I love reading articles on teams well before a season begins, talking about whether they have done enough to finally get to the Super Bowl or the World Series or what have you.

Pundits and those alike talk about a team having the talent to win a title. They question whether the pieces of the puzzle are in place, whether the drive is there, whether they can finally beat that hated rival that has kept them from glory so many times.

But then comes the element(s) that no one can predict. In a n...

Rainout May Aid Yankees and Red Sox

After two emotionally draining games – more specifically, Saturday's epic comeback by the Yankees and epic meltdown by the Red Sox – Sunday's rainout may have been the best possible result for both teams.

For the Yankees, it allows them to push back CC Sabathia to start the opener of a key three-game series in Texas, for which the Rangers will be without the services of Adrian Beltre. The rain has been nothing but bad news for Texas lately.

A year ...

            At least today is a day where I do not feel alone.

            I am joined now by tens, even hundreds of thousands of loyal Saints fans in my abhorrence of Roger Goodell. He has inflicted a black mark almost as thick as “Bountygate” has on the Saints franchise and the city of New Orleans.

            Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for one year, while defensive coordinator Gregg Williams – now in the same post with the St. Louis Ram...

WHEN FANS COULD SEE THE SUPER BOWLS THEY PURCHASED TICKETS FOR

If Roger Goodell were virtually anybody else in this world (short of, say, Barack Obam...

I saw a Facebook post yesterday that had a picture of Eli Manning paying homage to the well-known Dos Equis ad for The Most Interesting Man in the World.

As the commercial's star says “I don't always drink beer, but when I do I prefer Dos Equis,” this photo said “I don't always get to the Super Bowl, but when I do, I beat the Patriots.”

Clever, indeed. And fitting, both for the New York Giants and their new baseball counterparts, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Last year's baseball darlin...

Line: Patriots by 2½   

            This isn’t a movie I wanted to watch again, but it’s the Super Bowl, so we give it our due diligence as American citizens. The Patriots and Giants at least figure to put on a heck of a show, just as they did four years ago in Glendale. Rather evenly matched, there are advantages and disadvantages for both clubs. A further look:

Quarterbacks – Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning

            “I believe in Eli,” said D...

            Even from the moment you realized the Super Bowl was being played in Indianapolis, you had to know that the Patriots would be in the mix.

            Then, the lockout happened, giving an edge to all of last year’s top teams (New England had the NFL’s best mark at 14-2).

            But then came Week 1, and Patriot fans could have booked their trips to Indianapolis. When the Dolphins predictably, and fruitlessly, ran a fade pattern on 4^th-and-...

We’ve reached the Final Four and perhaps more refreshingly, two of the league’s three offensive sideshows have been put to rest. The Saints and Packers and their circus-like attack will be home watching three teams at least built in large part on defense, while the one dragon left to slay resides in Foxborough. The Ravens and Giants are built to win on the road, but in championship weekend history, only twice have both road teams won  (1992 and 1997). Still, from 1997-2005 at least one...

            For all those marveling in the transformation of the San Francisco 49ers this season under Jim Harbaugh, there is a very real possibility that evidence of such surfaced at the end of last season.

            After a dismal 5-10 record in 15 games under Mike Singletary, the 49ers not only played hard in their season-finale for interim coach Jim Tomsula, they were downright dominant, trouncing the Cardinals 38-7. An impotent offense that had averaged 17.8 points...

            When you have made it this far in the season, you are less concerned with homefield advantage and more concerned with momentum and capitalizing on the opportunity at hand.

            As we approach Championship Sunday in the 2011 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants face tall orders in going on the road to try and earn a trip to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

            It is highly unlikely that both will win Sunday, at least b...

Chris Berman calls this the best weekend in all of sports, the divisional round of the playoffs. The big four are coming off their byes, a week after all four home teams won in the wild card round for just the third time in 22 years since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format. However, all four teams have not won in the divisional round since 2004. However you slice it, there figures to be a surprise or two this weekend and some exceptional football. Though Metlife Stadium and Invesco Fiel...

Welcome to the second season, my friends. The playoffs are here – in a season that almost never was. A dual rookie QB matchup and the toast of the league trying to slay the mighty Steelers should make for a fun Wild Card weekend.

Regular season: 118-129-9

Cincinnati at Houston (-3)

Analysis: The last time the Texans won, it was four weeks ago on the road against Cincinnati. But since, rookie third-stringer T.J. Yates has struggled, and after suffering five sacks against the Bengals in t...

            Coming into this year, I had a theory: the right teams will always be there come playoff time. No matter what, the team that has a chance to do damage in the playoffs will find a way to get in, and the pretenders will shoot themselves in the foot.

            I no longer have that theory.

            After watching the Oakland Raiders self-destruct on Sunday and the San Diego Chargers self-destruct for the season’s first 12 weeks, I was still con...

Hard to believe a season that almost never was is almost over. While most of the playoff spots have been locked up there is still some drama remaining, including the NFC East showdown between Dallas and the Giants and the final AFC wild card spot. 16 divisional games are on the docket, which certainly isn't a foolproof solution to fixing some of these so-called meaningless games, but nevertheless we are in for another fun finish.

Last week: 8-8

Season: 110-121-9

Buffalo at New England (-1...

Hey, a Thursday night win! I'm off to a good start to a week for the first time this year. And now we kick back Sunday to enjoy what figures to be a good finish to the year. Patriots-Broncos headlines things, with Ravens-Chargers and Steelers-49ers following suit. Other games will feature teams simply playing for pride or their coaches' jobs.

Last week: 9-7

Season: 95-105-8

Dallas (-7) at Tampa Bay

Analysis: Raheem Morris is still the coach in Tampa despite a report that the Bucs intended...

            When it’s all said and done for the 2011 season, as many as nine coaches could be out of a job. A number of those coaches have tasted success as recently as last season.

            Jack Del Rio was the first to get the axe, losing his job after nearly nine seasons in Jacksonville when he was dismissed November 28. A year ago, Del Rio had the Jags in contention at 8-5 before they fizzled and lost their last three games.

Todd Haley and Tony Sparano lost th...

Atlanta (-3) at Carolina

Analysis:            Carol...

            When I think about the 2008 Detroit Lions, the league’s only 0-16 team to this point, I still don’t consider them to be a comically bad bunch. They were a bad football team, make no mistake about it, but this was not the comedy-of-errors group like the 1976 Buccaneers that made us laugh (mostly at John McKay’s dry wit), cry, and wonder if we were witnessing history.

            That Lions team gave up 522 points, so needless to say the defense might ...

Reunion Tours Put on Hold

            One of the neat things about player movement in the NFL is when they involve quarterbacks returning to face their former teams. Sometimes, those chess-matches turn into classics.

            A couple years ago, Brett Favre, donning Vikings purple, faced the Packers for the first time in his career on a Monday night, a shootout the Vikings won, 30-23. Later that year he made his return to Lambeau Field and completed the sweep ...

I’m limping towards the finish line at 10 under, so it’s time for a big breakthrough week. 8-3 is the magic number in the AFC, as four teams in three divisions share that mark. And then there are the 11-0 Packers and their chase for perfection. Will the Giants, as they did to the Broncos in 98, spoil the dream? And, like the old days of 2007, the Patriots are favored by 20 points. Needless to say the Colts-Patriots rivalry has lost its luster without Peyton Manning. Now, the picks:

Some random thoughts and musings from around the NFL amidst a busy Tuesday afternoon with news of a major shakeup in North Florida.

Canned in Jacksonville

            Jack Del Rio’s firing was long overdue but perfectly timed. With a change in ownership underway, it only makes sense the new regime will want to put its own stamp on a franchise seemingly in eternal transition. Mel Tucker will hold down the fort until new boss Shahid Khan and his minions can find somebod...

            It is simply painful to look at the New England Patriots’ remaining schedule when you consider the quarterbacks they are slated to face.

            That list just got a little uglier with Monday’s news.

            Former Patriot backup-turned-temporary-star Matt Cassel suffered a “significant” hand injury and could miss not only Monday’s tilt in Foxborough, but the entire season. That means Tyler Palko, journeyman from the University of...

 It's always tricky to examine “overrated” and “underrated”, but I will give it a try. Here is a list of the five most underrated and overrated starting pitchers in baseball, as based on public perception vs. recent performance:

UNDERRATED
 

No. 5

Justin Masterson, RHP, Cleveland Indians

Masterson was somewhat of an afterthought by fans when the Victor Martinez trade went down in July 2009. But he had been a valuable starter and reliever for the Red Sox, and flourished as a starter i...

            With my big Week 7 surge, I have officially moved over .500 for the year. What an accomplishment considering the Dolphins-like start I had to my season. There are five double-digit spreads among the six early games, so if you live on the West Coast like me, you can probably sleep in until the late games start this week. Then again, could we have an upset or two in store?

Week 7:            9-3-1

Season:            49-48-6

Arizona at Baltim...

Finally, a week to be proud of. 8-4-1 (I guess the bye weeks are helping me out) and now 3-3 on upset specials for the year. Did I say upset special? Jim Schwartz was especially upset after Jim Harbaugh’s overly-excited postgame handshake. That means only the 6-0 Packers remain unbeaten. Will they remain so in Week 7? Let’s take a look at the 13 games on tap: 

            This one hasn’t played out exactly how the pundits thought it would. Yankees-Phillies was a slam dunk. Maybe the Tigers pull through in the AL. But certainly, no one was taking down the mighty Phillies and their superstar rotation, right?

            Wrong.

            The Rangers and Cardinals defied the odds and conventional wisdom to reach this the 107^th World Series.

            St. Louis had to rally from 10.5 games down i...

It seemed innocent enough at the time. Having just jumped ship to hop of the Philadelphia Phillies' bandwagon, Cliff Lee sent his old teammate Ian Kinsler a text message that simply said, “See you in the World Series.”

Who knew Lee was a prophet?

Now, Lee likely was insinuating he thought his team would be there to match up with the Rangers. Instead, the LeBron James of baseball will get to watch Kinsler and the rest of the Rangers from the comfort of his own couch.

C.J. Wilson, Colby ...

Yikes. 5-11 a week ago, it's time I get this thing turned around. But until I do, feel free to look at my picks and for betting purposes, pick the opposite. That would have made you wealthy in Week 4. Week 5 rolls around with just two unbeatens, the Packers – okay, we're not shocked – and the Lions – seriously, were they playing Division I-AA schools? But give Detroit credit, including the preseason, they have won 12 straight games dating to last year. There are still four winless teams...

History has been in the making so far in 2011. The Bills trailed by 18 or more the past two weeks and rallied to win, the first time in history that's happened. The Vikings have led their first three games at halftime and have held double-digit leads in each, and lost each one, an NFL first. And the Dallas Cowboys have officially put their fans into cardiac arrest with an NFL-record nine consecutive games decided by three points or less. Once again Week 4 is a measuring stick for teams like H...

If you have any shred of human decency, you probably cringed just a little when the Red Sox piled on this offseason with the additions of Adrian Gonzalez via trade and Carl Crawford via free agency. The playoffs, and possibly the World Series, seemed inevitable.

After all, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Kevin Youkilis would be returning after missing significant time with injuries, and Josh Beckett was expected to round back into vintage form. Yet while all that happened, it may have b...

I wasn't exactly on point last week, going 5-9-2, although the late games brought me back a bit (thanks for showboating, Jesse Holley). The aerial assaults and scoring barrages continue, a trend that looks like it's here to stay. Week 3 features several perennial also-rans playing in big games looking to show they are for real (see: Detroit, Buffalo, Houston). 2-0 is great for those teams, but stepping up to a real challenge is what truly makes believers. And now, a breakdown of the games:

La...

To say the offenses were ahead of the defenses in Week 1 is a vast understatement. Five different games featured two quarterbacks going over 300 yards, most unforgettably Cam Newton's stellar 418-yard debut and Tom Brady's 517-yard demolition of the Dolphins on Monday night. So will it be more of the same in Week 2? In Newton's case, a repeat performance will be awfully tough against the defending champion Packers. Brady will also face a stiff test in San Diego. But smart money says continue ...

Football is back, and what a way to get it started with the Saints and the Packers coming down to the very last play of an absolute barnburner Thursday night. Picking Week 1 is already tough, but picking Week 1 in a lockout year is an utter crapshoot. All eyes will be on the Steelers-Ravens rivalry renewal, Chad Ochocinco's Monday night Patriots debut, and New York and Washington on what will be the 10^th anniversary of the devastating 9/11 attacks. Without further ado, here is a breakdown of ...

If there is to be a 2011 NFL season, one trend people will keep an eye on is the disparity of parity between the AFC and NFC.

In an unprecedented run of unpredictability, the NFC has sent 10 different representatives to the Super Bowl in as many seasons. On the other hand, the AFC has seen the same three teams turn the trick the past eight years.

Many feel that there is a budding dynasty in Titletown, where the Packers appear poised to establish dominance in the conference just as they did ...

Though much of the first half of the 2011 Major League Baseball campaign has been predictable (see Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies), as usual there have been a few enjoyable stories that have kept fans' interest until the inevitable sets in come October.

Raise your hand if knew that Kevin Correia was tied for the National League lead in wins? Maybe Kevin's parents didn't even know, but his Pirates teammates sure do, as Pittsburgh shockingly finds itself over .500 in June for the first time since...

 Passion runs deep in the roots of Detroit fans, and the Tigers are a blue-collar, hard-working team reflective of their city. So it goes without saying that there is excitement surrounding the baseball team in the Motor City this year, as they have surged to just one game back of the Cleveland Indians after trailing by as many as eight at the beginning of May.

But it has to be a little bit disheartening to Tigers supporters that a bevvy of former players are making splashes with other squad...

The Tampa Bay Rays are proving that, in spite of the notion that they are “baseball's farm team”, their recent run of success in the rugged AL East is no fluke.

GM Andrew Friedman has been criticized (even by yours truly) for failing to pull off a big midseason trade during the team's 2008 and 2010 division-championship seasons. Instead, he and manager Joe Maddon felt confident in the young core they had in place. The result? 97 and 96 win seasons.

But it appeared this offseason would b...

Thursday's first round of the NFL Draft was full of surprises, from about 10 minutes until nearly midnight before the Green Bay Packers wrapped things up. Once Von Miller went to Denver with the second overall pick, the major shake-up was on, all the way down to a bizarre “passing” of the pick by the Baltimore Ravens at 26. While giving grades a day after the draft is silly (general rule of thumb is to wait three years), we will examine each pick of the first round in detail.

1 Carolina...

Arian Foster became a household name last season in winning the rushing title despite being undrafted, but he isn't alone.

What Priest Holmes once did and what Foster accomplished in 2010 prove that it isn't how you start, it's how you finish. Running backs no longer are all the rage in the NFL Draft in part because of guys like Foster, Danny Woodhead, and LeGarrette Blount.

In the postseason, a sixth-round unknown named James Starks became the Packers' go-to tailback in the team's run to a...

Raise your hand if you had Connecticut, Kentucky, Butler, and VCU in the Final Four.

Okay you two, put your hands down.

According to ESPN.com, a grand total of two out of 5.9 million brackets had this quartet convening in Houston to fight for the 2011 NCAA championship.

If you thought a 2, 3, 4, and 11 reaching the Final Four in 2006 was odd, a 3, 4, 8, and 11 is downright remarkable. VCU, an 11-seed, is this year's George Mason, but they can already claim a tougher road in that it has tak...

The Combine is officially in the books, but there were plenty of storylines to go around during the 2011 event.

Cam Newton was less than impressive, likely eliminating what was already a small chance that he would be the number one pick by the Carolina Panthers. Newton did not seem to win any friends over with his pre-draft interviews, and it would not be surprising if he slipped into the double-digits.

Jake Locker held up considerably well, and he did nothing to hurt his chances of l...

DraftAmerica recently spoke with former NFL standout Terrell Buckley, a 14-year veteran who made stops in Green Bay, Miami, Denver, New England, and New York. Buckley was often a fan favorite and now is the assistant strength coach at his alma mater of Florida State. His daughter is an up-and-coming high school golfer in the South Florida area, as recently featured in the Miami Herald. Buckley discussed several aspects of football with DA, including his draft day experience back in 1992 and ...

Week 7 is already upon us, and this so-called year of parity is really only a half-truth. The NFC is wide open with no one-loss teams after just six weeks, but it’s the usual suspects in the AFC. This week features a few key divisional games, perhaps none bigger than Monday night in Dallas between the surging Giants and the fading Cowboys. Will Wade Phillips, remarkably still employed at this point, still have a job if Big D loses that one? At any rate, let’s dive right into the picks:

 ...

What happened to the White Sox? They started 24-33 and it looked like Ozzie Guillen was toast. The team simply was underperforming. But then came the winning streaks. First, a 11-gamer in late June. Then a 9-gamer in early July. Finally, the real White Sox had stood up and been counted for. But then came the All-Star break.

Their first game out of the break was the 9^th game of that...