The Andrew Luck Debate

I have been hearing a lot of talk about Andrew Luck and what the Colt’s should do during next seasons draft, so I figured I would put in my two cents. I haven’t watched much of Andrew Luck all season until I watched the Fiesta Bowl a few nights ago. He made me feel like I was watching Peyton Manning. He was controlling the game, moving around the lineman, receivers, and running backs and that shows how smart this kid actually is. He only had four incompletions, going 27 of 31 which is over 90 percent and is ridiculous for that many attempts. There is no question in my mind that this kid is the real deal. I could see him stepping in and leading a team to the playoffs in his first year, but should he be thrown right into the starting quarterback role in the NFL?

This leads to the question of whether or not the Colts should take him at number one in the draft. Peyton Manning missed the entire season with a neck injury which nobody really knew much about, and quite frankly I still don’t know much about it. That gives the injury a sense of uncertainty, especially in the future. Who knows, Manning could come back the same player when healthy, or he could tweak it again and miss an entire season. In my opinion, the Colt’s should take Andrew Luck, no question. Manning is 35 years old, and like I said before, his quality of play is uncertain after this injury. I would take Luck and keep Manning as the starter, so Luck could learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Think of how much better Luck would be if he sat as a backup for a few years behind Peyton Manning. I think he could be great. I know it would be a huge strain on the Colt’s payroll, and it probably isn’t the best idea to tie up most of your money in one position, but the Colt’s need to think about the near future. And the Peyton Manning era could be close to over. So what do you think the Colts should do, take Luck and have him sit, take Luck and trade Manning, or just trade the pick away?

NFL Playoff Preview

My first week of picking games on here did not go so well. I ended up 6-7-1 so it was a day to forget but I think I made it up by telling you all the Rangers would win 3-2 yesterday in an awesome Winter Classic. So now the NFL playoffs are upon us, and I am looking to redeem myself. I think there are a lot of great games this weekend and I am about to win you guys a lot of money. Let’s start with the NFC:

Detroit at New Orleans (-11)

New Orleans has been playing out of their minds the last 8 weeks. Detroit lost a heart breaker against the Packers and Joe Nama… I mean Matt Flynn who threw for 6 touchdowns against the cowardly Lions defense. Matthew Stafford had a great season, mostly because he stayed healthy. Drew Brees had a better one, and I like the Saints to continue rolling through the Lions and into the second round. I think the spread is kind of high, but I like the Saints to cover and win. Who dat. Tbow’s Pick- New Orleans -11

Atlanta at New York Giants (-3)

The Giants and Falcons are both heading into this game coming off big wins. However, I hate both of these teams and I think if they were playing other teams this week they would both lose. Both teams are extremely inconsistent, and trusting Eli and the stupid face he makes after he throws one of his idiotic interceptions is just not in my best interest. I like the Falcons in this game, just because Matt Ryan and Roddy White are finally clicking, and Turner could break out against the Giants awful run defense. Take the underdog Falcons to go into Giants stadium and beat the G-Men. Tbow’s Pick- Atlanta +3

Cincinnati at Houston (-3)

This is a battle of two teams who many wouldn’t even have thought would be in the playoffs at the beginning of the season. Houston had shown some potential the past few years, and with Peyton not playing the division was easy to win. T.J Yates will have to show up to play in order to beat the Bengals, who are led by star rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. I like the Texans in this one. Time and time again, playoff teams who win have solid defenses and a good running game. It is going to be hard for the Bengals to lean on two rookies to lead them through the playoffs, but I like the Bengals future. Take the Texans in this one with confidence. Tbow’s Pick- Houston -3

Pittsburgh (-9) at Denver

This is going to be a great game, mark my words. Tebow and the Broncos performed horribly the last 3 weeks, and are about to face a seasoned Steelers team. However, Big Ben is banged up and the Steelers will be without starting running back Rashard Mendenhall. I think the Broncos have a real good shot at winning this game. Denver is a tough place to play, especially at the end of the season and the altitude being a factor. I certainly like the Bronco’s to cover, and I even like them to win the game. The Steelers have played anything but great in the last few weeks, and this game is going to be a great one to watch. Tbow’s Pick- Broncos +9

NHL Winter Classic Preview

The Winter Classic is upon us again, only it’s on the 2nd of January instead of the 1st, stupid NFL. This has quickly become one of my most favorite sporting events of the year. Whoever thought of the idea to have an annual game, outside in a baseball or football stadium is just a genius. It is only the 5th year, but it seems like it’s been around forever. Every year the jersey have an old-school feel to them, and it adds a level of excitement to the game. Wind, snow, rain, sun anything could be a factor in the game, and it could even be all of the above, you just never know.

This years matchup might be the most intriguing of any of the matchups so far. I think the Rangers and Flyers truly have the most hate for each other of any of the teams that have played in the previous Winter Classics and it should be a very good game. The Flyers are just 2 points away from the top spot in the Conference with, guess who, the New York Rangers. The matchups between the Rangers and Flyers this year have been hard fought, gritty games. One might say they even have the old NHL feel to them, with more hitting and fighting than scoring. So what a fitting matchup to have during this Winter Classic. Also, if any of you have gotten to watch any of the HBO speacial 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic, you get a great look into the behind the scenes of these teams, and you get to learn each players own story. I have only gotten to see one epsidode, but am looking forward to watching the rest.

So I like the road team in this game. The Flyers have lost Pronger for the year, and he was arguably the biggest part of that team. A leader on and off the ice. and the best defensmen they had, it’s tough to be the same team after losing a guy that good. The Rangers are a great team this year, and their first place in the Eastern Conference backs that up. Name that Staal, Marc Staal is playing in his first game since February of last year after he suffered a nasty concussion. He is a great player that the Rangers get back. If you read my blog a week ago about concussins in the NHL, you would know I am a fan of fighting in the NHL. While fighting is down and nearly non existent in Winter Classics, these teams have too much hate for each other to play a different type of game. Brandon Prust always drops the gloves against the Flyers so look for him to be active today, maybe another bout versus with Wayne Simmonds or Jody Shelley early in the game. Expect another hard fought game, with good energy and emotion, and for the Rangers to out-muscle the Flyers in a 3-2 thriller.

How Bad do the Broncos want Tim Tebow to Fail?

Today’s game was embarrassing to watch as a Tebow and Bronco’s fan. The only explanation I have for the last three weeks is that the Bronco’s don’t want Tebow in Denver anymore. That has to be it. What kind of play calling do they have going on? They know Tebow’s strengths and his weaknesses and they played the last 3 weeks right into his weaknesses. Well, not the Patriots game but the Bills game. How can any team not call a passing play on first down for an entire half of football? This week and last, Tebow did not attempt a pass on first down. Tebow is a quarterback that runs off of momentum and game flow. 2 yards on first down, 2 yards on second down and 3rd and 6, two receiver set is a recipe for disaster for any quarterback. Tebow looked awful today when throwing, but give a lot of credit to the Kansas City corners. They shut down one of the best offenses in the league in Green Bay, and left nowhere for the Denver receivers to go today. The Bronco’s left Tebow out to dry the last 2 weeks, plain and simple. Give the guy 6 or 8 pass attempts in the first half and expect him to throw 20 times and save the day in the 4th quarter just isn’t going to happen. I feel bad for the Denver defense today. They played great, well pretty good, and they wer hung out to dry by John Elway’s hate for Tim Tebow. 4 minutes left in the fourth down by 4, ball on KC’s 45 yard line. 3rd and 7 or 8 and you run a pitch play that you ran about 8 times earlier in the game. Are you kidding me? If that isn’t proof right there that the Bronco’s don’t want Tebow to succeed then I don’t know what is. One minute left in the game that decides if your team is going to the playoffs this year, and John Elway is up in his press box, ho-hum, texting or tweeting away, not a care in the world. Be strong Denver fans, and keep demanding Tebow and don’t let them run him out of the city. They have what it takes to beat the Steelers next week, if they decide to let Tebow start the game instead of just hoping he can finish it. The Bronco’s have something good, they just can’t expect to play that conservative and win. There are even some things Jesus can’t overcome.