Upsets Change the Look of the Top 10

Undefeated teams took a loss this week completely changing the look of the Top 10.This week we welcome two new comers to the mix.

1. Alabama - remain on top even though they had a bye
2. Michigan - able to exact revenge from last season defeating Michigan state 32-23 remaining undefeated
3. Clemson - pulling out the victory over Florida State kept the Tigers in the third spot
4. Washington - continuing to dominate their opponents pulling out a 31-24 victory over Utah
5. Texas A&M - with Louisville and Ohio State struggling A&M jumps into the fifth spot defeating New Mexico State 52-10
6. Louisville - Virginia took the lead with 1:57 left in the game but Lamar Jackson took his team down the field to claim a 32-24 victory
7. Ohio State - Ohio State has been struggling the last three weeks they are no longer the dominate team they were. They barely beat Northwestern by a score of 24-20.
8. Wisconsin - in a battle with the undefeated Nebraska team the Badgers held on to win 23-17
9. Florida - with all the losses above them the gators jumped into the Top 10 after beating Georgia 24-10
10. Auburn - Auburn rounds out the Top 10 with a dominating win over Ole Miss

The Top 10 changed quite a bit this week with Nebraska, Baylor and West Virginia all suffering their first loss of the season. This couldn't have come at a worst time with the Playoff rankings starting on Tuesday.

Shake up in the Top 10 for week 9

This week the top 10 saw the first huge upset with Ohio State falling to the unranked Penn State team. Alabama continues to impress with their NFL caliber defense. Michigan continues to route teams. College football is always exciting.

1. Alabama - Bama was able to hold off the undefeated Texas A&M team. They came alive in the second half putting the Aggies away staying undefeated.
2. Michigan - Michigan is up 1 from last week and deserves this spot routing teams. They defeated Illinois 41-8 holding them scoreless in the second half.
3. Clemson - Up 1 from last week. They had a bye last week. This week they have a tough matchup with Florida State.
4. Washington - Washington up 1 from last week continuing to impress with a high powered offense.
5. Louisville - Lamar Jackson continues his bid for the Heisman. Jackson was responsible for 4 touchdowns in a 54-13 victory over NC State.
6. Nebraska - remaining undefeated in a 27-14 victory over Purdue. Nebraska came from being down14-10 in the first half to pull out the victory.
7. Ohio State - Ohio state held on to a 21-7 led only to let it go. The Buckeyes fall 5 spots after a surprising loss to an unranked Penn State team.
8. Baylor - had a bye. Will look to continue to dominate this week.
9. Wisconsin - The Badgers held off Iowa walking away with a 17-9 win.
10. West Virginia - Breaking into the top 10 for the first time this season. They defeated TCU 34-10 continuing to get better every week.

Week 9 will feature some good games with Clemson playing Florida State and Michigan playing Michigan State. Will there be another huge upset on the top 10. That's what makes College Football so great it is unpredictable and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

College Football Top 10 for week 8

This weeks games had some of the top 10 teams sweating until the clock ran out of time. Alabama had no problem with Tennessee but Ohio State, Clemson and Louisville had a little more trouble putting their opponents away.

1. Alabama- routed Tennessee 49-10 keeping their claim at the top
2. Michigan - had a bye week but their previous strong play moves them ahead of Ohio State up 2 from last week
3. Ohio State - pulled out an overtime victory over Wisconsin. Struggling this week and last week drops them to third. Down 1 from last week
4. Clemson - struggled against NC State. Got lucky to walk away with an OT victory when NC State missed a game winning field goal. Down 1 from last week
5. Washington - had a bye
6. Texas A&M - had a bye
7. Louisville - struggled against Duke but came on late getting the win.
8. Baylor - continues to dominate opponents defeating Kansas 49-7. Up 3 from last week
9. Nebraska - able to hold on to a 27-22 victory over Indiana up 1 from last week
10. Wisconsin - fighting until the bitter end with Ohio State keeps the Badgers in the top 10

Dropping out is Tennessee after accruing their second loss on the year. College Football is anything but predictable anything can happen in any game. That is what makes this so exciting every week. Who knows what next week will bring to the Top 10.

Giants game 5

  After a brilliant start to the season the Giants have lost their last three games including last nights Primetime game against the Green Bay Packers. The defense played decent but are still unable to create a pass rush and the offense couldn't produce having to settle for field goals.
  Janoris Jenkins stood out in this game grabbing the Giants first interception of the season. Jenkins was able to pick off Aaron Rodgers twice and break up key catches preventing touchdowns. It's a good thing the defense came to play or this would've been a blow out. They were able to force the Packers to punt the ball trying to give the offense a chance. The pass rush was nonexistent still allowing Rodgers all sorts of time in the pocket. The money spent in the offseason has still not paid off. Spagnola needs to figure out a way to get to the quarterbacks in order to turn this season around. 
  Again in this game Manning had trouble throwing the ball and converting on third down. There were also a few drops by the wide receivers including a drop by tight end Will Tye that would've resulted in touchdown. OBJ was more involved in this game and did get his first touchdown of the season in spectacular fashion. He was able to grab a catch in the back of the end zone with both toes touching inbounds holding his heel up so it wouldn't land out. This touchdown also pulled the Giants within a touchdown with three minutes left in the game. That touchdown drive was the best drive the offense put together all game with five first downs going 63 yards.
  Unfortunately time was against the Giants when they kicked the ball off to the Packers. The defense was trying to get the ball back to Manning. The Packers were facing a 2-13 and Rodger threw a short pass to Starks. Starks fumbled the pass but was able to get the ball back giving the Pack a first down essentially sealing the victory for the Packers sending the Giants to 2-3. The Giants fell 23-16. Despite how bad they looked they only lost by a touchdown. I feel this could've gotten out of control if it wasn't for the defense making plays getting the Packers off the field. This loss places the Giants at the bottom of the NFC East.
Manning went 18/95 for 199 yards and a touchdown. Manning did not throw an interception in this game. OBJ had five catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Victor Cruz didn't get a catch and Sterling Shepard only had two catches. Coach McAdoo needs to start making calls to highlight our offensive strength, the three wide receivers. The Giants were unable to run the ball. Bobby Rainey had the most rushing yards with 22. I don't understand why Paul Perkins wasn't used more with Rashad Jennings out again. Perkins showed last game he has speed we can utilize. In order for Manning to be able to throw the ball the Giants need to be able to run the ball.
  There were less penalties this week but they still had  six. Up next for the Giants is the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will bring a pass rush with Terrell Suggs. If the Giants don't figure out how to get more blocking this is going to be a problem all game. Sitting at 2-3 isn't a time to panic but if they don't start to fix their mistakes and take advantage of their weapons on offense nothing is going to change. Hopefully Manning will find his receivers and the offense can be more productive next week.   

College Football Top 10 For Week 7

This weeks College Football provided some more shakeups to the Top 10. The top five remained the same but after that things changed and brought in newcomers to the Top 10.

1. Alabama - defeated #16 Arkansas 49-30 remaining at number 1
2. Ohio State - Routed Indiana 38-17 under stellar play by qb JT Barrett staying in the second spot
3. Clemson - continuing to build on their win over Louisville by blowing out Boston College 56-10
4. Michigan - continuing to impress by posting a 78-0 shutout against Rutgers
5. Washington - claiming an impressive 70-21 win over Oregon a team they have had trouble with in the past
6. Texas A& M - moving up two spots with a thrilling overtime win against Tennessee
7. Louisville - stays the same with a bye week
8. Wisconsin - moving up 3 spots looking to prove themselves Saturday night against Ohio St
9. Nebraska - up 3 spots sliding into the top 10
10. Baylor - up 3 despite a bye week they have played solid and crack the top 10

Dropping out this week are Houston with a surprising loss to Navy, Tennessee couldn't get another comeback win over Texas A& M and Miami took a one point loss to Florida State. There is still plenty of College Football left so these teams could always make it back in the top 10. 

Giants Game 4

On Monday night it was Eli Manning against what has become his nemesis, the Minnesota Vikings. For some reason Manning struggles in this game the most as compared to any other opponent. Just like his other meetings, this game was no different. In some cases early on in this game it seemed as if Manning was playing scared. He was throwing the ball into the ground the second a defender started running toward him. Despite how bad the Giants played the score didn't show it. At the end of the first quarter the Giants were only down 7-0 and going into half time they were down 14-3.
The major problem that started in the last game and all of a sudden the Giants are plagued with is penalties. In this game they raked up eight for a total of 69 yards. It was like they were shooting themselves in the foot. These penalties shouldn't be happening and most of them came at crucial times negating any chance of getting a score. The one penalty everyone seems to be talking about is the Personal Foul against Odell Beckham Jr. In all fairness that penalty came after Xavier Rhodes hit him late. Everyone is complaining about OBJ's "Outbursts" but what I see is his passion for the game and for wanting to win. He reacts like that because he knows what he is capable of and how much he can do if he can get the ball. He gets frustrated which is understandable. OBJ is getting singled out but there are many great wide receivers that have had outbursts just like this ... Dez Bryant, Chad Johnson, Randy Moss and Michael Irving to name a few. So this is not a new reaction this is being a passionate wide receiver. I personally like seeing his passion for the Giants, yes the 15 yard penalties hurt the Giants but he was hit out of bounds twice and all he got was a penalty for it. Everyone is making this a big deal when it isn't. The media and everyone talking about it is the distraction not OBJ.
Back to the game. In the second half the Giants were able to score a touchdown on a running score by Orleans Darkwa. The touchdown was made possible on the best play the Giants offense had all game. Rookie Paul Perkins caught a short pass and was able to run for a total 67 yards setting up the touchdown. There wasn't much else in the way of offense. Beckham was held to 23 yards, Cruz had 50 yards and Sterling Shepard had 30 yards.
On the other hand the defense kept the Giants in the game until they didn't. The defense wasn't able to get to Sam Bradford until the second half of the game and the zone let up some huge plays. Yes they were depleted in the secondary but that isn't an excuse. The Giants ended up loosing 24-10. Manning went 25/45 for 261 yards, NO touchdowns and an interception. There isn't much time to dwell on this game only a week to improve and fix their mistakes before they meet with the Green Bay Packers. All I know is that with all the money spent on that defense they better start getting to quarterbacks and creating turnovers. Both sides of the ball need to play better and Manning absolutely needs to air the ball out and let our three offense threats take over the game. There is no defense that can guard our three wide receivers and we should be dominating on offense. We have all the pieces to be a dominate team, they just need to stop thinking about all the distractions and focus on what they are good at. The Giants are sitting at 2-2 tied at the bottom of the NFC East with Washington. Once they come together and everything starts to click there should be no more problems. Eliminate the penalties, rely on their strengths and  this team will be back on top in no time.

Shake up in the Top 10

This week like every week there were some upsets, surprises and shake ups in the top 25 of College football. With a new top 10 coming out this week I'm sharing my thoughts on what I think the new top 10 should look like. I believe the top 2 will remain the same but after that everything changes.

1.Alabama- took a little while to warm up but once they did, they defeated Kentucky 34-6 not loosing their top spot.
2. Ohio State- shut out Rutgers while showcasing their talented offense scoring 58 unanswered points.
3. Michigan- moving up one spot from last week. In a defensive battle with Wisconsin for most of the game but able get one more touchdown to remain undefeated.
4. Clemson- moving up one spot. Deshaun Watson came into the game with something to prove after everyone talked about Lamar Jackson all week long. With the help of the Tigers defense Clemson was able to pull out the upset over Louisville by the score of 42-36.
5. Washington - jumping up 5 spots from last week. Washington was able to prove that their team is the top team in the Pac-12 blowing out Stanford 44-6. Holding one of the best running backs in College Football to 49 rushing yards.
6. Houston - remains at the same spot. Getting redemption from an upset last year. Houston defeats UConn 42-14.
7. Texas A&M - moves up 2 spots. Pulling out a close win over South Carolina. Next week will determine if A&M is for real in a SEC matchup with Tennessee.
8. Tennessee - up three spots from last week. Down almost the whole game Tennessee was able to get out of Athens with a last second hail mary touchdown victory winning 34-31. They will be tested again next week going up against Texas A&M.
9. Baylor - jumps four spots from last week. Baylor was down 42-28 in the fourth quarter against Iowa State but the offense rallied pulling out a 45-42 come from behind win.
10. Miami - up four spots from last week. Miami is finally back in the top 10 after a few years out of the mix. Coach Richt has this team back to their winning ways defeating Georgia Tech 35-21.

At number 11 I have Louisville after loosing to Clemson. Also dropping out of the top 10 are Stanford and Wisconsin. It's only week five so there is a lot of time to get back in the top four. I can't wait to see what upsets come next week. This is why College Football is the best... you never know what is going to happen.

Giants game 3

     Sunday was a sad day for the sports community with the loss of a legend, Arnold Palmer and  tragic loss of an incredible baseball player Jose Fernandez. Despite that it was also Football Sunday and in the 1pm slot was a divisional matchup between the Giants and the Redskins. This game was built up because of the Odell Beckham Jr/Josh Norman match up.
     The Giants entered 2-0 while the Redskins entered 0-2. In the first half, the Giants were rolling scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and another in the second quarter. The defense held the redskins to two field goals in the first quarter and a field goal and touchdown in the second quarter taking a 21-16 lead going into the half. The Giants dominated both sides of the ball in the first half.
     Unfortunately the second half was a different story. In the third quarter, the Giants couldn't find the end zone only scoring a field goal while allowing a redskins touchdown. Entering the fourth quarter the Giants held on to a 24-23 lead but then things fell apart. Eli Manning threw an interception in the redone, his first of the game. The defense held strong forcing the Redskins to punt. On the punt the Giants were able to block it which would've given the Giants excellent field position but there were penalties on both teams nullifying the play forcing the Redskins to punt again. There was a personal foul on the Giants which was so incredibly unnecessary and ended up being the turning point of this game. The Giants were only able to put up a field goal in the fourth and despite not allowing the Redskins to score another touchdown, they allowed them to score two field goals losing their first game of the season. Manning threw a second interception at the end of the game when the Giants just needed to get into field goal range to win the game.
     I've noticed that once they are down that is when Manning goes into panic mode and throws the ball in the wrong spot or tries to force it in the middle of defenders. This loss wasn't just on the play of Manning but also on the 11 penalties that the Giants occurred. The defense also gave up some huge receiving plays like the Jamison Crowder 55 yard touchdown. Yes they are 2-1 and sit in the second spot of the NFC East but they need to fix these mistakes real quick if they plan on having a good year.
     OBJ won the match up against Josh Norman. Norman couldn't keep up with OBJ and got burned quit a few times in the second half. OBJ did loose his cool getting a penalty and hitting the kicking net on the sideline but that was because Manning missed him wide open a couple of times. OBJ finished with seven receptions for 121 yards. Another highlight was Orleans Darkwa, who was filling in for Rashad Jennings. Jennings sat out this game with an injury. Darkwa ran hard and with conviction finding quit a few holes gaining huge yards. Victor Cruz also made some key catches to keep drives going and continuing to shine was Sterling Shepard. Shepard had five receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown.
     The Giants have all the components needed to be a good team this year but they definitely need to clean up the mistakes that they made in this game. Manning can't panic when the Giants get behind and needs to continue to play the way he did to start the game. The Giants definitely need to clean up the penalties because you can't win games giving away yards. They need to fix these mistakes quickly because up next is the Minnesota Vikings who are currently undefeated. Despite the outcome this was a good game. The first half was great hopefully they can continue that first half play going forward.

Peyton Manning is Now and Will Always Be Football

What is football without Peyton Manning because Peyton Manning is Football. With18 years in the NFL, the younger generations don't know the NFL without Peyton Manning. Before the NFL there were his years dominating college football at the University of Tennessee. I was blessed to watch him from the start of his monumental career. I've been a fan since he played for Tennessee. It has been a privilege to watch one of the greatest players to ever play the game, to watch the person that helped to make the NFL what it is today.

Manning came into the NFL as the first pick in the 1998 draft. He started his career with the Indianapolis Colts. During his tenure with the Colts, he revived an organization and made it a championship caliber team. From 1998-2011, Manning won eight division championships, two AFC championships, made two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory in the pouring rain against the Chicago Bears and four NFL MVP titles. Also creating one of the greatest rivalries in sports: Manning v Brady. A game that became one of the most highly anticipated and thrilling games for the past 15 years. In the playoffs, everyone looked forward to that matchup because you knew it would never disappoint and would keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire game and sometimes longer.

While with the Colts, the world was able to witness one of the greatest masterminds in football grow overtime, evolving the NFL every step of the way. When Manning first entered the NFL not many were aware of his high football IQ but that quickly changed. Saying Manning worked hard everyday is an extreme understatement because day in and day out he did everything could to master his craft and to make sure he competed everyday at the highest level he could. Manning built Lucas Oil Stadium with his success and did it surrounded by teammates that became great because of him. Manning made the people around him better, because everyone wanted to work as hard as he did.

Unfortunately, circumstances brought Manning's time at Indy to an end and the organization that was thriving because of him released him. At that time he was already considered one of the best but with the neck injury the Colts thought it would be best to move on. This would prove to be a welcomed change for Manning. Manning would sign with the Denver Broncos and would rebound from an injury that had people doubting him, only to continue to add to his already elaborate resume.

During Manning's four years with the Broncos, he led them to two Super Bowl appearances, received his fifth NFL MVP, which is the most by any NFL player and in the final game of his career he won another Super Bowl While with the Broncos, Manning shattered many NFL records leaving his mark on the game for years to come.

Manning has a long list of records but the most notable ones include: being the first quarterback to have 200 career wins, being named to 14 Pro Bowls, having 14 4,000 yard passing seasons, becoming the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, having the most passing touchdowns and passing yards in one season and having the most games with at least 400 yards passing. Manning is the epitome of greatness.

Manning's career has surpassed everyone expectations. On this day March 7, 2016, Manning has called it a career. It is sad to know Manning will never step out on that field again, that his Super Bowl victory was last time we would all witness him throw the ball but what a way to go out : The Champion of the World.

There will never be another Peyton Manning. No one will ever come close. It has been a privilege and an honor to watch Manning's entire career unfold and become a legacy. For years to come kids will strive to be like Manning and that will make the NFL great. If only we could have an NFL full of Peyton Manning's but knowing that there will be countless players working to be like him means the NFL will only continue to grow. The NFL will never be the same without Peyton Manning but he has left an everlasting legacy. Thank you Peyton for the memories, the excitement and for letting me witness greatness. You will be missed on that field come August! I will forever be a fan! Congrats on an illustrious career. Hope to see you involved in football again real soon as a coach or a commentator! Omaha!

Allen Iverson

         On March 1, 2014, I made the journey to Philadelphia to witness my all time favorite basketball player Allen Iverson retire his number as a 76er and have his banner raised to the rafters next to Charles Barkley and Maurice Cheeks.
          Iverson's retirement ceremony was held during the Philadelphia 76ers game against the Washington Wizards. The minute you walked into the Wells Fargo arena you knew you were in Iverson's house. There were banners every where of pictures of Iverson. The giveaways were all the giveaways of Iverson they had throughout the years including the rubber duck, gumby, alien Iverson and the Iverson bobble head. All the fans were adorned with Iverson attire. Throughout the game the 76ers paid homage to Iverson by showing clips from Iverson playing and recordings of NBA players talking about what Iverson has meant to them. The players included Andre Igodala, Kyle Kover, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dewayne Wade among others. LeBron James also spoke but you were unable to hear what he said because the Philly fans booed him.
          It wasn't until there was 1:30 remaining in the first half I realized this is really happening Iverson is really retiring. I was sitting there in my blue Iverson Sixers jersey my heart beating in anticipation of watching Iverson say goodbye to basketball. I have been a fan of Iverson since 1994 when he started playing for Georgetown University. Iverson has been apart of my life for nearly 20 years and it was coming to an end he was stepping away from basketball. Iverson was apart of my household since I was in middle school. My room was full of his posters, magazine covers, sneakers and jerseys.My college dorm was full of pictures of Iverson and my room now still has a framed picture along with his MVP plaque on the wall. Iverson played hard and gave his all every time he went out on the court. He left his mark on the game breaking records and rules at the same time. He changed the NBA and made sure everyone knew who he was. Love him or hate him you knew who he was. He was named Rookie of the year after being drafted number one in 1996. He also got criticized for everything he did from his braids, black socks to his shorts being to long. Iverson was an 11 time all star, winning the MVP of the all star game twice. He won the scoring title four times, was named to the NBA first team three times, was named NBA MVP one time and that was the year he led the Sixers to their first NBA Finals since 1983. Iverson is sixth all time on average points per game and is second to Michael Jordan in playoff scoring average. He also won a Bronze medal with the USA Olympic basketball team. Iverson had a great career.
          When it was time for the ceremony Iverson's family walked onto the court to take their seat along with Dr. J, Moses Malone, Gary Payton, Dikembe Mutombo, Theo Ratliff and Larry Hughes among others. Then the arena got dark and Iverson walked out onto the court. The NBA Commissioner, the president, the GM and the owner all talked. Larry Brown was shown in a recording because he couldn't make it. Brown said he was put on this earth to coach Allen Iverson. Then Iverson was introduced and was unable to talk for a few minutes because the roar of the fans was so loud and overwhelming. Iverson stood there and took it all in allowing his fans to salute him and show him what he meant to them. When Iverson was finally able to talk he thanked everyone even his critics. He talked about what his fans meant to him and what the city of Philadelphia meant to him. Iverson thanked his family and all the players that came before him that paved the way for him. After his speech it was time to reveal his banner. Tina Turner's simply the best started playing and they slowly lifted his banner to the Rafters. In a matter of 20 minutes it was over Iverson was immortalized and placed in the rafters where his name will forever hang.
            It did not really hit me that it was over until the next day. I was walking around feeling like someone died like I lost someone I loved. Iverson retiring was a bittersweet moment in my life one I will never forget and one I will be forever grateful I was able to be apart of. I want to thank Iverson for being apart of my life for about 20 years, for being the dynamic player he was, for changing the NBA and leaving his mark on the game. Little kids will forever look up to Iverson. He is now among the legends in Philadephia and the NBA. Next up the NBA Hall of Fame. Thank You Allen Iverson for everything I love you and I always will. As the Song says "You're simply the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone..."

Giants vs Cowboys review

Despite the New York Giants playing poorly on offense the defense stepped up and helped the Giants pull out a 29-24 victory and stay undefeated at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium. The Giants are 4-0 in Cowboy stadium and have now pulled away to stand on top alone of the NFC East.

The Giants defense is getting back to that championship caliber play that helped them win the Superbowl. The defense grabbed three interceptions in the first half and took a commanding 23-0 lead until the Cowboys scored a touchdown with 5:22 remaining in the first half.

Stevie Brown grabbed two interceptions. One of those came in the fourth quarter that should have sealed the deal for the Giants victory but the offense gave the ball right back to the Cowboys setting up what would be a fight to the last second of the game. Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack and an interception for a touchdown that put the Giants up 23-0. Corey Webster also had an interception.

Chris Canty being back in the defense made all the difference the past two games. Canty is a huge presence in the center and that makes it harder to double team the outside. Canty was able to get to Tony Romo and disrupt his offensive play. Canty had two tackles, one sack and disrupted a number of pass attempts. Linval Joesph also had two sacks.

The Giants defense also had two fumble recoveries. One fumble came on a Felix Jones run when the Cowboys were driving down the field trying to increase their lead after they took a 24-23 lead. The other fumble recovery came on a punt return by Dez Bryant.

 The defense did allow Romo to have big plays in the air and gave up 437 yards. The defense also allowed the Cowboys to come back and take the lead in the third quarter.

The Giants have been stopping the run games of their opponents and only allowed the Cowboys to have 19 yards rushing.

The Giants collapsed in the second half and were only able to score two field goals in the fourth quarter. Fortunately that was all they needed to get the victory and become 6-2.

Eli Manning did not have a good game completing only 15 of his 29 pass attempts for 192 yards and one interception. Only one wide receiver had over 50 receiving yards and that was rookie Rueben Randle. Randle had two catches for 68 yards. Hakeem Nicks had the second most receiving yards with four catches for 46 yards.

The rushing game did not do much better with Ahmad Bradshaw having 22 carries for 78 yards and Andre Brown with three carries for 21 yards and a touchdown.

Steve Weatherford had to punt the ball six times and Lawrence Tynes kicked and made five field goals sealing the victory for the Giants.

The Giants only converted three of 15 third downs and in the fourth quarter the Giants couldn’t convert on third down setting up an exciting finish to this game.

The Cowboys got the ball back with less than a minute remaining in the game. The defense allowed the Cowboys to get close enough to convert a touchdown pass and if it was not for Dez Bryant’s fingers landing out of bounds in the end zone the Giants would not have won this game.

On the last play of the game Osi Umenyoria was able to flush Romo out of the pocket and this caused Romo to throw the ball too high and out of reach of any of the wide receivers ending the game.  

The Giants sit comfortably on top of the NFC East at 6-2 and next up they have the Pittsburg Steelers. The Giants offense had an off game and will play better against the Steelers. If the defense continues to play the way they have the last two games the Steelers won’t be able to get their offense going and if the Giants offense is able to move down they field they will walk away with a victory.

Giants Redskins review

             The New York Giants finally got the monkey off their backs and defeated a division rival. The Giants squared off against the Washington Redskins defeating them in a tight battle 27-23 for their first win in the NFC East this season.

This was an exciting game right to the end when two touchdowns were scored within a minute of each other. Robert Griffin III show cased his play making abilities and also that he can crack under pressure with a few turnovers proving to be costly.

The Giants defense stepped up again this week wreaking havoc on the high powered offense of the Redskins. Chris Canty made his season debut this week and grabbed four tackles in his return. This might have been the reason the Giants looked like the defense from the playoffs. Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyoria and Jason Pierre-Paul all tallied one sack each.

Stevie Brown is solidifying himself in the Giants secondary grabbing another interception this game. Jason Pierre-Paul was everywhere RGIII was chasing him down forcing the Redskins to double team him. The Giants caused four forced fumbles in this game and recovered three of them. Pierre-Paul and Linval Joesph each had one forced fumble and Chase Blackburn had two.

The most significant forced fumble was the one at the end of the fourth quarter on Santana Moss. The Redskins were driving down the field after the Giants scored a touchdown to put them ahead. Chase Blackburn caused the fumble on Moss with less than a minute left in the game stopping the Redskins drive sealing the victory.

Manning had 26 completions on 40 attempts for 337 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. Manning’s biggest completion was a 77 yard touchdown to Victor Cruz which would end up being the game winning touchdown.

The Giants had trouble getting the running game going and they were not as productive as they have been the past couple of games. Ahmad Bradshaw had 12 carries for 43 yards and a touchdown. Andre Brown returned in this game and had five carries for 17 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully this was just a bad game for the running game and it will go back to the way it was in the next game. The running game is vital to this Giants team this game would not have been close if the running game got going.

Victor Cruz was the standout wide out in this game with seven receptions totaling in 131 yards. Martellus Bennett was also solid with five receptions for 79 yards. Bennett fell off the last couple of game but it looks like he is back on track and let’s hope it stays that way because he is a big body threat down the field and is capable of gaining more yards after the catch.

Hakeem Nicks had five catches for 53 yards and his longest was a 21 yard catch. Nicks makes all the difference in this Giants offense even though he hasn’t had his big game yet defenses respect him enough to put people on him opening up the other options for Manning. Nicks will get back to making big plays soon enough.

This game was too close for comfort but the Giants never gave up and pulled out the victory. This was a big game considering the Redskins swept them last season. The Giants had the big plays when they needed them on offense and defense. Even though no one is giving them their respect yet, the Giants are 5-2 and are among the top teams in the NFL. Next up they have the Dallas Cowboys, another divisional rival that they already played and lost to. The Giants are a different team from that first game and will be more of a challenge for the Cowboys. The Giants play better on the road and they do like playing and winning in the Cowboys stadium. If the defense continues to play the way they have the last two games the Cowboys will be in trouble.

Giants San Fran review

The New York Giants are now standing alone on top of the NFC East after routing the San Francisco 49ers 26-3 in San Francisco on Sunday. Almost everyone predicted this to be a close game and picked the 49ers to come out on top because they were being crowned as one of the top teams in the NFL but the Giants exposed them and didn't allow their offense to score a touchdown. The Giants dominated every aspect of the game and walked away with a big victory in San Francisco.

The Giants defense finally stepped up and played big. The last game against Cleveland the Giants were unable to get a sack but against San Francisco they had six sacks. Jason Pierre-Paul had two sacks and Mathias Kiwanuka, Linval Joesph, Jacquian Williams and Adrian Tracy all got one sack. Prince Amukamara got his first interception of the season in the first half and Antrel Rolle dominated the third quarter intercepting Alex Smith two times.

This was Mario Manningham’s first game against the Giants since he helped them win the Superbowl and he was able to grab five receptions for 72 yards. Alex Smith was able to get some big plays in the air but the 49ers couldn’t get anything going in the red zone. David Akers missed two field goals and made one which ended up being their only score of the game.

The Giants defense played outstanding holding a dominate rushing team to only 80 yards for the game. Frank Gore was held to a measly 36 yards on eight carries. The Giants defense stepped up in this game taking the pressure off of Eli Manning and allowing him to take his time and play his game.

The Giants offensive line did not allow the 49er defense to get a sack in the game.

After being held scoreless in the first quarter Eli Manning came alive in the second quarter hitting Domenik Hixon down the field for a 39 yard catch eventually setting up a Victor Cruz touchdown. This would be Manning’s only touchdown of the game.

Victor Cruz grabbed six receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Since the drops in the Cowboys game Cruz has stepped up and made big plays for the Giants.

Manning had 15 completions on 28 attempts for 193 yards and one touchdown. Manning’s go to guy was Domenik Hixon with four receptions for 78 yards. Hixon and Manning are becoming more comfortable with each other. The last couple of games Manning has connected on big plays with Hixon.

Hakeem Nicks made his comeback this week after sitting out the last two games dues to knee and foot injuries. When Nicks is in the game the offense seems to work more smoothly. Nicks is Manning’s safety net due to his big play making abilities. Nicks grabbed three receptions for 44 yards and one of those was a 26 yard play.

After having a 200 yard rushing game last Sunday Ahmad Bradshaw came out and continued to run hard against the 49ers. Bradshaw had 27 carries totaling 116 yards and one touchdown. David Wilson also had 35 rushing yards on seven carries. The Giants offense is starting to become more dimensional instead of always relying on Manning to win the game in the air. If they keep up with the rushing game this offense is going to become hard to stop.

Unlike the past few games the Giants offense did not have a turnover in this game and that was the key to their high powered victory.

The Giants offense and defense played the way they should’ve been playing all season. They were able to catch the 49ers off guard and disrupt their offensive game plan. The Giants were ready for everything the 49ers were going to throw at them and dominated the game showing they are a top team in the NFL.

Next week the Giants are back at their divisional play which they have had trouble against so far this season. The Giants are 0-2 in the NFC East and Sunday at home against the Washington Redskins they look to change that.  

Joe Pa

                         So can someone explain why Joe Paterno is getting more blame for the Jerry Sandusky scandal than Jerry Sandusky is? Why is Joe Pa the only person being discussed every single day? It's starting to look like the FBI needed a scapegoat for their findings and who better to blame than a deceased person. This scandal killed Joe Paterno and now they are dragging his name through the dirt. They are making it so no one will ever remember his 61 year coaching career and all the good he has done for Penn State and the kids that have come through his football program. I understand that he made a mistake by never following up and checking if the board and heads of Penn State did anything about the allegations. Do you really think a father not to just his kids but all the kids he has coached and a grandfather would cover up an alleged child sex abuse case for a football program? Lets not forget he was close to 70 years old when this came out. Who is to say what McQuery really said to Joe Paterno and if Joe Pa understood what he was being told? This is a lot of he said she said. Jerry Sandusky was a so called friend to Joe Pa so its more likely that Joe PA did not believe what McQuery a graduate assistant was telling him. It is a travesty that this happened to these children but lets not forget Jerry Sandusky created a charity for young children and that is where he got his victims from not Penn State. So if we are going to blame Joe Pa for covering up shouldn't we blame the workers at the charity for covering up also don't they play a part in this too? Your telling me that they didn't see Sandusky being overly friendly with the children or taking the children off who knows where while at the charity?
                      No matter what is said and what is done I'll never believe that Joe Pa would cover up something that was hurting a child! No one knows what really happened and the FBI should not come out and make allegations making it look like it was all Joe Pa's fault. No matter how this ends Joe Pa will always be a legendary coach and a great mentor to thousands of men. Everyone has something to say and it is easy to blame the person everyone knows instead of the assistant that no one has every heard of until this scandal. The Joe Pa statue should remain where it is. Joe Paterno made a mistake everyone makes mistakes this mistake should not erase his 61 years of coaching, his 61 years of putting others first, his 61 years of helping young men to become responsible adults, his 61 years of sacrificing family time to full fill his commitment to Penn State and his 61 years of helping a University to become known all over the country! The way they are talking about Joe Pa now is hurting his family and haven't enough families been hurt in this whole scandal. He has children and grandchildren and they are making him out to be a monster that only cared about keeping a football program's reputation in tact instead of the welfare of children which is absolutely ridiculous considering working for the football program was him helping out the welfare of young men! This whole thing makes my blood boil everyone needs to take a step back get all the facts straight instead of pointing fingers and passing blame. Jerry Sandusky allegedly committed these crimes therefore Jerry Sandusky should be the only person that is talked about. Why are his actions anyone else's responsibility? Joe Pa should have went further in making sure something was done but i fully believe he thought by telling the higher ups in Penn State that they would do what was supposed to be done. Not following up and making sure someone was looking into the allegations was something that Joe PA had to regret until he passed away. This killed Joe Pa and it should not take away from everything he has done for Penn State and that community!
                    The only way Penn State will get passed this is if they don't have football for a couple of years because as long as they have football they will have the scandal. Joe Pa will forever be Penn State.

UNC

John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall entered the NBA draft opting to leave school early. I'm not happy about this. I'm not sure it was the right thing for them to do. Obviously I'm biased because I'm a huge North Carolina Tar heel basketball fan but Barnes couldn't play to his level with Kendall Marshall out during the tournament. I'm not sure they are ready for the NBA draft. John Henson might not be strong enough and should have improved his skills by staying another year and Marshall broke his wrist and had to get surgery during the tournament. Marshall probably should have came back another year just to prove to the NBA teams that his injury did not effect him at all. I'm mad because i know with them UNC would've been the top team next year. Without them they will just have to prove they are still good. I like when they are the underdogs because it gives them more drive and determination to win making them hard to beat. Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston have already proved they are ready to move into the starting position. James Michael McAdoo is going to only get better from the way he played this year. I believe McAdoo is going to be one of the best to come out of UNC if he continues to work hard. He has a lot of potential. Lets not forget that Dexter Strickland will also be back. He will be coming back from his injury and should be a good leader for this team next season. I've been a North Carolina Tar Heel fan for a long time and i always believe they can win the National Championship every year. This year coming up will be an adjustment but with Roy Williams at the helm they will always be good and in the running for a top ranking.

The Masters

Many people find golf to be boring but I have found the final day of the big golf tournaments to be exciting. Today took a play off to determine the winner of the Masters at the Augusta National golf course. Augusta is one of the most beautiful golf courses. Bubba Watson won his first ever Green Jacket today. I was rooting for Phil Mickelson to win but I'm not mad that Bubba Watson won. Louis Oosthuizen played a great game but came up a shot short in the playoff. The shot that set up the win for Watson was outstanding. He was in the woods and hit it out of the woods hooking it about 40 yards onto the green.Watson was extremely emotional after sinking in the putt that won him his first ever Masters' title. Phil Mickelson came in third and fought hard to try and take the lead but he just couldn't pull it out because Watson and Oosthuizen were two shots ahead. Today was close right until the end. There were eight different players in the hunt that could have won. Everyone thought Tiger Woods would be in the running today because he won the Arnold Palmer invitational. Woods ended the day plus five tied for 40th place along with Rory McIlroy. The Masters is always unpredictable. You just never know who is going to win it and that is what makes it exciting. There are always favorites but sometimes they don't win and there is someone playing little better that day that might come up and surprise you.

One down one to go

Men's college basketball comes to an exciting end. Kentucky defeated Kansas by only 8 points. Anthony Davis Naismith award winner only had 6 points but he had 16 rebounds. At one point Kentucky was winning by 18 points which proved to be too much for Kansas to over come. Kansas never gave up being led by Thomas Robinson who had 18 points and 17 rebounds and Tyshawn Taylor had 19 points. This was Taylor's last game but Robinson is only a junior and I believe he should stay another year but no one turns down money. In the second half Kansas came out riled up. They were playing defense and throwing Kentucky off their game. There was a glimmer of hope for Kansas when they came within five points. They just couldn't get over that 18 point lead. The referees were also making it hard for Kansas to make a full comeback by calling everything on Kansas and letting Kentucky get away with everything. There were some missed fouls but the blame does not fall fully on the refs. Kansas should have been playing with the same defensive intensity in the first half that they were playing with in the second half. If Kansas would have gotten their fast break offense going Kentucky would not have been able to keep up. Kentucky was winded in the second half and couldn't keep up with Kansas that's how they got back in the game. So what has been bothering me this whole time is that everyone has been talking about how Bill Self and John Calipari met in the Championship game before but how can they talk about that game when the wins leading up to that game were taken away from Calipari? Did everyone forget about that? They are talking about Calipari's legacy what legacy? This is his first ever National Championship win. He had to vacate 42 wins from his time at Memphis and Massachusetts. Why hasn't anyone talked about that this whole tournament? I'm not a fan of John Calipari and i feel they need to bring up his vacated wins before they can talk about his legacy. You can't just forget that he had to vacate a good amount of victories in his career. I won't take anything away from the play of Kentucky because they have played really well all season and played as a team. Those players deserve it even though i would have liked to see Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor win the Championship. Both of these teams had an amazing year and congrats to both of them. Even though if UNC wouldn't have lost Kendall Marshall and would have beat Kansas their would have been a different outcome to this Championship. I'm just saying lol!! Lets watch this girl's game tonight hopefully it will be as exciting and won't be a blow out.

Women's final four

All four number one seeds advance to the final four for only the second time in Women's college basketball history. All the stars of Women's college basketball are set to showcase what they have for everyone to see in Sunday's final four match ups. Uconn has advanced which is no surprise to anyone since they are always there. The only difference is Uconn doesn't have one clear star like they usually do. Bria Hartley and Tiffany Hayes are becoming big names for Uconn but their isn't a Maya Moore or a Diana Taurasi leading the way. Uconn is still looking for their clear cut leader but do they need one because this team is playing well together. They will be meeting Skylar Diggins and the Fighting Irish in Sunday's match up for the fourth time this season. Notre Dame beat Uconn twice during the season but Uconn beat them their last meeting for the Big East title. This will be an exciting game to watch. The target has been on Notre Dame's back all season since they went to the National Championship game last year. This year they are hoping to have a different outcome and win the Championship. They have to get past Uconn first and that is going to take everything they have to do it. As for the other final four match up we have Brittney Griner facing off against the Ogwumike sisters. If your going to watch a women's college basketball game this is definitely the one to watch. Here you have two of the best in Brittney Griner and Nnemkadi Ogwumike or as people call her Nneka. The Baylor Bears are undefeated this season because they are led by this 6'8" phenom Brittney Griner and she is only a junior. Stanford has made it to the final four for the fifth straight season. Are they going to be able to pull off the upset against Baylor and get to the National Championship? These two final four games are going to be exciting to watch. Can Baylor go undefeated the whole season? Griner has to be careful in this game and stay out of foul trouble because they will need her the whole game if they plan on stopping the Ogwumike sisters. If you want to see what the stars of Women's college basketball are made of you should watch these two final four games on Sunday. The girl's you have been hearing about all year have made it to the final four and all of them want the National Championship game. The question is who wants it more? All four of these coaches are outstanding. You have Geno Auriemma coaching Uconn whose resume speaks for itself. Muffet McGraw, the Fighting Irish head coach is no stranger to the big games and took her team to the National Championship game last year. Lets not forget she knows how to play and beat Auriemma. Then you have Kim Mulkey leading the undefeated Baylor Bears against Tara VanDerveer and the Stanford Cardinals, who have made the final four the last five years. All these coaches know what it takes to win big games and will find adjustments for the stars of the other teams. Expect close games that go down to the final second. Talk about excitement! Tune in on Sunday and see what these girls are made of and if they are worth all the publicity they get.

March Madness

I can write about March madness now because the team I picked to win the whole thing lost on Sunday to Kansas. North Carolina was playing without their point guard Kendall Marshall who got hurt against Creighton. I'm upset they lost but if the younger players do not leave for the NBA they will be real good next season. As for the final four I believe Kansas has a good chance to win the whole thing. Thomas Robinson is a real good player. Kansas has a lot of different elements to their game. Ohio State will keep the game close against Kansas but I think Kansas has an advantage because they don't rely on one player. Kentucky and Louisville will be an interesting game. Everyone likes Kentucky and says they are the best team but do not count out Rick Pitino. He has been coaching for years and knows what he is doing. Pitno knows how to win games. May the better coach win that game. This is going to be an exciting final four. Anyone can win these games so it will be fun to watch and see who wants it more. The tournament has been surprising with Duke loosing in the first round to Lehigh and Missouri loosing to Norfolk State. Two number two seeds going out in the first round of the tournament has never happened before. The West region had a four seed and a seven seed playing in the elite eight. I love March Madness because everyone is giving their all to survive another day. You are getting the best out of these players because everyone wants to win the Championship. The final four games will be very exciting and emotional. Anything can happen and with both teams giving everything they have you never know what to expect. Go Kansas! North Carolina will be back next year!

Tebow and sean payton

Tim Tebow is a Jet and everyone is excited about this. The only way this makes any sense is if they make him play another position besides quarterback because he can not throw the ball and will not last running the ball all the time. The NFL already tired to help Tebow with his throw but it did not last long because he went right back to the way he used to throw the ball in college. The Jets just extended Mark Sanchez's contract and are saying he is and will be their starting quarterback. Do you really think there won't be a competition during training camp for the starting quarterback position? Tebow is not the answer but I'm not sure Mark Sanchez is the answer either. Sanchez has not had great seasons with the Jets and still makes dumb mistakes. Besides Peyton Manning is in the AFC so the Broncos will be the top team and don't forget that Tom Brady and the Patriots are in the same division. New Orleans is all messed up everyone that is supposed to run the team is suspended. They lost their coach for a whole year. Would Sean Payton be suspended for a whole year if he would have just told the truth to begin with instead of trying to covering up? Sorry everyone should know by now the truth will always come out, you can not cover up anything. Giving people incentives to take out players on another team is wrong. Football is a rough sport to begin with and then you go and give more money to players for trying to hurt someone. Getting hit hard is a part of football; that's what football is and what makes it great. Bounty programs just make the sport look bad and take away from how great football is. The coaches got what they deserved on this one and there goes the Saint's season.