First Round:
Eastern Conference
1 Chicago Bulls vs 8 Philadelphia 76ers
Result: Chicago in 4
4 Boston Celtics vs 5 Atlanta Hawks:
Result: Boston in 6
2 Miami Heat vs 7 New Your Knicks
Result: Miami in 4
3 Indiana Pacers vs 6 Orlando Magic
Result: Indiana in 4
Western Conference:
1 San Antonio Spurs vs 8 Utah Jazz
Result: San Antonio in 5
4 Memphis Grizzlies vs 5 Los Angeles Clippers
Result: Memphis in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 7 Dallas Mavericks
Result: Oklahoma City in 6
3 Los Angeles Lakers vs 6 Denver Nuggets
Result: Lakers in 6
Second Round:
Eastern Conference:
1 Chicago Bulls vs 4 Boston Celtics
Result: Chicago in 6
2 Miami Heat vs 3 Indiana Pacers
Result: Miami in 7
1 San Antonio Spurs vs 4 Memphis Grizzlies
Result: San Antonio in 6
2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 3 Los Angeles Lakers
Result: Lakers in 6
Conference Finals:
Eastern Conference:
1 Chicago Bulls vs 2 Miami Heat
Result: Miami in 6
1 San Antonio Spurs vs 3 Los Angeles Lakers
Result: Lakers in 6
NBA Finals:
2 Miami Heat vs 3 Los Angeles Lakers
Result: Let this be the series that finally settles the Kobe vs. LeBron debate. Lakers in 6, not to mention Kobe's 6th ring.
Friday, April 27, 2012
NBA Playoffs: Nuggets vs Lakers
Western Conference Matchups:
6 Denver Nuggets vs 3 Los Angeles Lakers
PG Ty Lawson vs PG Ramon Sessions
Advantage: Tie, both are young slashers.
SG Aaron Affalo vs SG Kobe Bryant
Advantage: Kobe
SF Danilo Galinari vs SF Matt Barnes
Advantage: Danilo
PF Kenneth Faried vs PF Pau Gasol
Advantage: Pau
C Kosta Koufos vs C Andrew Bynum
Advantage: Bynum
Bench:
Advantage: Nuggets
Coaching:
Advantage: Nuggets
Intangibles:
Advantage: Lakers
Prediction: Lakers in 6
6 Denver Nuggets vs 3 Los Angeles Lakers
PG Ty Lawson vs PG Ramon Sessions
Advantage: Tie, both are young slashers.
SG Aaron Affalo vs SG Kobe Bryant
Advantage: Kobe
SF Danilo Galinari vs SF Matt Barnes
Advantage: Danilo
PF Kenneth Faried vs PF Pau Gasol
Advantage: Pau
C Kosta Koufos vs C Andrew Bynum
Advantage: Bynum
Bench:
Advantage: Nuggets
Coaching:
Advantage: Nuggets
Intangibles:
Advantage: Lakers
Prediction: Lakers in 6
NBA Playoffs: Mavericks vs Thunder
Western Conference matchups:
7 Dallas Mavericks vs 2 Oklahoma City Thunder
PG Jason Kidd vs PG Russell Westbrook
Advantage: Westbrook
SG Delonte West vs SG Thabo Sefolosha
Advantage: Thabo
SF Shawn Marion vs SF Kevin Durant
Advantage: Durant
PF Dirk Nowitzki vs PF Serge Ibaka
Advantage: Nowitzki
C Brendan Haywood vs C Kendrick Perkins
Advantage: Tie
Bench:
Advantage: Mavericks
Coaching:
Advantage: Tie
Intangibles:
Advantage: Mavs, defending NBA champions
Prediction: Thunder in 6
7 Dallas Mavericks vs 2 Oklahoma City Thunder
PG Jason Kidd vs PG Russell Westbrook
Advantage: Westbrook
SG Delonte West vs SG Thabo Sefolosha
Advantage: Thabo
SF Shawn Marion vs SF Kevin Durant
Advantage: Durant
PF Dirk Nowitzki vs PF Serge Ibaka
Advantage: Nowitzki
C Brendan Haywood vs C Kendrick Perkins
Advantage: Tie
Bench:
Advantage: Mavericks
Coaching:
Advantage: Tie
Intangibles:
Advantage: Mavs, defending NBA champions
Prediction: Thunder in 6
NBA Playoffs: Clippers vs Grizzlies
Western Conference Matchups:
5 Los Angeles Clippers vs 4 Memphis Grizzlies
Positional matchups:
PG Chris Paul vs PG Mike Conley
Advantage: Paul
SG Randy Foye vs SG Tony Allen
Advantage: Mayo
SF Caron Butler vs SF Rudy Gay
Advantage: Gay
PF Blake Griffin vs PF Maurice Speights
Advantage: Griffin
C DeAndre Jordan vs C Marc Gasol
Advantage: Tie
Bench:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Coaching:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Intangibles:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Prediction: Grizzlies in 6
5 Los Angeles Clippers vs 4 Memphis Grizzlies
Positional matchups:
PG Chris Paul vs PG Mike Conley
Advantage: Paul
SG Randy Foye vs SG Tony Allen
Advantage: Mayo
SF Caron Butler vs SF Rudy Gay
Advantage: Gay
PF Blake Griffin vs PF Maurice Speights
Advantage: Griffin
C DeAndre Jordan vs C Marc Gasol
Advantage: Tie
Bench:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Coaching:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Intangibles:
Advantage: Grizzlies
Prediction: Grizzlies in 6
NBA Playoffs: Jazz vs Spurs
Western Conference matchups:
8 Utah Jazz vs 1 San Antonio Spurs
Positional matchups:
PG Devin Harris vs PG Tony Parker
Advantage: Spurs
SG Gordon Hayward vs SG Danny Green
Advantage: Spurs
SF DeMarre Carroll vs SF Kawhi Leonard
Advantage: Spurs
PF Paul Milsap vs PF Tim Duncan
Advantage: Spurs
C Al Jefferson vs C DeJuan Blair
Advantage: Jazz
Bench:
Advantage: Spurs
Coaching:
Advantage: Spurs
Intangibles:
Advantage: Spurs
Prediction: Spurs in 5.
8 Utah Jazz vs 1 San Antonio Spurs
Positional matchups:
PG Devin Harris vs PG Tony Parker
Advantage: Spurs
SG Gordon Hayward vs SG Danny Green
Advantage: Spurs
SF DeMarre Carroll vs SF Kawhi Leonard
Advantage: Spurs
PF Paul Milsap vs PF Tim Duncan
Advantage: Spurs
C Al Jefferson vs C DeJuan Blair
Advantage: Jazz
Bench:
Advantage: Spurs
Coaching:
Advantage: Spurs
Intangibles:
Advantage: Spurs
Prediction: Spurs in 5.
NBA Playoffs: Magic vs Pacers
Eastern Conference matchups:
6 Orlando Magic vs 3 Indiana Pacers
PG Jameer Nelson vs PG Darren Collison
Advantage: Nelson only by the numbers as he averaged 11.9 points per game this season along with 5.7 assists to Collison's 10.3 points per game and 4.8 assists per game.
SG J.J. Redick vs SG Paul George
Advantage: George, based solely on the numbers with George averaging 12.1 points per game to 11.6, not to mention Paul has the size advantage on Jason, 6'8 to 6'6.
SF Jason Richardson vs SF Danny Granger
Advantage: Granger, clearly with the high scoring he puts up each night as he averaged 18.7 points per game this year.
PF Ryan Anderson vs PF David West
Advantage: West
C Glen Davis vs C Roy Hibbert
Advantage: Hibbert
Bench:
Advantage: Pacers
Coaching:
Advantage: Pacers
Intangibles:
Advantage: Pacers
Prediction: Pacers in 4. Dwight Howards gets traded, Stan Van Gundy gets fired.
6 Orlando Magic vs 3 Indiana Pacers
PG Jameer Nelson vs PG Darren Collison
Advantage: Nelson only by the numbers as he averaged 11.9 points per game this season along with 5.7 assists to Collison's 10.3 points per game and 4.8 assists per game.
SG J.J. Redick vs SG Paul George
Advantage: George, based solely on the numbers with George averaging 12.1 points per game to 11.6, not to mention Paul has the size advantage on Jason, 6'8 to 6'6.
SF Jason Richardson vs SF Danny Granger
Advantage: Granger, clearly with the high scoring he puts up each night as he averaged 18.7 points per game this year.
PF Ryan Anderson vs PF David West
Advantage: West
C Glen Davis vs C Roy Hibbert
Advantage: Hibbert
Bench:
Advantage: Pacers
Coaching:
Advantage: Pacers
Intangibles:
Advantage: Pacers
Prediction: Pacers in 4. Dwight Howards gets traded, Stan Van Gundy gets fired.
NBA Playoffs: Knicks vs Heat
Eastern Conference Matchups:
7 New York Knicks vs 2 Miami Heat
Positional matchups:
PG Baron Davis vs PG Mario Chalmers
Advantage: Chalmers, now if Lin was playing I'd probably take Lin since he was playing pretty well while healthy, but with Davis playing and the unnecessary passes and shot taking he does sometimes not to mention Chalmers intensity on the defensive end I have to give the slight edge to Chalmers.
SG Iman Shumpert vs SG Dwyane Wade
Advantage: Wade, even though Shumpert has proven to be a pretty darn good perimeter defender, not bad for a rookie.
SF Carmelo Anthony vs SF LeBron James
Advantage: Tie, despite LeBron averaging more points per game than Melo with 27.1 to 22.6 this season, Melo in April averaged 30 points per game, LeBron is a great defender though so the slight edge might go to LeBron on this one. Regardless this could be a real fun matchup to watch.
PF Amare Stoudemire vs PF Chris Bosh
Advantage: Amare, despite his injuries and Bosh this past month has disappeared in big games down the stretch especially against Boston, not to mention Amare and this year's probable defensive player of the year Chandler might both switch on him making it tough for him to score in this series. Critcal matchup. Not to mention despite STAT's slow start he has averaged 17.5 points per game this season along with 7.9 rebounds. Bosh had around the same type of numbers with 18 points per game and the same amount of rebounds but his play in big games lately has been a concern.
C Tyson Chandler vs C Joel Anthony
Advantage: Chandler, again he might be this year's defensive player of the year, averaging 11.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Anthony is an okay hustle player for the Heat but against a healthy Chandler it should be a tough matchup.
Bench:
Advantage: Knicks, J.R. Smith, Steve Novak both of those guys can score off the bench, it's just a matter of if J.R. can do it consistently. An X-Factor here also would be Fields if he finds his shot in this series, if these 3 Knicks are firing on all cylinders they could abuse Miami's bench.
Coaching:
Advantage: Tie, first off you have to give credit to Coach Spoelstra who had gotten the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals last season and second of all you have to give credit to Coach Woodson who took over for the resigned D'Antoni in style, went 17-6 in his place.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Miami, 3-0 vs the Knicks this season though in two of those games D'Antoni was Coach and these 2 teams had a rivalry in years past looking to renew it in this series.
Prediction: Heat in 4, it's just not happening for the Knicks right now.
7 New York Knicks vs 2 Miami Heat
Positional matchups:
PG Baron Davis vs PG Mario Chalmers
Advantage: Chalmers, now if Lin was playing I'd probably take Lin since he was playing pretty well while healthy, but with Davis playing and the unnecessary passes and shot taking he does sometimes not to mention Chalmers intensity on the defensive end I have to give the slight edge to Chalmers.
SG Iman Shumpert vs SG Dwyane Wade
Advantage: Wade, even though Shumpert has proven to be a pretty darn good perimeter defender, not bad for a rookie.
SF Carmelo Anthony vs SF LeBron James
Advantage: Tie, despite LeBron averaging more points per game than Melo with 27.1 to 22.6 this season, Melo in April averaged 30 points per game, LeBron is a great defender though so the slight edge might go to LeBron on this one. Regardless this could be a real fun matchup to watch.
PF Amare Stoudemire vs PF Chris Bosh
Advantage: Amare, despite his injuries and Bosh this past month has disappeared in big games down the stretch especially against Boston, not to mention Amare and this year's probable defensive player of the year Chandler might both switch on him making it tough for him to score in this series. Critcal matchup. Not to mention despite STAT's slow start he has averaged 17.5 points per game this season along with 7.9 rebounds. Bosh had around the same type of numbers with 18 points per game and the same amount of rebounds but his play in big games lately has been a concern.
C Tyson Chandler vs C Joel Anthony
Advantage: Chandler, again he might be this year's defensive player of the year, averaging 11.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. Anthony is an okay hustle player for the Heat but against a healthy Chandler it should be a tough matchup.
Bench:
Advantage: Knicks, J.R. Smith, Steve Novak both of those guys can score off the bench, it's just a matter of if J.R. can do it consistently. An X-Factor here also would be Fields if he finds his shot in this series, if these 3 Knicks are firing on all cylinders they could abuse Miami's bench.
Coaching:
Advantage: Tie, first off you have to give credit to Coach Spoelstra who had gotten the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals last season and second of all you have to give credit to Coach Woodson who took over for the resigned D'Antoni in style, went 17-6 in his place.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Miami, 3-0 vs the Knicks this season though in two of those games D'Antoni was Coach and these 2 teams had a rivalry in years past looking to renew it in this series.
Prediction: Heat in 4, it's just not happening for the Knicks right now.
NBA Playoffs: Hawks vs Celtics
Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups:
5 Atlanta Hawks vs 4 Boston Celtics
Positional matchups:
PG Jason Teague vs PG Rajon Rondo
Advantage: Rondo, Rondo might be the best point guard in the league but this is no disrespect to Teague who is also a young and energetic point guard that could do some damage.
SG Kirk Hinrich vs SG Avery Bradley
Advantage: Hinrich, barely though since he's a veteran and Bradley is a pretty darn good perimeter defender.
SF Joe Johnson vs SF Paul Pierce:
Advantage: Tie, both are great offensive players but perhaps a slight advantage going to Pierce since he's a better defender.
PF Josh Smith vs PF Brandon Bass
Advantage: Smith, he has had himself a breakout season this year averaging 18.8 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, also averages 1.7 blocks per game. Bass has been a solid addition to the Cs though averaging 12.5 points per game, not to mention him moving to starting power forward was able to move KG to Center.
C Marvin Williams vs C Kevin Garnett
Advantage: Garnett, clear mismatch, the Cs have been on fire since the break since moving KG to Center where he has been playing more comfortably averaging 15.8 points per game and 8.2 assists per game. While Marvin Williams has been kind of a bust and is more of small forward than a center, there's a possibility he could get dominated.
Bench:
Advantage: Celtics, the Cs might have Ray Allen coming off the bench, clear advantage for them as he can still be very dangerous in games especially down the stretch and Pietrus isn't bad coming off the bench either who can knock down 3s, Cs could end up missing Jeff Green later in the playoffs however. Even though the Hawks have T-Mac, Willie Green coming off the bench.
Coaching:
Advantage: Celtics, Doc Rivers has done it before winning the Celtics a NBA championship in 2008 and back to the NBA Finals in 2010, hard to deny his coaching resume vs 2nd year coach Larry Drew.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Celtics, experience, T-Mac still hasn't gotten past the first round, small lineup (loss of Horford) though home court advantage might make this series longer than it should be for Atlanta's.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
5 Atlanta Hawks vs 4 Boston Celtics
Positional matchups:
PG Jason Teague vs PG Rajon Rondo
Advantage: Rondo, Rondo might be the best point guard in the league but this is no disrespect to Teague who is also a young and energetic point guard that could do some damage.
SG Kirk Hinrich vs SG Avery Bradley
Advantage: Hinrich, barely though since he's a veteran and Bradley is a pretty darn good perimeter defender.
SF Joe Johnson vs SF Paul Pierce:
Advantage: Tie, both are great offensive players but perhaps a slight advantage going to Pierce since he's a better defender.
PF Josh Smith vs PF Brandon Bass
Advantage: Smith, he has had himself a breakout season this year averaging 18.8 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, also averages 1.7 blocks per game. Bass has been a solid addition to the Cs though averaging 12.5 points per game, not to mention him moving to starting power forward was able to move KG to Center.
C Marvin Williams vs C Kevin Garnett
Advantage: Garnett, clear mismatch, the Cs have been on fire since the break since moving KG to Center where he has been playing more comfortably averaging 15.8 points per game and 8.2 assists per game. While Marvin Williams has been kind of a bust and is more of small forward than a center, there's a possibility he could get dominated.
Bench:
Advantage: Celtics, the Cs might have Ray Allen coming off the bench, clear advantage for them as he can still be very dangerous in games especially down the stretch and Pietrus isn't bad coming off the bench either who can knock down 3s, Cs could end up missing Jeff Green later in the playoffs however. Even though the Hawks have T-Mac, Willie Green coming off the bench.
Coaching:
Advantage: Celtics, Doc Rivers has done it before winning the Celtics a NBA championship in 2008 and back to the NBA Finals in 2010, hard to deny his coaching resume vs 2nd year coach Larry Drew.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Celtics, experience, T-Mac still hasn't gotten past the first round, small lineup (loss of Horford) though home court advantage might make this series longer than it should be for Atlanta's.
Prediction: Celtics in 6
NBA Playoffs Preview: 76ers vs Bulls
Eastern Conference Matchups:
8 Philadelphia 76ers vs 1 Chicago Bulls:
Positional Matchups:
PG Jrue Holiday vs PG Derrick Rose
Advantage: Rose, no competition Jru isn't a bad point guard but he isn't the complete player that D-Rose is.
SG Jodie Meeks vs SG Rip Hamilton
Advantage: Hamilton, the Bulls guard is finally healthy and no disrespect to Meeks but Rip is a veteran shooting guard that has done it before, he is the X-Factor to the Bulls playoff run.
SF Andre Iguodala vs SF Luol Deng
Advantage: Tie, both are really good defensive forwards that help make both their teams two of the best defensive teams in the NBA right now, surprisingly Deng averaged more points per game than Iggy though 15.3 to 12.4, so perhaps in that case a slight advantage going to Deng.
PF Elton Brand vs PF Carlos Boozer
Advantage: Boozer, based on the numbers he had a better statistical season than Brand 15 points per game to 11 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game to 7.2 rebounds per game and the numbers never lie.
C Spencer Hawes vs C Joakim Noah
Advantage: Noah, again better numbers statistically almost averaged a double double with 10.2 points per game and 9.80 rebounds per game.
Bench:
Advantage: Bulls, easy decision here Chicago has Korver, Watson, Lucas, Gibson Asik all coming off the bench, clearly one of the best benches in the NBA right now if not the best, Sixers do have a dynamite scorer off the bench in Lou Williams but one major player off the bench is not enough to match the Bulls firepower here.
Coaching:
Advantage: Bulls, Doug Collins is a pretty good veteran coach, a big reason why Philly has been as good as a defensive team as it's been this year, but quite frankly Tom Thibodeau is an even better defensive coach than Collins who has kept his Bulls atop the Eastern Conference two years in a row now.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Bulls, their history, 96 Bulls, the odds are on their side.
Prediction: It will be a short series, Chicago is just too much, Bulls in 4.
8 Philadelphia 76ers vs 1 Chicago Bulls:
Positional Matchups:
PG Jrue Holiday vs PG Derrick Rose
Advantage: Rose, no competition Jru isn't a bad point guard but he isn't the complete player that D-Rose is.
SG Jodie Meeks vs SG Rip Hamilton
Advantage: Hamilton, the Bulls guard is finally healthy and no disrespect to Meeks but Rip is a veteran shooting guard that has done it before, he is the X-Factor to the Bulls playoff run.
SF Andre Iguodala vs SF Luol Deng
Advantage: Tie, both are really good defensive forwards that help make both their teams two of the best defensive teams in the NBA right now, surprisingly Deng averaged more points per game than Iggy though 15.3 to 12.4, so perhaps in that case a slight advantage going to Deng.
PF Elton Brand vs PF Carlos Boozer
Advantage: Boozer, based on the numbers he had a better statistical season than Brand 15 points per game to 11 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game to 7.2 rebounds per game and the numbers never lie.
C Spencer Hawes vs C Joakim Noah
Advantage: Noah, again better numbers statistically almost averaged a double double with 10.2 points per game and 9.80 rebounds per game.
Bench:
Advantage: Bulls, easy decision here Chicago has Korver, Watson, Lucas, Gibson Asik all coming off the bench, clearly one of the best benches in the NBA right now if not the best, Sixers do have a dynamite scorer off the bench in Lou Williams but one major player off the bench is not enough to match the Bulls firepower here.
Coaching:
Advantage: Bulls, Doug Collins is a pretty good veteran coach, a big reason why Philly has been as good as a defensive team as it's been this year, but quite frankly Tom Thibodeau is an even better defensive coach than Collins who has kept his Bulls atop the Eastern Conference two years in a row now.
Intangibles:
Advantage: Bulls, their history, 96 Bulls, the odds are on their side.
Prediction: It will be a short series, Chicago is just too much, Bulls in 4.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Why Trading Up Wouldn't Be A Bad Idea For The Lions
Recently in a video on detroitlions.com, newly joined writer Mike O'Hara said do not be surprised if the Lions try to trade up on draft day. With that being said, honestly I can see it and as I have said before the Lions number one need is a CB and there is a chance Gilmore and Kirkpatrick could both be gone at 23, therefore the Lions might want to trade up a little bit to get either of them. Lets be honest they could and probably should at least talk with the Browns first who reportedly are not that sold on their 4th pick in position to get CB Morris Claiborne out of LSU, but seeing what Washington had to give up to St. Louis in order to get into position to draft RG3, probably not worth it. Now only trading 4-6 spots up probably would not cost the Lions the farm especially when you consider Washington traded from 7 to get a top 5 pick, trading up to just get a top 20 pick not even top 15 can't cost too much. Lets not forget last season the Lions had one first round pick and two second round picks thanks to moves Mayhew had made, he can do it again addressing their needs in a huge way.
There are so many possibilities the Lions could go in this draft, it could go offensive line and get Martin in the first round and trade up in the second round to get a CB possibly in Josh Robinson out of UCF or Janoris Jenkins out of Northern Alabama who could possibly fall to the 2nd round. Then again it could be the possibility of trading up from like 23-18 to take Dre or Gilmore in the 1st and then taking an offensive lineman in the second round, possibly trading up again to find Bobby Massey OT out of Ole Miss or Kevin Zeitler OG out of Wisconsin. Perhaps there is no reason doubting Mayhew to make a move that has us still having a first round pick and ending up with two second round picks, therefore being useful for three needs we could address in this draft, cornerback, offensive lineman and linebacker in no particular order, only by best player available in this case. Hard to deny it that Mayhew will do it again when checking his resume like when he took Fairley in the first round and getting two second round picks to draft WR Titus Young and RB Mikel LeShoure, also there being the 2010 NFL Draft where Mayhew had traded up from the 2nd round pick to a late first round pick to take RB Jahvid Best and of course the infamous Roy Williams trade to Dallas for a first rounder, third rounder and sixth rounder, that first rounder ended up being TE Brandon Pettigrew. One more scenario, if Martin, Dre and Stephon are all gone at 23 then they could look LB Donta Hightower out of Alabama, CB Alfonzo Dennard out of Nebraska in round 2, OG Brandon Washington out of Miami in round 3 and in round 4, I personally like C David Molk out of Michigan. No telling till draft day if Mayhew will strike once again.
There are so many possibilities the Lions could go in this draft, it could go offensive line and get Martin in the first round and trade up in the second round to get a CB possibly in Josh Robinson out of UCF or Janoris Jenkins out of Northern Alabama who could possibly fall to the 2nd round. Then again it could be the possibility of trading up from like 23-18 to take Dre or Gilmore in the 1st and then taking an offensive lineman in the second round, possibly trading up again to find Bobby Massey OT out of Ole Miss or Kevin Zeitler OG out of Wisconsin. Perhaps there is no reason doubting Mayhew to make a move that has us still having a first round pick and ending up with two second round picks, therefore being useful for three needs we could address in this draft, cornerback, offensive lineman and linebacker in no particular order, only by best player available in this case. Hard to deny it that Mayhew will do it again when checking his resume like when he took Fairley in the first round and getting two second round picks to draft WR Titus Young and RB Mikel LeShoure, also there being the 2010 NFL Draft where Mayhew had traded up from the 2nd round pick to a late first round pick to take RB Jahvid Best and of course the infamous Roy Williams trade to Dallas for a first rounder, third rounder and sixth rounder, that first rounder ended up being TE Brandon Pettigrew. One more scenario, if Martin, Dre and Stephon are all gone at 23 then they could look LB Donta Hightower out of Alabama, CB Alfonzo Dennard out of Nebraska in round 2, OG Brandon Washington out of Miami in round 3 and in round 4, I personally like C David Molk out of Michigan. No telling till draft day if Mayhew will strike once again.
Monday, April 9, 2012
NFL Mock Draft (Round 1 and 2 Final)
Round 1:
1. Indianapolis - QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
Notes: No surprise there the Colts are looking for the safest pick to replace Manning and Luck is it.
2. Washington - QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Notes: Again no surprise here, Washington traded their farm to land themselves a potential franchise QB and it might be well worth the move, time will tell.
3. Minnesota - OT Matt Kalil, USC
Notes: The Vikings seem sold on QB Christian Ponder, they will most likely look for an offensive lineman to protect him and Kalil is the best available.
4. Cleveland - RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
Notes: Now this is where it gets interesting, the Browns lost their starting RB Peyton Hillis this offseason and they'll be looking to replace him which is why Trent will be the pick here despite their need for WR.
5. Tampa Bay - CB Morris Claiborne, LSU
Notes: Despite his low wonderlic score, Claiborne is still expected to be the first CB taken in the draft and with Ronde Barber aging they'll be looking for his replacement at this spot.
6. St. Louis - WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
Notes: Last season Rams QB Sam Bradford had a QB rating of 70.5 a sophomore slump of a rating compared to his rookie season rating of 76.5 perhaps the best WR prospect in this draft can help that.
7. Jacksonville - WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
Notes: Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert had a huge amount of pressure on him last season possibly due to the success QBs Cam Newton and Andy Dalton were already having in their rookie seasons, here is a potential impact WR in Michael Floyd to help him out.
8. Miami - QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
Notes: It would be hard to imagine that the Dolphins would go into the season with QB Matt Moore or David Garrard as their QB of the future and this is where they take their guy Tannehill.
9. Carolina - DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
Notes: With the Panthers not too long signing their DE Charles Johnson to a six year, 72 million dollar contract, Carolina could add to their line with the best defensive player available in the draft, DT Cox, adding to the line with well-paid Johnson.
10. Buffalo - OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
Notes: If QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Bills QB of the future it would not hurt to get him some offensive line help then, Riley is the BPA (Best Player Available) at this point.
11. Kansas City - DE Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
Notes: The Chiefs lost a corner in Brandon Carr this free agency season to the Cowboys; however the next best corner available, Stephon Gilmore would be a real reach at this point so might as well improve the pass rush with the BPA.
12. Seattle - OG David DeCastro, Stanford
Notes: Now that the Seahawks signed their man at QB in Matt Flynn, they should start by getting him some protection, DeCastro is the pick here.
13. Arizona - LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Notes: The Cardinals had the 18th best defense in the league last season could use a boost in their front 7 especially at linebacker, Kuechly is the pick here.
14. Dallas - DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina
Notes: Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be looking to improve the defense possibly the pass rush, Coples is the BPA.
15. Philadelphia - OT Cordy Glenn, Georgia
Notes: QB Michael Vick was sacked 23 times in the 2011 season, a number actually down from 34 times in his 2010 season, however he remains one of the most hit QBs in the NFL still because of his threat to run when in the pocket. Perhaps he would not be one of the most pressured and hit QBs in the league if Philly keeps on improving their protection, even though they drafted G Danny Watkins out of Baylor in the 1st round last season. But in Vick's case here though, the more protection, the better season he will have.
16. New York Jets - S Mark Barron, Alabama
Notes: The Jets recently signed a S in LaRon Landry, they might look to add to their secondary with Revis (obviously), Cromartie, Wilson and Landry all in place. Having Barron and Landry gives the Jets secondary two hard hitting safeties.
17. Cincinatti - CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina
Notes: With his draft stock rising and going as high as 9 in mock drafts, even Pete Prisco of CBSSportsonline.com compared him to having the skills of a Charles Woodson, it has become clear that Gilmore will most likely be the second CB behind Claiborne to go in the draft. The Bengals could be looking for a replacement for Joseph who left last offseason for Houston; Gilmore could be the guy to fit nicely aside to CB Leon Hall.
18. San Diego - LB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
Notes: With players like S Mark Barron and CB Stephon Gilmore off the board, LB Courtney Upshaw could be too hard to pass up.
19. Chicago - OT Jonathan Martin, Stanford
Notes: Unfortunately I got Martin (somebody the Lions are looking at) being taken by their rivals, the Bears....Jay Cutler along with Mike Vick is one of the most hit QBs in the league and could use improvement along the line to help Jay stay healthy throughout the season.
20. Tennessee - CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
Notes: The Titans could use a corner after losing a good one in Cortland Finnegan and the best one available is Dre at this point.
21. Cincinatti - DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
Notes: Well you know what they say, when it comes to drafting can never have too many defensive players especially when it comes to pass rushers and corners. The Bengals could also look at drafting a WR here to add along Green with Stephen Hill, but instead with Mercilus falling this far he would be hard to pass up.
22. Cleveland - WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
Notes: The Browns finally build around QB McCoy first with dynamic RB Richardson at 4 and a dynamic WR at 6'4, 209 pounds, and a frame similar to that other WR that came out of Georgia Tech...one that recently signed a deal through 2019 worth 132 million richest contract for a WR in NFL history...yeah that one. McCoy will finally get a chance to prove himself with weapons all around him in Trent Richardson, Stephen Hill and Greg Little (who might prove himself as a 2).
23. Detroit - CB Janoris Jenkins, Northern Alabama
Notes: Here is the shocker of the day, despite the recent troubles with last year's picks in Fairley and LeShoure, I think the Lions will end up taking a chance on Jenkins. For many reasons: 1. draft experts have called him possibly the best cover corner in the draft 2. Baggage is a concern, yet Lions might take a risk and draft him on talent alone and 3. Lions need help in the secondary, preferably a CB after not only Brees lit them up last postseason but so did the Packers backup QB (Now Seahawks starter) Matt Flynn keeping the Lions drought at Lambeau alive. Corner and offensive line are both needs for the Detroit Lions and I see them taking a chance on Jenkins. Since there is also a chance the Lions don't want to wonder what could have been just because the organization was afraid to take a risk, for example passing on Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL Draft. The Lions should take a chance on Jenkins if Gilmore or Dre is gone (unless they trade up for Gilmore) especially since with all the negativity surrounding Jenkins, he might have a chip on his shoulder, something to prove.
24. Pittsburgh - OT Mike Adams, Ohio State
Notes: Not only are Vick, Cutler 2 of the most hit QBs in the NFL, "Big" Ben Roethlisberger is among them as well, so since Ben needs more protection as well, 2 years in a row the Steelers draft an Ohio State player (last year with Heyward) in the 1st round of a draft.
25. Denver - DT Dontari Poe, Memphis
Notes: Poe was once the highest rated DT on the board, till Cox climbed up in favor of teams like the Rams and Panthers, Poe is the BPA and the Broncos do need defensive help on the line next to Dumervil.
26. Houston - WR Kendall Wright, Baylor
Notes: Houston aims to make their offense more dynamic with the addition of hometown favorite Kendall Wright at 5'10 190, a speed guy to work opposite WR Andre Johnson one of the best WRs in the NFL.
27. New England - DT Michael Brockers, LSU
Notes: 2 problems the Patriots had on defense last season as Super Bowl runner ups to the Giants again, an inconsistent secondary (though Arrington was good and McCourty could bounce back this season) and an ineffective pass rush. The pass rush was the bigger problem in this case; Brockers is a great prospect to work alongside Wilfork on the defensive line.
28. Green Bay - DE/OLB Nick Perry, USC
Notes: With positions filled in the secondary (Woodson, Williams, Shields), the linebacking corps (Matthews, Hawk) and at DT (Raji, Pickett). The needs are for a DE and S, and Nick Perry is the best player available and the Pack does need to improve that pass rush, so it would help to have a DE that could possibly make an impact as well, though he might be a better fit at outside linebacker.
29. Baltimore - LB Donta Hightower, Alabama
Notes: John Harbaugh is a defensive guy and might be looking for Ray Lewis's replacement since Ray is not getting any younger; the reports are that Harbaugh and the Ravens love Hightower.
30. San Francisco - DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse
Notes: With the additions of Moss, Manningham this offseason the Niners could improve the WR corps by adding young WR Alshon Jeffrey out of South Carolina, but the red flags surrounding him might scare SF from taking him.The Jim Harbaugh coached Niners arguably had the best defense in the NFL last season and could improve it even more by adding a defensive end, Jones is the best player available in this situation.
31. New England - WR Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
Notes: What a draft would this be for New England huh? First improving it's pass rush and then improving their receiving corps around Brady to look like Lloyd, Jeffrey, Welker, Branch, Gronkowski and Hernandez. Not to mention the Patriots would be adding to themselves a potential physical deep threat at 6'3, 216 that Brady has been lacking since Randy Moss. If anyone takes a risk on players with problems it would be Belichick, of course here the example would be Moss again.
32. New York Giants - RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech
Notes: The Super Bowl defending champions recently lost their downhill runner in Brandon Jacobs, the Giants could be looking for his replacement. So it is either looking like Virginia Tech RB David Wilson or Boise State RB Doug Martin as the second running back taken in the draft, it is a toss up but in this case I have Wilson being the power runner to replace Jacobs.
Round 2:
33. St. Louis Rams - G/OT Aminu Silatolu, Midwestern State
34. Indianapolis Colts - TE Coby Fleener, Stanford
35. Minnesota Vikings - WR Rueben Randle, LSU
36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - LB LaVonte David, Nebraska
37. Cleveland Browns - OG Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
38. Jacksonville Jaguars - CB Josh Robinson, UCF
39. St. Louis Rams - DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
40. Carolina Panthers - CB Brandon Boykin, Georgia
41. Buffalo Bills - SS Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
42. Miami Dolphins - WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
43. Seattle Seahawks - DE/OLB Shea McClellin, Boise State
44. Kansas City Chiefs - RB Doug Martin, Boise State
45. Dallas Cowboys - QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
46. Philadelphia Eagles - DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
47. New York Jets - DE/DT Devon Still, Penn State
48. New England Patriots - DE/OLB Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
49. San Diego Chargers - WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State
50. Chicago Bears - CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech
51. Philadelphia Eagles - DE/OLB Andre Branch, Clemson
52. Tennessee Titans - ILB Mychael Kendricks, California
53. Cincinatti Bengals - RB Lamar Miller, Miami
54. Detroit Lions - C/G Peter Konz, Wisconsin
55. Atlanta Falcons - G Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss
56. Pittsburgh Steelers - G Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
57. Denver Broncos - QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
58. Houston Texans - LB Bobby Wagner, Utah State
59. Green Bay Packers - DE Vinny Curry, Marshall
60. Baltimore Ravens - DT Brandon Thompson, Clemson
61. San Francisco 49ers - OT Mitchell Schwartz, California
62. New England Patriots - CB Trumaine Johnson, Montana
63. New York Giants - TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson
1. Indianapolis - QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
Notes: No surprise there the Colts are looking for the safest pick to replace Manning and Luck is it.
2. Washington - QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Notes: Again no surprise here, Washington traded their farm to land themselves a potential franchise QB and it might be well worth the move, time will tell.
3. Minnesota - OT Matt Kalil, USC
Notes: The Vikings seem sold on QB Christian Ponder, they will most likely look for an offensive lineman to protect him and Kalil is the best available.
4. Cleveland - RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
Notes: Now this is where it gets interesting, the Browns lost their starting RB Peyton Hillis this offseason and they'll be looking to replace him which is why Trent will be the pick here despite their need for WR.
5. Tampa Bay - CB Morris Claiborne, LSU
Notes: Despite his low wonderlic score, Claiborne is still expected to be the first CB taken in the draft and with Ronde Barber aging they'll be looking for his replacement at this spot.
6. St. Louis - WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
Notes: Last season Rams QB Sam Bradford had a QB rating of 70.5 a sophomore slump of a rating compared to his rookie season rating of 76.5 perhaps the best WR prospect in this draft can help that.
7. Jacksonville - WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
Notes: Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert had a huge amount of pressure on him last season possibly due to the success QBs Cam Newton and Andy Dalton were already having in their rookie seasons, here is a potential impact WR in Michael Floyd to help him out.
8. Miami - QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
Notes: It would be hard to imagine that the Dolphins would go into the season with QB Matt Moore or David Garrard as their QB of the future and this is where they take their guy Tannehill.
9. Carolina - DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
Notes: With the Panthers not too long signing their DE Charles Johnson to a six year, 72 million dollar contract, Carolina could add to their line with the best defensive player available in the draft, DT Cox, adding to the line with well-paid Johnson.
10. Buffalo - OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
Notes: If QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Bills QB of the future it would not hurt to get him some offensive line help then, Riley is the BPA (Best Player Available) at this point.
11. Kansas City - DE Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
Notes: The Chiefs lost a corner in Brandon Carr this free agency season to the Cowboys; however the next best corner available, Stephon Gilmore would be a real reach at this point so might as well improve the pass rush with the BPA.
12. Seattle - OG David DeCastro, Stanford
Notes: Now that the Seahawks signed their man at QB in Matt Flynn, they should start by getting him some protection, DeCastro is the pick here.
13. Arizona - LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Notes: The Cardinals had the 18th best defense in the league last season could use a boost in their front 7 especially at linebacker, Kuechly is the pick here.
14. Dallas - DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina
Notes: Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan will be looking to improve the defense possibly the pass rush, Coples is the BPA.
15. Philadelphia - OT Cordy Glenn, Georgia
Notes: QB Michael Vick was sacked 23 times in the 2011 season, a number actually down from 34 times in his 2010 season, however he remains one of the most hit QBs in the NFL still because of his threat to run when in the pocket. Perhaps he would not be one of the most pressured and hit QBs in the league if Philly keeps on improving their protection, even though they drafted G Danny Watkins out of Baylor in the 1st round last season. But in Vick's case here though, the more protection, the better season he will have.
16. New York Jets - S Mark Barron, Alabama
Notes: The Jets recently signed a S in LaRon Landry, they might look to add to their secondary with Revis (obviously), Cromartie, Wilson and Landry all in place. Having Barron and Landry gives the Jets secondary two hard hitting safeties.
17. Cincinatti - CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina
Notes: With his draft stock rising and going as high as 9 in mock drafts, even Pete Prisco of CBSSportsonline.com compared him to having the skills of a Charles Woodson, it has become clear that Gilmore will most likely be the second CB behind Claiborne to go in the draft. The Bengals could be looking for a replacement for Joseph who left last offseason for Houston; Gilmore could be the guy to fit nicely aside to CB Leon Hall.
18. San Diego - LB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
Notes: With players like S Mark Barron and CB Stephon Gilmore off the board, LB Courtney Upshaw could be too hard to pass up.
19. Chicago - OT Jonathan Martin, Stanford
Notes: Unfortunately I got Martin (somebody the Lions are looking at) being taken by their rivals, the Bears....Jay Cutler along with Mike Vick is one of the most hit QBs in the league and could use improvement along the line to help Jay stay healthy throughout the season.
20. Tennessee - CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
Notes: The Titans could use a corner after losing a good one in Cortland Finnegan and the best one available is Dre at this point.
21. Cincinatti - DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
Notes: Well you know what they say, when it comes to drafting can never have too many defensive players especially when it comes to pass rushers and corners. The Bengals could also look at drafting a WR here to add along Green with Stephen Hill, but instead with Mercilus falling this far he would be hard to pass up.
22. Cleveland - WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
Notes: The Browns finally build around QB McCoy first with dynamic RB Richardson at 4 and a dynamic WR at 6'4, 209 pounds, and a frame similar to that other WR that came out of Georgia Tech...one that recently signed a deal through 2019 worth 132 million richest contract for a WR in NFL history...yeah that one. McCoy will finally get a chance to prove himself with weapons all around him in Trent Richardson, Stephen Hill and Greg Little (who might prove himself as a 2).
23. Detroit - CB Janoris Jenkins, Northern Alabama
Notes: Here is the shocker of the day, despite the recent troubles with last year's picks in Fairley and LeShoure, I think the Lions will end up taking a chance on Jenkins. For many reasons: 1. draft experts have called him possibly the best cover corner in the draft 2. Baggage is a concern, yet Lions might take a risk and draft him on talent alone and 3. Lions need help in the secondary, preferably a CB after not only Brees lit them up last postseason but so did the Packers backup QB (Now Seahawks starter) Matt Flynn keeping the Lions drought at Lambeau alive. Corner and offensive line are both needs for the Detroit Lions and I see them taking a chance on Jenkins. Since there is also a chance the Lions don't want to wonder what could have been just because the organization was afraid to take a risk, for example passing on Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL Draft. The Lions should take a chance on Jenkins if Gilmore or Dre is gone (unless they trade up for Gilmore) especially since with all the negativity surrounding Jenkins, he might have a chip on his shoulder, something to prove.
24. Pittsburgh - OT Mike Adams, Ohio State
Notes: Not only are Vick, Cutler 2 of the most hit QBs in the NFL, "Big" Ben Roethlisberger is among them as well, so since Ben needs more protection as well, 2 years in a row the Steelers draft an Ohio State player (last year with Heyward) in the 1st round of a draft.
25. Denver - DT Dontari Poe, Memphis
Notes: Poe was once the highest rated DT on the board, till Cox climbed up in favor of teams like the Rams and Panthers, Poe is the BPA and the Broncos do need defensive help on the line next to Dumervil.
26. Houston - WR Kendall Wright, Baylor
Notes: Houston aims to make their offense more dynamic with the addition of hometown favorite Kendall Wright at 5'10 190, a speed guy to work opposite WR Andre Johnson one of the best WRs in the NFL.
27. New England - DT Michael Brockers, LSU
Notes: 2 problems the Patriots had on defense last season as Super Bowl runner ups to the Giants again, an inconsistent secondary (though Arrington was good and McCourty could bounce back this season) and an ineffective pass rush. The pass rush was the bigger problem in this case; Brockers is a great prospect to work alongside Wilfork on the defensive line.
28. Green Bay - DE/OLB Nick Perry, USC
Notes: With positions filled in the secondary (Woodson, Williams, Shields), the linebacking corps (Matthews, Hawk) and at DT (Raji, Pickett). The needs are for a DE and S, and Nick Perry is the best player available and the Pack does need to improve that pass rush, so it would help to have a DE that could possibly make an impact as well, though he might be a better fit at outside linebacker.
29. Baltimore - LB Donta Hightower, Alabama
Notes: John Harbaugh is a defensive guy and might be looking for Ray Lewis's replacement since Ray is not getting any younger; the reports are that Harbaugh and the Ravens love Hightower.
30. San Francisco - DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse
Notes: With the additions of Moss, Manningham this offseason the Niners could improve the WR corps by adding young WR Alshon Jeffrey out of South Carolina, but the red flags surrounding him might scare SF from taking him.The Jim Harbaugh coached Niners arguably had the best defense in the NFL last season and could improve it even more by adding a defensive end, Jones is the best player available in this situation.
31. New England - WR Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina
Notes: What a draft would this be for New England huh? First improving it's pass rush and then improving their receiving corps around Brady to look like Lloyd, Jeffrey, Welker, Branch, Gronkowski and Hernandez. Not to mention the Patriots would be adding to themselves a potential physical deep threat at 6'3, 216 that Brady has been lacking since Randy Moss. If anyone takes a risk on players with problems it would be Belichick, of course here the example would be Moss again.
32. New York Giants - RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech
Notes: The Super Bowl defending champions recently lost their downhill runner in Brandon Jacobs, the Giants could be looking for his replacement. So it is either looking like Virginia Tech RB David Wilson or Boise State RB Doug Martin as the second running back taken in the draft, it is a toss up but in this case I have Wilson being the power runner to replace Jacobs.
Round 2:
33. St. Louis Rams - G/OT Aminu Silatolu, Midwestern State
34. Indianapolis Colts - TE Coby Fleener, Stanford
35. Minnesota Vikings - WR Rueben Randle, LSU
36. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - LB LaVonte David, Nebraska
37. Cleveland Browns - OG Kevin Zeitler, Wisconsin
38. Jacksonville Jaguars - CB Josh Robinson, UCF
39. St. Louis Rams - DT Kendall Reyes, UConn
40. Carolina Panthers - CB Brandon Boykin, Georgia
41. Buffalo Bills - SS Harrison Smith, Notre Dame
42. Miami Dolphins - WR Mohamed Sanu, Rutgers
43. Seattle Seahawks - DE/OLB Shea McClellin, Boise State
44. Kansas City Chiefs - RB Doug Martin, Boise State
45. Dallas Cowboys - QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
46. Philadelphia Eagles - DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
47. New York Jets - DE/DT Devon Still, Penn State
48. New England Patriots - DE/OLB Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma
49. San Diego Chargers - WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State
50. Chicago Bears - CB Jayron Hosley, Virginia Tech
51. Philadelphia Eagles - DE/OLB Andre Branch, Clemson
52. Tennessee Titans - ILB Mychael Kendricks, California
53. Cincinatti Bengals - RB Lamar Miller, Miami
54. Detroit Lions - C/G Peter Konz, Wisconsin
55. Atlanta Falcons - G Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss
56. Pittsburgh Steelers - G Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State
57. Denver Broncos - QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
58. Houston Texans - LB Bobby Wagner, Utah State
59. Green Bay Packers - DE Vinny Curry, Marshall
60. Baltimore Ravens - DT Brandon Thompson, Clemson
61. San Francisco 49ers - OT Mitchell Schwartz, California
62. New England Patriots - CB Trumaine Johnson, Montana
63. New York Giants - TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
MLB Preview
NL Central
1. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last years record: 72-90)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (Last years record 90-72)
3. Cincinatti Reds (Last years record 79-83)
4. Milwaukee Brewers (Last years record 96-66)
5. Houston Astros (Last years record 56-106)
6. Chicago Cubs (Last years record 71-91)
Notes: Yes in my first division preview, I'm clearly giving you a curveball as I make the bold prediction of the Pittsburgh Pirates not only making the playoffs but winning the division. Remember that one point halfway through the season when the Pirates were on top of this division and the media was making a big frenzy about it and then it all fell apart. Well with the NL Central losing major sluggers with Albert Pujols (From STL to LAA) and Prince Fielder (From MIL to DET) and the leadership of Andrew McCutchen and the addition of starting Pitcher Erik Bedard to the Pirates this may be their best chance of any to shock the world. Of course St. Louis could still win the NL Central with the starting pitching they have with Carpenter, Lohse and Wainright however with Carpenter out it could be some difficulty. Milwaukee has some starting pitching with Gallardo, Greinke and hitters Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart, Carlos Gomez and Rickie Weeks that could possibly withstand the loss of Fielder. St. Louis has some hitters in Matt Holiday, David Freese, Lance Berkman and possibly Carlos Beltran if healthy to withstand their loss of Pujols. Houston doesn't have too much besides Carlos Lee and maybe Jed Lowrie, Cubs could surprise a little bit with young talent in SS Starlin Castro, along with that veteran leadership in Alfonso Soriano, new addition David DeJesus and some pitching in their SPs Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, but it just doesn't seem like the time that all of a sudden the Cubs will good again so I still have them in the basement of the NL Central.
NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies (Last years record 102-60)
2. Atlanta Braves (Last years record 89-73)
3. Miami Marlins (Last years record 72-90)
4. Washington Nationals (Last years record 80-81)
5. New York Mets (Last years record 77-85)
Notes: More insight tomorrow.
NL West
1. San Francisco Giants (Last years record 86-76)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last years record 94-68)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last years record 82-79)
4. San Diego Padres (Last years record 71-91)
5. Colorado Rockies (Last years record 73-89)
AL East
1. New York Yankees (Last years record 97-65)
2.Tampa Bay Rays (Last years record 91-71)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (Last years record 81-81)
4. Boston Red Sox (Last years record 90-72)
5. Baltimore Orioles (Last years record 69-93)
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers (Last years record 95-67)
2. Cleveland Indians (Last years record 80-82)
3. Chicago White Sox (Last years record 79-83)
4. Kansas City Royals (Last years record 71-91)
5. Minnesota Twins (Last years record 63-99)
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels (Last years record 86-76)
2. Texas Rangers (Last years record 96-66)
3. Oakland Athletics (Last years record 74-88)
4. Seattle Mariners (Last years record 67-95)
1. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last years record: 72-90)
2. St. Louis Cardinals (Last years record 90-72)
3. Cincinatti Reds (Last years record 79-83)
4. Milwaukee Brewers (Last years record 96-66)
5. Houston Astros (Last years record 56-106)
6. Chicago Cubs (Last years record 71-91)
Notes: Yes in my first division preview, I'm clearly giving you a curveball as I make the bold prediction of the Pittsburgh Pirates not only making the playoffs but winning the division. Remember that one point halfway through the season when the Pirates were on top of this division and the media was making a big frenzy about it and then it all fell apart. Well with the NL Central losing major sluggers with Albert Pujols (From STL to LAA) and Prince Fielder (From MIL to DET) and the leadership of Andrew McCutchen and the addition of starting Pitcher Erik Bedard to the Pirates this may be their best chance of any to shock the world. Of course St. Louis could still win the NL Central with the starting pitching they have with Carpenter, Lohse and Wainright however with Carpenter out it could be some difficulty. Milwaukee has some starting pitching with Gallardo, Greinke and hitters Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Corey Hart, Carlos Gomez and Rickie Weeks that could possibly withstand the loss of Fielder. St. Louis has some hitters in Matt Holiday, David Freese, Lance Berkman and possibly Carlos Beltran if healthy to withstand their loss of Pujols. Houston doesn't have too much besides Carlos Lee and maybe Jed Lowrie, Cubs could surprise a little bit with young talent in SS Starlin Castro, along with that veteran leadership in Alfonso Soriano, new addition David DeJesus and some pitching in their SPs Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, but it just doesn't seem like the time that all of a sudden the Cubs will good again so I still have them in the basement of the NL Central.
NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies (Last years record 102-60)
2. Atlanta Braves (Last years record 89-73)
3. Miami Marlins (Last years record 72-90)
4. Washington Nationals (Last years record 80-81)
5. New York Mets (Last years record 77-85)
Notes: More insight tomorrow.
NL West
1. San Francisco Giants (Last years record 86-76)
2. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last years record 94-68)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last years record 82-79)
4. San Diego Padres (Last years record 71-91)
5. Colorado Rockies (Last years record 73-89)
AL East
1. New York Yankees (Last years record 97-65)
2.Tampa Bay Rays (Last years record 91-71)
3. Toronto Blue Jays (Last years record 81-81)
4. Boston Red Sox (Last years record 90-72)
5. Baltimore Orioles (Last years record 69-93)
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers (Last years record 95-67)
2. Cleveland Indians (Last years record 80-82)
3. Chicago White Sox (Last years record 79-83)
4. Kansas City Royals (Last years record 71-91)
5. Minnesota Twins (Last years record 63-99)
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels (Last years record 86-76)
2. Texas Rangers (Last years record 96-66)
3. Oakland Athletics (Last years record 74-88)
4. Seattle Mariners (Last years record 67-95)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Perhaps the Miami hype could be a good thing?
Somebody tell me what is it with the Miami teams lately (excluding the Dolphins) first it was the Miami Heat resigning Dwyane Wade, adding Chris Bosh and of course the one with the infamous " the decision" the LeBron James. Now with the Miami Marlins (former known as the Florida Marlins) after getting Mark Buehrle and of course the Jose Reyes in free agency, not to mention Ozzie Guillen (wasn't that like the first time a manager got traded to a team?) as their new manager, just like the Heat some have jumped on the Miami bandwagon. For example, Skip Bayless of First Take (one who I consider to be an interesting and very entertaining journalist) has gone on to say not only will the Marlins win the NL East now but they'll go on to not only make the World Series but win the World Series. Not to mention ESPN's first televised MLB game of the season is the Cardinals vs these Marlins, so I wonder why does it seem like the national media is all on Miamis jock now? Then again could this hype put teams like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (who signed Pujols this offseason) and our very own Detroit Tigers (who signed Prince Fielder this offseason after losing V-Mart and coming off an ALCS appearance) under the radar.
Therefore putting less pressure on those teams perhaps making it easier for them to succeed. If that's the case ESPN can stay on Miami's jock if it's going to take our own Detroit Tigers back to the World Series. Sounds like a good deal to me, what do you think?
Therefore putting less pressure on those teams perhaps making it easier for them to succeed. If that's the case ESPN can stay on Miami's jock if it's going to take our own Detroit Tigers back to the World Series. Sounds like a good deal to me, what do you think?
Fairley too? Really?
I can't believe a day after LeShoure the Lions former 2nd round draft pick gets busted for possession of marijuana, same thing happens to the Lions former 1st round pick Fairley whom is expected to form quite a tandem with Suh. One thing I don't get...if you're going to smoke marijuana....why would you do it while driving? That's pretty damn similar to drunk driving, if you slip up you're going to get caught, it's common sense. However like I said before they (professional athletes) shouldn't even do that they're professionals they need to start acting like it. For example Mike Valenti of 97.1 made a couple of good points on the air today, one, don't do drugs, two, wear a condom and three, walk away from fights.
Players like Fairley, LeShoure, Antonio Cromartie and Braylon Edwards could all learn something from these 3 rules, again it's not that hard you're a professional start acting like it.
Players like Fairley, LeShoure, Antonio Cromartie and Braylon Edwards could all learn something from these 3 rules, again it's not that hard you're a professional start acting like it.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Lets hope Mikel LeShoure is not the next Charles Rogers
The Detroit Lions really haven't had a good running back since maybe Kevin Jones but he couldn't even be consistent since he did suffer from an injury each year. After the Monday Night Football game vs the Bears last season it looked like for sure the Lions had finally had found a running back in Jahvid Best as he had 12 carries for 163 yards including the long explosive 88 yard touchdown run on a draw that even had Bears LB Brian Urlacher shaking his head. But then sure enough sooner or later he was kept out due to concussions just like he was kept out his rookie season due to turf toe. Last year the Lions drafted RB Mikel LeShoure out of the 2nd round (57th overall pick) with the hope of having that mix of thunder (LeShoure) and lightning (Best) at the RB spot like how recent Super Bowl champions the NY Giants had Bradshaw for speed and Jacobs for power. When Mikel LeShoure tore his achilles in training camp it sure looked like it would be a blow to their running game and when Best went out as well later during the season, it sure was.
Now just recently, LeShoure got caught for possession of marijuana, news that brought back more bad memories. With the recent trouble with the police and the injury suffered in practice it unfortunately brought back memories of a former Detroit Lion that has had very recent trouble with the police and suffered an injury in practice his rookie season before, Charles Rogers. Not to mention as we all recently know now Rogers has not only been one of the biggest busts ever in the NFL he has been one of the biggest busts ever in life. Why? He never took his job seriously. So the best thing here for Mikel is to learn from Rogers mistakes as in don't make anymore, he has to realize that he is in the NFL now, he has to realize he is not going through his college years anymore, so he needs to ditch the weed and realize that he is a professional now, so it's time for him to start taking his job seriously because I'm sure he doesn't want to end up in the slump that Rogers is in now. So if everybody could please take a second, I'd like everybody to fold their hands together get down on their knees, close their eyes and pray for LeShoure to get himself right. Amen.
Now just recently, LeShoure got caught for possession of marijuana, news that brought back more bad memories. With the recent trouble with the police and the injury suffered in practice it unfortunately brought back memories of a former Detroit Lion that has had very recent trouble with the police and suffered an injury in practice his rookie season before, Charles Rogers. Not to mention as we all recently know now Rogers has not only been one of the biggest busts ever in the NFL he has been one of the biggest busts ever in life. Why? He never took his job seriously. So the best thing here for Mikel is to learn from Rogers mistakes as in don't make anymore, he has to realize that he is in the NFL now, he has to realize he is not going through his college years anymore, so he needs to ditch the weed and realize that he is a professional now, so it's time for him to start taking his job seriously because I'm sure he doesn't want to end up in the slump that Rogers is in now. So if everybody could please take a second, I'd like everybody to fold their hands together get down on their knees, close their eyes and pray for LeShoure to get himself right. Amen.
Austin Jackson, is the 3rd season the charm?
It doesn't seem too long ago when the infamous blockbuster deal between the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees had happened. As to who won or lost the trade is still yet to be determined as in this 3 team deal the Detroit Tigers received CF Austin Jackson, left handed relief pitcher Phil Coke from the Yankees, relief pitcher Daniel Schlereth and SP Max Scherzer from the Diamondbacks. The Yankees received CF Curtis Granderson (also known as Grandy) from the Detroit Tigers and the Diamondbacks got SP Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and SP Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. Last season for the Yankees Curtis Granderson (selected starting CF for the All Star team) finished with a .262 batting average but also hit a whopping 41 homers good for 2nd in MLB only behind Bautista's 43, a career high in RBIs with 119 that season and finished 4th in MVP voting. Ian Kennedy had a breakout year as a SP for the Arizona Diamondbacks (who ended up winning the NL West last year under manager former Tiger Kirk Gibson) with 21 wins and only 4 losses with a 2.88 era yet only finished 4th in NL Cy Young voting.
Edwin Jackson has since floated from team to team from the White Sox to the Cardinals to now recently the Washington Nationals. As for our Tigers now, Max Scherzer won 15 games and only lost 9 but still recorded a ERA last season of 4.43. Now as for Austin Jackson's season he finished with a batting average of .249 down from his rookie average of .293 but his home runs went up from 4 in his rookie season to 10. That brings to speculation perhaps in his rookie season he was just hitting for contact and now he have been hitting for more power in his second season. Funny thing is a former Tigers CF by the name of Curtis Granderson (I think you see where i'm going here) wouldn't even hit as high as an average Jackson hit in his rookie season until his 4th season as a Tiger when he batted .302 and hit 23 homers.
The point here is if it took Granderson 4 seasons to get towards his prime then perhaps with the rookie season Jackson had there's a chance that his 2nd season might have just been a sophomore slump. One thing that hasn't changed for Jackson though these seasons is his fielding whether it'd be from robbing homers, triples and doubles to gunning runners down at the plate, and his ability to get on base and steal, stealing 22 times but only got caught 5 times last season. Not to mention again he did hit 6 more homers than he did in his rookie season and if we were to compare him to Granderson the way Granderson progressed in hitting home runs for the Tigers it should be a good sign. As Granderson didn't really become a full time starter till his 3rd season and went from 19 to 23 to 22 to 30 homers over those seasons, Jackson became a full time starter his rookie year. Another thing to consider right now is Austin Jackson is only 25 and still progressing as a MLB player, Granderson at age 31 is just now entering his prime.
With all this being said I'm willing to make a bold prediction that Jackson cuts down on his strikeouts and hits a career high 20 home runs this season, I believe his power his truly developing and we'll see it this season. So far he's batting .284 in Spring Training with 2 home runs and yes 20 strikeouts, however as Jhonny Peralta proved last season don't put too much stock into Spring Training as he had a .197 average in ST yet a .299 average in the regular season, funny how things can change. I've at times been wrong and I've at times been right for example I felt that Granderson playing in that new Yankee Stadium to his benefit could hit 40 homers if he stayed healthy all season he did, he hit 41. So at age 25, Tigers fans it's not time to give up on Jackson quite yet especially since he did have that one hot stretch in August, early September before Detroit went on to win their first AL Central division title. Anything is possible.
Edwin Jackson has since floated from team to team from the White Sox to the Cardinals to now recently the Washington Nationals. As for our Tigers now, Max Scherzer won 15 games and only lost 9 but still recorded a ERA last season of 4.43. Now as for Austin Jackson's season he finished with a batting average of .249 down from his rookie average of .293 but his home runs went up from 4 in his rookie season to 10. That brings to speculation perhaps in his rookie season he was just hitting for contact and now he have been hitting for more power in his second season. Funny thing is a former Tigers CF by the name of Curtis Granderson (I think you see where i'm going here) wouldn't even hit as high as an average Jackson hit in his rookie season until his 4th season as a Tiger when he batted .302 and hit 23 homers.
The point here is if it took Granderson 4 seasons to get towards his prime then perhaps with the rookie season Jackson had there's a chance that his 2nd season might have just been a sophomore slump. One thing that hasn't changed for Jackson though these seasons is his fielding whether it'd be from robbing homers, triples and doubles to gunning runners down at the plate, and his ability to get on base and steal, stealing 22 times but only got caught 5 times last season. Not to mention again he did hit 6 more homers than he did in his rookie season and if we were to compare him to Granderson the way Granderson progressed in hitting home runs for the Tigers it should be a good sign. As Granderson didn't really become a full time starter till his 3rd season and went from 19 to 23 to 22 to 30 homers over those seasons, Jackson became a full time starter his rookie year. Another thing to consider right now is Austin Jackson is only 25 and still progressing as a MLB player, Granderson at age 31 is just now entering his prime.
With all this being said I'm willing to make a bold prediction that Jackson cuts down on his strikeouts and hits a career high 20 home runs this season, I believe his power his truly developing and we'll see it this season. So far he's batting .284 in Spring Training with 2 home runs and yes 20 strikeouts, however as Jhonny Peralta proved last season don't put too much stock into Spring Training as he had a .197 average in ST yet a .299 average in the regular season, funny how things can change. I've at times been wrong and I've at times been right for example I felt that Granderson playing in that new Yankee Stadium to his benefit could hit 40 homers if he stayed healthy all season he did, he hit 41. So at age 25, Tigers fans it's not time to give up on Jackson quite yet especially since he did have that one hot stretch in August, early September before Detroit went on to win their first AL Central division title. Anything is possible.
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