NFL MVP and Rookie of the Year

My long awaited return to the blogosphere has finally come. All two of my avid readers can now breathe a sigh of relief. For my first blog of 2013 (yeah, we survived Dec. 21 2012...suck it, Mayans) I will be taking a look at the two most highly debated NFL award races this season:

MVP

Let's be honest, this is a two man race between Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson, who are also the two main candidates for Comeback Player of the Year. The thing I don't like about this kind of debate is that to make my point, I will have to downgrade what the one of these players has done. So I will preface my pick by saying that both had amazing seasons and are very deserving. That being said, I believe that Adrian Peterson is most deserving of this award. This is no disrespect to Manning, who finished second only to Aaron Rodgers with a passer rating of 105.8, and led the Broncos to a 13-3 record. I recognize that this award generally is given to quarterbacks, and understandably so, as they handle the ball on every play and the NFL has become a pass first league. The biggest argument against Manning is simply that the Broncos are a very talented team even without him, especially on defense as they finished second in total defense. The Broncos even made the playoffs last season with someone at quarterback that couldn't even supplant Mark Sanchez as the starter for the Jets this season (I will not mention his name since you all hear it enough from ESPN).

At this point I would like to reiterate that I don't want to downgrade what Manning did for his team. The reason I have chosen Peterson for this is because he was the offense for the Vikings, and frankly I think that's an understatement. Plain and simple, Peterson was the reason the Vikings made it to the playoffs. The only other offensive threat that his team had was Percy Harvin, but he has been out with an injury since Week 10. Even though the impact a running back can have on a game is usually limited compared to that of a quarterback, that was not the case for this Minnesota Vikings team. From Week 7 on Peterson tallied a total of 1,598 yards on the ground, which is 97 more yards than their quarterback Christian Ponder threw during that same span. In this pass first version of the NFL something like that is almost unheard of. Peterson was also just 9 yards short of the all time rushing record, with a total of 2,097 yards on the ground.

Even more impressive is just how he got those yards. He averaged 6 yards per carry with 3 of those yards coming after contact. Take a moment to think about how impressive that is. He fought for every inch he could get on every single run and earned each one of his yards. Arian Foster, who is considered one of the top running backs in the league, averaged 4.1 yards per run. That's only 1.1 yards more than Peterson gets after contact alone. He put his team on his back each and every week and impacted the game more than any other running back has done in a long time, making Peterson more than deserving of MVP.

Rookie of the Year

This is without a doubt the most impressive rookie quarterback class that I have ever seen. I firmly believe that these three quarterbacks above (left to right: Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III) all have very bright futures in the NFL. Much like I said earlier when discussing the MVP, I don't like that I have to belittle the talent of any of these young players. They all had great rookie seasons, but alas, only one can win.  Let me start by evaluating the first overall pick, Andrew Luck. He was asked to throw the football much more than his rookie counterparts (234 more times to be exact), resulting in him throwing for an impressive 4,374 yards while leading the Colts back to the playoffs. He also garnered a reputation for coming up big in the clutch by leading the Colts on several game winning drives.

The main knock against Luck was his turnovers, throwing 18 interceptions and adding 10 fumbles. While his increased number of pass attempts definitely contributed to his higher number of interceptions, he also had the fewest pass attempts per interception thrown (about one interception per 35 attempts; Wilson and RGIII have one interception per 39 pass attempts and 79 pass attempts respectively). Luck also only completed only about 54% of his throws. Many like to focus on Luck's late game heroics, which are certainly impressive. But people tend to ignore the multiple interceptions he threw that put them in the position of needing a comeback. Personally, I value efficiency and taking care of the ball, leading me to rank him third in this award race.

That leaves it between RGIII and Wilson. I honestly had a little bit of trouble deciding between these two guys because they both were very efficient through the air and on the ground. I also have an immense amount of respect for both of these guys. Wilson overcame all odds, being drafted in the third round because he was "too short" and going to a team that had just brought in Matt Flynn for the purpose of being their franchise quarterback. However Wilson stole the starting job during the preseason and never looked back. He also is an extremely fierce competitor, often running down the field to help block after completing a pass or handing the ball off. He made multiple key blocks just yesterday in the playoff game against the Redskins. Not to mention he must be affluent in the ways of the force, seeing as he used a Jedi mind trick to make the refs give him a touchdown when he really threw an interception.

Then there's RGIII, who also had a phenomenal season. He set a rookie quarterback rushing record by running for 815 yards. He also proved that he was more than a capable passer, completing almost 66% of his passes and throwing for 20 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Honestly, the only knock on him was his injury issues that caused him to miss a game, otherwise his stats would probably be even more impressive. More important than his stats though, is his ability to lead and come up big when it matters the most. When you watched the Skins this season, especially during their seven game win streak to end the season, you simply had the belief that RGIII was going to figure out a way to win the game.

When it came down to trying to pick between these two guys there was one key factor that helped my make my choice. While both these young quarterbacks led their respective teams to the playoffs, one of them had a lot more help. Wilson's Seahawks had the number one scoring defense in the league, allowing a measly 15.3 points per game. The Skins, on the other hand, were 22nd in the league in scoring defense, allowing 24.3 per game. This made RGIII's job significantly harder, knowing he had to put up major points each and every week to win. This factor caused me to give this award to Robert Griffin III, with Russell Wilson finishing second.

NBA Season Preview

Tomorrow marks the glorious start of the 2012-2013 NBA Season. Let's take a look at some of my predictions for this season:

MVP: LeBron James

It's scary to think that LeBron James can get even better, but its true. I could go into all the things he does well but, I mean, what's the point? It's simple. James is the best player in the NBA. That's all there is to it. There's a reason he has already won this award three times. The part that's scary is that he is probably going to have his best statistical season of his career, in large part because he is going to be spending a lot of time at the "power forward" position. His scoring will be the same as always, aka however high he decides to make it. His assists will also stay on par. His rebounding is probably going to see a spike as he finds himself playing down low even more often than before, resulting in him averaging a career high of around nine rebounds per game. His efficiency is also going to increase as he continues to post up far more often and shoot threes at a much lower rate than his career average. On a side note I believe it's only fair to point out that LeBron made a career high 36.2% of his threes last year, proving that while it isn't the best part of his game, it's certainly more than serviceable. While it's tempting to pick someone else for this award like Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, or even Carmelo Anthony, we are about to witness an unstoppable force that hasn't been seen in the NBA for years.

2nd Place: Kevin Durant
3rd Place: Carmelo Anthony

Rookie Of the Year: Damian Lillard

In all honesty this award has already been decided. Barring a bad injury it will be given to Anthony Davis. But I believe that Damian Lillard will be more than deserving of this distinguished award and will actually steal some votes away from Davis. Back at Weber State he proved he can score from the point guard position, averaging 24.5 points per game during his senior year. What is underrated about his game is his playmaking ability because he was forced to play the role of primary scorer in college (I mean lets be real, he went to Weber State...If he didn't score who would?). While scoring is certainly his best asset and he'll never lead the league in assists, he is more than capable of getting his teammates involved and making people around him better. The thing that pushes him above Anthony Davis in my book is the fact that I see Lillard playing an integral role in getting Portland back into the playoffs, even if it is just as an 8th seed. While the Hornets have some young talent on the roster, it will not be enough to get them into the playoffs this season, especially considering the fact that their best player, Eric Gordon, can't seem to stay healthy.

2nd Place: Anthony Davis
3rd Place: Bradley Beal

Sixth Man of the Year: Kevin Martin

I was all prepared to write this segment about James Harden. He was by far the most talented player coming off the bench and had a role that he fit in quite well with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But then OKC had to go and be jerks and trade him away, creating even more work for me. So inconsiderate. Well, anyway, with Harden now with the Houston Rockets, and presumably in the starting lineup, I had to look through the NBA and see who would be the best player coming off the bench this season. Ironically, what I found is that this award has the great potential of going to an OKC player once again. For this to come to fruition, Kevin Martin will have to embrace the role of coming off the bench, and if he does, watch out. This role would be absolutely perfect for Martin because he will be asked to do one thing, and one thing only. Score. And this is what Martin does best. While defense has never been a strong suit for Martin, scoring has never been an issue as he has a career average of 18.4 points per game. Coming off the bench for OKC, he is going to be asked to provide a scoring punch and some instant offense for the team, something that he can do as well as anyone in the league.

2nd Place: Jason Terry
3rd Place: Ray Allen

Most Improved Player: Jrue Holiday

This is the hardest award for me to predict simply because there are so many candidates and it often goes to someone relatively unknown prior to his breakout season. But I'm going to take a stab at it by giving this award to Jrue Holiday. He has shown flashes of his immense potential but has yet to fully realize it. He actually even took a step back last year after a very good sophomore campaign. However the recent roster shake up in Philadelphia provides Holiday with the opportunity to finally show how good he can be, and I think he will. The key is the departure of Andre Iguodala, as well as Lou Williams. While both are very good players in their own way, I think they held Holiday back. Iggy is more of a point forward than small forward, so he spent a lot of the time handling the ball. This took away from Holiday's playmaking opportunities. Then there was sixth man point guard Williams who was always ready to come off the bench should Holiday make a mistake or play poorly. Without that pressure he will be able to play more freely and without worrying about his back up replacing him. Now, along with help from a dominant post presence in Andrew Bynum, I see Holiday increasing his assists, scoring, and efficiency, while also helping to lead the Sixers back to the playoffs, earning him this award.

2nd Place: Klay Thompson
3rd Place: Michael Beasley

Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Smith aka J-Smoove

Now that Joe Johnson is gone from the Atlanta Hawks this is undoubtedly Josh Smith's team. He is also entering a contract year, so we'll probably see him working his tail off to earn the big bucks on his next contract. He has always been a versatile defender whether it's blocking shots, getting steals, or simply shutting down multiple positions. His insane athletic ability allows him to do almost anything on the defensive end when he puts his mind to it. He has also continued to improve his rebounding, posting a career high 9.6 rebounds per game last season. This continued improvement, coupled with his desire to prove himself as a leader of a team, will result in his best season yet as a pro. This will be enough to earn him this distinguished honor. Other guys who have potential to get this award also have a little bit stacked against them giving J-Smoove the edge. LeBron is the most versatile defender in the league, but his defensive prowess will play a role in him winning the MVP. Dwight Howard is another guy who has a good shot at winning it, but he's fighting back issues making me hesitant to give him this award.

2nd Place: LeBron James
3rd Place: Dwight Howard

Coach of the Year: Frank Vogel

The Indiana Pacers have a group of talented players that play very well as a team, especially on the defensive end. What they lack, however, is a true star. A guy that, with the game on the line, they can turn to and say "make something happen". This is when coaching becomes even more important, and this is why I have Frank Vogel taking this award. He keeps his players playing for each other and for the team as a whole, rather than for themselves. When you add their balanced depth with the continued improvement of Roy Hibbert and Paul George, I have the Pacers finishing as the three seed in the East. A top three finish devoid of a star will be extremely impressive, resulting in Vogel being given this award.

2nd Place: George Karl
3rd Place: Mark Jackson

NBA Finals Prediction: Miami Heat over OKC Thunder

Real original, right? I'm predicting a finals rematch. Real clever. I'm even predicting the same outcome. Maybe I'm just getting lazy as this article comes to an end. Or maybe I'm a psychic and have looked into the future. Either way, this is my prediction. While the Eastern Conference has certainly been improving, there really isn't a team out there that can compete with them in a seven game series, especially with Derrick Rose possibly missing the whole year. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but with LeBron playing on a whole new level, D Wade making it to the playoffs healthy, and Bosh thriving at the Center position, there really isn't anyone in the East that can stop them. Now the Western Conference is a much more difficult thing to predict. While there is a plethora of good teams out in the West like the Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers, none of them have a one-two punch like the Thunder. Yes, that includes the Lakers. They're a very good team, but they won't be able to handle the Thunder in a seven game series. Kendrick Perkins has historically been one of the few centers that can keep Dwight Howard in check. Also, Steve Nash will not be able to even remotely slow down Russell Westbrook. Once they get back to the Finals, however, that's where is ends. While the James Harden trade doesn't make the Thunder worse, it doesn't make them any better either. The Heat on the other hand have gotten even better than last year with the additions of sharp shooters like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. This will result in Miami winning their second straight championship, and LeBron winning yet another Finals MVP, further cementing his position as best player in the league.

Ranking the NFL's Top Running Backs

Although the NFL has become a pass first league, there is a plethora of talent at the running back position. Let's take a look at the top five players at that position right now:

5. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

As the only rookie in my top five, Doug Martin may be the most surprising player to make it onto my list. Some may say that I'm a prisoner of the moment, seeing as just last night Martin had a breakout performance against the Minnesota Vikings. He ran for 135 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries to go along with 79 receiving yards and another touchdown on 3 catches. This performance was no fluke and he is most certainly deserving of this ranking. While there were certainly other players that I strongly considered for my list that just barely missed it (Jamaal Charles, Frank Gore, and Alfred Morris to be specific), the dual threat capabilities of Martin propelled him to this spot. While the NFL becomes more and more pass happy it has become increasingly important for running backs to be able to catch passes out of the backfield, a skill that Martin excels at. He ranks 3rd among running backs in receiving yards with 224. The scary part is that, as I stated before, he is only a rookie and is continuing to get better as the season goes on. Over the last three games Martin has rushed for 296 yards while averaging 5.1 yards per carry, caught eight passes for 171 yards, and scored three total touchdowns. As Martin continues to improve he is going to command more respect and be universally recognized as one of the best running backs in the league.

4. Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks)

I must say that I am extremely impressed by what Marshawn Lynch has done (on the field) in Seattle to revitalize his career. After a couple of off the field issues with the Buffalo Bills, Lynch hoped to find a new beginning in Seattle. His first season with the team was less than stellar, racking up only 573 rushing yards in 12 games. I admittedly thought his career was over. Last season was a different story, however, as he ran for over 1,200 yards. This season he has continued to build on that success, as he currently finds himself ranked 5th in the league with 93.1 yards per game. While the numbers alone are impressive, what really makes him deserving of this ranking on my list is how he gets his yards. I'm not sure if Lynch is just mad at the world in general or what, but when he has the ball in his hands he runs angry. He refuses to go down willingly and fights through contact each time he is handed the ball, as he displayed in this famous run against the Saints in the playoffs two years ago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKVEttPqvmE). He also is forced to do this without much consistent help from his quarterback, Russel Wilson. I have nothing against Wilson and believe he can be a good player, but he is still a rookie that is learning the game, which leads to inconsistent performances. This allows defenses to stack the box in an attempt to slow Lynch down, while daring Wilson to beat them with his arm. Lynch scraps and fights for each yard that he gets and is the man that drives the Seahawks' offense, making him a big part of the reason Seattle has four wins.

3. Arian Foster (Houston Texans)

Arian Foster is an absolute workhorse for the Houston Texans and is a huge part of the reason that they are first in the AFC with a record of 6-1. He leads the league with 24 carries per game, which is three more than the any other player in the league (Lynch is second with 21 carries per game). His work has resulted in him ranking 3rd in the league with 94.1 rushing yards per game.  His biggest contribution, however, comes from his ability to finish drives by getting into the end zone, as he leads all running backs with nine rushing touchdowns, four more than any other back in the league. While his 3.9 yards per carry is nothing to write home about, the key for him is that he rarely gets tackled for a loss. As soon as he gets the ball he finds a hole and runs straight through it for as many yards as he can get. Very seldom will you see him dancing around in the backfield or trying to run sideways or backwards to get around a guy. He simply takes what the defense gives him, which is an underrated facet of his game. Most importantly, he takes care of the football, recording no fumbles so far this season. By avoiding negative plays and gaining at least a couple yards on each run, Foster keeps the Texans offense moving and, more often than not, leads them to victory.

2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings)

What can I say about Adrian Peterson? He just continues to prove people wrong again and again. Approximately ten months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, Peterson finds himself second in the league with 96.9 rushing yards per game. The scary part is that he isn't even 100% yet. Regardless, he remains one of the top running backs in the league because of his extremely versatile skill set and freakish athletic ability. Like Lynch, Peterson runs with a purpose and fights for every possible yard he can get, especially around the goal line. Unlike Lynch though, Peterson has blazing break away speed that makes him a threat to take it to the house on every play. Peterson leads all running backs with eight plays of 20+ yards. This game breaking ability makes defenses focus on him at all times, allowing fellow offensive players like quarterback Christian Ponder and wide receiver Percy Harvin to be more successful. As a fan I can't wait for Peterson to be back to 100% health because if he is this good when not at full strength, we are all in for a treat when he becomes completely healthy.

1. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens)

Ray Rice is criminally under-utilized in the Baltimore Ravens offense. Under the direction of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron the Ravens have become a pass heavy offense, lead by quarterback Joe Flacco. While Flacco is certainly no scrub, he is currently sporting the 17th best QBR of 53.9, an extremely average rating. So the fact that Rice is currently on pace to have the lowest number of carries since his rookie year is absolutely mind boggling to me. Despite his egregious lack of touches, Rice has still found a way to be extremely productive this season. He is an enormous threat in both the ground game and the passing game, resulting in him ranking third among running backs in total yards per game. Since he doesn't get nearly enough touches, he does this by averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per catch. He also doesn't turn the ball over, as he has yet to fumble this season. When you watch this 5'8" (like we actually believe he's that tall) tank it is clear that he does not give a damn about his short stature. He will not hesitate to get in the face of a defender that is much taller than him, and more importantly, he doesn't fear anyone while he's running with the ball. With his low center of gravity and immense strength, he is almost impossible to bring down as he runs through defenders that are much bigger than him. This is a public service announcement to Cam Cameron. With the injuries that have plagued the defense this season, the offense will need to pick up the slack if the Ravens are going to contend for the Super Bowl. The only way to do that is to fully utilize the phenomenal talent of Ray Rice who has worked his way up to become the best running back in the NFL. You've been warned.

Tom Brady is Overrated

Let me start by saying that this is not an "I hate Tom Brady Article", nor will I try to make the claim that he is not a good quarterback. He's a darn good quarterback that can make all the throws and has experienced a great deal of success throughout his career. However, I feel the need to truly analyze his game because I feel that many people, both fans and in the media, are too hung up on the early success of his career and refuse to look at the product that is actually right in front of them. But that's okay, because that's what I'm here for.

I don't want to take anything away from Brady in terms of the success he has had. Winning three Super Bowl championships is certainly nothing to scoff at. However, it has been over seven years since his last championship and the "Golden Boy" has continued to come up short again and again and again. Brady's record in the playoffs since 2005 is 7-6 with an average passer rating of 87.7. While the numbers are not bad, they are certainly underwhelming for someone who is labeled by many as the most clutch quarterback of all time.

To put the numbers into perspective, during that time frame Ben Roethlisberger is 9-3 with an average passer rating of 86.5 and Eli Manning is 8-3 with an average passer rating of 90.9. Both of them also have won two Super Bowls during that span. Despite these numbers, you'd be hard pressed to find anybody who would claim that Eli or Roethlisberger is a better QB than Brady.

Clearly Brady is not the unstoppable force in the playoffs that everyone wants to believe that he is. But let's take it even further. Brady consistently puts up some of the best numbers in the NFL which keeps him in the conversation of top 2 QBs each and every year. I would argue though that his numbers can be rather deceiving and that he is the beneficiary of the Patriot system. To be frank, I hate Bill Belichick. But there is no denying that he is one of the greatest coaches of all time and a masterful offensive game-planner. 

For the best example I'm going to take a look at Brady's record breaking year in 2007. If you watched them play then you saw that a large portion of his throws were well designed screens, many of which went to Wes Welker, who would then scamper for a few more yards before being brought down. After running a bunch of short plays that would slowly but surely march them down the field, defenses were forced to play up closer to the line of scrimmage in hopes of slowing down those plays. This is when the Pats could unleash Randy Moss, sending him deep down the field against single coverage so Brady simply had to bomb it deep where more often than not, Moss would come up with it. Now I'm not trying to take away from the fact that Brady still needed to be able to make the throws and did so almost perfectly. I'm simply trying to point out a large chunk of the yards Brady had were results of short passes that his skill players then took for extra yards after the catch. In addition, he was able to do all this work behind what has consistently been the best offensive line in the entire NFL, which leads me to my next point.

In my opinion, the true measure of a quarterback is what he can do when everything breaks down. In other words, when the play doesn't go how it was scripted, what can that QB do to make a positive play. This is where Tom Brady's greatest weakness lies. If he is unable to get the ball out to a receiver quickly, or if his line doesn't give him the proper amount of time, he becomes a sub par quarterback. Obviously when a QB is under pressure he isn't going to perform as well, but time and time again I've seen Brady crumble and completely fall apart if he isn't able to sit in the pocket comfortably.

Last, but certainly not least, is probably the most crucial criticism I have of Tom Brady. I've already discussed how he has had his fair share of struggles in the playoffs when it matters the most, but how about during the regular season when he's trying to close out wins? Based on what you hear people say about Brady in the media you'd assume he's perfect at closing out games, seeing as he constantly receives the "clutch" label. If that's what you believe then you would be surprised to hear that since 2009, the Patriots have lost seven games after leading with under five minutes left to play. That's tied for the third most blown leads in the NFL during that time span. But of course you would then say that's not Brady's fault, it's because of the defense. Well, apparently not. In that time frame, through the sixth week of this season, he had a total QBR (quarterback rating) of 15 during the final five minutes of a game with a one possession lead. For a reference, a QBR of 50 is supposed to represent an average quarterback. Not only is this not clutch, it's downright awful.

Now that I've made my point I would just like to acknowledge that I am indeed nitpicking. Tom Brady has still had a great career and is likely to go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game. But I am tired of everyone putting him up on such a high pedestal that he frankly does not deserve. People seem to be stuck in the past and while it may feel like just yesterday that he won 3 out of 4 Super Bowls, it's been quite a long time. And even though he has had clutch moments in his career, he just might not be the unstoppable force with the game on the line that so many make him out to be.

Top 100 NBA Players

Here is my list of the top 100 players in the NBA. Unfortunately, I am not paid to analyze basketball so due to my busy college grind, I don't have the time to give an explanation for each individual player. So I encourage everybody to leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Whether you agree, disagree, or simply want to know why I ranked a player where I did, please feel free to comment!

1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Chris Paul
4. Dwight Howard
5. Dwyane Wade
6. Kobe Bryant
7. Russell Westbrook
8. Kevin Love
9. Derrick Rose
10. Dirk Nowitzki
11. Rajon Rondo
12. Carmelo Anthony
13. Deron Williams
14. Andrew Bynum
15. Tony Parker
16. Chris Bosh
17. Pau Gasol
18. Monta Ellis
19. Eric Gordon
20. LaMarcus Aldridge
21. Josh Smith
22. Rudy Gay
23. Steve Nash
24. Marc Gasol
25. Al Jefferson
26. David Lee
27. James Harden
28. Paul Pierce
29. Blake Griffin
30. Ty Lawson
31. Kyrie Irving
32. Manu Ginobili
33. Andre Iguodala
34. John Wall
35. Greg Monroe
36. Kevin Garnett
37. Luol Deng
38. Tyson Chandler
39. Al Horford
40. DeMarcus Cousins
41. Tim Duncan
42. Serge Ibaka
43. Joe Johnson
44. Roy Hibbert
45. Tyreke Evans
46. Mike Conley
47. Zack Randolph
48. Brandon Jennings
49. Stephen Curry
50. Gerald Wallace
51. Amare Stoudemire
52. Danny Granger
53. Paul Milsap
54. Marcin Gortat
55. Goran Dragic
56. Kenneth Faried
57. Nene
58. Marcus Thorton
59. Danilo Gallinari
60. Paul George
61. Anderson Varejao
62. Andrea Bargnani
63. Ray Allen
64. Nicolas Batum
65. Kyle Lowry
66. Avery Bradley
67. Joakim Noah
68. Jrue Holiday
69. Wilson Chandler
70. Michael Beasley
71. Nikola Pekovic
72. Ryan Anderson
73. Carlos Boozer
74. Thadeus Young
75. Jarrett Jack
76. Shawn Marion
77. Brook Lopez
78. Gordon Hayward
79. Ricky Rubio
80. David West
81. Arron Afflalo
82. Ersan Ilyasova
83. JaVale McGee
84. Kevin Martin
85. Antawn Jamison
86. Klay Thompson
87. Lou Williams
88. Jeremy Lin
89. Luis Scola
90. Jason Terry
91. Kris Humphries
92. Jose Calderon
93. Rodney Stuckey
94. Andrew Bogut
95. Andrei Kirilenko
96. DeMar DeRozan
97. O.J. Mayo
98. Tony Allen
99. Jeff Green
100. Mario Chalmers

What We Learned From Week 1 of the NFL Season

After a great start to the NFL Season it's time to take a look at a few things we learned from this past weekend:

1. RGIII is LEGIT

One of the worst things about living in Maryland during the football season was having to see the Redskins play every Sunday. During the past two years I've seen some ugly football, including the benching of Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman. Yes, you read correctly. Rex Grossman. It looks like there is finally something to be excited about if you're a Redskins fan, and although I'm not a fan, I look forward to watching Robert Griffin III play for years to come. Now, please bear with me for a moment. I understand that his historic performance came against a short-handed Saints defense that isn't even very good when at full strength. However, the reason I'm sold on RGIII is not because of his extraordinary stat line, but because of the confidence and poise I saw from him on each and every snap. There were plenty of times that he found himself under pressure, and rather than just tucking the ball and running for a few yards, he kept his eyes down the field looking for a receiver to get open. This proves that his college dominance wasn't simply because of his insane athletic ability, and that his skill set does indeed transfer to the NFL. I have been high on this guy for a while now and it's not because of his otherworldly athleticism, nor his cannon arm, but rather because he is an extremely smart man. Just look at his academic record in college and it is quite apparent that he is not only smart, but an extremely hard worker, both on and off the field. When you couple that with the pure athletic talent that RGIII possesses, you get a star in the making. Will he put up numbers like this every week? No, and anyone who thinks so is most likely just an overly optimistic Skins fan. There are sure to be plenty of bumps along the way, but it won't be too long until we are talking about Robert Grifffin III as a top Quarterback in the NFL.

2. Adrian Peterson is a Freak of Nature

A torn ACL is one of the most devastating injuries a running back can experience. Most never get back to full strength. Or at least that's what history has told us. Apparently no one told that to Adrian Peterson. Less than 9 months ago AP tore his ACL in a game against the Redskins. You wouldn't know that by watching him play on Sunday. He carried the ball 17 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. More important than his stats was the strength his knee exhibited while making his usual strong cut backs and leaps. This performance defies everything we knew about ACL tears. Normally it takes about a full year to recover enough to play the running back position due to the abnormal beating they receive. Needless to say, Peterson is ahead of schedule. To put it in context, Jamaal Charles (Kansas City running back) suffered the same injury over three months before Peterson did, yet they are both at the same point in the recovery process. My hypothesis is that he is an alien sent here to dominate the NFL. Or he's just a fast healer. But either way, he is a freak of nature and looks to be back to his old self, which is something football fans should be thrilled about.

3. Starting Rookie Quarterbacks Isn't Always the Right Move

There used to be a time when the general practice in the NFL was to draft QBs and then let them learn for a few years before throwing them into the starting lineup. That is no longer the case, thanks in large part to the rookie success of players such as Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Joe Flacco, and Andy Dalton. This year saw a record five rookies starting at quarterback in Week 1: Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill (above), Russell Wilson, and Brandon Weeden. Between the five of them, they threw a total of 11 interceptions, and that includes the zero interceptions that RGIII threw. Now I'm not going to jump all over Luck. He was the first overall pick for a reason and I still believe he'll be a good quarterback. However three interceptions is not a good start even though he was going up against a very tough Bears defense. I also won't jump ship on the biggest surprise of the preseason, Russell Wilson. He wasn't outstanding, but he didn't play very poorly either, finishing with only one interception and almost getting the win. Tannehill and Weeden are a completely different story. They threw 3 and 4 interceptions respectively and looked completely overwhelmed in their NFL debuts. I have been scratching my head ever since the Dolphins decided to take the former wide receiver with the 8th overall pick to be their QB of the future. He is very athletic for a quarterback, and has good arm strength, but obviously struggles with accuracy and decision making. Weeden is another player that just honestly wasn't ready to start. While I understand the Browns are desperate, it would have been smarter to stick with Colt McCoy just a little longer while Weeden became more comfortable with the offense. The moral of this story? While there are certainly some QBs that are ready to start as rookies (RGIII for example), there are plenty that would really benefit from time to learn as a backup for a veteran QB.

4. Andy Reid Should Be Relieved of His Duties

Let me preface this by saying that this isn't some diatribe by an angry Eagles fan. For the record, I am a Steelers fan and Dolphins fan. But living outside of Philly for most of my life I have spent a lot of time watching the Eagles play and have been continuously frustrated with Andy Reid's single minded approach to the game of football. His philosophy is pass, pass, pass, and then pass some more, despite being blessed with some great running backs over the years (Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy). While I acknowledge that he has certainly had a fair amount of success in his career, making it to multiple NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl, he has always come up short due to his refusal to adjust his philosophy and this past weekend was the perfect example of that. Last season the Browns had the 2nd ranked pass defense in the league to go along with the 30th ranked rushing defense. If I were to tell this to a 10 year old, and then ask what you should do against the Browns, he would say run the football. It's pretty much common sense, especially when you add to the equation the fact that the Eagles have a top five running back on their team in LeSean McCoy. So what does Andy Reid do? He has Mike Vick throw the football 56 times....56! Compared to only 20 rushes for McCoy. The result? Vick threw four interceptions and the Eagles barely squeaked away with a one point win over the Cleveland Browns. Yes, a popular pick to win the Super Bowl almost lost to the Cleveland Browns. It is very true that a lot of the blame goes to Vick as well, but as a coach it is your job to put your players in the best position to win. Vick is at his best when he can do play action and bootlegs, which won't work if you never run the football. It is also worth noting that on those 20 carries, McCoy got 110 yards...yeah I don't get it either. I understand that this is a pass happy league now, but Reid's refusal to adjust his game plan for specific opponents has always been his downfall, and if the Eagles really want to win a Super Bowl, Reid needs to go.

Under Pressure

First off, does anybody else start thinking of the beat from Under Pressure by Queen when they read the title of this article?...No?...Just me?....Awkward…

Anyway, on to the actual point of this article. As you all know a blockbuster trade recently occurred in the NBA. The focal point of this trade was sending Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers. These two big men are considered by most to be the number one and two centers in the league, respectively. When such high profile players are involved in a trade, the following question often arises: Who is under the most pressure to perform for their new team?

If you were to ask Shaquille O’Neal, he would say Dwight. But I am here to tell you that the great Shaqtus is wrong. However, I do understand where he is coming from. There is always added pressure when you are part of the Lakers organization because, for them, every season is essentially championship or bust. When you add that to the soap opera Dwight caused in Orlando, he is most certainly under a lot of pressure. I mean, the man was so indecisive that it felt like he was taking advice from a magic 8 ball.

That being said, for the first time in his entire career Howard is not going to be the first option on offense. Hell, he’s not even gonna be the second option. I could even make the argument that he’d be the fourth option (behind Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash). Regardless, the whole point is that he will no longer be forced to try to be an offensive force when it matters the most, for that role is reserved for the Black Mamba. This will allow him to save most of his energy and effort for what he does best, defense, while the majority of his points come from offensive put-backs and alley-oops.

Then, on the other hand, there’s Andrew Bynum.  For the first time in years he was able to shake the injury bug and stay relatively healthy for an entire season. The result? 18.7 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 1.9 bgp, and his first All-Star appearance. It was most certainly an impressive season.  Unfortunately for Bynum, injuries aren’t the only problems that have plagued him throughout his career. Immaturity has been an ongoing issue and this season was no exception. Bynum was benched multiple times for lack of effort and poor decision making, including shooting an infamously ill-advised three point shot for which he was not the least bit remorseful.

Essentially, in only his first year of legitimate production Bynum developed a diva attitude worse than Miss Piggy (yes, that’s a Muppets reference – Terp Pride). Keep in mind, Bynum was really only the third option on offense which is not exactly a pressure filled position. Well it is now time for him to put his money where his mouth is. He is going to the focal point of the 76ers offense, which of course means he’ll be the focus of opposing defenses. It’s time to put up or shut up for Bynum, because if he doesn’t rise to this occasion people all over the NBA will start to wonder if he’s worth all the trouble.

On a side note, I will say that I do believe Sixers fans have good reason to be excited about this season. I’m not personally a big fan of Bynum because I believe you should never have to add “when he tries” while referring to how good a player is; however, there is no denying his talent on the court (when he tries). Since this is a contract year for Bynum, he is most certainly going to be looking for a max contract when the season is over. So although it may be for the “wrong” reasons, I believe we are going to see an Andrew Bynum that tries a lot harder than he has in the past. I would also like to point out that while Kobe Bryant sat out seven games in a row in April, Bynum flourished as the first option on offense, putting up 23 ppg and 14 rpg. While I acknowledge it’ll be very different having to carry a team for an entire season, I think he’ll step up to the plate.