The Cowboys are Vegas darlings to win the NFC this year.  Is it the drive to play on home field for the Super Bowl?  Did Tony Romo get a new girlfriend?  Is it all the America’s Team fans driving up the betting price?  Who knows.  The Cowboys have the most talented roster in the NFC and it’s easy to see why Vegas bookies are pegging them at 5-1 odds to win the NFC.   But I’ve got a better bet.

Unlike the AFC, there are only a handful of teams worthy of consideration to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV:  Saints, Cowboys, Vikings and Packers.  One of these teams will be in Arlington on February 6th, 2011. 

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (Prediction: 11-5 / 2009: 11-5)

It’s all too perfect.  The Cowboys on a destiny run for a home-cooking Super Bowl.  It’s going to be the story of the NFC this year since the Cowboys always hog the spotlight — that is until they shrink in the spotlight.   There’s no question that with all the talent Jerry Jones has amassed on this team that they will win the NFC East and have a first round bye.  You can name any of the skill position players on the Cowboys and think “man, that guy’s good.”  (Well, maybe not Roy Williams, who is going to lose his job any day now.)  But what’s always creeping in the back of your mind is that the Cowboys just don’t have the minerals to win when it really counts.

Just look at the tape from last year’s drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings and you’ll see why I’m not expecting the Cowboys to take that next big step.  After 6 sacks and Tony Romo running for his life in a 34-3 loss, the only player they replaced on the offensive line was an aging Flozell Adams.  You’re going to tell me Doug Free is the answer to the O-line issues plaguing Dallas?   The Cowboys stockpile of talent will get them plenty of wins this year, but another early exit in the playoffs.

New York Giants (Prediction: 9-7 / 2009: 8-8)

The Giants are counting on a couple of things to get them back into Super Bowl form:  the return of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs from an injury plagued 2009 season and a change in defensive philosophy under new DC Perry Fewell (not to be confused with the Jane’s Addiction frontman).   While the offensive side of the ball can click with a surprisingly decent WR corps and Eli Manning at the helm, the Giants really needed to improve on the defensive side of the ball.

Last year, they gave up 26.7 points per game, bad enough for 30th in the league.  The addition of Antrel Rolle should help their secondary but the Giants are still a mess at linebacker.    Right now, Keith Bulluck, Jonathan Goff, and Michael Boley are penciled in as the starters.  Who?  Exactly.  With such a gaping hole, it’s hard to pick this team to get more than 9 wins this year.

Philadelphia Eagles (Prediction: 7-9 / 2009: 11-5)

(In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan.)  While nobody in the front office will admit to it, the Eagles are in a retooling mode.  It’s not quite the rebuilding that the Detroit Lions and St Louis Rams of the league are doing but there are virtually no expectations in Philly this year that they are anything more than a .500 ball club.   Instead, this is the season to develop Kevin Kolb, Jeremy Maclin, and Shady McCoy.   Despite having a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball (don’t forget Brent Celek and Desean Jackson), the offensive line is liable to get Kolb killed in his first true year as a starter.

On the defensive side of the ball, the pass rush is expecting big things from rookie Brandon Graham to complement Trent Cole.   Stewart Bradley returns from a torn ACL and has looked in the preseason like he’s fully recovered.  After trotting out random trash at the safety position last year, the Eagles used their 2nd round pick (aka “The McNabb Pick”) on Nate Allen and will be counting on the rookie, which is always a scary proposition.  The Eagles are one of the youngest teams in the NFL.  Not counting kickers, the oldest person on the roster will be Juqua Parker at 32 with no one else older than 30, depending on whether Kelley Washington makes the team.  Yep, it’s rebuil… retooling time.

Washington Redskins (Prediction: 5-11 / 2009: 4-12)

It’s the same old song every year from the Washington Redskins.  Instead of building a contender slowly and steadily (really, how the skins fans put up with this crap year after year is one of the great mysteries in sports), the Redskins try to buy one with big name stars and big name coaches.  This year, it’s Mike Shanahan and Donavan McNabb.   After the Albert Haynesworth debacle, you’d think they’d have learned.  Nope.  Like a junkie in need of a fix, the Redskins are at it again.

A lot of excuses were made by Donovan McNabb apologists in Phily the last couple of years:  he didn’t have a good offensive line, his wide receivers were mediocre, there was no running game to support him.   How exactly is Washington a better fit for his diminished mobility and inability to complete the short passes?  Perhaps a fresh start is exactly what McNabb needs to rejuvenate his career.  But I wouldn’t count on it.

Donovan McNabb, Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker.  That sounds exactly like my fantasy football starting lineup in 2004.  I think I went 5-11 in my league that year too.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers (Prediction: 13-3 / 2009: 11-5)

The Green Bay Packers absolutely baffled me last year.  They would lose a clunker to dreadful Tampa Bay and then reel off quality wins against Dallas, SF, and Baltimore.   Part of the reason the Pack settled down towards the end of the season was protection for Aaron Rodgers.  In the last 8 games of the regular season, the offensive line gelled and only gave up 13 sacks in the those games.  Since Green Bay lead the league in sacks allowed (51) in 2009, you can see how much Rodgers was running for his life in some of those early games, especially the two games against Minnesota (15 total).

With every starter healthy coming out of the preseason (unless I’ve just jinxed them), the Pack should remain in the second half of 2009 form — that is to say, very very good.  On offense, Jermichael Finley is going to sensational this year and be a game changer similar to Jason Witten in Dallas.   Meanwhile, the defense has only gotten stronger with Clay Matthews in his second season and Charles Woodson getting better with age.  As always, the Packers are all about the QB and despite fumbling the season away last year, Aaron Rodgers showed that he can sling it as well as anyone in the league and is poised to be the second best QB in the NFC behind Drew Brees.

Minnesota Vikings (Prediction: 10-6 / 2009: 12-4)

Since the Vikings have improved every year under Brad Childress aka Ned Flanders, the easy pick would be to peg them at 14-2 and to win the NFC.   Not so fast.   While the team is mostly intact, they haven’t upgraded an offensive line that was showing some holes by the end of the year.  If you have Adrian Peterson and the run game can lay eggs such as they did against Arizona and Carolina, there’s something wrong there.

While Favre bailed them out again and again (until he cost them the game against NO), can we really expect Favre to have a great of a year as he did in 09?  Even if you ignore age for a second, Favre isn’t going to play better in 2010.  With his surgically repaired ankle and Sidney Rice out for the first six games, I highly doubt Favre will come close to his 2009 stats.    The Vikings are still a very good team but there’s a new sheriff in the NFC North

Chicago Bears (Prediction: 6-10 / 2009: 7-9)

When the Bears traded for Jay Cutler, I thought that they had solved their QB problems.  And despite some flashes of brilliance, it turns out I was very wrong.  Not only did Cutler give it up 26 times last year, he seemed to throw INTs at the worst of times.   Only way the Bears could lose this one is if Cutler throws an INT?  Interception.

Because Jay Cutler isn’t really that bad, the Bears went out and got Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator to save their hides.  This makes absolutely no sense to me.   While Jay Cutler has the arm to sling it down the field to any of their speedy receivers, the offensive line won’t be able to get him enough time for Martz’s aerial attacks to work.   Factor in that Matt Forte is no Marshall Faulk and this Chicago campaign has disaster written all over it.   Maybe after this season, people will stop wondering, “how does Lovie Smith still have a job?” –  because he’ll be on the unemployment line.

Detroit Lions (Prediction: 4-12 / 2009: 2-14)

It pains me to have to  watch, read about, or even think about the Detroit Lions.  Wake me up next year when Stafford, Jahvid Best, and Donkey Kong Suh are fully seasoned to go along with Calvin Johnson and we might be talking about an 8-8 season.    The good news for Detroit fans is that with the final purging of any player drafted by Matt Millen, that stench of loserdom is finally starting to come out.  That’s something.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (Prediction: 12-4) / 2009: 13-3)

You’d have to be some sort of idiot not to pick the Super Bowl champs to repeat as at least division champs.  And I’m no idiot (depending on whom you ask, of course.)  With virtually no losses on either side of the ball besides Scott Fujita, what could I possibly tell you about the Saints besides that they’ll easily win their division.

Atlanta Falcons (Prediction: 10-6 / 2009: 9-7)

I get the feeling that a lot of people are going to pick Atlanta as their dark horse in the NFC race.  On the surface of it, they have all the pieces in place: a QB looking to rebound from a sophomore slump in Matt Ryan, a fat RB that has decided to slim down to regain his speed and quickness in Michael Turner, and a WR who is looking to make the step from Pro Bowler to elite in Roddy White.  Ok… sign me up too.  The problem with the Falcons is that they’re in the same division as the Saints.  But they’re good enough to get a wildcard.

Carolina Panthers (Prediction:5-11 / 2009: 8-8)

Despite losing superstar Julius Pepper, the Carolina Panthers have a young and fast defense that’s going to keep them in games.  At least that’s the story coming out of preseason.  The problem with the Panthers is their abysmal passing game.  Last year, the Panthers finished 27th in passing offense and have made no significant improvements this year.   While they smartly kicked Jake Delhomme to the curb, they have unproven Matt Moore at the helm.  Moore was decent last year in the 7 games he started but he’s not going to give anyone a fantasy boner.   It won’t take long for fans to start grumbling for Jimmy Clausen.

The Panthers are going to win with defense and the running attack of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  Unfortunately for Panthers fans, that’s not going to be many wins.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prediction:4-12 / 2009: 3-13)

There’s a silver lining for Bucs fans:  television blackouts will mean you have 4 spare hours on Sunday to do something productive with your lives instead of watching this dreck.   For years, the Tampa Bay defense was so formidable that everyone assumed they’d always be a defensive powerhouse.   That went out the window last year and it looks like there’s no relief in sight for 2010.   With apologies to Dean Wormer, slow and unskilled is no way to go through life, son.

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers (Prediction:10-6 / 2009: 8-8)

The Niners have some continuity at offensive coordinator for the first time since Alex Smith and his curiously manicured eyebrows came to town.   Coming off a much needed “show me” season in 2009, Alex Smith rescued himself from the brink of being Jamarcussed with a career high of 2,350 yards and 18 TDS (12 INTS) last year.  This year, with Frank Gore and a full season of Michael Crabtree, Alex Smith has both fantasy owners and Niners fans salivating.

Defensively, the Niners are solid and there’s no reason to expect that they will fall off from last season’s stellar performance and will represent the NFC West in the playoffs – the first playoff appearance since 2002 for SF.

Seattle Seahawks (Prediction:8-8 / 2009: 5-11)

The good news is that it can’t get much worse than 2009 for Seahawks fans.    With Pete Carroll free from having to worry about petty things like NCAA rules and violations, he should be able to focus entirely building a football team.   Wait, who am I kidding, Pete hasn’t cared about NCAA rules and violations in years.    All joking aside, I thought the hiring of Carroll was a tremendous move for the Seahawks in the offseason.  Despite his lukewarm record in the NFL, he is a huge upgrade from Jim Mora Jr.  That alone should equal a couple of wins.

While the offensive additions have gotten all the press this year, the Seahawks biggest need for improvement will be on the defensive side of the ball.  After a dreadful 2009 season, they added safety Earl Thomas in the draft.  Earl Thomas is the real deal.   With the return of a healthy Marcus Trufant and improvements on the offensive line, the Seahawks won’t be near the bottom in points allowed this year.  Watch out for Golden Tate, who, when not trying to steal maple bars from bakeries, is gonna be a playmaker for Seattle.

Arizona Cardinals (Prediction:7-9 / 2009: 10-6)

It’s absolutely astounding what a difference Kurt Warner makes.  After watching Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson seemingly incapable of leading the team down the field, you really have to appreciate what Warner did in Arizona.  Even though Whisenhunt has been coy about who the starter is going to be opening day, the fact that Leinart was demoted for game 3 of the preseason speaks volumes.  You have to wonder why Whisenhunt hates Leinart.  It’s almost impossible to lose your job to a guy with a 42.1 passer rating last year, yet Leinart has accomplished that feat despite Anderson not looking at all close to his pro-bowl form.

I know that Larry Fitzgerald is the best wideout on the planet but when he’s your only dependable weapon and your QB is awful, the offense is going to be hard to watch.  On the defensive side of the ball, a downgrade from Karlos Dansby to Joey Porter and the loss of Antrel Rolle means Cardinals fans can expect a lot of what Green Bay did to them in the playoff game.   It looks like after a brief visit to the stratosphere for the Cards, it’s back to the land of the  bottom feeders.

St. Louis Rams (Prediction:3-13 / 2009: 1-15)

I hear a lot about Sam Bradford not  having to be super human.  Forget that.  They don’t pay you $50M guaranteed to be Trent Dilfer.  The good news for Rams fans is that Bradford has responded, even if is only preaseason.  Unfortunately, the loss of Donnie Avery means the Rams are left with only one viable weapon and that’s Steven Jackson.   It’s going to be a trying year for Bradford but hey, that’s why he’s getting paid the big bucks.  The Rams won’t factor at all but at least their fans have some hope for the future.

Playoff Predictions

• Wild Card Round: Dallas over Atlanta / Minnesota over San Francisco
• Divisional Round: Green Bay over Minnesota / New Orleans over Dallas
• Championship Round: Green Bay over New Orleans

By Ryan McGowan

The AFC this year is quirky—so many teams, so few clear-cut favorites.  There isn’t even a clear-cut worst team in the conference, as the Raiders shouldn’t be quite as horrid as past years.  In fact, the conference title is wide open, pretty much for whichever team can conceal its flaws long enough to grab it.

Let’s get right to it.

16. Cleveland Browns – LAST YEAR: 5-11, 4^th AFC NORTH, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

Someone has to be last.  As bad as the Browns were last year, how are they going to be any better this year?  Seriously, this is a team that decided that it was time to give up on Brady Quinn (after the Mangenie in a Bottle traded what eventually became Mark Sanchez to the J-E-T-S) and Mike Holmgren thinks the answer is Jake Delhomme.  Delhomme was so bad last year that the Panthers improved a hundred-fold after he was benched.   I officially feel really bad for Cleveland fans.

PREDICTION: 4-12, 4^th AFC NORTH.

15. Buffalo Bills – LAST YEAR: 6-10, 4^th AFC EAST, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

It has gotten so bad in Buffalo that kids entering sixth grade this fall have never seen a Bills playoff team in their lifetime.  The last time the Bills were in the playoffs, Sisqo was the next big thing in hip-hop and Varsity Blues was making adolescent boys salivate over the whipped cream in their parents’ fridges.  Chan Gailey’s hiring should help slightly, but the Bills’ roster is so lackluster and uninspiring, it’s beginning to make me wonder whether management is trying to pull a Major League, intentionally making the team so bad that they can bolt for Toronto or Los Angeles as soon as the ageless Ralph Wilson dies.  As if it weren’t bad enough to live in western New York.  Something must be in the water in Lake Erie.

PREDICTION: 5-11, 4^th AFC EAST.

14. Oakland Raiders – LAST YEAR: 5-11, 3^rd AFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

The Raiders have lost seven consecutive home openers, so they’re not great at getting off to a good start.  That’s a bit of an understatement, since they’re not great at anything except inspiring their rabid fan base—and, of course, by “rabid” I mean actually has rabies.  It’s a good thing Jason Campbell has a ridiculously hot girlfriend, but I hope she will still love him with the 1,200 body bruises he should sustain this year playing behind that offensive line.  I’ll give Oakland some credit though; at least they kept the incredibly level-headed and not-physically-abusive-at-all Tom Cable on as head coach, to keep some stability in the organization.  It’s refreshing to see a team that actually practices what it preaches.

PREDICTION: 6-10, 4^th AFC WEST.

13. Kansas City Chiefs – LAST YEAR: 4-12, 4^th AFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

This should be a big year for Patriots West, who now feature Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel on Todd Haley’s staff, as well as former Pats player personnel director Scott Pioli as GM.  Unfortunately, Weis won’t be dialing up offensive formations for Tom Brady, but for Matt Cassell—and if Cassell goes down, the job falls to Brodie Croyle.  So little margin of error here, but I think with another year under their belts, the Chiefs could surprise a few people.

PREDICTION: 6-10, 3^rd AFC WEST.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars – LAST YEAR: 7-9, 4^th AFC SOUTH, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

I wouldn’t have expected it out of a Jack Del Rio team, but the Jaguars have become really bland.  This used to be one of the more exciting teams in football, a team that was never quite at the top of the pack but always had enough to keep everyone on their toes.  Now, they’re a team without any kind of identity.  Quick—name three Jaguars.  And no, Byron Leftwich, Mark Brunell, and Fred Taylor are not acceptable answers.

PREDICTION: 6-10, 4^th AFC SOUTH.

11. Miami Dolphins – LAST YEAR: 7-9, 3^rd AFC EAST, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

A lot of people are saying that the Dolphins might be a playoff team again, but I’m not seeing it.  When Tony Sparano brought in the Wildcat in 2008, it was new, innovative, and impossible to defend, at least for a while.  (Even though it’s a formation that harkens back to the days of the single-wing attack in the 1940’s.)  Now the Wildcat is stale, and the Dolphins’ lack of an above-average drop-back passer will hurt them in a division with both Tom Brady and Mark Sanchez.  Chad Henne is good, but he’s not good enough to carry the team to the playoffs.  A great Dolphins-related stat is that a different quarterback has led the team in passing yards for seven consecutive years.  Bonus points if you can name all seven.

PREDICTION: 7-9, 3^rd AFC EAST.

10. Cincinnati Bengals – LAST YEAR: 10-6, 1^st AFC NORTH, LOST 1^st ROUND OF PLAYOFFS.

I’ve always liked Marvin Lewis back to his days with the Ravens as the only likeable thing about that franchise at the turn of the century, but I am starting to fear that the Bengals have become more of a prop for their players’ media projects than an actual football team.  It’s a shame that management has surrounded Carson Palmer with such airheads during the prime years of his career, and the karma fallout from the back-to-back season-ending drubbings at the hands of the Jets might sink this team this year.   If a team’s character is defined by how it plays when the adversity is at the highest, then the Bengals put their tails between their legs and let the overachieving Jets mop the floor with them.  It was an embarrassment of the highest order, and I don’t see this franchise recovering.  In fact, it seems to be going in the opposite direction.

PREDICTION: 8-8, 3^rd AFC NORTH.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers – LAST YEAR: 9-7, 3^rd AFC NORTH, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

When will Steelers fans demand the team get rid of Ben Roethlisberger?  His youthful transgressions were somewhat cute and endearing before they cost him a multi-game suspension to start the season.  It’s amazing that only four Steelers offensive players from the Super Bowl win over the Cardinals will be starting in Week 1.  You can’t have that much roster turmoil that fast, but in the meantime we get to see Charlie Batch or Byron Leftwich run the team for a few weeks.   Meanwhile Troy Polamalu is taking out a million dollar insurance policy on his hair.  When did the Steelers become the Bengals, 300 miles east?

PREDICTION: 8-8, 2^nd AFC NORTH.

8. Denver Broncos – LAST YEAR: 8-8, 2^nd AFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

Losing Elvis Dumervil for the season will hurt, as will the constant chatter in Denver to play Tim Tebow, which will probably go down as one of the most idiotic draft picks in the history of the league.  What the Broncos have going for them, though, is that the three teams behind them in the rankings all have more extensive flaws, be they character flaws or personnel issues.  We’ll see how Josh McDaniels’ decision to abandon the zone-blocking rushing attack in favor of a drive-blocking approach will play out, but with another year under his belt as a head coach, the Belichick protégé should be able to manufacture some wins somehow.

PREDICTION: 9-7, 2^nd AFC WEST.

7. Tennessee Titans – LAST YEAR: 8-8, 3^rd AFC SOUTH, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

Last year’s Titans season was this close to being the most miraculous comeback in NFL history, but fell a bit short down the stretch.  Still, after that infamous October snow-capped drubbing in New England, for the Titans to finish .500 was a major victory.  With Vince Young established as the starter, and with Chris Johnson carrying fantasy teams everywhere, the Titans will be really close to the playoffs.  It’s going to be a battle royale between them, the Texans, and the Colts—unfortunately, Tennessee will pull a 2002 Patriots and lose a three-way tie for a playoff spot.  The defense needs to tighten up some more before they can get back to their elite status.

PREDICTION: 10-6, 3^rd AFC SOUTH.

6. Houston Texans – LAST YEAR: 9-7, 2^nd AFC SOUTH, MISSED PLAYOFFS.

If the Texans could somehow learn how to beat the Colts, they might have a shot to win some playoff games.  As it is, they have never been to the dance, but their offense is damn sharp.  Last year the Texans, believe it or not, had the #1 passing attack in football, and they were beating the Colts 17-0 before choking it away.  A little bit more of a rushing attack would be nice (ranked 30^th in the league last year).  This might be the year, though, that they can beat the Colts at least once and make a play for the division, but they will come up short on tiebreakers for the title.

PREDICTION: 10-6, 2^nd AFC SOUTH.

5. Indianapolis Colts – LAST YEAR: 14-2, 1^st AFC SOUTH, LOST SUPER BOWL.

I don’t put much stock in preseason football, but still, when you lose 59-24 as the Colts did to the Packers last week, it raises some eyebrows.  Then you read about how Manning and Polian are back bitching about the rules, this time complaining about how the NFL moved the umpire behind the line of scrimmage.  Peyton, you have to be kidding me.  Peyton, I try so hard to respect you, and you’re a hell of a quarterback.  But how can I take you seriously when you moan about any minor disruption to your OCD-dominated delicate routine?  And then there’s the pathetic way they ended last season by throwing in the towel at 14-0.  What a bunch of losers.  Expect karmic retribution this year, especially with them being the Super Bowl losers.

PREDICTION: 10-6, 1^st AFC SOUTH.

4. New England Patriots – LAST YEAR: 10-6, 1^st AFC EAST, LOST 1^st ROUND OF PLAYOFFS.

The Patriots just jumped up a few spots in my ranking because of the alleged Brandon Spikes chat roulette sex tape.  Wes Welker’s early return is a big boon to the offense, and with Randy Moss in a contract year, he should either be highly motivated to perform for a new deal or go completely in the tank mentally.  I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt, but if the defense can’t play better than it did last Thursday against the Rams, then it might be a long year of 36-32 CFL-style shootouts.  Bill Belichick will be pulling a Bugs Bunny this season, serving as the head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator.  Why not just coach the entire team by himself?  Did Vince Lombardi have assistants?  Did he need them?  Apparently Bill doesn’t, which is another reason why he is superior.  The Pats will make a playoff run out of the wild card spot, but won’t make the big game this year.  Maybe in 2011 when the defense has one more year to mature, but this isn’t their year.

PREDICTION: 10-6, 2^nd AFC EAST.

3. New York Jets – LAST YEAR: 9-7, 2^nd AFC EAST, LOST AFC CHAMPIONSHIP.

There is a lot of potential for a fall off a cliff here—a somewhat overachieving season last year, which was basically gifted to them by the Colts’ and Bengals’ lack of stones, and being the beneficiaries of the Chargers’ annual January collapse.  Still, the Jets are pretty talented.  They’re probably not as good as they think they are, but that bastard Rex Ryan just might convince them that they’re good enough to win the division.  I’d say Mark Sanchez is in line for a sophomore slump, but he pretty much sucked for most of last year, so that wouldn’t really apply.  The Jets have looked very unimpressive in the first few weeks of the preseason, but you can chalk some of that up to the Hard Knocks hoopla, but with the expectation level being what it is, and the New York media and fans looking for a way to christen that brand-new stadium, the pressure will get higher and higher as the season goes on.  They might win the division, but they won’t get as far as last year.

PREDICTION: 11-5, 1^st AFC EAST.

2. Baltimore Ravens – LAST YEAR: 9-7, 2^nd AFC NORTH, LOST DIVISIONAL ROUND.

The Ravens are pretty stacked, and they are coming in as under-the-radar as a team that smoked the Patriots in Foxborough in last year’s first round can.  Baltimore can pound the ball, they can throw deep, they now have Anquan Boldin as the go-to receiver they have lacked for pretty much the entire history of their franchise, and they can still play defense.  They don’t have quite the firepower of the Chargers or the Colts, but their head coach is balls-to-the-wall and they are ready to take the next step.

PREDICTION: 12-4, 1^st AFC NORTH.

1.San Diego Chargers – LAST YEAR: 13-3, 1^st AFC WEST, LOST DIVISIONAL ROUND.

At times, the Chargers can look downright scary, especially on offense.  They did the best thing they could have done in the offseason is cutting LaDainian Tomlinson loose—it was obvious he was bringing the team down, and his very presence had a negative karmic influence on the locker room.  Addition by subtraction will be the rule here.  Unfortunately, when it comes to the postseason, the Chargers are still going to be the whiny, sackless little bitches that they’ve always been, which will make watching them cough up the #1 seed at home in the divisional round all the more entertaining.

PREDICTION: 13-3, 1^st AFC WEST.

PLAYOFFS

Wild Card Round:

Patriots 30, Colts 27

Jets 16, Texans 10

Divisional Round:

Patriots 24, Chargers 21

Ravens 42, Jets 7

AFC Championship:

Ravens 32, Patriots 28

IN THAT COUNTRY.”- FA COMMUNITY SHIELD BROADCAST, AUGUST 08th 2010.

It’s no small boots to fill. After all, FIFA named Hugo Sanchez as the best Mexican player of all time, and included him in the FIFA 100, a list of the best 100 players in the game’s history. So, how did a young man who sits in the shadow of two generations of football players suddenly become the brightest star, the hope of a nation to show England and by extension the world that Mexico can be a competitive player in international soccer and bring about players who are just as good as any on an international level?

Javier Hernandez Balcazar, better known as Chicharito burst into the scene in a fantastical fashion. Lighting up Chivas with dazzling speed and control. Enough to call the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson. The transfer in itself is not unusual. It’s common to see big time European clubs scout young players from the world, bring them to Europe to test their dominance in what is truly the elite of football worldwide. As a Mexican the move lit a fire inside of me. One of ours was going to arguably the biggest club in the World. The first! Many Mexicans became Red Devil fans that day.

As a Manchester United fan, I was slightly puzzled to see the transfer. Why had Alex Ferguson, the head of one of the biggest clubs in the world, chosen to transfer for a relatively unknown player in a relatively weak league, with little international experience. Sure, the kid had speed to kill, and displayed pretty good feet and technique? It didn’t make too much sense. But then the World Cup happened.

The biggest individual winner of the World Cup was probably Chicharito. The young man lit a spark in a young Mexican team. Even then, he was the under dog. Giovanni Dos Santos was considered by many, including the coverage of Mexican sports casters to be the young player to watch on the Mexican squad. Dos Santos made generally strong contributions, and certainly did not hurt the talk that he was truly one of the more gifted players on the team. Chicharito scored twice in Mexico’s world cup campaign. The first against France and the second against Argentina. He was notched as the fastest player in the World Cup, reaching a top speed of 32.15 kmph. or 19.98 mph. Suddenly, Sir Alex’s move started to make sense.

Hernandez made his ManU debut in the MLS All Star Game, scoring one goal in what was a slaughter of the best the MLS had to offer, including American international Landon Donovan. Second came a visit to Guadalajara to play Chivas. While Hernandez did not score for his new team in that game, he scored for his old one. A statement goal, putting it in the net past Edwin van de Sar, one of the Premier League’s elite goal keepers. He scored in the team’s next game against a League of Ireland team. Three goals in three games

Chicharito made his true Manchester United debut today, against English giants Chelsea FC, a higher level of competition than in his previous Manchester United games. Hernandez came off the bench at half time, and scored what proved to be the winning goal, a flukey, ugly goal in which he kicked the ball onto his face and rolled it in. It was strange, it was a little ugly. But it was a goal, and it spoke of his positioning and brains. Chicharito made a splash when it counted.

It’s barely his first game with United and he has helped garner them a trophy. Chicharito may not start in Manchester United. He may not even make the senior team. In my opinion he deserves to at least be brought in as a substitute, allowing his speed to remain fresh for second halves and worn goalkeepers. He has certainly proven himself to Sir Alex. He has proven himself to Mexico and England. And now, our hearts are with him and the Red Devils. Chicharito proves an old rallying cry right.

Sí, se puede! Sí se puede!

Yes, we can. Chicharito is proving it.

And so it is upon us once again. College Football Season. Christmas come early for so many of us. What any one of us would do or give up — 2 weeks worth of vacation time / Christmas or birthday presents/ that new car we hoped to buy / the Vegas trip with the boys that our wives and girlfriends “promised” we could go on this year– for the chance for our Laundry Liaisons of the Gridiron to hoist that prestigious Crystal (foot) ball up in the air. And the great thing about this year is that there are no one or two teams that everybody loves.

There seems to be a hope and glitter in most every college football fan’s eyes for this season. We could easily have our first back-to-back national champs since USC did it in 2003-2004. (Or did they really since this whole scandal approached them — thanks Reggie! –and USC did not even really play for the championship in 2003. But I digress.) Or could we have the first Non-BCS conference team hoist that trophy? I’m sure some angry hillbilly from Norman is waiting for that with his hunting rifle so he can blow it to smithereens. “Damn you Statue of Liberty! I mean fake Statue of Liberty!”

I love the college football offseason almost as much as the real thing for many reasons, but I’ll limit it to 5:

1. Minimal stress and no potential letdown.

2. Overhearing your friends from other colleges telling each other, “Man, we’re going to have a great year, so and so is back and he’s up to 230 lbs, coach is gonna do great things… 10 wins at least!” When you know, shaking your head, “Ain’t no way, 7 tops!” Those starts to conversations are my favorite because no matter how much or little you know about your team or how good or bad they really are, you will defend them ‘til the death!

3. Comparing your team’s incoming recruiting class with your buddy’s. Any real college football fan has been a part of one of these. Friend One: “Hey, did you read Rivals the other day? Did you see who we signed?” with this smile like they are in the 3rd grade and Tommy just told Johnnie Katie has a crush on him and he secretly already likes her as well. You get my point. Friend Two: “Oh, yeah? We have 3 five-stars, 5 four-stars and 7 three-stars.” Friend One: “Well we have 2 five-stars that are way better, 4 four-stars and 9 three-stars. Ha! We beat you in the three-star category!” And is it not extremely fun (like comparing resumes between a Harvard Law Grad who also doubled and got his M.D. from Johns Hopkins competing against the guy who went to Butterfinger Community College) when you and your friends are comparing teams and one of you went to Ohio State and the other went to, say… Harvard? Ah, you can sever a friendship so easily thanks to CFB.

4. This is the time when cooler heads prevail (I didn’t say smarter), in which we become NCAA and BCS expert analytical gurus to determine why we think our ideas to change the system are the best ideas and question why brass figureheads have not thought of them already. And I pick this as the best time because during the season emotions run too high and no one is thinking clearly, all they see is their team’s respective colors. But you know this back and forth well: 4 team playoff! 8 team! 16! 4 Super-conferences. All conferences play a title game. No more automatic bids.

We’ve said them all and heard them all. Happily drinking or downright hung-over (from the booze and/or the loss that probably started this conversation in the first place.) we still think the NCAA should hire us to fix the problem because they damn sure can not.

5. The headlines. Some years can be as dull as Bubba’s filet knife but this offseason was packed with Jersey Shore like drama.

• Kiffin says he’s a Volunteer for life, only to pistol whip them in the faces with his clipboard when they are not looking while running duck and covered back to Mommy.
• Jeremiah Masoli (The Ugly Ex-Duckling) causing all sorts of ruckus on the Eugene campus, gets kicked off the team and just in the nick of time finds himself on the other side of the Vast Mississippi in Oxford, in the land home to the Conference Where Real Men Come to Play… or die, otherwise known as the SEC. Either way he’s still going to find himself in some deep…you know, and not the legal kind.
• Watergate. Monicagate. Katrinagate. And now, Trojangate. It seems like just yesterday OJ was running wildly in the Colliseum when this thing started that it has now finally come to an end and quite the violent one. All it took was Sunny D Lite, wearing the prize from Blood Diamond dangling by a drooping earlobe and a few “cabbage leaves” hanging out of his back pockets to screw up one the most galvanizing decorated programs ever! This is the worst punishment since SMU contracted The Black Death and they have yet to recover — while not on USC’s grand scale, SMU was pretty damn good. I think USC will recover one day but it won’t be today. And even though Lane is a fine recruiter I wonder if he can duct tape his way through this entire mess, hell, will he even stay and see them through this whole mess? Only time will tell.
• Notre Damn us! That’s their name, isn’t it? It seems they can not win for losing lately and lately meaning a longggg time. The independent and hard headed Fightin’ Irish try and turn their luck once more, with a proven winner at every level he has coached, Brian Kelly. And so Weis gets bumped for the next fool to sit in the throne, hopefully this time the fool (Kelly) can find his and the Irish’s pot of gold.
• The Hollywood sign of headlines has to be the San Andreas fault-like shifting and almost shifting of the landscape that is college football. The Cornhuskers move to a conference that has a team with the color Maize (Spanish word for corn for those not keeping score at home) in it and now makes the Big 10, I mean Least Eleven, I mean, Big 12, huh? I’m corn fused, an almost relevant threat finally.Texas single-handedly threw their weight around and made everybody skittish especially Dan Beebe, which oddly enough is now a household name nobody knew 3 months ago. The Burnt Orange Nation literally would have been a nation, I mean, the Big 10 invited them, the SEC entertained the thought and the Pac-10 did everything except name California Texas West. Had that happened and we were looking at the Pac-16 the next few years would have been game busters for the BCS I’m pretty sure.

  But hey! The Pac-10 did get Utah and Colorado. I mean, who doesn’t want the Provo and Colorado Springs TV market? Boise State goes from the WAC(k) Conference to the MWC, at least we’ll have a semi interesting game every year between the Blue Broncos and the Horned Frogs (you think at one point they were only the Frogs and somebody said, “Hey, let’s put Horned in front so it sounds tougher?”) Me too.

  The Aggies and Sooners thought about heading east to the SEC. The Aggies think they were mediocre in the Big 12? I’m sure the Bayou Bengals and Tide were waiting patiently to pounce. But, on that I think the Aggies could’ve done well for themselves in trying to steal some of UT’s recruits. They would have the one recruiting token the Longhorns would not have, “Son, you want to play in the best football conference in the nation? Just sign right there.” But all Mike Slive wanted was the Texas TV market, not the Aggie Engineering department. The Sooners would have just kept on doing what they do, win a bunch of regular season games and choke when it meant something. Big Game Who?

As the new season creeps up, there are questions and expectations aplenty around the landscape of college football. Arguably the best QB in the nation is at the helm for Arkansas, the question remains if Mallet and Petrino can live up to the hype of being the sexy sleeper pick to win the SEC.

Florida, on the other hand, is in a position they haven’t found themselves in since before Urban Meyer arrived. John Brantley is an NFL prototypical QB but the expectations for success in Gainesville are just as grandiose as the other big boys around the nation and they will not settle for looking up at the Bulldogs or Gamecocks.

If Spurrier has any year to perch his Gamecocks on top of the East he should look no further than right now. The Tide comes in as prohibitive favorite to win it all but the mounted pressure from some of the most rabid fans and the bulls-eye that’s painted on their backs might be too much. They have Florida at home but are on the road for South Carolina, Arkansas, LSU and the team that almost beat them last year, Tennessee.

LSU is not only not picked to win the SEC or their Western Division but they are picked 4th in the West. The last time they finished 4th was in 2002, the year before they won the National Championship. And if Les can not get it done this year he might find himself looking for employment elsewhere, maybe Ann Arbor.

This brings me to Rich Rod at Michigan. Oh how the mighty have fallen. He is 8-16 in his two years which is abysmal by any Maize & Blue fan’s standards. His first year: 3 wins, last year: 5 wins. If he continues the trend and somehow pulls a rabbit out of the hat to beat Ohio State he might actually be safe. If not? The Big House is going to be one unhappy family.

Speaking of expectations, “Dad” as I like to call him (Jim Tressel) and his Vince Young wanna be (Terrelle Pryor) both have a chance to win it all and take the Heisman. They have a few road blocks in Miami, Wisconsin, and Iowa but if they are as good as advertised those teams should be more like speed bumps rather than road blocks. And I’m as sure as Mexico’s drinking water isn’t safe that Tressel is praying he does not have to face an SEC team if he gets that far. ”Please let it be Boise State.” Since 2000 OSU is 0-4 versus the SEC with combined points at 134-73 and in the BCS Championship it is 79-38. But hey! If they do play an SEC school and get beat maybe we won’t hear from a Big 10 school for a few years. Yeah right.

The Pac-10 minus USC is quite laissez-faire when it comes to football; the rest of the country usually just dismisses them by all accounts. USC is playing with a huge chip on its shoulder and would love nothing more than to prove even with their penalties that they are still a force to be reckoned with. But even though from top to bottom they are not as strong as other conferences, their QBs are of the nation’s elite with quite possibly the #1 pick in Jake Locker.

The Big 12 is pretty soft except the usual suspects and another trying to emerge from middle. OU should be looking down at the competition all year with what they have coming back and the fact that Texas has lost quite a bit of firepower on both sides of the ball. The highest expectations in the Big 12 lie in College Station, the Aggies have finished no better than 3rd in the Big 12 South since 2000 and that was only once. Their only weakness is defense. BCS Conference opponents last year scored 30+ points 8 times against the Ags and 40+ points in 5 of those. A&M has a high caliber offense that can challenge anybody in the land but if they can’t stop anybody it’ll only mean looking up for them in the standings once again. Heisman hopeful Jerrod Johnson hopes to change that.

The ACC has a few teams where expectations are looming large. Miami is starting at its highest poll ranking since 2006 and by season’s end it was unranked. Jacory Harris & Co. are looking to rekindle the spark that past U teams have had. To get there will be a tough road starting in Week 2 when they visit the Shoe in Columbus. Seminole Nation on the other hand is quietly sobbing but nodding in approval that Senor Bowden is gone. It has been a long time coming and now its time to see if his successor ‘Ol Jimbo Fisher can work some Tallahassee magic and right this ship back to the top of the standings.

But I do not believe expectations could be any higher than right smack dab in the middle of the booming metropolis that is, Boise, ID. That have waited, salivated, yearned, longed for (okay, you get the point) this chance. They are sitting in the catbird’s seat for the National Championship. With a win early over Virginia Tech it is crystal clear sailing for them. No one should even pose as a moderate threat. Their only worry even with that win is that an 11-1 SEC or Big 12 team gets the nod over them. Scenario: If Alabama runs the table (12-0), Ohio State runs the table, also (12-0), Texas or OU (12-0) and Boise State (12-0) what the hell do you do? Because of the gauntlet they will have to run and their seating as of now, Alabama would have to be in. But who gets the other nod? Do the Broncos finally deserve their shot? We shall wait and see but me personally? I want to see powerhouses collide.

And here we are, buckling ourselves in for what will be another rollercoaster session of tremendous college football. Counting on the alarm clock that is College Gameday with Fowler, Herbstreit and Corso to wake us up. Eating our Bud Light and cheerios because the milk has gone bad and with one eye half open seeing which mascot head Corso will pick to wear. Making sure we’ve read and reread the money and spread lines on the for sure bets. Taking the ever so stupid 12 team parlay because we can spend $5 and have the chance at a $12,000 payout. Getting the tailgate set up with kegs, bourbon, wings, barbecue, shot blocks, horseshoes, washers, redneck golf, cornhole and the like. Throwing the football around with strangers but only if they are wearing the same colors because in some parts of the country it would be considered treason to mingle with the enemy. Going over the offense and defense with your friends as though you are the coaching staff. Marching into the stadium with your chests held high because this IS the year. Goosebumps ablaze as 90,000 fans start the ooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOO Fight!!! Or the oooooooooOOOOOOOOOOO Go, Fight, Win, Kick ASS!! The halftime mini-trek back to the tailgate for a drink (or two) and to see a quick byte on the TV about the game. Making new friends and newer enemies. Renewed rivalries. We love college football. Touchdown Jesus, Between the Hedges, The Big House, Oregon’s wardrobe, Death Valley, Rocky Top, Uga, the 12th Man, The Rock, The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Ohio State v Michigan, Army v Navy, The Iron Bowl, The Red River Shootout, The BCS Selection Show. The season may start in September but we worship it all year long. We know when the air starts to get a little crisp we smile and close our eyes because IT is upon us.

Get ready.

By Dozier Taylor

By Diane M. Grassi

When it comes to gambling, there has never been a shortage of opinion amongst the masses. Either people favor it or they feel strongly that it accompanies some of society’s more depraved behaviors, along with attracting crime, and is a negative temptation for our youth.

Regardless of what side of the table you are on, most folks can agree that they would like less government regulation when it comes to indulging in their leisure activities of choice. But such becomes far less clear when the government jumps in.

As hard as we might try to understand the present United States federal laws on the books when it comes to gambling, and especially with the advent of constantly evolving computer technology, legislation has not kept pace.

Additionally, lawmakers are too often wont to ignore a problem, lest it detract from their popularity, and more importantly, when it might interfere with receiving campaign cash from certain lobbying industries.

So they drag their proverbial feet until an issue reaches a fever pitch and it simply must be addressed; even if it is not in a cohesive manner or in the best interests of their constituents.

Also, with respect to gambling, I have previously documented in several previously published articles that many state governments in the U.S. have already started to craft legislation in hopes of feeding their depleted coffers by further relaxing their laws to allow more access to gambling.

Everything from expanding brick and mortar gambling casinos to advancing racinos and adding slot machines at horse race tracks to allowing intrastate and interstate online gambling are seen collectively as a potential bonanza that will cure all ills for the empty tills lining their budgets. And it is estimated by the federal government that there could be as much as a $42 billion windfall over a 10-year stretch in taxable revenue.

It is quite interesting, but not by virtue of coincidence, that most of this seeming rush to pass such legislation by U.S. states comes at the same time that the U.S. Congress is plotting ways to overturn the only recently implemented Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), through a proposed law by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) that he originated in 2009.

It just won its initial approval in the U.S. House of Representatives through its Committee on Financial Services on July 27, 2010, on which Rep. Frank is the Chairman. Known as House Resolution 2267 (H.R. 2267) or the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, the House Financial Services Committee’s approval is it but the first phase of its passage, required by both houses of the U.S. Congress.

In short, the UIGEA was a nice way for the U.S. government to keep offshore online betting casinos at bay from the American consumer. It was initially enacted in October 2006, but was never implemented until June 1, 2010, after many long delays by the federal government’s U.S. Department of the Treasury in compelling U.S. banking institutions to honor its rules.

However, the main problem, which will continue to haunt H.R. 2267, is the actual legal definition of “illegal online gambling,” thus creating all kinds of loopholes and wiggle room, from the living room gambler to organized crime, to skirt the law.

And also of concern in the presently active UIGEA is that banks remain the only legally accountable parties subject to penalty and prosecution for furnishing offshore online gambling to U.S. residents, while the U.S. gambler placing the bet remains safe. And to date, banks and payment processors are still unclear as to which transactions are actually required to be blocked.

Due to the difficulty in deciphering a non-finite system for the processing of legal U.S. based online gaming transactions, consumers’ credit cards and debit cards cannot only be blocked or frozen, but accounts are often cancelled.

Furthermore, a consumer, ignorant of the UIGEA, could innocently go to a gambling site, not even knowing from where it emanates and later find that their credit line or checking account is in peril, simply by clicking on an illicit site.

So for now, that is the best that the U.S. government has served up, as concerns online gaming. But not shy to out-do itself, even if it compounds a dysfunctional process even more so, the federal government has plans to muck it up again through a poorly framed H.R. 2267; almost immediately setting it up to fail.

H.R. 2267 is overly broad and murky, yet will intrinsically involve the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), amongst other U.S. federal agencies, for starters.

It is merely a wish list without the necessary mechanisms in place to not only generate the hoped for tax revenue, but for enforcing the law itself. And it stands to open the floodgates for illicit online gaming, incongruous with what it should be designed to do.

It would leave online gambling sites left to police themselves, merely under the purview of the U.S. federal government.

And like most other large pieces of U.S. legislation that has been conveniently rushed through to final Congressional passage, H.R. 2267 is another boiler plate document of mandates to be fulfilled at a date certain after it is already signed into law.

But due to its ambiguity, which seemingly appears by design, H.R. 2267 calls for provisions and assorted amendments that cover a wide array of issues. And it is worth noting several of them here, in order to show how arduous it will be for its desired compliance.

Firstly, it authorizes the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to create a licensing program for regulations and enforcement of the law, issuing licenses to online gambling entities, effective for a period of five years.

Thus, it prescribes the licensing requirements for such internet gambling entities and prohibits operation of an Internet gambling entity that knowingly accepts bets or wagers from persons within the U.S. without the necessary license issued from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The law would prohibit a person, deemed prohibited from gambling with an online gambling entity, from collecting any winnings. Such a system to screen a gambler’s veracity must be created by each gambling entity, and to be overseen by the federal government. And such is pure folly at this juncture.

H.R. 2267 would require that an online gambling entity pay required taxes to the IRS. And most curiously of all, each gambling entity, itself, would need to implement safeguards against fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing.

In addition, each online license would require that gambling sites have strong protections in place to prevent minors from gambling online, and to prevent inappropriate online advertising targeted to underage gamblers or specifically aimed at compulsive gamblers.

Not only must the gambling site maintain a list of compulsive gamblers, but must block them from site access. And it cannot allow access to its site for those individuals who are delinquent on child support payments. These are just some amongst many other illusory imperatives.

Enforcement of U.S. law for the prevention of and tracking of electronic transactions of funds sent to terrorist organizations abroad has been weak at best through the U.S. Department of the Treasury, nine years since September 11, 2001. And to essentially require online websites to take on such a task is laughable.

Other proposed mandates include that debit cards only be used for transactions, to the exclusion of credit cards. Offshore online gambling operations such as PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com and UltimateBet.com, which allowed U.S. players to access their sites after the UIGEA went into effect, will be banned from acquiring a U.S. license, as well as other entities that intentionally violated this U.S. law.

Each state and Indian tribe may opt-out of the federal legislation during the first year after its enactment, requiring that their residents abide by respective local laws.

And sports betting, with the exception of U.S. based horse racing and para-mutuel betting, would be disallowed, much to the delight of the professional and college sports industries. U.S. state lotteries, should they eventually become accessible online, would also be exempt.

But perhaps falsely anticipated with this new law is the notion that gamblers will be allowed much freedom to do as they wish in the privacy of their own homes. However, given the bevy of requirements for oversight, nothing could be further from the truth. Deadbeat dads need not log on, as previously noted.

But more realistically, beginning with Internet Service Providers or ISPs, one would expect that they would have to be the gatekeeper for gathering initial information as to whether the gambler is even eligible to gamble, based upon their state of residence, if that state has opted out. And the banks would be the second line of defense, cutting off the gambler’s funds if need be, should the online gambling site find that it is a documented compulsive gambler placing the bet.

And should a player gain access to a legitimate site, then the process begins as to whether they are of majority age, has been flagged as a delinquent parent, or has a criminal background. Without such due diligence, the individual gambling site is subject to losing its license.

Certainly none of these entities are law enforcement agencies, so for the federal government to expect legitimate oversight to be realized at these levels seems more than silly.

The purpose of this report was to give a glimpse into what lurks ahead for U.S. online gaming and is not intended to disparage the gambling consumer nor the gambling industry. Rather, the intent is to highlight some of the future changes in law which may not best serve the public or the industry.

And contrary to the online gaming industry’s millions of lobbying dollars spent in Washington, D.C. in order to help initiate this latest planned legislation, it might be best for it to restrain its glee, at this time.

For one only needs to look at the present economic condition of Las Vegas, NV. It has now been proven, going back to the onset of the current recession in 2008, that the gambling industry is indeed no longer recession proof. Yes, in time Vegas and its hurting East Coast counterpart, Atlantic City, NJ, will both rise again.

However, with a 14.5% unemployment rate that Las Vegas presently owns, it is evidence for when entire economies are dependent upon the gambling industry for the creation of jobs and funding municipal programs, disaster can ensue. Therefore, for entire U.S. state and federal programs’ very survival to be based upon discretionary income from gambling has lawmakers living in a fool’s paradise.

Hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, prior to the entirety of the U.S. House of Representatives approving H.R. 2267 and before it is sent on to the U.S. Senate, that not only will cooler heads prevail, but that a better proposed outcome will exceed before everyone’s chips are cashed in.

Cheers!

Copyright ©2010 Diane M. Grassi
Contact: dgrassi@cox.net

Ryan and Burton discuss Fantasy Football strategies, expanding to 18 games,  and the baseball playoff race.  Next week is the Fantasy Football / NFL preview show.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 60 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

• Why new NFL rules means picking QBs first
• Expanding the NFL schedule to 18 games
• Baseball playoff races
• Eric Barry – a waste of umpire space
• Feel sorry for Elin?
• Misc:  Kim Jong Il

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Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating on itunes so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email (editor@sportscolumn.com) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Ryan and Vin discuss the return of Favre, the lying of Roger Clemens, and the rules of golf.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 60 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

• Brett, Brett, Brett – the world can’t get enough of Favre
• Rex Ryan, Tony Dungy, and Hard Knocks
• Tim Tebow has the #1 selling jersey in the NFL
• Is LeBron a high school girl?
• You can’t lie to the feds like you did to baseball fans, Roger
• No sympathy for Dustin Johnson

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Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating on itunes so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email (editor@sportscolumn.com) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Burton fills in for Ryan this week as we discuss the Bill Leavy admitting his mistakes, Charles Barkley calling out LeBron, and when K-Rod attacks.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 60 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

• Bill Leavy apologizes for Super Bowl XL
• Brandon Phillips calls all the St Louis Cardinals “little bitches”
• K-Rod beats up his girlfriend’s father
• LeBron hires a rabbi who only speaks Hebrew
• Charles Barkley calls everything LeBron did this summer a punk move
• Misc: MSG Chairman James Dolan is an idiot, the Pat Tillman movie, and the jet blue guy

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Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating on itunes so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email (editor@sportscolumn.com) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

RJ and Burton fill in for Ryan this week as we discuss the Brett Favre nonsense, rookie contracts, and top sports stories.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

• Brett Favre at it again
• Rick Pitino (aka Mr 15 seconds) extortion trial
• Will Tiger Woods pass Jack Nicklaus?
• Rookie NFL contracts are ruining football
• “Donkey Kong Suh”
• Dez Bryant makes a stand for his own ego — injures ankle.
• Misc: Dennis Rodman in SUV wreck, Miami Heat fire all their salespeople, and Albert Haynesworth is out of shape.

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Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating on itunes so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email (editor@sportscolumn.com) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

On a slow sports week, Ryan and Vin discuss the sports event bucket list and top stories.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

• More fallout from The Decision
• Congratulations to Vince Young for winning the Heisman
• “And that’s why you always wear a cup.”
• The Phillies and Red Sox are dead in the water
• Awesome soccer chants and why MLS teams shouldn’t just copy European soccer culture
• Sports events to see before you die.

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Hope you guys enjoy the podcast. If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating on itunes so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email (editor@sportscolumn.com) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.