writing year as well as he refrained by pre-emptively commenting on the Penn St. situation, defended the Saints player involved in bountygate when no one else did and picked the Seahawks to go to the Super Bowl preseason. He did all this while remaining the most fun and creative sports writer out there. Props to you, Mr. Simmons. Here's to an even better 2013.

Heart-warming moment of the year: Kevin Garnett consoling Kevin McHale: If you missed it; McHale, head coach of the Houston Rockets, lost his daughter to Lupus days before a match up against the Boston Celtics, whom he spent thirteen years with. Garnett, a current Celtic was drafted by McHale as a Timerwolve in 1995. After a victory by the Rockets over the Celtics early December, Garnett hugged McHale for over a minute and consoled him. As the nation later saw, McHale began to cry while listening to Garnett’s heartfelt words.

But this was so much more than a heart-warming moment. This is the essence of sports. For some, sports provide millions of dollars and fame. But for most people, sports provide the opportunity to build unbreakable bonds with teammates and create everlasting friendships. Athletes learn how to be accountable, how to rely on others and how to be relied on while kicking a ball, slapping a puck or running a lap. Sports do far more than teach discipline and hard work, sports allow people (like McHale and Garnett) who would otherwise have nothing in common to mean everything to each other. This moment was the physical expression of what sports mean to most athletes.

That’s that for the 2012 Hungry Dog Blog Awards. Thank you so much for your support and attention this year. We’ll keep working hard to bring you the best content possible. Have a fantastic New Year and always remember to: Stay Hungry My Friends.

Week 17: The Most Compelling Regular Season Finale in Years

       It seems as though every year Week 17 is something to get through rather than something to look forward to. The fans are usually treated to two-three meaninful games amidst games featuring rested starters, bad teams "experimenting" and overall uncompelling action. Luckily, this is one of the few years where there are plenty of games and storylines to follow. In fact, there are seven variables to be decided this week that significantly affect the playoff picture or NFL history.

 

1.       Records falling: As you’ve no doubt heard, Adrian Peterson needs 208 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season rushing record and 102 to become only the seventh back to rush for over 2000 yards in a season. Meanwhile, Michael Strahan’s sack record isn’t safe either. Houston’s second year defensive end J.J. Watt has 20.5 sacks thus far and needs 2.5 in the last game to pass Strahan’s 11-year old record. Aldon Smith also a fighting chance at the record. The second-year linebacker needs 3.5 sacks against a putrid Arizona Cardinals line to pass Strahan.

2.       Completion of collapses: This is not unfamiliar territory for the Bears and Giants. The Giants had hot starts only to fall apart late in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Last year, the Bears were 7-3 before Jay Cutler was lost for the year. Enter Caleb Hanie and one of the ugliest stretches by any team in the last ten years. Heading into week 17 the Giants and Bears may be on their way to even worse collapses. Going in to week 10, the Bears were 7-1 while playing above-average offense and historically good defense. Since then, the defense has come back to Earth and the offense has struggled to move the ball. The offensive line is in disarray while Jay Cutler appears to be only slightly above average. The Bears need to win and have the Vikings lose to qualify for the sixth seed in the NFC. That’s likely not what they had in mind just a few weeks ago. After starting 6-2, the Giants have fallen to 8-7. THE Giants appeared to be a shoo-in for the NFC East but now they’ll need a bunch of help just to make the playoffs. They need the Vikings AND Bears to lose and need to defeat the Eagles just to qualify for the sixth seed. So, basically, if the Vikings win Sunday we will be treated to two the finale of two HUGE collapses.

3.       The Battle for NFC East Supremacy: The entire season comes down to this week. Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins take their six-game win streak into a Sunday-Night showdown against the not so mighty Dallas Cowboys. If they Cowboys prevail, the NFC East will have been won by a team a single-digit win team for the second year in a row (not ideal for a division that garners more national attention than any other). However, there’s much more at stake here than a division title. If the Cowboys lose and miss the playoffs for the third year in a row, Jerry Jones is liable to clean house and go through hell and back to find a big-name NFL coach. A Cowboys loss would have far-reaching effects for the entire league (cough cough New Orleans), not just their franchise. A Redskins win, on the other hand, would establish them as the team to beat in the NFC East for years to come.

4.       5000 yards revisited: After a year of ridiculous passing numbers in 2011, things appeared to be calming down in 2012. That was, until Brees and Stafford came on late. Both play on teams with terrible defenses, little or no running game and will miss the playoffs. This has allowed the talented quarterbacks to be able to air it out for most of the game each week. Both quarterback will almost surely topple the 5000-yard barrier for the second year in a row. Brees needs 219 yards (he hasn’t had less than that in nine weeks) and Stafford needs 305 (which he’s done eight times this year). Tony Romo (315) and Tom Brady (417) have a shot at making this the first year where four quarterbacks achieve the milestone. Interestingly enough, if Romo throws 315 yards or more in a Cowboys loss, the top three most prolific passers in the NFL could miss the playoffs. So, while throwing for obscene amounts of yards may be a trend of the future, it may not be a winning technique.

5.       The un-jumbling of the AFC: As it stands now, Houston could finish anywhere from the top seed to the third seed in the AFC. The same can be said about the Broncos while the Ravens have only the third seed to move up to. The Patriots are the most uncertain of all; they can finish anywhere from first to fourth. This entire mess will be settled between one and seven o’clock on Sunday. With the entire AFC seeding up for grabs, it may be hard to walk away from the T.V. Sunday.

6.       Final audition for awards: The debate over the 2012 awards will be among the most controversial and hotly contested in recent memory. With records seemingly falling everywhere, the MVP will be one of the toughest choices ever. There are at least 10 candidates (Manning, Brady, Rodgers, Griffin, Wilson, C. Johnson, Marshall, Peterson, Watt and A. Smith) who can make a reasonable case for the award. The Rookie of the Year award race features three of the most productive, successful and celebrated rookies ever. Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson may all lead their teams to the playoffs and have put up mind-boggling numbers in doing so. Then, of course, we have the first ever compelling race for Comeback Player of the Year between Peyton Manning (four neck surgeries in a year and a new offense to master-over 4000 yards, 30+ TDs top-three seed) and Adrian Peterson (torn ACL and MCL December 24^th, 2011- probable 2000 yard season). What a year in the NFL.

7.       The Seattle Seahawks: After being a boring, 8-8 afterthought in 2011, the Seahawks have become must see TV in 2012. If they’re not sacking Aaron Rodgers eight times on Monday Night Football, Russell Wilson is leading a furious comeback or Marshawn Lynch is wearing down opposing defenses. The Seahawks are on a historically good three-game stretch and are quintupling the scores of their opponents (150-30). The Seahawks could be on their way to their way to making Bill Simmons look like a very smart man.

Stay Hungry My Friends.

Week 16 Preview: Final Playoff Push and a Team to Beware of

We’re almost there, folks; we’re reaching the end of the 2012 regular season. For some fans the end of the season couldn’t come fast enough (cough cough Jets), while other fans are gearing up for the playoffs. This week will serve as not only the last meaningful week of games but possibly the most important week all season. The NFC West, AFC North and NFC East are all up for grabs while seeding and wild card spots have yet to be decided. In addition, Week 16 is championship in many fantasy football leagues. Suffice it to say, what happens this week will have a major bearing on how we remember the 2012 NFL season.

As usual, I’ll cover the games of note.

Dallas vs. New Orleans: When is the other shoe going to drop for these Cowboys? They’ve somehow stayed alive the past two weeks while defeating quality opponents in the Bengals and Steelers. The Cowboys have now won five of six and the embattled Tony Romo has been quietly great in that time (67% 1875 Yards 12 TD 3 INT).  Yet, the knock on the Romo-era Cowboys has always been that they’ve never been able to get the big win when they need it. Meanwhile, New Orleans has no chance at the playoffs but don’t tell them that. They played their best game all season last week when they walloped the Buccaneers, 41-0. This may be just the type of momentum the Saints need to finish out a disappointing season in a positive manner.

Green Bay vs. Tennessee: While Green Bay has wrapped up their second consecutive NFC North crown; the Pack may still be able to earn a first-round bye. If San Francisco loses at Seattle (very possible), the Packers would be in control of their own destiny. In addition, Aaron Rodgers is working on one of the finest non-MVP seasons ever (314-474, 65.6%, 3588 yards, 32 TD 8 INT 248 rush yards) and will be looking to earn his fourth 4000-yard season in five years.

Washington vs. Philadelphia: Amazingly, the Redskins find themselves in first place in the NFC East with two weeks remaining in the season. Robert Griffin III will likely be in the lineup this week which should almost guarantee them a win over the lowly Eagles. But, as the cliché goes, anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday. The Redskins can’t overlook this matchup against the Eagles if they want their showdown against Dallas to mean anything next week.

Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: This game is essentially a play-in game for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. If the Steelers win, they’re not guaranteed a playoff spot but it would obviously go a long way to help them stay alive. But, if the Bengals and the Ravens lose, next week’s matchup between the teams will be for the division title. So…

Baltimore vs. New York Giants: The Ravens absolutely have to win this game to get their season back on track. If they lose, they’ll either have to face a hot Bengals team for the division or face a Bengals team fighting for its playoff life. This could drop Baltimore all the way down to the six-seed and would earn them a trip to New England in the wild-card round.  This is also a huge game for the Giants who no longer control their own destiny.  The G-Men need both the Redskins and Cowboys to lose one of their final two games and need to win both of their final two games to earn a second consecutive division title.

Houston vs. Minnesota: Yes, Houston still needs a win and/or Broncos loss to clinch the homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But that’s not the most important aspect of this game. But that’s not even close to the most important aspect of this game. Adrian Peterson’s performance against Houston’s fifth-ranked run defense will determine whether or not he has a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time single- season rushing record. I’ll have more on AP’s season in the next couple weeks.

Denver vs. Cleveland: Pretty simple here; Denver needs to win to keep their hopes of earning a first-round bye alive. Smart money is on Manning and Co. getting the job done against the Browns.

Chicago vs. Arizona: The Bears could possibly be headed for a second consecutive impossibly bad late-season collapse. Luckily, the scheduling Gods were on their side when they gave the Bears matchups against the Cardinals and Lions to close out the season. The Bears just need to take care of business in these final two contests and they’ll earn a trip to the playoffs.

Seattle vs. San Francisco: Hungry Dog Blog Official Game of the Week!  The Seahawks are technically still in the hunt for a division title. However, with the Niners facing off against Arizona next week, this isn’t likely to happen. The most important aspect of this matchup is for the Seahawks to prove to themselves that they are capable of beating the mighty 49ers. The Seahawks have really come on in the past few weeks, this could be bigger than most people realize. Every year a team comes on late and makes far more noise in the playoffs than expected (2011 Giants, 10 Packers, 09 Jets, 08 Eagles, 07 Giants). Watch out for these Seahawks, they’re more than capable of making some noise this January no matter how they do in this matchup.

Stay Hungry My Friends

NFL Weekly Recap: Week 15

Week 15 NFL Recap

Cincinnati Bengals over Philadelphia Eagles

Well Andy Dalton and the Bengals got a win over the struggling Eagles and moved to 8-6 right in the playoff race with a huge game against the Steelers coming up next week.  This game went about as you would have expected.  Andy Dalton wasn’t great but played good enough, AJ Green caught a touchdown and the Eagles to nobody’s surprise couldn’t stop turning the ball over.  The Bengals now find themselves in prime position to make the playoffs with a game against the Steelers next week that will decide their fate.  The Eagles disaster season continues as Andy Reid’s presumed exit from Philadelphia is not going to well. 

Houston Texans over Indianapolis Colts

After last week’s devastating loss to the Patriots the Texans came back this week to beat the Colts and clinch their division title.  J.J. Watt completely dominated the game defensively finishing with 10 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks and a forced fumble.  He basically shut down Andrew Luck and the Colts offense by himself and was a devastating player during the game.  Offensively the Texans were able to throw the ball effectively to Andre Johnson and run the ball well with Arian Foster as they secured the victory.  This team despite the loss to the Patriots last week will still likely be the top seed in the AFC, something that could prove crucial come playoff time.  The Colts despite the loss still seem primed for a wild card spot.  Andrew Luck has been impressive all season and despite losing to Houston was still pretty impressive Sunday given J.J. Watt’s performance.

Denver Broncos over Baltimore Ravens

The Broncos continue their climb up the AFC standing with their dominant performance against the Baltimore Ravens.  The team won its 9^th game in a row, going up 31-3 before Baltimore got a few garbage time touchdowns, as Joe Flacco struggled mightily until then.  The offense led by likely MVP Peyton Manning scored efficiently and the defense was dominant as well.  In many ways this looks like the most complete team in football right now and could even be considered favorites in AFC.  The Ravens continue their slide as they lost their 3^rd game in a row this game coming after the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.  It didn’t seem to help at all as they still continued to not feed Ray Rice and attempted to rely on the inconsistent Joe Flacco.  They Ravens still clinched a playoff spot this week but seem to be the team everyone would want to play in the AFC playoffs.

Miami Dolphins over Jacksonville Jaguars

Well in this battle of non-playoff AFC Florida teams the Dolphins were able to come out with a victory.  The team moved to 6-8 with that victory as they got a solid performance from their offense and defense.  Tannehill was able to manage the game well, Reggie Bush played well and the defense was able to shut down Chad Henne in his return to Miami.  The game’s only major implications are for draft position as the Dolphins hurt themselves in that regard while the Jaguars helped themselves as they gun for the first pick.

Washington Redskins over Cleveland Browns

The Redskins won this week without RGIII, who at this point might be my favorite player in football to watch, as Kirk Cousins played quite well in leading the team to its 5^th straight victory.  The offense was able to move the ball well against the Browns while the defense for the most part was able to shut down the Cleveland attack.  This was an important victory for a Washington team that controls its own destiny for the NFC East crown.  A team with RGIII come playoff time is extremely dangerous considering how difficult it is to gameplan for him given his variety of tremendous gifts.  Kirk Cousins performance was key this week though against a Browns team with a pretty good defense he played really well in his first start.  The Browns moved to 5-9 as they head to another season of mediocrity.  The team has some talent though and a couple of smart offseason moves and this team could possibly be headed to the postseason.

Minnesota Vikings over St. Louis Rams

Adrian Peterson is not human.  That is the only reasonable explanation for a player who tore his ACL about a year ago to possibly breaking the NFL rushing record this season.  Considering that it is a passing league now it seems even more improbable that he is pulling this off.  Well Peterson is trying to be one of the few running backs in football history to carry a team to the post season, a feat that if he accomplished would likely merit the MVP award.  After a good start Christian Ponder has struggled for most of the season but it hasn’t mattered because of how good Peterson has been.  The Rams are now out of the playoff hunt moving to 6-7-1 in a game that was basically a playoff game for them.  The future of the team is going to depend on how the picks they got for RGIII turnout and how Sam Bradford ends up.  He has made some strides this season but is already far behind the product that is RGIII. 

New Orleans Saints over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Well this game was in a word shocking.  The Buccaneers lost their 4^th straight game in sad fashion as they got absolutely destroyed by the Saints.  After seemingly getting it together midway through the season the Bucs have completely collapsed culminating in this loss on Sunday.   Their defense was absolutely shredded by the Saints offense and Drew Brees, which is understandable, but their offense not being able to score and Josh Freeman turning the ball over 5 times against what might be the worst defense in football is just unacceptable.  The Saints on the other hand continue their inconsistent Sean Paytonless season.  They like the Bucs are 6-8 and are quite a flawed football team.  However the performance they put up Sunday was quite impressive and boads well about the team’s talent level in future seasons. 

Atlanta Falcons over New York Giants

For what might be the first time all season the Falcons looked like a team playing up to their record.  This team is now 12-2 and likely going to be the top seed in the NFC but this win was the first time this season they looked like the team to beat.  They dominated the Giants offensively and defensively, Matt Ryan continued his fantastic season while the defense completely shut down Eli Manning.  This team now looks like a team that could win a playoff game or two and make some noise in the NFC playoffs.  On the other hand the Giants continue to be the most unpredictable and inconsistent team in football.  Game to game this team is completely unpredictable, they might get blown out like they did on Sunday or they might blow out an elite team like they’ve done to the Packers and 49ers.  Whatever team shows up is a great mystery, this team is now in real danger of missing the playoffs, but if they get there they are without question dangerous. 

Green Bay Packers over Chicago Bears

The Packers clinched the NFC North title this season as the Bears 2^nd half struggles this season continue.  After moving to 7-1 this team is now in danger of missing the playoffs as their defense has regressed from their all-time great pace.  While I’m still a Jay Cutler believer he has struggled in recent weeks as with the team.  The offense seems to be completely dependent on Cutler flinging it to Brandon Marshall with no other real strategy beyond that.  The Packers on the other hand continue their climb up in the standing after their slow start.  The team is quite dangerous for no other reason no quarterback can play as well as Aaron Rodgers can even if he is a little less consistent.  The team is continually dependent on him and any success they have in the postseason will be because of his exceptional play. 

Seattle Seahawks over Buffalo Bills

Well that game was embarrassing.  The Bills played absolutely awful on Sunday and as a fan of the team I’m embarrassed to cheer for them.  Taylor’s first rate thoughts on a lifetime as a Bills fan sum it upwell so I would recommend reading those.   This game however was just sad.  The defense looked like had never seen a quarterback run before and didn’t know it was in the rulebook as they allowed Russell Wilson to run for 3 touchdowns.  Whatever Seattle was doing on Sunday the Bills were going to be useless in trying to stop it defensively or play even half decent on offense.  The only positives for Bills fans from Sunday are that Chan Gailey will likely be fired soon and we have Stevie Johnson and CJ

Spiller are on our team, they are both elite football players and extremely fun to watch.  The Seahawks put up their 2^nd straight dominating effort as they look to try to make a run at the NFC West division crown.  This team is looking like one of the best in all of football with a great offense to go along with their already elite defense.  This team is peaking at the right time and could actually fulfill Bill Simmons’ ridiculous Super Bowl prediction. 

Carolina Panthers over San Diego Chargers

Well the Chargers are definitely terrible.  After upsetting the Steelers last week the Chargers decided to get back to work and get dominated by the Panthers this week.  Phillip Rivers continues his transformation into a below average quarterback while the talent level on the rest of the team is quite low.  The offense doesn’t have that many playmakers and the defense can’t really stop people.  It will be sad though because it seems like after this season the Norv Turner era will finally come to a close.  The Ron Rivera era on the other hand will likely not.  The Panthers seem to dominate or lose a close game every week, in Ron Rivera’s two seasons the team is 1-11 in games decided by a touchdown or less.  This team does have talent though, Cam Newton is a unique talent and if used correctly is one of the most dangerous players in football. 

Arizona Cardinals over Detroit Lions

Well there is a surprise.   The Arizona Cardinals were able to score 38 points in an actual football game!  Don’t worry it’s not like their offense was able to be effective or anything, they had less than 200 total yards, and Ryan Lindley played amazing by his standards going 14 for 21 with 104 yards no touchdowns and only 1 interception.  The defense had two interception returns for a touchdown along with recovering to other turnovers that allowed them to put up that number of points.  The Lions have now returned to their state of being well the Lions.  This sad team is a mess offensively; a haven for turnovers, and defensively it is a joke.  This vaunted defense line can’t slow down anyone, well besides Ryan Lindley but he doesn’t really count, and this team has regressed significantly.  I didn’t expect them to be as good as they were last season, but I thought they might at least fight for a playoff spot. 

Oakland Raiders over Kansas City Chiefs

Well any time Sebastian Janikowski is the player of the game you know something special happened.  That is this week’s game between the Chiefs and Raiders where the Raiders put forth a show offensively coming away with 5 Field Goals!  Janikowski finished the day 5 for 6 including 2 from over 50 yards, quite an impressive performance, outside of that very little impressive.  The Raiders had some success moving the football gaining 385 yards of total offense while they struggled to convert those drives into points.  The Chiefs put forth an offensive performance for the ages.  They finished with 117 yards, 7 first downs, 2 of which were by penalty, 1 turnover, under 20 minutes of time of possession, and were sacked 4 times.  The battle between the Chiefs and Jaguars for the first pick in the draft just got intense. 

Dallas Cowboys over Pittsburgh Steelers

With this victory the Cowboys moved to 8-6 and shockingly are still right in the hunt for the NFC East title race.  This team which seemingly was done multiple times this season keeps finding ways to stay alive led by the underrated Tony Romo.  Since his 1 touchdown 4 interception game against the Giants Romo, in his last 8 games he’s averaged 274.5 yards per game, 7.7 yards per attempts, completed 67.7 % of his passes and thrown 13 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions.   While Romo’s inconsistency is part of the package the guy can play like an elite quarterback at times and is helping to lead the Cowboys into the playoff race.  The Steelers are a team that is struggling mightily right now.  They are 7-7 and likely have to win their final two games to make it to the postseason.  The defense while still very good isn’t at the elite level it once was, while the offense is dependent on an injury prone Ben Roethlisberger.  Whether or not they make the playoffs, or do any damage when their will depend entirely on Ben’s health and abilities.  Their game next week against the playoffs is practically a post season play in game.

San Francisco 49ers over New England Patriots

The Sunday Night game this week lived up to the expectations.  The 49ers and Patriots played a dramatic back and forth game while the 49ers were able to come up victorious.  After taking a 31-3 lead over the Patriots, the Patriots came storming back scoring touchdowns on 4 consecutive drives to tie it up before the 49ers ended up winning 41-34.  Colin Kaepernick was quite impressive against the Patriots throwing for 4 touchdowns and making a few plays running the ball.  The Patriots played poorly for most of the game except for their absurd stretch where they scored touchdowns on 4 straight drives and were able to hold the 49ers.  This possible Super Bowl matchup was an interesting test for those 2 teams, and also an extremely important one.  The Patriots likely lost a first round bye in this game while the 49ers all but guaranteed a division title and made a first round bye considerably more likely.  These are two of the best teams in football, and when a team with an all-time great offense like the Patriots competes against a complete team like the 49ers you are in for quite a show. 

Tennessee Titans over New York Jets

Well it’s finally over.  The Titans finished off the Mark Sanchez era as Sanchez had a classic performance completing less than half of his passes, throwing 4 interceptions and only throwing for 131 yards.  Not much positives to get out of that.  However the Jets have announced that they are starting Greg McElroy and not Sanchez or Tebow so you would hope the endless publicity that comes with those 2 will come to an end.  I doubt it but still it would be nice to think about.  For the Titans, their defense shut down Sanchez while their offense got one big run out of Chris Johnson for a 94 yard touchdown.  Outside of that he had a classic Chris Johnson performance of 20 carries for 28 yards, he’s had better days.  The Titans got their 5^th win of the season though in a disappointing season. 

Stay Hungry My Friends

Life As a Fan of the Buffalo Bills

 While growing up, there was always some confusion as to how I should feel on Sundays. Yes, it was a day off but it was impossible to ignore the five days of school that were sure to follow. Football season added a whole new element to this Sunday confusion. Yes, my favorite sport was on all day but I would also be forced to watch the Bills.

  It’s difficult to imagine there are many fan bases who view watching their team this way; as a chore. But can a Bills fan really be blamed for feeling this way, especially the ones under 25 who have experienced no form of success in a lifetime of fandom? As I type this, the Bills are playing out the string in their eighth consecutive losing season. They will miss the playoffs for the 13^th consecutive season which, of course, means they won’t win a playoff contest for the 17^th consecutive season. In fact, right now Buffalo’s lovable losers are getting blown out by the Seahawks…in Toronto. It doesn’t get much lower than that.

 This was supposed to be the year for the Bills; the year they took advantage of an easy schedule, didn’t make too many mistakes and grabbed a wild-card spot. This is what optimism has come to in Buffalo.   These hopes sprung from the signings of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in the offseason. Yet, in typical Buffalo fashion, Anderson hasn’t played most of the year while Williams has been a non-factor more often than not. Meanwhile, the fans have had to sit through game after game of close calls, no shows and all around horrific coaching. So here we are at 5-8, fresh off a home loss to the Rams, getting dominated by the Seattle Seahawks in a neutral-site game.

 The very announcement that regular season Bills games would be played in Toronto was enough to terrify the average fan. Sure the Bills are one of the least compelling, least exciting and least successful teams in sports but we don’t want to lose them. They may be losers but they’re our losers. What would we cling to without our hope of the Bills getting better? After all, we’re almost there, right?

 We’ve been “almost there” for nearly all my time as a Bills fan. I started watching games as a six-year old in 1999. The Bills had a pretty good team that year despite the ongoing QB controversy between the guy that looked the part (Rob Johnson) and the guy that played the part (Doug Flutie). In the end, the Bills went with the wrong guy for the playoffs and it cost them dearly. The Bills tied the Titans with a field goal late in the game despite a below-average day from Rob Johnson and the offense. Every Bills fan in the world knows what ensued. Lorenzo Neal caught the kickoff and handed the ball to Frank Wychek. Wychek then launched the ball (forward?) to an uncovered Kevin Dyson and we know the rest.

After a disastrous 2001, it appeared the Bills had a chance to return to the playoffs in 2002. Drew Bledsoe threw for over 4000 yards, Travis Henry ran for over 1400 and the team had two legitimate targets in Eric Moulds and Peerless Price. Yet, an awful run defense and poor coaching caused the Bills to miss the playoffs for a third straight year.  Despite the disappointment, one couldn’t help but feeling the Bills were “almost there” after a five-game jump in the win column.

2004 is to young Bills fans as 1985 is to Bears fans. Under first year coach Mike Mularkey, the Bills went on a second-half run for the ages. After a 3-6 start, the Bills ripped off a six-game win streak, destroying nearly every team in their path. All they needed to do was win Week 17 to clinch a wild-card spot. As luck would have it, the 14-1 Pittsburgh Steelers already had the first seed in the AFC locked up and therefore didn’t need a win. Most of the starters rested for the Steelers and the Bills appeared to be headed for an easy victory. But, the Bills were unable to overcome the talent of the Steeler’s backups  and fell out of playoff contention.

 Bledsoe was let go in the offseason as the Bills ushered in the J.P. Losman era. The team struggled in 2005 and finished 5-11. Mike Mularkey resigned due to the stress his job was putting on his family. Dick Jauron was hired in the offseason to replace him. It feels as though the Bills have been “almost there” ever since. In 2006 Losman’s play began to improve and the team made a late-season run to 7-7. In a must-win game against the Titans, the Bills lost and were eliminated from the wild-card hunt. In 2007, the team overcame countless injuries to run their record to 7-6 under rookie quarterback Trent Edwards. The team matched up against 8-5 Cleveland week 15 to play for the upper hand in the wild card race. The game was played in a blizzard for everyone not named Phil Dawson and the Bills fell to the Browns, 8-0.

The Bills raced off to a 4-0 start in 2008 under the improved play of Trent Edwards. After Edwards suffered a concussion in Arizona and the Bills finished 7-9 for the third consecutive year. The team got off to a similar 5-2 start in 2011. After a few injuries and non-adjustments by Gailey and his staff, the Bills fell apart and finished the season 6-10.

So here we are, “almost there” yet again. In fact, the Seahawks have now run the score to 50-17.  Yet hope springs eternal for Bills fans. As the season goes on, they cheer for the team to lose so that their spot in the draft might improve. They clamor for  Chan Gailey to be fired, for Ryan Fitzpatrick to be cut. This is a sign the fans haven’t given up yet, they still hold some slight hope that the right moves could change the Bills fortunes.

Bills fans spend each Sunday glued to the TV for three hours completely emotionally invested in the outcome of each play. We view each game as a culmination of our week and react to each play as if it’s the last play we’ll ever watch. Broken fists from punching walls and broken walls from flying fists are all too common in Western New York. Each fan has their own story of outrageous actions they’ve taken in a fit of anger after or during a Bills loss, yelling at the TV and punching walls are the just the tip of the iceberg.  Stories can be heard of people sobbing hysterically, breaking TV’s, smashing laptops, trashing rooms and uttering the all too common phrase; “I give up.”
 
Yet the Bills fans won’t give up. No matter how many years in a row the Bills miss the playoffs, no matter how long poor management is in place, fans will always look to the future with hope. Each one of Todd McShay and Mel Kiper’s draft boards will be studied endlessly. Each big-time quarterback prospect will be looked at longingly by Bills fans. Each offseason signing will be looked at as a quality addition to the team.

Most importantly, each fall will not be viewed as a season of death, but as a season of rebirth and of redemption.

NFL Week 15 Preview: Who Needs What?

We’ve only three weeks remaining in the 2012 NFL regular season. It’s just about crunch time and the NFL scheduling committee has come through in the clutch for the first time in weeks. In keeping with the last few weeks, we’ll focus on the games that really matter at this point. Luckily, nearly every game this week has heavy playoff implications.

Atlanta vs. New York Giants: The defending champions face off against the likely top seed in the NFC this year. This is also a rematch of last year’s playoff walloping, where Matt Ryan officially earned his title of “un-clutch” in the playoffs. People have pointed to this matchup all year as a possible playoff preview. However the G-Men are a loss away from falling into a tie with Dallas and/or Washington. The Falcons are a loss away from possibly moving into a tie with San Francisco and completely losing the faith of … well everyone. When’s the last time Atlanta impressed anyone with a win? A one-point win over Tampa three weeks ago was semi-impressive but before that? They haven’t looked totally solid since a week two win over Denver. Both teams NEED to win this game.

Green Bay vs. Chicago: Another fantastic matchup! The Packers will look to earn their second division title in a row while the Bears will look to stay in the playoff race. Six weeks ago the Bears smacked the Titans, 51-20, to move to 7-1. Since then, the D has struggled and Cutler has been hobbled as the Bears have fallen to 8-5. If they lose to Green Bay this week, Da Bears could be in serious danger of losing their wild-card spot.  However, with Arizona and Detroit looming, this is far from a must win for the Bears.

Washington vs. Cleveland: Pretty simple here, the Skins have to win to stay in the playoff race. Needless to say this task will become much easier if RG III is able to play Sunday. Meanwhile, Cleveland has really picked up their play in the past few weeks and steadfastly refuses to draft in the top five.

Minnesota vs. St. Louis: Minnesota was 3-13 last year and St. Louis was 2-14 yet this year they’re both hanging around in the playoff race. Whichever team loses this week will fall out of contention and even the winner won’t have a great shot at making it. But both fan bases should be excited as both teams have turned around quicker than expected.

Denver vs. Baltimore: This is an important matchup for a few reasons. First off, the winner will likely grab the higher seed in the AFC. If the Patriots lose to the 49ers (which seems likely enough), the Broncos will have a chance to grab a first-round bye. Secondly, both teams could use a confidence-boosting win at this point. The Ravens, like the Falcons, haven’t been impressive all year. They’ve lost two of three and fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron this week. The Broncos have won eight in a row but the most impressive win of that streak was Cincinnati. Both teams could use a signature win and this will be the week to do it.

Houston vs. Indy: Believe it or not, the AFC South is still up for grabs. Houston has to win here to ensure their second AFC South title in as many years. This game carries extra weight with Houston, however, as they were demolished on Monday Night Football for the second time this year. These two teams will face off again in two weeks and possible again in the playoffs. Houston will have to win one of these games if they hope to earn a first-round bye.

Pittsburgh vs. Dallas: Here we have a matchup of two teams fighting tooth and nail for the sixth seed in their respective conferences. After a Bengals win Thursday, the Steelers need a victory to keep their edge in the battle for the sixth seed. The Cowboys need a win here simply to stay in a crowded NFC wild-card race.

New England vs. San Fran: Ah, here we may have the game of the week. An unstoppable force will meet an immovable object as the Patriots and their juggernaut offense take on the stingy 49er’s D. Who will prevail? Can Kaepernick step up against one of the league’s best teams? Can Brady stay upright against Aldon Smith (a week after getting pummeled by J.J. Watt)? The Niners are still staving off those pesky Seahawks and a win here would shore up the division for them. The Patriots are making another heroic late-season run for the first seed in the AFC. The Patriots haven’t lost in the second half of the season since 2009. No, that’s not a typo.

New York Jets vs. Titans: Props to the NFL for picking two of the least compelling, unexciting teams for Monday Night Football in week 15. The Jets have to lose here so everyone can shut up about them making the playoffs. Because if they do play on into January, all faith in humanity will be lost for all non-Jets fans. But Fireman Ed sure would look silly.

Stay Hungry My Friends

NFL MVP: A Race for the Ages

Don't look now but we have the most compelling, competitive and diversified MVP race in years on our hands. It seems as though every year the award goes to a quarterback who we've known was going to win it for weeks. In fact it's been six years since a non-QB has earned the honors (2006 Tomlinson) and it's been seven since the award was up for grabs in any way. This year there are players at up to four positions who you can make a realistic case for. So if I were given an MVP ballot that for some reason had seven slots and possible ties on it, this is how I would fill it out.

7. Brandon Marshall: Yes, that Brandon Marshall. After toiling in mediocrity for two years in Miami, the mercurial receiving re-joined old pal Jay Cutler and immediately started putting up career numbers. Marshall is on pace for roughly 124 catches, 1700 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, Marshall’s impact cannot be measured entirely by statistics. He’s brought an element to Chicago’s offense they’ve lacked in recent years. In the past four years, Chicago has attempted to make playoff runs with a top receiving tandem of Johnny Knox and Devin Hester. While speedy, the duo isn’t exactly intimidating. Because of Marshall’s impact, the Chicago offense ranks in the top half of the league for only the second time in the past 11 seasons. The only other season was the Super Bowl season of 2006. That offense, however, was a run based attack led by Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. For the first time in recent memory, Chicago’s opponents will have to respect its passing game in the playoffs and that’s almost entirely because of Marshall.

6. Matt Ryan: Matty Ice looked to be the obvious choice for MVP for nearly half the season. Then, the Falcons started putting up underwhelming performances and other quarterback’s play started to pick up. A few weeks later, it’s difficult to see Ryan winning MVP just as it’s difficult to see the Falcons winning a playoff game. Ryan has already tied his career high in interceptions but also has, by far, his career high in completion percentage (67.7%). Ryan has almost no shot at MVP but he is , for sure, having a career year.

5: J.J. Watt/Aldon Smith: There’s been some chatter that for the first time in 26 years, a defensive player has a shot at MVP. J.J. Watt has been a nightmare for quarterbacks and linemen all year coming off the edge. He’s now accumulated 17 sacks and what must be 2000 deflected passes (unofficial total). However, if we’re going to give Watt MVP consideration, Aldon Smith deserves some too. Smith, also in his second season, has established himself as one of the league’s premier pass rushers. With 19 sacks and three games yet to play, Smith is challenging Strahan’s sack record of 22.5. I don’t believe either of these guys will receive many MVP votes but if it were up to me, they’d split the defensive player of the year award.

4. Adrian Peterson: AP is no longer just the greatest running back in the world; he’s a possible cyborg who defies common medical knowledge. On Dec. 24, 2011 Peterson tore his MCL and ACL. He made it through training camp and the preseason and on Sept. 9, 2012, he suited up and ran for 84 yards in a regular season game. As the season went on, Vikings QB Christian Ponder struggled more and more and Peterson began to regain his strength. After running for less than 100 yards in five of the first six games, Peterson has run for triple digits in each of the last seven games. He’s now up to 1600 yards on six yards per carry on the season. He’s even average more yards per attempt rushing (6.0) than Ponder is throwing (5.98). This season ranks with Ladanian Tomlinson in 2006 and Jamal Lewis in 2003 as the best rushing seasons of the past 15 years. However, the Vikes are struggling at 7-6 and have lost five of six. This comes in spite of Peterson’s increase in productivity. This just illustrates, perfectly, the changed (not changing) landscape of the game. Even a historic performance by a running back might not be able to carry a mediocre team to a playoff level.

3. Robert Griffin III: Boy, I bet those Rams wish they could hit the reset button on that trade last year. RG III has already become one of the best players in the NFL. When you combine his rushing and passing stats, Griffin has 3654 yards, 24 touchdowns, 6 turnovers, 66.4 completion percentage and 8.28 yards per attempt. It’s like Cam Newton’s “historic” rookie season last year except with about one-third of the turnovers and more rushing yards. If he leads the Redskins to the playoffs, Mr. Griffin will get some serious MVP consideration. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll appear on lists like this for years to come.

2. Aaron Rodgers: While people were fixated on Golden Gate and some early disappointments, Aaron Rodgers was quietly putting up another MVP-level season. The eighth year QB is on pace for roughly 4000 yards, 35 touchdowns and less than 10 picks, all with a 67% completion rate. Meanwhile, he’s leading the Packers to their second straight division title and fourth consecutive playoff appearance. Rodgers has barely had a mis-step in his entire career and this year is no exception. Last year won’t be the last MVP of his career.

1. Peyton Manning/Tom Brady: Age has been no factor for these two yet again. These two have a combined six MVP’s and one of them will likely make that seven this year. At the age of 36, Manning has re-established himself as one of the league’s elite. The four-time MVP has led the Broncos to their first 10-win season since 2005 while putting up incredible numbers. He already has 3812 yards, 30 touchdowns to 10 picks and a 68.3% completion rate. The Broncos haven’t lost since Oct. 7 and Manning has been unstoppable since then.

 Brady has the Patriots in position to grab a first-round bye for the third year in a row. At this point Brady has 29 touchdowns and four (yeah, four) picks with over 3800 yards and a 64.4% completion rate. This year’s battle for MVP stands for something much greater than just a one-year award. Manning and Brady are locked in a battle for the title of the greatest quarterback in NFL history. I’ll expand on this in a later piece but suffice it to say no one has had the kind of prolonged success these two have had. The length of their reign over the AFC is astounding. Brady could be headed for Super Bowl victories 11 years apart while Manning could win MVP’s with a nine year difference. It almost seems inevitable that the two will face off in this year’s AFC Championship Game but it’s doubtful that will totally and completely quell the debate of who is better. This year should be the third ever split MVP. Brady would earn his third honor in six years and Manning would extend his own record with a fifth MVP. The unlikeliness of this happening leads to one of the most compelling storylines of the season; which legend walks away with this year’s award?

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