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Is It Time For The Knicks To Panic?

2012-01-23T12:37:00.002-05:00

In any normal NBA season 16 games in would be too early to be of any cause for concern by your squad's quality of play. But 2011-12 is NOT a normal season. With about a quarter of the season complete the Knicks stand at 6-10 but more so than that have played poor enough to, for me, be called the most underperforming team in the Association. With arguably the best front court in the sport, the Knicks were favorable to go deep into the playoffs which they have failed to do since the last shortened NBA year in 1998-99 (50 games).

So is it time to panic Knicks Fans?

As a diehard fan of this team the answer is YES. Just forget about the record for just a second and look back at every game so far. You can only be proud of the way they played in 3 of the first 16 games (@Sacramento, @Detroit, vs. Philadelphia). On the flipside they were fortunate to get past Boston on Christmas Day, loss to Golden State, dealt with back to back home defeats by Toronto and Charlotte. And now are in the midst of a 6 game losing streak where they cannot buy a basket and are not getting any positive production from anyone on the roster.

Here is some more reasons that give you concerns as a Knicks fan:

the Knicks are 3-6 at home.
offensively are 17th in scoring, 4th worst in shooting %, and have the 3rd most turnovers
defensively are 15th in rebounding and commit the 4th most fouls in the league
also have 100+ points in regulation 4 times this season.

-Johnny Montalbano

-follow me on Twitter @MontalbanoNY for all things sports. You can also listen to me on "Review and Preview" Wednesdays from 5-6pm on WCWPSports.org

LIU Post Lady Pioneers Mid-Season Breakdown

2012-01-12T21:53:00.003-05:00

As play-by-play man, and having been to almost every game for the LIU Post Lady Pioneers I thought it would be a good time for a mid-season review. OK so I know its a little past mid season, but its still close enough. Of course, not being a member of this team this is still just my perspective, and how I see things. With it being my second year covering this team I feel like I get at least a pretty good read on the players and the team as a whole. Hope Im right...

With a record of 11-5, and 3-2 in ECC play the Lady Pioneers are playing some very good basketball to this point. After another up and down start, which made this team off to a similar start as last year they have really hit their stride in conference play. Currently on a 3 game winning streak, and winning 6 of their last 7 games (Including a big 14 point victory over #1 ranked in the country Bentley Falcons) this Lady Pioneers team is doing a whole lot right.

The best, and most appropriate place to start this off is with the great play thus far of senior captain Felicia Joyner. Joyner is tied for 5th in the conference averaging 17.7 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. The hot shooting includes a whole lot more than just strong moves to the rim, and her patented step back 15 foot jump shot, she is also 2nd in the conference, shooting 38% from 3 point range. Joyner's leadership on the court shows through every game. After the loss of 2 time conference player of the year Janea Aiken, some wondered if Joyner could fill that void and be the go to player that is often needed in this conference. She has not disappointed, and when a big run, or key bucket is needed, there is one player that this team knows is the one to find. In her second year as a captain she has made sure that there is no void in any facet on this team.

Along with Joyner's great play has been the great play of Nicolette Marciniak. In my only other season covering this team, (last season) Marciniak played along side the tough presence down low of Alyssa Lombardi. Lombardi was the big rebounder, and tough defender that is a key asset to any team. At times last year Marciniak looked like she had a great future on this team and did a lot of damage down low. There were also times when she seemed to almost get bullied down low and it looked like she was looking for help, that could only come from within herself. In 20 minutes a game in her sophomore year she put up respectable numbers, over 8 points and 5 rebounds a game. Still though, Lady Pioneers fans needed to wait and see if Marciniak could be the defender and fearless competitor that was lost in Lombardi. This year Marciniak has not disappointed. Now playing over 26 minutes a game Marciniak is averaging a double double on the season, including her last 3 games that were played with a mask to protect her broken nose. (I say double double realizing she only averages 9.9 rebounds a game. Its close enough, and she Will finish the season averaging over 10 and 10.) She has seemed to really dedicate herself to tough defense. Her 11.1 points per game are a big help to this team, and her 9.9 RPG are good for second most in the conference. However, Marciniak had surgery on her broken nose today, and we will see how long she is out of action for. With the toughness and desire she showed, expect a fast return.

Breaking it down to position now, I'll start with the guards. Junior captain Ashley Caggiano has performed very well this season, despite her offseason freak calf injury limiting her play. As great as it is to see her leadership as the floor general, and the key threes that she has made throughout the season, for me the biggest improvement I see in "Cagg" is her decreased number of turnovers, and her smart, and accurate passing. Last year in 26 games Caggiano averaged 2.3 assists per game, and finished the season with 71 turnovers. So far through 16 games this season she has 4.3 assists per game (good enough for 4th in the conference), and even better shes in the top 10 in the conference in assist/TO ratio. Another huge improvement from last season to this one is backup point guard sophomore Alexis Peters. Starting out with A/TO ratio this time, Peters is 5th best in the conference. Her passing has been on point and in key situations filling in for the injured Caggiano. Peters' numbers are up across the board. She's filling up the stat sheet putting in 6 points per game, 2.2 APG, 4.4RPG, and a very impressive 1.8 Steals a game. Her new agressive mindset has been big in her increased role this season. Along with Caggiano and Peters are Kenyatta "Kiki" Sears, and the two freshmen Chelsea Williams, and Ariana Ijaduola. Sears has been very impressive on the defensive end, and always shows great tenacity staying in front of her opponent, and continuing to be the best on ball defender the Lady Pioneers have. Sears is also a leader in the conference in steals with 1.9 per game going along with her over 6 points a game, and over 2 assists per game. Williams has really impressed in her minutes on the floor in her freshman season. In a game earlier this year she put up a career high of 17 points. So far this season she has 4.5 points a game and has been very key to the depth of this team. Because of the incredible depth on this team, Ijaduola hasnt seen a whole lot of court time, but the time she has seen we see a lot of promise, and court smarts on both ends of the court.

Adding to the depth of this team is the amount of talent in the front court. Leading the way down low along with Marciniak are the two Iona transfers Sam Kopp, and Cat Lutz. The 6'2 Kopp has come in and put up impressive games on both ends as the Lady Pioneers starting center. There are a lot of strong post players in this conference, and though she is new to the team and the ECC she has held her own, and then some, against all of them. Kopp is averaging over 8 points per game, 7.5 RPG and almost a block a game. Her and Marciniak teaming up down low has held tough scorers like ECC leader Tanicha Carter (averaging over 18 ppg) to 1-15 shooting, and Bentleys second best player Jacqui Brugliera to only 9 points and 0 rebounds. She has had an immediate positive impact on this team. Along with her transferring this season was Cat Lutz. Lutz is the first front court player off the bench for the Lady Pioneers and has provided serious instant offense. Anyone who has listened to a broadcast of any of the Lady Pioneers games has surely heard me call her "RFD" or Range For Days. Her ability to hit 3 point shots 2 or 3 feet behind the arc with consistency is something incredible to watch, and Im sure frustrating to defend. When I asked about her range in an interview she responded "People were starting to guard me at the 3 point line, and I just kept taking a step back". If only it was that easy for everyone. Lutz, a 6 footer is averaging 9 points a game along with almost 4 RPG. She is also the teams leader in 3 pointers taken, and made, while making 38% of her 3's, good enough for 3rd in the conference. After Lutz off the bench its Shayna Gatling, and Nijah LaCourt combined, these two back up forwards are averaging over 6 points a game along with 6 rebounds per game. They split time with each other and both have had big games, scoring, rebounding and on defense. These two girls not only make the depth on this team even more of an asset but are going to be absolutely vital with the loss of Marciniak for as long as she is out.

Overall Coach Deirdre Moore is impressing again with the work she has done with this team. Coach Moore has one of the toughest full court presses to beat that we see all season, and on both ends she is a great motivator, play caller, and is just a very smart coach that her players seem willing to always go the extra mile to play hard for. After losing key players last year this team has not missed a beat. With a tough stretch coming up without Marciniak, and games still against a very tough University of DC team, a very talented, and familiar Molloy team, and always a tough rival in NYIT, the Lady Pioneers will have to fight just as hard as they have to finish the season atop the ECC.

Overall Id say this team is every bit as talented as last years Conference Champion squad. With the depth they have and the ability of any number of players to beat you on any given night, along with the defense they've been playing pretty much shutting down every teams best player this team has a Very Promising rest of the season, and has all the makings of a team that could make another run at the end.

Joe Szadok
@CorporalJoe

The Bulletproof Man

2012-01-11T19:06:00.002-05:00

By Jason Comack

Somewhere in the Jets front office hides a bulletproof man.

Rex is the brash one. The one who makes bold proclamations that it's Super Bowl or bust. He sometimes becomes even a parody of himself.

Mark is the sexy one. With QC looks and success off the field, that doesn't correspond to how he plays on the field.

Santonio is the egotistical one. The epitome of the “diva” wide receiver.

Bart is the hot-head. Who gives the finger to the Patriots with one hand, and to the media with the other.

Greg is the traitor. The one who looks around at all this chaos in his work environment and speaks his mind, breaking locker room code.

Brian is the scapegoat. Falling on the sword of a myriad of problems.

Mike is the bullet proof one. The man who brought all these characters to town. The man whose consistently poor drafts have left the roster devoid of talent. Yet, Mike seems to be untouchable, unaccountable and immune to blame.

Maybe he's not wearing a bulletproof vest, but instead a cloak of invisibility.

The Jets have only one player remaining from his 2008 draft (Dustin Keller.) Vernon Gholston, the sixth overall pick, was a colossal failure. Amazingly of his six picks that year only two (Keller and Lowery) remain in the league.

The Jets only had three picks in 2009 after Tannaenbaum aggressively traded up twice. Mark Sanchez has been a profound disappointment. Shonn Greene, in a league where running backs grow on trees, has been at best average. Matt Slauson has graded out as a poor blocker in both his years starting.

Keeping with tradition 2010 Tannenbaum stocked the roster with four draft picks. First round pick Kyle Wilson has been hot and cold at best. Second rounder Vladimir Ducasse has been nothing short of a train-wreck.

Two drafts, not a single impact player to be seen.

While Tananenbaum has had draft hits (Revis, Ferguson, Mangold) they are few and far between. Drafting is far from a perfect science. JaMarcus Russel can go number one and Victor Cruz can go undrafted. By limiting his number of draft choices ever year, Tannenbaum has limited his chances of success.

Tannenbaum models himself after Al Davis, Jerry Jones and Dan Synder. Preferring to grab headlines rather then championship rings.

Eventually Mike will run out of people to blame. Eventually there won't be a convenient scapegoat. Eventually someone will point their finger at the person who created this mess. And maybe, someone will finally take off his bulletproof vest.

Bowl Mania Day 4

2011-12-22T00:25:00.003-05:00

By Jordan Lauterbach- College Sports Saturday- Saturdays at 11 a.m.

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas- 7 Boise State v. Arizona State

Kellen Moore walked into expectations in ways that a Boise State quarterback hadn’t before. It was Moore’s redshirt freshman year that his team beat Oklahoma in miraculous fashion. You all remember it. After all, what College Football fan could forget? A host of trick plays, including the most famous two point conversion of all time, sealed perhaps the biggest post-season upset of all time.

That was all the work of Jarred Zabransky. No one would have envied the kid sitting on the sidelines, for which the reins to one of the nations’ more talked about programs would be handed to only a few months later. Who would have thought then that it would be Moore who would become the legend at the up and coming school in Idaho, not Zabransky?

Sure, Jarred has that year. That game. That play. He was the quarterback that started the Boise State legend. Moore was the quarterback that built it.

140 touchdowns, 14,374 passing yards, and only 26 interceptions later, Moore’s career ends on a Thursday night in Las Vegas, more than a week before the big boys play. It’s a bit depressing, isn’t it? Andrew Luck’s career will end with (perhaps) a BCS win. Tim Tebow’s ended with a romp in the Sugar Bowl. Matt Leinart’s ended playing for a national title.

Moore’s will end playing for a tire trophy.

But, in many ways, this is fitting. The fact of the matter is Moore and Boise State have always had an uphill battle. It comes with the territory when you play in a non-BCS conference. After all, shouldn’t teams with easier schedules and less competition be held to higher standard? This is, like it or not, also part of Moore’s legacy. He simply didn’t face enough good competition to bring his team to a national title or win a Heisman Trophy.

He never appeared to let that bother him. Moore typically played well, no matter who the opponent was. Whether it was Virginia Tech, TCU, or Louisiana Tech, a noticeable change in skill level was never evident.

If it wasn’t for a faulty kicking game, Moore might be leaving the college game undefeated.

This is why few worries should be paid to the quarterback’s and his team’s motivation going into a very early bowl (for a one loss team) against Arizona State.

The Sun Devils finished the year 6-6, losing five of their final six games. Opponents like Washington State and California put big numbers on the defense. A perhaps promising season turned into a calamity rather quickly. The Head coach lost his job, the team has presumably lost its confidence, and the program awaits a new beginning.

It is doubtful that that new beginning will come in the final game for a Boise State legend.

Time will tell whether Kellen Moore is remembered as a college football great or just another mid-major stat hound with the gaudy numbers to prove it. Will he be more Leinart or Colt Brennon?

That answer most likely depends on two factors:

1. How Boise State matures as a program following his departure and the Broncos ascension into a big time football conference.

2. Moore success in the NFL
Those answers may take years to come to fruition, but one can be sure that the newly married quarterback doesn’t care about either right now.

It’s all about Arizona State and hoisting that golden tire.

Isn’t that a lasting image to be proud of?

The Pick: Boise State

Bowl Mania Record: 2-3

Follow Jordan on Twitter @jlauterbach1

Bowl Mania Day 3

2011-12-21T00:10:00.001-05:00

By Jordan Lauterbach

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl- 18 TCU vs. Louisiana Tech- 8 p.m.

For a team that lost two games by a combined nine points and hasn’t lost since the first day of October, you would understand if TCU feels a bit disrespected. One would think that a two loss defending Rose Bowl champion who beat a top 5 team on the road in November would at least get to play after Christmas Day, if not on New Year’s Day. But alas, these were the unfortunate cards that Gary Patterson’s group were dealt.

TCU’s season started out with a dud when Robert Griffin III and Baylor put 50 on them on the first Friday night of the season. Ironically, this was probably one of the top five individual games of the year. The loss represented a change in identity for the Horned Frogs.

For years, TCU was the anti- Boise State- strong defense and just enough offense (if sometimes underrated) to win. This year, it was the offense that made the Horned Frogs fun to watch. Ranked in the top ten, TCU scored over 40 points a game. Quarterback Casey Pachall tossed 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He threw five touchdowns against Boise State on November 12, proving that he can play well in really big games.

It wasn’t a bad defensive year by any means, but it wasn’t up to the standards of past Paterson coached units. A 21 points allowed per game average was no doubt skewed by the 50 and 40 points given up to Baylor and SMU, respectively. After those two games, the defenses highest points allowed total came against Boise State (35), which isn’t something to hang their heads over considering the offensive power house that the Broncos are.

Louisiana Tech could pose two problems for TCU.

One, they’ve played every tough opponent on their schedule tough. The Bulldogs fell at Southern Mississippi 19-17, home against Houston 35-34, and at Mississippi State 26-20 in overtime. Of their four losses, only one (Hawaii, 44-26) can be considered bad.

Two, Louisiana Tech could be a lot more motivated to play in the game than TCU. This kind of bowl is where 8-4 teams usually find themselves, not 10-2 teams. A lapse in motivation early in the game combined with an opponent with a penchant to play up to “superior” opponents could cause major issues for the Horned Frogs early in the game.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron threw 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions in six games. That kind of ball security will be key in a game that is nothing but an uphill battle.

If they don’t let the game get away from them early, TCU has enough fire power and pure talent to battle through early struggles. But, if Patterson doesn’t prepare his players to be hit hard early, this could spin out of control

Question of the game: Can TCU weather any early Louisiana Tech surge and let pure talent find its way?

The Pick: TCU

Bowl Mania Record: 1-3

Bowl Mania Day 2

2011-12-19T17:56:00.002-05:00

By. Jordan Lauterbach- College Sports Saturday: Saturdays 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Beef O Brady’s Bowl- St. Petersburg- Florida International v. Marshall, Tuesday 8 p.m.

This has all the makings of a lopsided evening. Neither team scores a ton of points, but FIU can play defense in ways that Marshall is going to have a hard time matching.

The Golden Panthers are ranked 16th in the nation in defense, allowing under 20 points per game. But, like anything in this game of matchups, don’t think for a moment that FIU is a top 20 defense just because of the high ranking. Allowing 19.4 points a game is easy when the only BCS win on the schedule is Louisville. Allowing 31 points in a loss to Duke doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either.

Golden Panther running back Kedrick Rhodes rushed for over 1,000 yards, but only found the end zone 8 times. Quarterback Wesley Carroll threw 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Taking care of the football will be a key against a Marshall team that doesn’t score a lot of points.

FIU finished the year with three straight wins, two of which came on the road.

Marshall needed an overtime win over East Carolina in the final week of the season to clinch bowl eligibility. They finished the year on a two game winning streak, but easily could have lost both games. A November 17 win over 2-10 Memphis came by only a single point. 13 fourth quarter points prevented both embarrassment and post season elimination.

Marshall ranks 98th in offense, scoring 22 points a game. This, combined with a defense that barely cracks the statistical top 85, has contributed to some blowout losses. They lost 44-7 to Ohio, 30-10 to Virginia Tech, 68-28 to Houston, and 59-17 to Tulsa.

Marshall just isn’t a competitive football team. How they finished second in the Conference-USA eastern division is a testament to how bad that conference was.

Question of the game: Over/under 25 points? Yes, that’s a serious question.

The Pick: Florida International

Bowl Mania Record: 1-2

Follow Jordan on Twitter @jlauterbach1

Bowl Mania Day 1

2011-12-16T17:34:00.003-05:00

Yup, I'm Back

By Jordan Lauterbach

Gildan New Mexico Bowl- Temple vs. Wyoming, 2 p.m.- Wyoming’s strength is in the running game. They rank in the top 35 in rushing (32). That category is the only one that the Cowboys sit in the top 60 in the country. Production wise, it’s an even split between running back Alvester Alexander and freshman quarterback Brett Smith. Alexander averages just a hair under five yards a carry and has found the end zone six times. Smith has scored 10 touchdowns on the ground and has thrown for 18.

Wyoming won three of its last four games, losing only to Boise State on November 26. Smith threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 22-19 season finale win over Colorado State. Those turnovers left the Cowboy quarterback with 8 in 2011.

Temple finished the year ranked third in defense. The pure statistical ranking is a bit misleading because of the schedule and two shutouts in the middle of the season. However, they did give Penn State a game, losing by four in week three. After losing dominant pass rusher Mo Wilkerson to the NFL, the continued defensive dominance is certainly impressive.

Question of the game: Can Wyoming’s freshman quarterback keep the Cowboys in the game against Temple’s strong defense in a bowl game environment?

The Pick: Temple

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Utah State, 5:30pm- Ohio was a half away from capturing the MAC title three weeks ago. The Bobcats were up 20-0 on Northern Illinois at the half before it all came crashing down. 16 fourth quarter points and Ohio was watching the Huskies hoist a trophy that was thought to be in the bag at the break.

It’s hard to determine how this type of loss will affect a team headed into a bowl. A second straight year playing on the first day of bowl season may not sit well with a team that was so close to a championship.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Tettleton had a great regular season, throwing 26 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He also ran for nine touchdowns, seven more than senior running back Dante Harden.

Fun fact: Ohio has never won a bowl game.

Utah State’s fifteen minutes of national fame came in the first week of the season when they took Auburn to the brink in Jordan-Hare Stadium. That 42-38 loss took a lot out of the Aggies. The lost four of their next six games, making bowl eligibility look like a pipe dream. However, five wins to end the year tumbled them into the first Saturday of “the season.”

That’s the most fascinating contrast to this game. Ohio is better, but Utah State is hotter- and presumably less angry about the way the season ended. The Aggies can also run the ball. Robert Turbin ran for 1416 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Question of the game: Is Ohio still hanging their heads over the MAC championship game?

The Pick: Utah State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State vs. Louisiana- Lafayette, 9p.m. - A veritable home game will do the Ragin’ Cajans some good. Four of their final five games came away from home, including a 45-37 heartbreaking loss at Arizona in the final week of the year.
Luckily for Louisiana-Lafayette, they were already bowl eligible when the road stretch came into play, running off six straight wins after an opening week loss to Oklahoma State. They were 2-3 once the win streak came to an end.

Ragin’ Cajun quarterback Blaine Gautier threw for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. Gautier is, by far, the main weapon on the Louisiana-Layfayette offense.

San Diego State finished 8-4 in the first year of the post- Hoke era. They put 35 on Boise State in a loss on November 19. Quarterback Ryan Lindley threw 20 touchdowns this year and 8 interceptions (3 of which came in the same game). Running back Ronnie Hillman scored 19 touchdowns.

Question of the game: Ranked 83rd in defense, does Louisiana have enough on defense to stop Lindley and Hillman?

The Pick: San Diego State

Listen to College Sports Saturday every Saturday at 11 am (eastern) on wcwp.org and 88.1fm

Follow Jordan @jlauterbach1 on Twitter

So What Exactly Are The New York Jets?

2011-12-05T09:37:00.002-05:00

Here we are, in early December, with just four weeks left to play in the 2011 NFL regular season. Many teams by now in the NFL know what kind of team they are on offense and on defense. On offense are they a group that relies on the running game or mostly of great quarterback play? On defense are they a squad who can stop the run? Can they get to the quarterback? And/or can they prevent the long play? Well, one team that hasn't shown you a consistent identity that is competing for a playoff spot is the New York Jets.

First off, let me preface by saying that I am a football fan. I don't hate a team yet at the same time I don't consider myself a diehard fanatic of one team, I am simply a football junkie. Now saying that what exactly are the New York Jets? 13 weeks into this NFL season and the only thing that has been consistent of Gang Green has been their inconsistentcy in all facets of the sport.

It's starts with the quarterback who has clearly taken a step back in 2011.
The offensive line has yielded almost as many sacks as they did all of 2010.
The RB position has had its moments but it's nowhere near where it should be for this team.
The receivers and tight-ends have been all over the place all season.
The defense is simply not the defense of two years ago and even last year.
The secondary has been, well, good and it has been bad.
Special teams started out strong and have taken a step back the past few weeks.

So forget about the areas and just focus on the games they've played. If you dissect every quarter of every game, what exactly have the Jets showed you to prove they can be a legitimate squad down the stretch? They were dominated opening night against Dallas and thanks to QB Tony Romo they were able to come back and win. Despite beating Jacksonville 32-3 they really did very little on offense and the QB did not have a great game. Gang Green then went on a tough three game road trip and loss all three to simply better teams. Even though they would win the next two games against Miami and San Diego, the Jets were bailed out by mistakes by Miami and mostly domination by San Diego. Now week 9 against Buffalo was their best played game against the Bills, everything went right in Buffalo. In their last four games all the Jets did was be totally pushed around by New England, Buffalo, and Washington but came out on top in the latter two. They did play well in Denver but could not stop the Broncos offense when it mattered the most.

So with only four weeks left, a two game winning streak that really was more luck than great play, and needing a lot of help in order to make the postseason the chances of the Jets making the playoffs are in a word slim. Why? Simple, what exactly have the Jets showed that they could make it. They can only use the "a win is a win" manta so many times.

-Johnny Montalbano

-Follow Johnny on Twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to his analysis of the week that was and the week that will be on "Review & Preview" Wednesday's from 5-6pm on WCWPSports.org

Just A Normal Jets Win

2011-12-05T00:10:00.003-05:00

If all you did was look at the boxscore following today's Jets game against the Washington Redskins, it looks like the Jets had a nice, easy fifteen point victory. However, that is definitely not the case with this 34-19 win for Gang Green, as they actually were trailing 16-13 with under five minutes to play.

The opening possession of the game for the Skins was simply a horrendous showing of defense on the Jets' part, as Rex Grossman (yes, him) looked excellent against the other Rex (the loud one) and his defensive unit. Skins running back Roy Helu showed some burst breaking out a few solid runs and finishing off the drive with a TD from two yards out.

However, what took place on the Jets' ensuing possession was something that really impressed me. The Jets for the last few seasons have been awful in the first quarter offensively. But finally, the Jets showed some life in the first quarter, actually scoring a touchdown, on a really solid 17-play, 74 yard drive with Shonn Greene finding the endzone to tie the game up at seven. So there's a positive...But as a Jets fan, here's what really bothers me: why couldn't the offense find the endzone until just under FIVE minutes left in the fourth quarter?! It's very frustrating to watch a team that has the ability to put together excellent drives, but just is not consistent.

Time to say another good thing I noticed. Shonn Greene has arrived! Coming into the game with only two touchdowns all year, he gave his fantasy owners a huge day as he scored THREE times! He ran very well, and that's something we haven't seen for a majority of the season. Now how could I write about the Jets and not mention Mark Sanchez, right? I thought he played well. I'm happy with the performance, but I'll leave it at well. He had a couple of occassions where he slightly overthrew an open receiver, but he didn't make any mistakes, which is always fantastic news. He also escaped pressure a few times and made a couple of critical third-down conversions, extending plays just enough to convert. And of course, he made the beautiful game-winning throw to Santonio Holmes for 30 yards (easily, the deepest ball thrown).

Are there things for the Jets to work on? Yes, obviously. Letting Sanchez throw the ball DOWN the field would be great...I've kind of forgotten what that looks like...but I liked the play-calling better today than most days, even throwing in the Jeremy Kerley Wildcat! As a Jets fan, you learn that your team isn't going to get the most aesthetically-pleasing wins in the world, but anytime you get a win, you'll gladly take it!

-David Otero

Catch David Otero on the Sportswire every Tuesday from 6-7 pm on 88.1
FM and WCWP.org, and follow him on Twitter @David_ODog.

What We Learned From Week 11

2011-11-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

We start locally with the Giants and their mishap to the Eagles. It was the G-men's second straight loss in what looks like another second-half swoon for this football team. With a win the Giants not only could have landed themselves in comfortable playoff position for the final six games but also all but eliminate Philly from a playoff push. Now Big Blue will have to contend with not only the Eagles but also a Dallas Cowboys team which has played better than their 6-4 record. With the Giants, their next three games (@New Orleans, Green Bay, and @Dallas) could truly define if Big Blue will play deep into January or end abruptly.

Speaking of local, that brings us a team that has more problems than the injury-plaqued Giants and that's the Jets. Gang Green began Week 11 in Denver and became the latest victim of "Tebow Time" as Gang Green's defense could not do anything right on the Broncos last and game winning drive. That loss leaves the Jets at 5-5 and in the span of just 2 weeks has turned this team from a potential AFC East winner to a possible no-show come postseason. The latter seems more realistic today and why not, 11 weeks into this season the true Jets have shown themselves for all of 5 quarters (the 4th against San Diego in week 7 and all game against Buffalo in week 9) What exactly has Gang Green showned you to feel confident they can turn it around? QB = inconsistent, RB's = not where they should be, Offensive Line = bad, Entire Defense = inconsistent.

Finally, week 11 was the week of the backup player. Three second-string players really defined why.

Vince Young, QB, Eagles: Hey it wasn't the best performance but for a QB who hasn't started a game in almost one calender year (November 21, 2010) he did something that Philly has had a tough time with in 2011: taking a 4th quarter lead and holding on to it. And it was Young who led the Eagles on that go-ahead 18 play, 80 yard drive that took roughly 9 minutes off the clock and eventually resulted in the game-winning TD.
Michael Bush, RB, Raiders: It's always going to be difficult to replace a RB who is 5th in the league in yards per attempt in Darren McFadden who has been nursing a sprained right foot for the past three weeks but Bush has stepped into his shoes and done quite well. Including last week's effort: 30 rush, 109 yards and a TD in Oakland's win over Minnesota. When McFadden returns look for a real duo in these two.
Kevin Smith, RB, Lions: Since the injury to Detroit's top back Jahvid Best, the team has been looking for some efficient run game. Well they got that from Kevin Smith who really struggled to stay with the team. But he showed a burst of speed and ran for 140 yards and added 61 through the air. A big reason why the Lions were able to complete their comeback against Carolina.

-Johnny Montalbano

-Follow Johnny on Twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to his analysis of the week that was and the week that will be on "Review & Preview" Wednesday's from 5-6pm on WCWPSports.org

Survivor Series/Wrestling Blog

2011-11-21T13:44:00.002-05:00

This may seem to be a bit jaded considering who watched it from home last night, but Survivor Series and being live from Madison Square Garden was pretty damn good for the dollar I paid for. I'm not gonna review the entire show but what you take out of this event more-so than most events is the atmosphere, the angles, and just getting to embrace the feeling I got even with no voice (allergies).

I was really hoping to see Ryder as a last minute add in to the US Title match at the start of the show but for what Morrison provided as the struggling babyface, getting the upperhand and almost pulling it out really must have made Joe Schmidt very, very happy to see. I was smiling at the end and still, Dolph Ziggler is still the man. Great way to start off the show on a hot note.

The comedown match next with the Divas title match was to be expected. Beth worked hard despite Eve's lack of ability. A decent enough match for the time it was given. Just with it being Survivor Series and all and the Lumber jills out for christ sake, Why not just make it a traditional womens survivor series match. That was my complaint. Thus, I am a fan of the relic and Survivor Series format as a whole but suffice to say, it didn't happen.

It is soooooooooo execellent just listening to the Rock give a promo. I had goosebumps trying to listen to it and I was in the arena. I was chanting the Lady Parts and New York, New York chants along with the rest of the crowd. (Classy note: WWE Fans > TNA Fans in vocabulary & diction).

Survivor Series format match was next and while I missed a chunk of this match to get the girlfriend some Lemonade, Sin Cara's injury did look pretty ugly. Dolph's exit was expected with having wrestle two matches in one night and getting attacked by Ryder. Sheamus getting disqualified was annoying but a throwback to the classic survivor series matches when most guys would get eliminated. Orton worked really well with Cody, Barrett, and I loved the moments Hunico got involved in the match. I want more Hunico! I was also chanting with the crowd for more Cody also. Orton fought against the odds but Barrett winning was excellent as he really deserves the push. I'd love to see Barrett and other younger talent be phased in more to the upper tier spots while the big muscular guys and older vets get treated the door policy.

Cotton candy time. I can't believe you stick a frilly NY Rangers Santa hat on a stick with a bag of Cotton Candy and it's 10 dollars! That's NYC and MSG pricing to you folks. Also back to the Lemonade bit from before. I was really pissed they wouldn't let me put a cap on that cup. I was expecting to drop it and stumble and lose my entire 7 dollar drink....Criminals if you ask me.

Mark Henry & Big Show match was slow but really to be expected. I was digging the match personally as I've been a big fan of Mark Henry since he's gone to SmackDown. The Big Show Macho Man Elbow Drop was one of the signature highlights of the night. Surprised that didn't put Henry away. The DQ finish was a let down but with the chair, it plays into the next PPV to end 2011, TLC. The crowd wanted Daniel Bryan to come out but I wanted him to stay in the back and keep to his WrestleMania promise. Trust me, the fans will be digging him for Mania and it'll be worth it in the end. #Newstar

I'm glad we got the DQ finish in the last match as the WWE Title match really stole the show. The workrate from both Del Rio and CM Punk was excellent beyond words as we were really into wanting CM Punk to win the title. The finishing sequence really paid off and most likely we'll get one more match between the two at TLC but what CM Punk has done should have the WWE convinced by now that they have their next Top babyface that can and SHOULD replace Cena. #Turncenaheelalready

The Main Event was up next and we all knew that the Rock would show up here and he did. I was stunned he was able to pull off those arm drags so crisply. Rock was the ring general I expected him to be and that really showed up in this match without the Rock really taking any bumps. Hogan took more bumps at BFG than the Rock at Survivor Series. Shocker of 2011 right there folks. Then we got Cena doing the majority of the selling setting up for the hot tag when everybody in MSG just wanted to see The Rock. Throw Cena to the side and let The Rock do his magic. The Rock is on another pedastool to the rest of the WWE Roster it's not even a joke and it should be with his legendary status. The Rock got the pin and made it look easy which is how they built it up since this match would be announced.

All in all after attending two very different wrestling events on two consecutive Sunday's, the crowd's the venues and hell, even the cities were different between what the WWE put on compared to Chikara but as a wrestling fan I enjoyed both events equally. Two very different circumstances with Eddie Kingston/Quack for the Grand Championship & Rock wrestling in the Main Event of 2011 but I found the 10 year old in me excited every bit just being in MSG as I was the 22 year old at Chikara. For the pure wrestling ability, Chikara topped WWE but the sheer spectacle and it being MSG and the Rock and CM Punk and Big Show's top rope elbow drop, the WWE Topped Chikara. being on LI, I have this luxury of getting to see these events where I know it's difficult for everybody else around the world that has a different happenstance. I'm just glad I'm a wrestling fan and it's a passion of mine that I know will never go away whether it's 2011 or 2050. Nor would I want it to.

I'm Nick Malone and I'm a wrestling fan!

P.S: OTR will be doing a special pre-record (If my voice) ever gets better this Tuesday night that will not be aired live from 5-7, but aired on Thursday night during our normal and regular time slot of 7-9 on Thanksgiving. Also, we will be open for any and all callers that want to call in at 1-516-299-2790 that want to discuss Survivor Series/Raw/Anything in Wrestling.

Who's To Blame?

2011-11-20T21:33:00.003-05:00

No Super Bowl. No playoffs. A .500 record to show. This is what team the New York Jets are at this very moment. So let's point fingers; whose shoulders should this mediocre play fall on for a team that has reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games?

First and foremost, offensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer is becoming more and more predictible week after week. If I know what play is coming next on the couch at home (or from my phone at Bed Bath & Beyond), don't you think that a defensive coordinator will know what play is coming next? Teams gameplan and watch film ALL week long to try and figure out what the offense will throw at them come Sunday (or Thursday...or Monday). You look at successful teams like the Patriots, they love to mix up the playbook. Granted, they have the best QB in the game to do so, but the Patriots run a lot of different plays ranging from short, quick screens to the deep threat 40 yards down the field. They also give a variety of different looks, and constantly change the pace and speed of the game; something Peyton Manning was excellent at.

Both QB's could effectively run a no-huddle offense, as well as also take several minutes off the board with long drives. So how does this circle back to the Jets? Shottenheimer is the most vanilla play-caller in the league (although Giants fans may disagree), and it doesn't help a young QB like Mark Sanchez that the defense pretty much knows what the play is before it happens.

Next, the offensive line. It starts up front. The big fellas MUST protect their quarterback, and this unit has done a horrendous job all year in doing that for Sanchez. RT Wayne Hunter, who for some reason was signed to an extension in the offseason, has been atrocious all-year, giving the Sanchise no time to breathe back in the pocket. A fun fact, after the Jets' miserable loss on Thursday night to the Bronocs, something interesting was trending on Twitter. No, not Tim Tebow. Or "Tebow Time." No, what was trending on Twitter was Wayne Hunter. Yes, the offensive lineman for the Jets was trending across the country. If that doesn't point out how bad this line has been, I don't know what will.

To think that the offensive line was actually the strength for the Jets for the last couple of years is ironic. LG Alan Faneca was let go a couple years ago (a move I still haven't gotten over), and RT Damien Woody was also let go in "cost-cutting" decisions. Well, the Jets must be real glad they saved that money now that their offensive line is average at best.

Okay, here's the part you've been waiting for me to say: Mark Sanchez. It's been speculated within the Jets most recent loss that ancient, backup QB Mark Brunell should start ahead of Sanchez because of his poor play. And to all of those who say that, I simply shake my head because no response is needed. Brunell at this point in his career is simply a "mentor" and keeps Sanchez entertained on the sideline. We're not living in 1998.

Of course Sanchez has to improve his play. He knows that. Rex Ryan knows that. We all know that. His last couple games have been rough, and I acknowledge that. His interceptions this year have been very costly. He has been throwing less than the last couple years, but this year, they are coming at the wrong times. Look at last week versus Denver: the pick-six he threw was absolutely dreadful and he should be embarrassed for that throw. I know I was.

But unlike most fans and people in the media, I really don't think that Sanchez is the MAIN cause of the Jets problems. By the way, look at the running backs on the roster. It almost feels like a monumental achievement when the Jets run for more than five yards at a time. Shonne Greene has been underwhelming this season, and LaDainian Tomlinson is unfortunately a third-down receiver out of the backfield and a solid pass protector at this point. Throw in Joe McKnight and Bilal Powell. Not too many QB's would be having tremendous success when the RB's aren't helping to move the chains.

To sum this rant off, defenses don't need to blitz, and they don't need to worry about stacking the box. Defenses can stop the run because the runners of the Jets run into brick walls two yards into the line of scrimmage. Therefore, Sanchez sees a sea of defenders all over his receivers. Also remember, the Sanchise has NO time to make any decisions with an awful O-Line. Go back to Sanchez's first season. Thomas Jones was a solid back, and was a legitimate threat in the backfield. The O-Line made the team successful, and gave Sanchez the opportunity to be successful because it gave him the ability to do what he does best: play-action passing and rolling out to pass. Without a good running game, a QB like Sanchez takes the heat. In my opinion, it's unfair for Sanchez to receive ALL the blame. Does he have to improve? Of course. But first, give him an offensive coordinator that knows what he's doing, a solid offensive line, and a successful running game. Then we'll talk.

-David Otero

Catch David Otero on the Sportswire on Tuesdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and Wcwp.org, and follow him on Twitter @David_ODog.

Fantasy Cover 2 for Week 11 by Patrick Creighton

2011-11-16T22:43:00.013-05:00

November 16, 2011

It was an ugly week for QBs in week 10, as three starting QBs suffered serious injuries, two of whom that are prominent QBs in the league.

Michael Vick suffered a pair of broken ribs on the second play of the game last week, and his performance suffered badly. Vick didn't practice Wednesday and is not expected to play vs. the NFL's top sack defense, the NY Giants. Owners should grab Vince Young asap as insurance, not just for this week, where Young is expected to start, but for the rest of the season. Vick's rib injury could keep him out more than one week, and could affect his performance as the season goes on. Reuben Frank of CSN Philly reports that Mike Kafka will only play if Young is injured. Jeremy Maclin also didn't practice, as he is dealing with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder according to Geoff Mosher. If Maclin doesn't practice by Friday, it would indicate that he will not play this week, and could indicate his injury is more serious than what has been currently revealed. Jason Avant and Steve Smith (who had an awful game vs AZ Sunday) would see more PT if Maclin can't go. DeSean Jackson is expected to play and should be started in all formats.

Matt Schaub suffered what is likely to be a season ending injury to his foot. Matt Leinart gets the reigns in Houston, so you should expect a run heavy offense centered on Arian Foster and Ben Tate as a result. Desperate owners can take a flier on Leinart but set your expectations accordingly, as Leinart has been a major bust since entering the league. T. Y. Yates is now the backup. The 5th rd pick impressed in preseason and if Leinart bombs, he's shown enough in preseason for HC Gary Kubiak to consider going to him. Andre Johnson says he will be back Week 12 according to Nick Scurfield. Its still one more missed game for him, but considering he has not been as optimistic on his return date as Kubiak has, his assertion should be taken with strong validity.

Matt Cassel underwent surgery on his throwing hand Monday according to the Kansas City Star. He is likely out for the year. Tyler Palko takes over for the Chiefs. He went undrafted in 2007, mostly due to the fact he doesn't have a strong arm and he was a scrambler. Palko could have a short leash with 5th rd pick Ricky Stanzi waiting in the wings. Downgrade all Chiefs offensive players.

According to a ProFootballTalk report on NBCSports.com, Denver's Willis McGahee sounded confident he would play Thursday vs. the Jets. Follow reports tomorrow for more info but temper your expectations. He's banged up and will likely face 8 and 9 man fronts from the Jets all day. Lance Ball becomes a must add this week as he becomes the #2 RB with Knowshon Moreno going on IR. In Denver's run heavy attack, he could get double digit touches, and there's still the possibility McGahee either doesn't play or gets a lighter load. HC John Fox has already admitted he can't run a traditional offense with Tim Tebow, but acknowledges Tebow is a "special player" and will continue to run the option offense with him at QB.

The Jets have already declared Jeremy Kerley and LaDainian Tomlinson out for this week. Patrick Turner is expected to join the roster from the practice squad, but realistically won't be much of a threat. Expect the Jets to remember who Dustin Keller is this week. Joe McKnight will be the backup RB according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. This could be an opportunity for McKnight to showcase his wares, as Shonn Greene has not excelled and his pass catching skills remain suspect.

Ryan Mathews was a full participant in practice Wednesday & insisted he is healthy per a Michael Gehlken report. He's gotten extra rest since the Chargers' loss to Oakland on Thursday. SD faces the Bears this week. Chicago's defense on the season hasn't been great at stopping other team's RBs in the yardage dept, they have been playing better as of late. Mathews is a decent RB2 this week. Malcom Floyd shouldn't be expected to play this week. HC Norv Turner conceded Floyd's non participation in practice Wednesday is a sign Floyd isn't likely to play this week. Rookie Vincent Brown has played well the past 2 weeks in his stead and will continue to get reps in Floyd's absence.

Matt Forte was limited in practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury but is expected to play. Start him with confidence.

Sam Bradford was a full participant in practice Wednesday, and appears to be over his high ankle sprain. He should be able to get back in a rhythm vs. suspect Seattle pass defense. Being at home should help, it will be Bradford's first home game since week 4. He's a low end QB2 but his budding chemistry with Brandon Lloyd gives both of them upside.

Doug Baldwin was limited in practice today after suffering from a concussion, but HC Pete Carroll believes he has a good chance to play this week vs a weak St. Louis defense. Still, you should be able to do better. Tarvaris Jackson was also a limited participant Wednesday per a John Boyle report, but its expected to be precautionary. Jackson has been very inconsistent which makes it hard to trust him despite the favorable matchup. He's an iffy start as a QB2. Sidney Rice still needs medical clearance to play vs. St Louis as he also recovers from a concussion, though he was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. Carroll is optimistic Rice will play. With the matchup hes a decent WR3.

According to the Arizona Republic, Kevin Kolb "didn't look close to being ready to play". Expect more John Skelton vs SF. Hes a low end QB2. Beanie Wells didn't practice Wednesday. Wells has been a trooper playing through a knee injury the last 2 weeks but its clearly affected his performance. Cards could just be resting him to get him as close to healthy as they can for Sunday's matchup vs San Francisco's top ranked run D.

Frank Gore didn't practice today per a Matt Barrows report, and should be expected to have a light practice week. HC Jim Harbaugh still expects Gore to play but indicated his workload could be lighter than normal. Owners should pick up Kendall Hunter as insurance.

Jacoby Ford isn't expected to play this week per a San Francisco Chronicle report. There is no timetable for his return. HC Hue Jackson said Darren McFadden is "making huge progress" in his recovery from a foot sprain per the Chronicle. DMC is still considered a long shot to play this week. He is out of the walking boot, but week 12 looks like best bet for a return. Michael Bush will continue to start in McFadden's stead.

Josina Anderson reports that Jahvid Best still has not been cleared yet for football activities, and there's still no timetable for his return. Maurice Morris will continue to start. Matt Stafford appeared to have no problems throwing the ball in practice Wednesday & took his usual number of snaps with the first team offense according to the Detroit Free Press. He should be fine for this week's matchup vs Carolina.

Harry Douglas was limited in practice Wednesday with a thigh injury, though he's expected to play Sunday. He could start if Julio Jones is unable to overcome his hamstring injury. Jones did not practice at all Wednesday according to a D. Orlando Ledbetter report. Follow his status this week, but if he doesn't practice by Friday he won't play.

Hakeem Nicks is not on the Giants injury report. If his over the shoulder catch in the 4th quarter last week vs SF wasn't enough evidence, start him with confidence. Mario Manningham was limited in practice Wednesday, but assuming no setbacks, he will play this week vs. Philly. He's a fine WR3. Ahmad Bradshaw isn't expected to play this week according to Mike Garofalo. Brandon Jacobs will start for the 3rd straight game and is a decent RB2 vs Eagles.

David Nelson missed practice Wednesday according to Joe Buscaglia, but Nelson said it was just a rest day. If Stevie Johnson can't go, Nelson would be the Bills' top WR. Johnson didn't practice Wednesday either, & isn't certain to play vs Miami this week. He suffered a shoulder injury late last week vs. Dallas. There's no structural damage, so check his status through Friday. Again, no practice by Friday = not playing.

Ryan Grant didn't practice Wednesday according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. No injury was listed, but he's clearly the #2 guy behind James Starks in the Packers pass happy offense. He isn't worth starting.

Montario Hardesty missed practice Wednesday according to Nate Ulrich. He's recovering from a torn calf, so expect Chris Ogbonnaya to continue to start this week.

Felix Jones returned to practice on a limited basis for the Cowboys Wednesday, but is now the clear cut #2 to DeMarco Murray. He's not worth starting.

AJ Green says he will be a game time decision this week according to the Bengals official twitter account. An MRI on his knee showed a bone bruise but no structural damage. If he can't go, Jerome Simpson and Jermaine Gresham should see more targets.

Lee Evans says he will be a game time decision vs Bengals according to Aaron Wilson. He has been out close to two months and would easily be behind both Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith on the depth chart, so you should be able to do better this week.

Curtis Painter has regressed so badly over the past 4 games that HC Jim Caldwell is considering changing to Dan Orlovsky. The Indianapolis Star reports that Caldwell would not commit to Painter as his QB in week 12. Throw in the fact Dallas Clark isn't expected back for at least 3 more weeks and there is no timetable for Joseph Addai to return, downgrade (in fact, avoid) all Colts offensive players as the team marches towards 0-16.

Ben Roethlisberger broke his right thumb Sunday according to Scott Brown, but says he will play when Pittsburgh returns from the bye on week 12. Owners may want to pick up Charlie Batch as insurance but Big Ben has a reputation for playing through pain and injury. While his stats could suffer somewhat short term, he's still better than Batch would be. At this time, expect Ben to be ready to go.

Start/Sit questions? Contact me on Twitter @PCreightonWCWP

You can hear Patrick Creighton on The Sportswire Fridays at 6pm on 88.1fm and WCWP.org

Patrick Creighton has appeared on WFAN NY and YES Network, and is the play-by-play voice of C.W. Post Pioneers football. Patrick's next appearance on WFAN is Dec 27th from 2-4am.

RAW Reaction 11/14/11

2011-11-15T13:29:00.001-05:00

This week’s three hour edition of Monday Night Raw brought forth much hype going into Survivor Series this Sunday. Unfortunately, by the end of this show, I was exhausted. There’s a lot happening in the WWE on a weekly basis as it is, but when these three hour shows get thrown into the mix, it can get very tedious. However, I was a bit more forgiving, because we got The Rock.

This show certainly didn’t start off on the right foot, because we opened with the Michael Cole Challenge. I’m sorry, but I’m tired of talking about Michael Cole. I’m becoming numb to these segments at this point. It’s never fun to see Jim Ross humiliated on television, but if it really bothered him, don’t you think he’d have stopped showing up by now?

Sin Cara and Kofi Kingston were defeated by Cody Rhodes and Hunico in a random tag match. Cody no longer has the mask, due to what happened on last Friday’s SmackDown. He also has a new theme, which I’m not a fan of. I thought his last theme was great, although his character is going through some developments now, so I understand the thought process behind a new theme. I’m going to miss the “Wooooaaaah!” though. Hunico’s new theme, however, is awesome. I can’t say that enough. Hunico’s new alignment with Epico and Primo on SmackDown is one of the thing that I’m most interested in this company right now. I would have liked to have seen the rest of the group on Raw.

Christian is out of Survivor Series due to an injury, and that means that Dolph Ziggler has been appointed as his replacement for Team Barrett. Does this mean Ryder doesn’t get a US title shot at the PPV? Hopefully Ziggler will have to pull double duty again, because missing out on the opportunity to have Ryder get a title match at MSG would be a crime. Ziggler cut a good promo on this show, but got DQ’ed in his match against Mason Ryan due to Vickie Guerrero slapping Mason.I’ve been very impressed Ziggler over the past few months and I think he’s on his way to moving up the card.

We were treated to a Mick Foley return, which was a fun surprise (although most of us knew he was scheduled for this show anyway). Mick was indeed a sight for sore eyes, although his involvement in this show was certainly questionable. His role as a peacemaker between The Rock and John Cena made sense, but the sequel to the “This Is Your Life” segment came off pretty badly. I have to wonder if it wasn’t purposely terrible, because it sure seemed like that was its intent at times. Cena was certainly not welcome in his home state of Boston, and Foley felt it was his job to fix that “problem”. Not even Mick Foley can get an entire crowd to cheer John Cena, as we found out on this show. The segment ending with The Rock coming out just to deliver a Rock Bottom to Foley and then leaving (Arrive. Rock Bottom. Leave.) was very enjoyable. In fact, every bad segment on this show should end with a random Rock Bottom. It could become like the new Ron Simmons “DAMN!”

The Rock would be back on the show later, but there was much more to occur before that final segment. Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger was a very good TV match, and I’m enjoying the work both of these guys are doing. A good change of pace here, and one of my favorite parts of the show. Sheamus picked up the win after hitting a Brogue Kick.

There would be no Brodus Clay yet again this week. We saw Johnny Ace on the phone with Brodus telling him that he would be overshadowed by The Rock’s return, and they’re going to wait until next week. I’m beginning to this this is becoming some sort of angle. The funny thing is, I’m actually interested to see where they’re going with Brodus. Video packages really are effective in this company.

The Alberto Del Rio/CM Punk title feud hasn’t been doing much for me, although I know that the match will most likely be very good. On this show, we had Del Rio teaming up with Mark Henry to take on their respective challengers at Survivor Series, CM Punk and the Big Show. I would have liked to have seen more emphasis put on the fact that both main champions were teaming together, but it almost seemed to be an afterthought. I thought this match was very good, with Del Rio pinning Punk to pick up the win. They’re heating up Del Rio going into the PPV, which one would hope that they’d be doing. He applied the cross armbreaker to Punk in the post-match, as they were really pushing that he doesn’t want Punk to make it to SS. I predict a title change at the PPV, but after this show, I could see Del Rio possibly keeping it longer. By the way, Mark Henry is awesome and should keep his title until WrestleMania.

The continuation of the Kevin Nash/Triple H angle saw Nash delivering a Jacknife Powerbomb to Santino in a brief segment. I like the fact that they’re getting over Nash’s anger towards Hunter about not being brought back after the reaction he got at the Royal Rumble this year, and these segments haven’t been taking up much time at all. That’s a refreshing change. We’ll see if there’s any Nash/Hunter build at the PPV.

I’m enjoying the Randy Orton/Wade Barrett feud, simply because it elevates Barrett to the spot where I think he should have been all along. For their match on this show, both guys came out with their respective Survivor Series teams. One could easily predict a schmoz finish, and both teams took the the ring causing a DQ. Orton’s team stood victorious at the end. This PPV could be a turning point in how Barrett is booked and perceived in the company.

The final segment saw The Rock delivering a promo as only he can. The Miz and R-Truth were way out of their league here, it’s almost embarrassing how much better The Rock is on the mic. Miz and Truth in general have lost so much steam since being “hired back,” I have very little interest in this tag match at the PPV beyond the fact that The Rock is going to be in it. The Rock/Cena interaction was of course establishing the tension between them. This is just such a sloppy angle on all fronts, I don’t know any other way to say it. The Rock makes up for it, but that’s a given.

Despite some massive problems, I’m very optimistic about Survivor Series, and I certainly look forward to being there live to see The Rock. However, I’d be very pleased if we didn’t get another three hour Raw for a long, long time.

Chris Maffei

Catch Chris Maffei and Nick Malone on Over The Ropes every Thursday night from 7-9PM, right here on WCWPSports.org.

RAW Reaction: 11/07/11

2011-11-08T09:55:00.001-05:00

Taped wrestling shows never really excite me. There’s something to be said for live television, no matter how the quality of the shows may fluctuate from week to week. While this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw from Liverpool, England was not especially intriguing, it was actually a pretty decent show with a few enjoyable moments. Let’s reflect...

The first order of business I’d like to address would be the focus of the product going into Survivor Series. Now, Alberto Del Rio is the WWE Champion, but you already knew that. Or did you? It’s pretty easy to forget these days, seeing as how he’s been working mid-card TV matches for the past few weeks. Should the top guy not be protected? He should be, but unfortunately, Del Rio is not the top guy. He’s got a shiny toy belt that says he’s the top guy, but he is far from the focus of this company, let alone the focus of this show. Much of this has to do with the fact that he’s simply not ready. While his in-ring work is very solid, his material is stale and his positioning in terms of importance is nowhere near where it needs to be. CM Punk took it upon himself to point out some of Berto’s flaws this week, such as his one dimensional, fast-forward-the-DVR promos. The bottom line here is that Punk should be taking the title at Survivor Series, just for the sake of actually having an incentive to care about the title picture. I’m not an advocate for playing hot potato with the main title, but the paper champion needs to go, pronto.

The rest of the reason why the WWE Champion is not the main focus of this show has to do with the fact that the PPV they’re building to will feature The Rock and John Cena teaming up against The Miz and R-Truth, and most likely Triple H vs. Kevin Nash. I don’t even need to explain why The Rock is the most important part of Survivor Series succeeding, but I’d really like someone to explain to me why Kevin Nash is even on my TV at this juncture. I’m not against Nash involvement in an angle, but the angle he came back for and the angle he’s involved with now have almost nothing to do with each other. I don’t think there’s any interest for a Hunter/Nash bout, and that’s all there is to it. Are we leading to a “reunion” of some sort? Whatever the case may be, I’d prefer that we didn’t get a Nash shoot every week...

Dear Big Kev,

Punk does it better.

Sincerely,

Everyone.

(Although his “I should have buried Hunter in 1995” tirade was quite amusing...”)

I did mention that there were some positives to this show, and they came in the form of Zack Ryder being booked well. Not only was he booked for the main event again, he actually made it to the ring this week! He was quite over with the Liverpool crowd, and definitely got the rub here just due to the Cena association. I suppose the idea for this main event was for Miz and Truth to get their heat back after Cena single-handedly wafflestomped them to close last week’s show. Well, I guess they accomplished that in theory, but the only interest I actually have for this match at the PPV is the fact that The Rock is involved. I mean, it’s The Rock. I bought my ticket to the event almost entirely based on his presence. I think the show will succeed in terms of buyrates based on that as well, but that’s not to say that the main event couldn’t do with some spicing up.

All in all, a decent Raw before the go-home show next week. And you know what that means...the long awaited television return of BRODUS CLAY! YES!!! Oh, and I think The Rock’s gonna be there as well. Radical.

Chris Maffei
@cmstrike

Catch Chris Maffei and Nick Malone on Over The Ropes every Thursday night from 7-9PM, right here on WCWPSports.org.

Putting The Boots To The Big Guys & Raising the Hand of the 99%

2011-11-08T01:28:00.003-05:00

Maybe I shouldn't write this blog when I'm this agitated but I've got something on my mind that can, and should, be corrected. We all remember when CM Punk was the media darling the WWE had right in the palms of their hands after the Money In The Bank (on my birthday no less, July 17th, 2011). It only took 8 days for the WWE to fumble the football to take that special feeling away when Wrestling was cool again. With just 12 days away from one of the signature events of the entire year, WWE Survivor Series, from Madison Square Garden,they still need to convince the consumer on why they should buy this PPV.

What is the appeal?

The tagline to this event was seeing The Rock back in a WWE ring for an actual match for the first time in 7 years teaming with John Cena. Last match he (The Rock) had ironically enough was in Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania 20 with Mick Foley against Evolution in a 3 on 2 handicap match featuring Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista.

For the WWE's point, they've aligned The Rock with John Cena (A guy he can't stand) for the kind of cartoon John Cena has displayed time and time again with the Rainbow colored t-shirts and his appeal to small children. At the last WrestleMania, The Rock helped The Miz retain the WWE Title against John Cena in Atlanta. The next night, Cena and Rock agreed to have a match at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Rock's hometown and where he will most likely be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as well (Ala Ric Flair around WrestleMania 24).

The Rock can't stand John Cena and John Cena doesn't understand The Rock. It's been rumored that the WWE would even use The Rock on multiple ppv's throughout 2012 dating back to August when the WWE released their 2nd quarter financial reports and involved with Survivor Series in September.

Now that it's down to November and what has the WWE done to make Survivor Series stand out?

Since the WWE finished the 35 days of Hell (3 PPV's in 5 weeks), Mark Henry has been booked to be a monster albeit take disqualifications and match stoppages to maintain his strong push on SmackDown. John Cena, Del Rio, and CM Punk have changed the WWE Title around to make it almost meaningless. Del Rio though has been able to retain the last two times over John Cena because of the interference of Miz & R-Truth. You're off now getting a lineup that looks like this.

Mark Henry vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title
CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Title
Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Sin Cara, & Mason Ryan) vs. Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Jack Swagger, Christian, Hunico, & Cody Rhodes)
John Cena & The Rock vs. Two Scared Broomsticks

We've seen The Miz and R-Truth both have their moments to shine in the early part of 2011 with Miz headlining WrestleMania 27 and R-Truth standing out at Capitol Punishment and introducing the Water Bottle of Doom! Sadly, they've been reduced down to comedic fodder and barely a challenge to John Cena on his own. Getting fluke wins won't cut it. To be seen as a viable threat, they need to do something dastardly to get the attention of The Great One.

The WWE still has their one last chance to build interest in that match but there feels like there should have been more done to generate this match seeming to be a big deal. We've had the Muppets and a taped Raw from England delaying that opportunity leaving the WWE little time to make a chance but they can still get that one last push out with the WWE returning home to Boston on Monday for a 3 hour edition of Raw where The Rock will be there live and in person. The Rock needs to make it clear to those watching why we should buy this PPV. What kind of a challenge does the Miz and R-Truth exactly show? because they could be replaced with how forgettable they've been over the last few weeks.

Other matches that could be predicted for Survivor Series with the recent TV storylines include the following below...

Survivor Series Elimination Match: Natalya, Beth Phoenix, Tamina, The Bella Twins (Brie & Nikki) vs. Kelly Kelly, A. Fox, Eve, A.J. & Kaitlyn.
Team Ryder (Zack Ryder, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan, Ezekiel Jackson, & Ted Dibiase) vs. Team Ziggler (Dolph Ziggler, Brodus Clay, Heath Slater, Tyler Reks, Drew McIntyre)
Team NXT vs. Team Superstars

With The WWE on the track they were going on TNA, after Bound For Glory (Sorry for not posting Part 2 on BFG but there was just so much stuff going on even the show after BFG that there was no need to post it), TNA had come off of a very unsatisfying finish for their main event, making the entire Bound For Glory series seem worthless. At this point now, the TNA World Title has changed twice in 3 weeks. James Storm won it on the Impact Wrestling after BFG and Robert Roode won it back 2 weeks later. Problem is that the way they've switched the title here makes the BFG 2012 Main Event seem worthless.

TNA hasn't spent enough time making James Storm or Robert Roode to be main event players yet. Fighting over the TNA World Title is between 2 Tag Team wrestlers. Beer Money will always be one of the greatest Tag Teams that company has ever put together to make both Roode and Storm both stars. It's taken TNA long enough to give the real talent a spotlight to give them a push since both were there when the company originated in 2002.

Problem with TNA was the older veterans taking up the time on Impact Wrestling and the facade in that company was still constructed. There are still kinks in the road but TNA has been smart over the last few weeks to section off Bischoff, Hogan, and Garrett Bischoff into their own section of TV time. If you've come from the WWE or WCW, then TNA would have gladly given that talent the time and day to get TV time that would make no new stars.

The stars TNA should be focusing on and devoting a majority of the TV time to includes the following: AJ Styles, Robert Roode, Kazarian, James Storm, Austin Aries, Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin, Abyss, D'Angel Dinero, Ken Anderson, Christopher Daniels, & Bully Ray. If TNA can focus on that nucleus of guys then they will be on the path to success.

To speak up for the little guys, maybe the best promotion nobody talks about is Chikara. They will be holding their first IPPV event this Sunday, November 13th from Philadelphia, PA at the mecca of independent wrestling, The Asslyum, Ace, ECW, Arena. For those that have ever been to that venue or seen this promotion knows that this event, HIGH NOON, will be a can't miss event. Chikara will be crowning it's first ever Grand Champion in a bout between NY's own, Eddie Kingston against "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush.

There will be a full preview of this event and the WWE, TNA, and DG USA this Thursday on a can't miss show of Over The Ropes with Nick Malone & my partner, Chis Maffei. Also we will be introducing the award categories for the OTR Year End award show special that will air on December 29th, 2011. It's bound to be a fun show.

Till next time,

I'm Nick Malone.

C.W. Post Pioneers vs. UConn Huskies Live Blog

2011-11-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

C.W. Post vs. UConn - Men's Basketball

NBA Lockout; Time To Build A Fallout Shelter

2011-11-06T09:11:00.002-05:00

by Jason Comack

Howard Beck of the New York Times, who has been covering the lockout wire to wire, tweeted a picture of a sign for a fall out shelter, “no caption necessary” he said.

The NBA's doomsday scenario is just around the corner and a Wednesday deadline for the players to accept the owners offer will likely determine if there will be an NBA season this year.

How did we get to such a dire point? Does it make any financial sense for either side to miss an entire season worth of revenue?

Unfortunately there are more questions then answers at this point. There are some certainties however.

1) If the players considered the decertification option at the beginning of the lockout why did they not decertify?

Compare the NFLPA to the NBAPA. The NFLPA got the votes to decertify as a union from every team before the season even started. They went into lockout negotiations knowing that if they went poorly they could use decertification as leverage. The NFLPA ended up decertifying re-branded as a trade association. They won some landmark cases (importantly that decertification was not a sham) and they lost some. Decertification gave the players a trump card that said “I’m willing to fight this out in court and challenge your [the NFL] anti-trust exemption.” The fight in court never reached a conclusion because the sides reached an agreement and the case was dismissed.

Now look how the NBAPA handled things. According to players, as Deron Williams tweeted, they've been ready to decertify since July! Had they decertified in July they could have been battling this out in court while negotiations were ongoing. They could have used the anti-trust exemption threat just like the NFLPA did. Instead by waiting to decertify now it means fighting it out in courts, essentially guaranteeing the loss of the season. If the season is going to be lost the owners have little reason to return to the negotiating table.

2) Are the owners divided?

While reporters have kept harping on an internal divide amongst union members the real divide is amongst it's owners. James Dolan, Mark Cuban, Micky Arison and Jerry Buss all want to play basketball. They all have championship caliber teams, all of their franchises are profitable and under the current model they feast on small and mid-market teams. After all Micky Arison was fined $500,000 dollars for a tweet that insinuated he's not the owner you should be blaming for the lockout. There's also been reports that Mark Cuban has suggested eliminating the salary cap altogether (something other big market owners would sign off on) and creating a system similar to baseball.

Meanwhile owners like Paul Allen, who despite being the 23rd richest man in America, are desperate to hit the reset button on a system they think is broken. These owners like Allen, Michael Jordan, the Maloff brothers and the Atlanta Hawks ownership group have their own personal motivation. They bought their teams at an inflated price and are rapidly losing money. In the case of Allen he is reportedly looking to sell his team as fast as possible. A CBA that's one sided towards the owners would help him do just that. Michael Jordan, who is the majority owner, of the Bobcats is losing money like crazy. In fact his minority partners are looking to sell there stake of the team. The Maloof brothers are Stern lackeys. They are broke and Stern is the only thing keeping them afloat right now.

The NBA needs 16 owner votes to ratify a deal. Ironically one of those 16 votes will be made by the NBA since they currently own the New Orleans Hornets. The key to this lockout are the swing vote owners. They owners you haven't heard talking much and don't know where they stand. This includes teams like the Magic, Wizards, Celtics, Bulls and so on.

3) Are the players divided?

Much like the owners the players have different agendas. Stars like Bryant and Garnett are financially motivated by different things then guys like Landry Fields and Andy Rautins. In Bryant's case his current contract runs through 2014. It's unlikely he'd even ever sign another big money contract under the new CBA. Meanwhile without the mid-level exception guys like Landry Fields are destined to be under paid (especially if the new CBA contains a harder cap.) Then you have players like Williams, Paul, Howard who are the big free agent class of next year. Whatever the restrictions of the CBA may be (shorter contracts, elimination of the sign and trade, lowering the max deal) might directly affect them more than other member of the players union.

This is how we get to a doomsday scenario. Whether it be due to; stubbornness, poor information, poor leadership or agents meddling the NBA players association has botched negotiations.

The players have yet to realize that they have very little leverage during this negotiation. They haven't decertified, they haven't taken advantage of dividing the owners against themselves. They have yet to present a creative offer to the owners.

What if the players presented this offer. A 50/50 BRI split (which is where we are heading anyway) but winning system issues for the players. What if they tired to win system issues that would not only benefit the players but also the wealthy owners.

Allowing sign and trades, allowing the mid-level exception, proposing a higher luxury tax and so on. The union acts like a higher luxury tax is a deathblow to the players but the truth is we've seen owners willing to pay the tax if they have a chance to compete for a title.

That's an offer Stern could take to his owners and have a shot of passing. The charge would be lead by Cuban, Airson, Dolan to get the necessary other 12 votes (assuming the Hornets would vote yes.)

That's an offer Hunter and Fisher could take to his players and have a chance of passing.

What doesn't make sense for Hunter and Fisher is to lose any more games. That lost revenue is never coming back and when Stern says the owners next offer will be 47% of the BRI he means it. Look at what happened in the NHL lockout. The players held there ground, lost a season and ended up still getting killed in the next CBA.

Hunter has said he's known the lockout has been coming for two years. The reason the season is about to blow up is because Hunter didn't realize he needed to build a fallout shelter.

New York Baseball Off-Season Preview

2011-11-04T09:37:00.003-04:00

Its been only a week since the Cardinals improbable run to a World Series title was complete. While the city of St. Louis celebrates their championship, here in New York it's never too early to look forward to Opening Day 2012. So what can we expect the Yankees and Mets to do this offseason?

Lets lead-off with the Yankees.

In terms of the position players, there won't be much that changes. You still will have the same infield with Teixiera, Cano, Jeter, and A-Rod 1st to 3rd. The outfield will remain the same with Gardner, Granderson, and Swisher left to right for another season. Martin behind the plate and Montero as the DH. Your bench will remain the same as well with Cervelli and Nunez the main backups.

One thing the Yanks will have to get is a right-handed hitting outfielder for the bench. Andruw Jones filled that role quite well in 2011, but you look at the list of free-agents OF's and the perfect fit for the Yankees is... Michael Cuddyer. Why? Cuddyer is not only right handed but very versatile. Can play multiple positions and with this team getting older, not younger you need a player like Cuddyer.

Of course starting pitching is important. A week into the offseason and the Yanks have helped themselves big time by locking up C.C. But can Nova duplicate his 2011 success? What about Burnett and Hughes, can they turn around what was a tough 2011? The two SP's you hear the most that are available are Mark Buehrle and C.J Wilson. So who is the better fit for the bombers? It's Buehrle. Yes he won't light up rader guns but he is someone who can give you 200 innings by accident. Also, the lefty has averaged 15 wins a season for his 12 yr career and has tossed two no-hitters. Wilson is not a bad option either. Yes his 2011 postseason wasn't great but he would be a admirable #2 which is what he really is, NOT an ace.

That brings us to the Mets.

A team that can't seem to shake off the injury virus or the collapses of 2007 and 2008. Lets be honest and I know New Yorkers never want to hear these words to describe ANY New York sports team but this team is a "team in transition"

With the Madoff suit and other issues surrounding this team the payroll is rumored to be approx. $100 million. First things first, do not expect Jose Reyes to be on this ball club next year. But who can and can't Mets fans expect to see on the 2012 roster?

Like a bunch of Major League teams this offseason the Mets need pitching, both starting and relievers. The SP market is thin this year but the relievers are full of talent. Expect Santana, Gee, Niese, Dickey and Pelfrey right now because of how weak the SP market looks but if Santana could somehow show signs of the old Johan then that could be the Mets pickup. The farm team does have two up and coming starters in Wheeler and Harvey but they're not ready.

The bullpen needs a dramatic turnover and for a team looking for a closer, there are plenty out there. And if there are none that the Mets are convinced by, one move the Mets should look into is trading Daniel Murphy. I know he is a fan favorite and the team is high on him but there is a big problem, WHAT IS HIS POSITION!? He would make a great DH for an American League squad and in return the Amazin's could get a reliver who could become, well Amazin.

In terms of the position players. Without Reyes and possibly Murphy and with the dimesions of Citi-Field helping the Mets offense expect a healthy Davis and Wright at the corners. Tejada at shortstop and Turner at second. Bay and Duda can patrol Left and Right Field respectively which brings us to center. Pagan is arbitation eligible but better fits for the Mets include Rick Ankiel and yes Grady Sizemore. Sizemore is injury prone but bring him in on an incentive-based contract and like the lottery "Hey you never know" If there is one thing the Mets can get, it's one year wonders out of either nobodys or prior successful players (i.e Valentin, Tatis, Maine, even Perez in '07). But bottomline for the Mets, expect a few tough years before the good times roll back in Flushing.

-Johnny Montalbano

-Follow me on Twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to me on "Review and Preview" every Wednesday from 5-6pm only on WCWP.org.

RAW Reaction 10/31/11

2011-11-01T14:14:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, a little bit of good old fashioned fun is just what pro wrestling needs. In a business that can sometimes take itself too seriously, a little lighthearted fun can really hit the spot. That is why I welcomed The Muppets’ involvement on this week’s episode of Raw, especically after the ultra-serious melodramatic mess that we got last week.

Fortunately, there would be no Triple H/Kevin Nash involvement on this show, just a video package and an update on Hunter’s health. Instead, we opened with a pre-taped promo from The Rock. I know that most people have a gigantic problem with these pre-tapes, but I don’t. At all. The way I see it, pre-taped Rock is better than no Rock. His promo was entertaining regardless, and we kicked off Raw on a good note. At first, Rocky says “Hell no!” to the thought of teaming with John Cena at Survivor Series. However, he eventually rationalizes it due to the fact that he despises The Miz and R-Truth. There’s still not much logic involved in Rock and Cena willingly teaming up, but...whatever. The Rock at Survivor Series can only be a good thing in my mind. I’m sure their heat for WrestleMania will be fine.

We had CM Punk taking on Mark Henry for he right to be granted a WWE title match at SS. I’m sure I don’t even have to explain why I hated the idea of this match taking place. The execution was okay, with Del Rio causing a DQ and Punk to lose his title shot. Builds a little more conflict between them, but not enough, because Punk would get his title shot back later in the night after locking in the Anaconda Vice on Del Rio and forcing it out of him. Not a whole lot of interest for this match at SS as of now.

I’ll get into the Muppet segments now. The initial Kermit/Miss Piggy/Vickie Guerrero/Jack Swagger segment was not particularly good. We got an “EXCUSE ME” match between Miss Piggy and Vickie, which thankfully didn’t last too long. The next Muppet segment was much, much better. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were backstage in Bunsen’s lab. Beaker runs into Christian, who gets chased off by Sheamus, who then tells Beaker that he can’t make it to the family reunion this year, but to tell Aunt Theresa he says hello. Awesome. Just awesome. I’m sure many of us were hoping for Sheamus/Beaker interaction.

Something else I’m sure a lot of us predicted was Statler and Waldorf in the balcony. These short segments were mildly amusing, but it was more enjoyable just to see them there than anything. We also got the obligatory Hornswoggle/Muppet interaction, kissing Miss Piggy on the cheek and getting punched in the stomach.

The Divas costume battle royal was a waste of a few minutes, Beth was annoying on commentary as usual. Air Boom vs. Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett was not bad in terms of work, although Cody and Wade seem a bit random together. Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show was long and boring. Not sure why we needed this.

Jack Swagger vs. Santino had by far the best Muppet involvement of the night, with Beaker coming to ringside to give Santino a beaker of his “energy drink” to spit in Swagger’s face and pick up the win. It shall be known forever as the “Muppet Screwjob”. Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler was booked very well in my opinion, with Ryder picking up the win, along with a bunch of momentum. It’s always great to see Dolph get a good chunk of ring time on TV. The Cole/Jim Ross saga really isn’t worth worrying about. Jim Ross will continue to be humiliated and Michael Cole will continue to hinder the product.

Finally, let’s talk about the main event that saw Cena taking on The Miz...and laying out Miz and R-Truth to end the show. Cena standing triumphantly over his Survivor Series opponents has to make you wonder why it’s even necessary for him to be teaming up with Rock to take these two on at the PPV, he’s already taken them out by himself. Furthermore, there’s no real consequences for the outcome of the SS tag match. Are they even trying anymore? I understand throwing Rock on the PPV, but there are many different ways they could have gone about it. The current situation not only makes no sense, but is just plain boring.

Overall, a pretty decent show. The Muppet provided a bit of much needed silliness, although I do feel that we were robbed of a Triple H/Gonzo segment...

Chris Maffei

@cmstrike

Catch Chris Maffei and Nick Malone on Over The Ropes every Thursday night from 7-9PM, right here on WCWPSports.org.

Costly Tweet

2011-10-31T23:09:00.004-04:00

Today, David Stern and the NBA announced that the Miami Heat's owner, Micky Arison, will be fined $500,ooo......for his recent tweets!

Maybe it's just me, but what horrendous thing could be written and put on the Internet that warrants a fine of that magnitude?

Owners and league executives are under a strict code not to discuss the lockout, and Arison appeared to violate that code on multiple occasions, so I can see the possibility of a small fine to get a point across to owners...but $500,000?! That's insane!

In what is considered the most questionable tweet by Arison, he responds to a fan that asks: "How's it feel to be apart of ruining the best game in the world? NBA owners/players don't give a damn about fans & guess what? Fans provide all the money you're fighting over&you greedy (expletive) pigs." In response, Arison wrote, "You are barking at the wrong owner."

Now let's take a timeout and talk this over. What is so outrageous about this simple tweet? I have no idea. It's clear that Arison is on the side with the big-market owners, and he is not in the same type of conflict other owners are in who have smaller market teams. Arison is simply saying that he should not be taking blame from the fans for the current lockout. Arison wants basketball to get going, and he would be one of the first owners to get basketball started for a 2011-2012 season. I know that David Stern doesn't want owners and executives discussing the lockout through media outlets such as Twitter, but if you're going to fine someone, do it right.

According to ESPN, this is the third time that an owner has been fined when discussing the NBA Lockout in the past year, as Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was fined $100,000 for comments about the need for a hard salary cap. In addition, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan was fined $100,000 within the last month.

So how do the comments made by Arison deserve a $500,000 fine? The answer: They don't. Stern overreacted, and will hear it from NBA owners and maybe even players because a little tweet like that doesn't deserve a fine of half a million dollars.

-David Otero

Follow David on Twitter @David_ODog, or listen to him every Tuesday on the Sportswire from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and wcwpsports.org!

NFL Week 8: Giants/Dolphins Preview

2011-10-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

This is the game you look at, as a fan, and circle as a win. They’re the lowly Dolphins. They haven’t won a game. Their coach is on the hot seat. They just collapsed epically against Tim Tebow! Tim Tebow! How can the Giants possibly lose this gamae?

Simple

The Giants haven’t played a complete game this year. The offensive-line is still inconsistent. The pass rush is inconsistent. Aaron Ross is inconsistent. They still have warts.

Meanwhile the Dolphins might not be playing well as a team but they have individual players, especially on defense, who are having solid seasons. Cameron Wake is a great pass rusher; Kao Misi and the Dolphins defensive line have played much better football than you probably realize.

If the Giants lose this game it’ll probably look similar to the Seahawks game. A combination of mental mistakes, the Dolphins defense playing stellar and a little bit of bad luck.

Here are the key match-ups for the Dolphins/Giants game:

Giants Vs. The Bye Week

The new CBA changed rules about team contact during the bye week (a team now must give four consecutive days off to its players during a bye.) The bye week was always looked at as a positive. It was time for the players to get healthy and get on the same page. The coaches, and players, could study film for two weeks to devise a game plan for a specific opponent.

It’s too early to make a definitive ruling but the teams coming off a bye last week didn’t look particularly great. The Browns, at home, barely beat an injury riddled Seahawks team. The Chargers lost to the Jets and looked particularly befuddled when it came to timing and game management. The Titans got decimated by the Texans at home.

Will this crop of bye week teams, Giants included, show the same kind of rust?

Cameron Wake/Misi Vs. The Giants O-Line

As alluded to earlier the Dolphins defense is better then you think. Wake and rookie Misi have graded out well, with Wake grading out as one of the NFL's best pass rushers by Pro-football Focus's grades.

Meanwhile the Giants offensive line has been inconsistent at best. David Diehl, returning to guard this year, has had a particularly nightmarish season.

Prediction: Giants make their fare share of mistakes but are simply too talented a defense to allow the Dolphins to pull away. Giants win ugly. 20-6

CW Post Pioneers Mens basketball vs St Johns Red Storm

2011-10-25T19:11:00.004-04:00

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=8c633850d7" >CW Post Pioneers mens basketball vs St Johns</a>

RAW Reaction 10/24/11

2011-10-25T13:31:00.001-04:00

The WWE was truly on the verge of greatness just a few months ago, and that fact is really what makes it painful to see the direction (or lack thereof) that they’ve been moving towards for the past couple pay-per-view cycles. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw was not particularly terrible, but there were a few undesirable factors that I felt held this show back from kicking off the path to Survivor Series in the most effective way possible.

I’m going to start with what I enjoyed this week, because I feel like I come off as all “doom and gloom” in regards to my reactions to each show. I like the continued emphasis on Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. I’ve always enjoyed Ziggler, but I’ve noticed that he’s really been making strides over the past few months. He can go in the ring, and his promos continue to improve. Squash matches worked to great effect in the gool ol’ days, providing a little extra boost to whomever they’re trying to heat up. Ziggler going over Santino with Swagger locking in the ankle lock in the post-match was probably about as basic and effective as you get when continuing the emphasis on guys. Mason Ryan came out to save Santino, which works for what they’re doing with him. The solidarity between the Ziggler/Swagger/Guerrero faction is one of my favorite aspects of Raw every week.

John Laurinaitis’s decision to tag up John Cena with Zack Ryder to face The Miz and R-Truth was a great way of not only giving Ryder the rub, but building more crowd support for Ryder, as we were robbed of his appearance in the main event due to Miz and Truth taking him out before the match.

Establishing Miz and Truth as the “rebels” may work a bit better if they’re not involved in embarassingly bad segments such as the one they had last night. If you missed it, don’t bother looking it up. Now, if we recall, Miz and Truth were the entire reason for the walkout a few weeks ago, which seems to be almost a distant memory at this juncture. Rest assured, they did indeed further contribute to that “unsafe working environment” that seemed to cause such an uproar weeks ago by taking out Zack Ryder before their match against him and Cena, as well as getting disqualified during that match (which became a handicap match, by the way) and “upsetting” the interim GM. However, there are no consequences, just a match made for Survivor Series against Cena and the partner of his choosing...The Rock. Wonder if he’ll accept?

CM Punk’s rematch for the WWE title seems to finally have been acknowledged, and it looks like Johnny Ace will make Alberto Del Rio defend his title against Punk at Survivor Series. Well, he actually said he’ll “think about it,” meaning Punk will have to jump through some more hoops throughout the next couple of weeks to get what he wants. This promo segment between these three was not terrible, but I’d say that Punk was the only real redeeming element, as he so often is.

Now, I’ll finally address the one thing on this show that I wish could have been avoided altogether. I’m of course talking about the Triple H/Kevin Nash angle that was deemed important enough to take up two and a half segments worth of television time this week. Nash attacked Hunter on the stage with his own weapon of choice. Then he attacked him again as he was being loaded into the ambulance. Two sledgehammer shots, two torn quads, and two segments later, the entire opening angle of Raw this week was centered around a friendship gone bad, and a match that nobody asked for or, quite frankly, wants. They’re playing up the possibility of Hunter suffering a neck injury, which should lead to so wonderfully melodramatic storytelling in the coming weeks. Assuming this feud is payed off at Survivor Series (which fits the current trend of hot-shotting absolutely EVERYTHING), it wouldn’t be a moment too soon.

Remember in June, when Punk almost saved this company? Ah well. I suppose we’ll see what the Muppets have in store for us next week...

Chris Maffei

@cmstrike

Catch Chris Maffei and Nick Malone on Over The Ropes every Thursday night from 7-9PM, right here on WCWPSports.org

Luck Love Has To Stop

2011-10-24T22:21:00.004-04:00

by Jordan Lauterbach

This is not an anti- Andrew Luck column. It’s a calm down plea.

There is little doubt that the Stanford quarterback is one of the better pro prospects College Football has seen in years. His numbers clearly indicate that. This season alone, Luck has thrown for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is the likely winner of the Heisman trophy- if for nothing else, a tribute to a career that is probably finished.

He’s been a great college player. No one would deny that. But here is something that Luck is not- an NFL legend.

At least not yet, anyway. But you wouldn’t know it by the way he’s talked about in both college and NFL circles. It’s as if Johnny Unitas himself rose from the dead, laced up his high-tops, and enrolled in Stanford.

As both the NFL and college seasons progress, the chatter about Luck being the “can’t miss” of all “can’t misses” has gotten so fast and furious that it borders on lunacy.

Two incidents from this past weekend set the Luck love machine into hyper speed, enough to make even the most ardent of supporters of the quarterback chuckle and scratch their heads.

First, bad losses by both the Dolphins and Colts provided fodder to those who actually buy the insane premise known as “Suck for Luck.” This phrase is nothing but a clever ryme. If you’re unfamiliar- consider yourself lucky. But, for purposes of transparency, know that “Suck for Luck” refers to the idea that teams are throwing games with the conscious goal of locking up the worst record in the league, giving them the opportunity to draft America’s next great hero.

Goodness forbid these teams are just putrid and poorly coached. They must have an ulterior motive.

Take the Dolphins first- In a league that is so fickle and unstable, why would any professional put their jobs and reputation on the line for an organization that could cut them tomorrow? After all, most of those players are part of the problem. In all likelihood, very few will be around to see the fruits of their futility.

So why would they bother? Why would they care?

Tony Sparano sure doesn’t. After all, he only has a job because Luck’s former Head coach, Jim Harbaugh, decided to go elsewhere. Sparano is a dead man walking. Losing games purposely is like handing your killer a hand written suicide note, a weapon, and the keys to your gassed up car.

Luck is the last thing on Sparano’s mind. Job applications? Maybe. Luck? No way.

The same goes for Indianapolis. They already have Andrew Luck. His name is Peyton Manning. At 35, Manning could have up to five more good and eight more solid years. It’s doubtful that Luck would see the field as a Colt before 2015.

By that time, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and the like will be retired, close to it, or somewhere else. Lifespan in the NFL is not long enough for players to become free thinking executives on the field.

Also, who’s to say Luck doesn’t pull a John Elway or Eli Manning and try to beat the draft system? Maybe he doesn’t like the heat or the pressure of having to be the next Dan Marino. Maybe he doesn’t want to sit on the bench for a few years only to be the guy who replaces Manning.

In a far more unlikely scenario, Luck returns to Stanford for his final year of eligibility, either to win a national title or take one more chance at landing in a more desirable NFL city. If Sam Bradford taught us anything, it's that getting hurt as a senior doesn't always mark doom.

Too many factors exist for throwing games to be seen as a plausible possibility.

Sometimes, teams are just bad. They aren’t conniving. They are untalented.

The Luck madness doesn’t end there.

ESPN anchor Stuart Scott tweeted this on Saturday night: …”…I’ve talked to NFL folks…Andrew Luck is the real deal and better than 20 NFL (QB’s).”

This isn’t a shot at Scott. The reality is that his opinion isn’t that far off from that of others. But, just as it’s ridiculous to say that the best team in college would beat the worst team in the NFL, it’s hard to compare college talent directly with NFL talent, given the large gap in the NCAA.

The difference between the best and worst player in college is lightyears larger than it is in the NFL. It’s just simple mathematics. There are 32 teams in the NFL. There are over 100 on the NCAA. That’s a lot of football players, and most of them won’t ever get tickets to an NFL game, much less play in one.

There are no Dukes, UCLA’s, Colorado’s, or San Jose State’s in the NFL. But there are on the Stanford schedule.

What’s more- the numbers Luck is putting up against these opponents are really good- but they aren’t legendary. Entering week nine, he isn’t leading a single major statistical quarterback category, and that's after playing the aforementioned opponents. How could he be better than 20 NFL quarterbacks when he isn’t statistically better than Robert Griffin III?

Again, it’s not an anti-Luck stance. Saying that he has the tools to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL is fine. It’s probably correct. But saying he’s already there is not.

College Football Saturday returns Saturday at 11 a.m. only on 88.1fm and WCWP.org.

Follow Jordan on Twitter @jlauterbach1

College Football Saturday Triple Threat

2011-10-21T22:57:00.008-04:00

While College Football Saturday is taking the homecoming weekend off, Jordan and Bryan have still handed in their triple threat picks.

Jordan Lauterbach:

Early Time Slot: UNC @ Clemson- 12 p.m.

Mid-Afternoon Time Slot: Auburn @ LSU- 3:30 p.m.

Evening Time Slot: USC @ Notre Dame- 7:30 p.m.

Bryan Gallucci:

Early: Oklahoma State @ Missouri 12 p.m.

Mid-Afternoon: Auburn @ LSU- 3:30 p.m.

Evening: Wisconsin @ Michigan State 8 p.m.

The Sports Insiders take over on Homecoming Saturday from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.. College Football Saturday returns on October 29 at 11 a.m only on 88.1fm and WCWP.org.

Follow Jordan @jlauterbach1
Follow Bryan @BryanGallucci

Irish Face USC in a "Should Win" Game

2011-10-21T15:15:00.003-04:00

Here's Jordan Lauterbach's newest college football column.

College Football Saturday returns on Saturday October 29 at 11am only on 88.1fm and wcwpsports.org

Follow Jordan @jlauterbach1 on Twitter!

What To Watch For In Week 7

2011-10-21T13:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Football Friday friends. So you open up your local newspaper to check the matchups for Week 7 in the NFL. While there may not be a game that looks astounding, there are a few that should grab your attention this week.

What exactly are those games?

1. Chargers(4-1) @ Jets(3-3), 1pm.

San Diego's four victories have come against teams with a combined 4-17 record and their only loss came at the hands of the Patriots.
New York's record and play hasn't been exactly something to write home about either. Their three wins have been against the lowly Jaguars and Dolphins + a Cowboys team that dominated most of their matchup opening night.
Just looking at the numbers, the Chargers have the advantage on Offense and Defense. The problem for San Diego is staying healthy: Receivers Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates and Running Back Mike Tolbert haven't been 100% for the Chargers.
The only advantage that Gang Green has coming into this week is their special teams unit.

Prediction: With how inconsistent the Jets offense and defense is + San Diego's offense getting healthy & San Diego with simply the better defense look for a 24-17 victory for the CHARGERS.

2. Falcons(3-3) @ Lions (5-1), 1pm

Atlanta is one of those teams that you can't predict. Will their offense show up? Can their defense contain a superb duo in Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson?
For Detroit, last week was more what their head coach Jim Schwartz got into last week instead of the actual game. The biggest key for the Lions to win this football game is to stop the Run, more specifically stop Michael Turner. In games that Turner has rushed for 100+ yards, his teams are 22-3.

Prediction: take out last week's performance and Detroit has been a consistent football team. The only thing Atlanta has been consistent with is their inconsistency. Until the Falcons can show what kind of team they are, give me the LIONS with their MVP duo 31-21.

3. Bears(3-3) vs. Buccaneers(4-2), @ London 1pm

Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman's first NFL moments came in London two years ago. Have things changed since then. Back then he was with a winless team, this week he'll lead his first place Bucs off an impressive 26-20 win over the Saints.
Chicago looked like the complete team coming off a 39-10 drubbing of the Vikings last Sunday Night.
This game has the makings of a close game. Everyone is well aware of Chicago's Offensive Line woes. But at the same time the Bears have not played well this year on the road and now your asking them to play in another country.

Prediction: the reason why the BUCS win this game is: Tampa has a better feel of London, they've been there since Tuesday taking the sights in. While Chicago is treating this like a regular road game. Tampa will be fresher and ready to go. BUCS win 28-21

- Johnny Montalbano

-Follow Johnny on Twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to Johnny on "Review and Preview" every Wednesday from 5-6pm only on WCWP.org

No One Has Your Back: An NBA Lockout Story

2011-10-19T23:32:00.006-04:00

by Jason Comack

Imagine this. You are an NBA player. You aren't a star. You don't make millions of dollars a year. You don't drive a Maybach. You don't have endorsement deals. You went to college, but the classes didn't matter. You were born to be a basketball player.

You make 780,000. It sounds like a lot but, that's before you lose half of it to taxes. Then another 25,000 goes to your agent. Then you have to pay your financial adviser 5,000 as well.

When it's all said and done you're left with 300,000 to pay the bills. You have a family to support. You have friends and distant relatives looking for handouts. You need these paychecks to keep up the lifestyle that comes with being an NBA player.

Now you are locked out.

You look for union leadership and find Billy Hunter. Do you trust him? Hunter makes three times as much as you do. He's looking to protect his own job. If he tried to secure a deal the star players didn't like he'd surely be fired. The longer he stretches the lockout the more money in his pocket. Hunters near retirement anyway. He won't be around to see the changes he's “fighting” for even be put into affect. You question where his allegiances lie.

You turn to your agent. After all he's your agent. You pay him to guide you. He'll be on your side...right? Then you realize he has a vested stake in many of the issues being debated in the lockout. After all 3 percent of your salary, over the life of your contract, goes into his pocket. Your career may last 10 years at best. His can span 30 plus. Whose side is he on?

You turn to you fellow players. The NBA fraternity. These men are your brothers. You all want the same thing...right? You look at the salaries of your “brothers” who are fighting to keep the lockout going. Kobe Bryant makes 25 million, Kevin Garnett makes 21 million, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire each make 18 million. Are they really in the same boat you are? Are they really surviving paycheck to paycheck?

Then you find out these star players agents had the foresight to defer money when they signed new contracts. You might not be getting paid, but they are. You also find out these star players are organizing a tour of Europe that might net each player a cool million for just a couple weeks of work. More money then you've made in your entire career.

Not shockingly you didn't get an invite.

You start to wonder why there's been no sense of urgency till just now. You wonder why no one seems to care that tons of players like yourself are out of a job.

And then it hits you.

You look around and realize that no one has your back.

Like what you see? Read Jason on ProSportsBlogging.com ,you can also hear him every Monday and Thursday on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.com . Follow him on twitter at J_Comack

RAW Reaction 10/17/11

2011-10-18T22:06:00.002-04:00

I went into this week’s taped edition of Monday Night Raw from Mexico City with absolutely zero expectations. Let’s face it, last week’s show was a cluster of confusion; there was just way too much going on in terms of angles. In comparison, this week's show was not that bad, although a bit dull. I guess the taped aspect brings it down an extra notch, but this show was largely met with apathy on my part. Which is always great on the go-home show before a pay-per-view, right?

The WWE Championship should, for all intents and purposes, be the most important thing in this entire company. It’s the one thing that every guy who steps through that curtain should have in the back of their mind from day one. Quite frankly, it’s gone from being an achievement, to a prop, to a complete afterthought. The main focus of this show for quite some time has been the main position of authority. General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, President, Commissioner, Sheriff...whatever you want to call it, it’s the one thing that this company puts over as THE most important aspect of the show. TNA is just as guilty of this. Personally, I don’t care who’s running the show in kayfabe terms. I don’t care who’s making matches, hiring, firing, or having an inappropriate relationship with the Bella Twins. I just don’t care. I want competition, athletic showmanship, and storytelling that begins and ends inside that 20x20 ring, not John Laurinaitis on my television.

There’s a PPV on Sunday. How could that possibly be? There’s really nothing worth paying to view, especially the WWE title match between two guys whom we just saw wrestle for 15 minutes on free television. I’ve been adamant about the need to decrease the number of PPVs for quite some time now, and I just can’t quite wrap my head around how anybody actually pays money for some of these B and C shows with no build and no incentive to purchase them. I have no problem shelling out 50 bucks when I’m invested in the product and compelled by the card. So much of that has to do with building anticipation. The way I see it, this company is just killing everybody’s interest.

My feeling coming away from Raw this week didn’t have as much to do with the show itself as it did with the overall mess of a product we’ve been watching for the past few months. There was some good on this show, don’t get me wrong. The alignment of Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and Vickie Guerrero has been growing on me for weeks, and I think they’re about to hit their stride as a unit. Zack Ryder was allotted some TV time this week. Hell, he squashed Swagger in seconds. Perplexing, but I suppose I’ll take it. Mason Ryan is just...there.

The team of CM Punk and Triple H still confuses me to no end. It’s probably best if we don’t question it, because it’s just wrestling, right? Some people might like to turn off their brain while watching wrestling. Hell, some people even like to turn off their brain while WRITING wrestling, and that’s what we’ve been witnessing for months. So yeah, Punk and Trips vs. Miz and R-Truth this Sunday. Forgive me if I’m not completely sold on that one. If I didn’t know any better, I might predict a turn somewhere in there. Wishful thinking, maybe. Guess we’ll see how it all pans out this Sunday...

Chris Maffei

@cmstrike

Catch Chris Maffei along with Nick Malone every Thursday from 7-9PM EST on Over The Ropes, right here on WCWPSports.org.

Jordan Lauterbach's College Football Mid-Season Awards

2011-10-18T21:52:00.004-04:00

Can't get enough College Football?

Read WCWP's Jordan Lauterbach's newest college football column

College Football Saturday returns on Saturday October 29 at 11am only on 88.1fm and wcwpsports.org

Follow Jordan @jlauterbach1 on Twitter!

Which Carson Palmer Will Show Up In Oakland?

2011-10-18T20:25:00.005-04:00

by Jason Comack

The Raiders today traded a first round pick in 2012 and a conditional second round pick in 2013 for Carson Palmer.

Let's separate fact from fiction:

Carson Palmer suffered serious knee injury in 2006 : Fact

Carson Palmer changed his mechanics after the knee injury in 2006 leading to his elbow/shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of the 2008 season : Fact

Although he claimed to be healthy Palmer was never the same after the 2006 season. Posting decent cumulative numbers but with very few on field results. : Fact

Carson Palmer hasn't won a playoff game. Therefore he isn't a good QB. : Fiction.

Carson Palmer is 32 and will start declining due to age. : Fiction

Carson Palmer had his best season when Hue Jackson was wide receiver coach of the Bengals (04'-'06): Fact

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's clear the Oakland Raiders overpaid for Carson Palmer. They could have had Matt Flynn, Kyle Orton, Josh Johnson, Vince Young or any other QB slightly better then Kyle Boller for significantly less.

Instead in true Raider fashion they swung for the fences.

The question is which Carson Palmer do the Raiders get.

Do they get the guy, who in 2006 everyone thought would be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for the rest of the decade? Or, do they get the guy who never fully recovered from injuries.

If the latter is true this will go down as one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL.

However, Carson Palmer is set up for success in Oakland.

Palmer has a very good offensive line (lead by the criminally underrated Jared Veldheer) to block for him. He has one of the best running backs (and explosive play makers) in the NFL in Darren McFadden. He also has what's quietly become a very fast and dangerous wide receiving core. Ford, Moore and Heyward-Bay all have the ability to stretch the field and run a true vertical passing offense.

The vertical passing offense is what made Palmer so successful in Cincinnati. Palmer learned the offense from QB coach Ken Zampese which is based on Norv Turners vertical offense (think Phillip Rivers) and very similar to what Hue Jackson's offense in Oakland now resembles.

This trade is obviously a steal for Cincinnati. They acquired high picks for a guy they expected to keep on the shelf for his shelf life.

But it's not a bomb for Oakland. At least not yet.

Like what you see? Read Jason on ProSportsBlogging.com ,you can also hear him every Monday and Thursday on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.com . Follow him on twitter at J_Comack

Fantasy Cover 2 for Week 7 by Patrick Creighton

2011-10-18T16:42:00.000-04:00

With the NFL's trade deadline today, and most league's waiver claim system not setting until after midnight tonight, I wanted to get this up as soon as possible.

The biggest story, of course, is Carson Palmer being traded from the Bengals to the Raiders. Palmer being dealt is something that I, along with almost the entire football universe, thought was never going to happen since Bengals' owner Mike Brown wanted premium dollar for his banished QB, who really isn't worth it. However, favor fell in his hands, as Jason Campbell's injury made the Raiders completely desperate, and during a physical with David Garrard, it was discovered that he needed back surgery (as reported on WFAN by Mike Francesa), and therefore was not a viable option. The price for the Raiders was insanely high, a first roudn pick and a conditional first round pick, but Brown was happy to capitalize on their desperation. I am sure Brown will brag about this trade until the day he dies. Most importantly, grab Palmer in all formats if you need QB help. He won't pay dividends right away, but he should be able to learn the offense quickly enough, especially with the Raiders bye week coming up after this week's game. The Raiders think, at 4-2, they are a playoff team. While that remains to be seen, they know if they want to be a playoff team, Kyle Boller won't get them there. Steve Corkran expects Boller to start this week, then Palmer to take the reigns after the bye week, and looks like the most realistic course of action.

Interestingly enough, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that if the Raiders couldn't reach an agreement with Bengals for Carson Palmer, their next choice was to go after Eagles' backup QB Vince Young. You would have to think that Young would have been both cheaper in cost of trade and more ready to play immediately.

DeMarco Murray is expected to be the Cowboys starting RB with Felix Jones sidelined. Murray is a must add for any Jones owner and anyone looking for RB help. Murray gets two prime matchups vs the Rams and Eagles. While Jones' injury ensures Tashard Choice will not be dealt, Choice appears to have lost the explosiveness he once had. Jones is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, and in Felix' case, it usually lends towards the latter.

John Beck relieved the 4 INT throwing Rex Grossman in Washington this past week. However, the Washington Times is reporting that HC Mike Shanahan hasn't proclaimed who his starter will be. The Times story goes on to say that the receivers in Washington have been rallying for Grossman to stay the QB, but Grossman has a history of these massive meltdowns like he had last week, and the 2 QBs played virtually equal to each other in the preseason. Beck should be considered the favorite to start this week after Grossman's implosion in Week 6. Beck makes for a decent QB2.

Christian Ponder is the new Vikings QB according to an NFL Network report after Donovan McNabb was benched last week as well. Now, to be fair to McNabb, the Vikings O-Line is abysmal, but considering the way he seems to have lost his escapability, one can only wonder if he's either injured or just gotten old very quickly. This is the third team in 3 years to put McNabb on the pine, and with the Vikings season all but over, its rebuild time, and they may as well give Ponder the playing time for the rest of the season. He will have plenty of growing pains, but he's more mobile than McNabb, who was sacked 5 times by the Bears before getting yanked. Ponder is a low end QB2 for those in dire need of help at the QB position. McNabb can be dropped in all leagues.

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs claims he will be ready to go after the Giants' bye week this week according to Paul Dottino. He's been dealing with a sprained MCL. Jacobs return will cut into the value of Ahmad Bradshaw, who finally got on track against Buffalo this week. Don't expect any more 3TD games from Bradshaw with Jacobs back in the fold. Set your expectations for Bradshaw accordingly.

Mike Sims-Walker has resigned with the Jaguars, according to Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union. The Jags are desperate for receiving help. MSW drove his coaches in Jacksonville so crazy that they got rid of him, and then he wore out his welcome in St. Louis. Don't expect much from MSW with Blaine Gabbert throwing the ball to him. Desperation play only at this time.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Jahvid Best has not been ruled out for Sunday by HC Jim Schwartz, who said if Best passes his concussion tests, he will play. Best has a history with concussions, and still has to be considered a long shot to play. Maurice Morris is a must add for any Best owner. With the Lions having a week 9 bye, Morris could be called upon to handle the running game for 2 weeks to give Best ample time to recover.
BREAKING: Lions have acquired Ronnie Brown from Eagles in exchange for Jerome Harrison and a conditional 2013 pick. Expect Morris to still get most of the touches this week while Brown learns OC Scott Linehan's offense, but Brown's acquisition could indicate that the Lions fear Best could be out multiple weeks. Brown would be more likely to get the majority of carries, and of course the GL duty, should Best be out an extended period. Even when best comes back, Brown is now the favorite for goal line duty.

Harrison, who has experience in Philly as LeSean McCoy's backup, will now battle Dion Lewis for that position with the Eagles.

While Andre Johnson appears to be ahead of schedule in his return from hamstring surgery, he told CBS Houston that doctors originally told him his recovery "could take up to 6 weeks at most". Currently he has missed 2 games. Don't expect Johnson to be ready before week 9 at the earliest.

Michael Crabtree finally emerged from the shadows this past week, turning in his biggest performance of the year. Most importantly, he led the team in offensive snaps with 52, according to CSN Bay Area. Crabtree is always an injury risk with his history of foot problems, but worth riding when hot, especially since he saw 15 targets last week, and could be in line for more of the same with the 49ers WR corps being so thin. If he's available in your league, grab him up.

According to the Cincinatti Inquirer, Bernard Scott is expected to get the starting nod for the Bengals in week 8 vs the Seahawks. Cedric Benson's attorney is revieweing the NFL's decision to reduce his 3 game rip to 1 game, and indications are that Benson will accept the 1 game suspension and sit out week 8. Scott has a strong matchup vs Seattle and is expected to get a heavy workload. Fantasy owners have been looking for some clarity on this situation, and it looks like its finally here. Scott is a good player to stash on your roster this week for short term RB help.

Steelers WR Mike Wallace is dealing with a slight hamstring pull according to Mike Bires, and is expected to be a limited participant in practice this week. While he's currently expected to play through the injury, should the injury not improve, owners should pick up Emmanuel Sanders as insurance. Sanders has been getting more PT recently than Antonio Brown.

Chris Cooley's shattered finger is expected to keep him out 6 weeks or more, further enhancing the value of Fred Davis, who no longer need worry about sharing reps and TE targets. Davis projects as a TE1 and weekly starter going forward.

After gaining only 22 yards on 10 carries this week, Ryan Torain's grasp on the starting RB job in Washington could be tenuous. Tim Hightower's absence was a surprise, as HC Mike Shanahan decided to only keep him dressed as an emergency back, but Hightower expects to be healthy going forward according to the Washington Post. Shanahan likes Torain, but he will ride the hot hand whomever it may be. At worst, Hightower will be the 3rd down back for his patch catching skills and blitz pickup. Don't cut bait on him yet, as Hightower ran strongly in preseason and early in the season before injuring his shoulder. This has all the makings of the dreaded RBBC.

The Denver Post reports there's growing sentiment in the Broncos hierarchy that Knowshon Moreno is best suited to be a 3rd down back. With Willis McGahee having taken over the primary back role, Moreno has been relegated to 3rd down duty since he returned from injury. While it would take a McGahee injury to get Moreno back in the top spot for now, that's not exactly far fetched considering McGahee's history. Of course, Moreno is just as likely to get banged up. Moreno belongs on fantasy benches.

Percy Harvin played only 29 snaps against the Bears this past week according to ESPN 1500 Twin Cities. Harvin has been battling sore ribs. He's been targeted well when he's on the field, but temper your expectations at least short term with the switch to Christian Ponder at QB.

Greg Little had 6 catches for 72 yards in his first game as starting slot receiver for the Browns, and had he not slipped on the 1 yard line, would have had a TD as well. He's quickly establishing himself as Colt McCoy's favorite target, and if he's still available in your league for some unknown reason, you should rectify that immediately.

Tarvaris Jackson has not practiced in a week, so look for Charlie Whitehurst to get the nod for Seattle. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that HC Pete Carroll is getting Whitehurst ready to play. He is a low to mid QB2 this week vs Browns

Reggie Bush's neck injury isn't considered serious, and its presumed the reason he never returned to last night's game had more to do with the lopsided score than the injury. Bush had 10 carries for 71 yards vs the Jets suspect run D. He should be fine for week 7, which is more than can be said for the Dolphins' putrid offense.

Daniel Thomas had 15 carries for 47 yds in last night's game, but most importantly, didn't seem to show any ill effects of his hamstring injury. Thomas is still the lead back for the Dolphins, but with Matt Moore under center, this offense has far more questions than answers.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Vincent Jackson wasn't able to practice yesterday coming off the team's bye week. While HC Norv Turner appeared optimistic that V-Jax would be able to practice Wednesday, it should be noted that Antonio Gates, Ryan Mathews, and Mike Tolbert all took part in Monday's practice. When its pieces are healthy, the Chargers offense is among the NFL's elite. Should Jackson play, he's a must start in all leagues, as is Mathews and Gates. Gates situation may bear the most watching because his situation is both short term and long term, as he has fought through foot injuries for the last several years and has admitted that at this point its more a pain tolerance than anything that can be done to correct the pain surgically.

Sam Bradford was limping heavily on Monday, according to an AP report. HC Steve Spagnuolo acknowledged concern about Bradford's high ankle sprain, but says he has confidence in backup A.J. Feeley. Feeley will get all the first team reps in practice Wednesday and currently would be the best bet to start in week 7. Also, the Rams acquired Brandon Lloyd to help their WR corps, which has been decimated by injuries. Lloyd does know OC Josh McDaniels' system, and put up ridiculous numbers in it last year, but without Bradford under center, owners should temper expectations.

With the trade of Lloyd, Eric Decker becomes the primary WR in Denver. He's already receiving about 9 targets a game despite the fact the Broncos are a run-oriented offense. Hes a viable WR3.

Matt Schaub's lingering shoulder issue isn't expected to keep him out week 7 vs the Titans. A precautionary MRI revealed no damage according to Nick Scurfield. Start him as you normally would.

If you stashed Jackie Battle after last week, you stashed yourself a starting RB this week. The bye week came at just the right time for the dinged up Battle, who broke through in his first extended PT this year. According to the Kansas City Star, Battle has been earning the praise of HC Todd Haley and is expected to shoulder the load this week. If no one stashed him in your league, don't make the same mistake twice.

While Julio Jones hasn't been ruled out this week, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, keep in mind the Falcons have a week 8 bye, and may give the young WR another week off, hopeful of getting him back to 100% when the return from the bye week 9. Harry Douglas has 2 catches for 57 yards in his stead, and would likely get the start if Jones is sat down again this week.

Start/Sit questions? Send them to me on Twitter: @PCreightonWCWP

Catch me on The Sportswire, Fridays from 6-7pm on 88.1fm and http://www.wcwp.org/

Patrick Creighton has appeared on WFAN-NY and YES Network, and is the play-by-play voice of C.W. Post Football and Women’s Basketball.

Midnight Madness Interviews

2011-10-17T14:14:00.006-04:00

This past Friday, October 14th, Max Caster and myself had the priviledge of broadcasting Midnight Madness at the Pratt Center. It was an awesome time as both the men's and women's basketball teams were introduced to the crowd and there were all sorts of fun events that the student body and players participated in.

Along the way, we had some very special guests sit down at the table with us to talk about the the upcoming basketball year. Unfortunately due to some technical difficulties we were unable to save the Coach Casey, Coach Moore, and Gilbert Montalvo interviews but I'd like to thank them for taking the time out and sharing a few laughs. Here were the rest:

Billy Butler - PG, C.W. Post Pioneers

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Janea Aiken - Conference Player of the Year, C.W. Post Lady Pioneers

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Stefan Bonneau - Conference Player of the Year, C.W. Post Pioneers

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Vaughn Allen - Forward, C.W. Post Pioneers

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Once again thanks to everyone who made the night possible. Make sure you tune in to our coverage of the C.W. Post Pioneers vs. the St. John's Red Storm on October 25th. Pregame starts at 6:30 PM and tip is set for 7 PM. Catch it only on 88.1 FM and wcwpsports.org

-Matt Soldano

Bound For...More Of The Same?

2011-10-17T13:49:00.002-04:00

For those that had the chance to see TNA's version of "WrestleMania" dubbed Bound For Glory, this roller coaster of a PPV had it's limited ups but definite downs. Going in, there were two major headlines rolling into the minds of the fans purchasing the PPV...

1) Will Robert Roode (One half of Beer Money w/ James Storm) capture TNA World Heavyweight Gold from Kurt Angle?

2) How bad will this match between Hulk Hogan (Age: 58) and Sting (Age: 52) really be?

By the end, leaving the Movie Theater (I've never seen a wrestling PPV or anything else other than a movie before in a movie theater setting), I was never sad, or even let down given the recent hype for Roode on the TV show over the last month, Impact Wrestling, and demotion of Vince Russo from Head Writing but disappointed that Hogan and crew couldn't even pull off a marginally better performance to make this PPV stand out from a random TNA PPV, ala, TNA No Surrender other than the setting and location being outside the Impact Zone.

Let's get onto the rolling thoughts with this show from last night.

Because of the last few weeks of TNA Impact Wrestling highlighting the positives of making Robert Roode into somewhat of a Main Eventer, after winning the Bound For Glory Series (A 6 month roller coaster ride to determine the #1 contender at Bound For Glory featuring the 10 top guys in the company that aren't champions), they had really built this series up Roode by beating AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, Gunner, James Storm, top guys in TNA, to get him ready for BFG in Philly.

I had an open mind without any negative thoughts going in to this event.

The movie theater feel was very cool in Port Washington despite the price of it being 22 dollars a ticket. It made me feel like I was in a time-warp back to 1985, watching WrestleMania 1, on closed circuit with a closed out theater to see some wrestling. I thought the group I was going with would be the majority in the theater watching this event.

This movie theater in Port Washington did such a good job advertising (not really), that you couldn't even tell the theater was showing a wrestling event, not even as if you were in the theater on the headlines of the movies they were showing. So we paid the money for the tickets and it was the same room that was showing Dolphin Tale. For my money, I wanted TNA to get Morgan Freeman to do the opening video but suffice to say, that was not enough...

When the theater doors first opened there were the 5 of us and 1 more guy in coming early (Half hour early) to get a good seat. If you came at 10PM, you could have picked anything in the theater it was that empty. I fully expected there to be a total of 7 people show up. There was 14 so I was somewhat impressed. Apparently, this was one of the 130 theaters that would be showing BFG live worldwide. Still, this is more theaters than the WWE would show for John Cena's next movie, The Reunion, before it hits Walmart the following week. Well done TNA.

Yes, I attended the show with my girlfriend, Amanda, (who's a casual fan, taking in her first TNA experience), two former co-hosts of OTR in Mike "Bon" Hawkins, and Josh Chapdelain. Josh's friend Dillion (Sorry if you're reading this and I got the name spelled wrong) tagged along also.

First match that started off the pre-show at about 7:45PM was Mexican America (As politically correct as they come) of Hernandez, and Anarquia, defending their Tag Team Titles against Inc. Inc. of Jessie Neal and Shannon Moore. Match was slow paced and methodical and not entertaining to the Philly crowd in the Liacours Center at Temple University nor the one in the Port Washington movie theater. I felt more compelled to get snacks than watching all of this match take place. I got my Popcorn, Soda and a candy, so I was set before 8PM when the show would actually start.

By the way, anytime you have Satind give you a song for the main theme of a PPV, it's generally a bad idea to begin with. On with the main show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq03On6z3Is&feature=channel_video_title

TNA has this running routine of airing an X-Division match, whether it be singles or multi-man match to start the PPV off and get the PPV off to a hot start. X-Division Title match = Austin Aries (c) vs. Brian Kendrick. A nice solid opener that featured Aries get some noticeable spots in like the Air Raid Missile through the middle ropes to the outside at bullet like speed. Gotta give credit to Kendrick for having the shin pads covering his bare feet for the unique and strange quality of this character... I'm giving credit to any pro wrestler that has ever wrestled barefoot like the late-great, Umaga, and also the lone remaining Von Erich brother, Kevin Von Erich. Aries wins with the corner dropkick and Brain BUSTAHHHHHHHHH!!! (Japanese Commentator call) combo to retain. This was one of the highlights in the show.

Next Match was designed to relive 1998 in 2011 in Philly with a match between RVD and Jerry Lynn. A full metal mayhem match which gave the crowd more reason to jump for the spots and not the match itself. Alot of concussion inducing spots later and this mess of a match was over. With all the head trauma and concussion discussion that takes place in 2011, you have to wonder why this match would even be needed in 2011. A big time thumbs down. Work safer, not dumber.

Third match on the card was a triple threat match between Samoa Joe, Matt Morgan and Crimson. Samoa Joe as the heel is getting the smart mark crowd reaction in Philly similar to Aries did in the first match of the night. Not good. Matt Morgan and Crimson gang up on Samoa Joe. Not good. Crimson just sucks in every way possible and has the look of a guy you'd make out of the generic sampler from WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006. A slow and plodding match that would indicate Samoa Joe wanting to leave TNA after the next few months. Crimson with a spear gets the win after Morgan does the work on Samoa Joe.

That was part 1 of TNA BFG recapped (Gotta get to class) and part 2 will be put up either later tonight during Raw or sometime tomorrow.

Till next time,

I'm Nick Malone.

Islanders Tavares impresses coaches and teammates

2011-10-17T01:12:00.001-04:00

In four games, New York Islanders star John Tavares already has five goals, three assists and eight points. The 21 year old Tavares has started his third NHL season with quit a bang, which includes scoring a hat trick in Saturday night’s game against the rival New York Rangers.

Since the season opener Tavares has looked like a stronger player. He’s a lot stronger on the puck and his skating ability has picked up. During the offseason he a power skating camp and reviewed game film to make adjustments to his game.

Islanders head coach Jack Capuano called Tavares the team’s best player following the Islanders 4-2 victory over the Rangers.

“He struggled his first game, but he knows what he has to do,” Capuano said. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself, you just leave him alone, he’s a student of the game, he works extremely hard and he’s going to get his chances. Right now he’s playing with confidence and he wants to help this team get into the post season.”

Matt Moulson, the Isles top line left-winger and Tavares’s friend, wasn’t too surprised at Tavares’s ability. Following Thursday nights 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, a game in which Tavares nearly had a had trick, Moulson believed Tavares would have a few hat tricks this season.

“It stinks, but I’m sure he’ll have a lot of three goal games this year, so not to worry,” Moulson said Thursday.

It only took Tavares one game to get his first of the season.

“He works hard every single day on his game and makes himself better on the ice and off the ice,” Moulson said on Saturday. “He’s just committed to being one of the best players in this league. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and when he does that he’s a scary player to play against. Like I said his first year, he’s only going to get better every year. The more mature he is and understands what he’s capable of and I think you’re seeing glimpses of it here.”

Time will tell what Tavares is truly capable of, but if he continues to play like the way he has early on then the team, and its’ fans, can expect big things to come.

-Christian Arnold

You can follow Christian on Twitter @isleshockeyblog or listen to him every tuesday from 5-6pm on The Power Play on wcwp.org.

Cowboys/Patriots Preview

2011-10-15T21:11:00.005-04:00

The Dallas Cowboys (2-2) will travel north to face the New England Patriots (4-1) on the season. The game didn’t even start yet, but you would think it might have with all the talking that’s going on. (All of this talk from a team that hasn’t played up to their potential.) I’m a firm believer in doing your talking on the field; don’t give your opponent an added edge against you.

But the big story here is the game itself. Rob Ryan’s defense goes up against Tom Brady’s high power multi-threat attack. The good news is Ryan, in the past, has had success taming Brady and Company. The last time Rob Ryan faced the Patriots was last season in November, where Ryan was the Defensive Coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. In that match up, the Browns defeated the Patriots 34-14, where they contained Brady to only 224 yards passing and a season low passing completion of 52.8 percent.

So far in this young season, the Dallas Defense has been working well, despite injuries and a depleted secondary. The defense ranks 4th in the league in total defense, 1st against the run and also has 13 sacks in 4 games.

Prediction: With an extra week to rest and prepare I see the Boys winning this game with a final score of 31-21. Ryan’s defense will hold the Patriots under 30 points once again.

-Bryan Gallucci

Follow me on Twitter @bryangallucci

You can hear me every Tuesday on the Sportswire from 6-7PM on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org and also on College Football Saturday at 11am bringing you up until Pioneers Kickoff.

Joe's NFL Week 5 in review

2011-10-14T21:52:00.004-04:00

Hello once again friends, lets talk football.

Sticking with the theme of talking about the NY team that won, first...how about those Buffalo Bills. Their theme this season has been beating teams that are only better than them on paper. The Bills beat the Eagles this week by a touchdown 31-24. Nobody told the Bills that their defense is not supposed be good enough to pick off a combined 8 passes from Tom Brady and Mike Vick. The Bills season stays a nice story as Fitzpatrick continues to spread the ball around and drive his offense into the end zone, and Fred Jackson continues to run over and through defenses., but when it comes down to the stars of this team, its gotta be this defense. The way they get to the ball and take it away is pretty incredible. Pretty incredible to think that even with a lack of a serious pass rush (zero sacks this week) they are still able to get five takeaways. This weeks star, once again, was Nick Barnett with his 2 INTs. With all the times this offense gets the ball, it allows Fred Jackson (26 Carries 111 Yds 1TD) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (21/27 193 Yds 1TD) to do their thing and outscore people, which has become Very exciting to watch.

Giants are next on the list because although they had their worst game of the very young season this week, theyre still in better shape than the Jets. This week the old Eli Manning came back to turn the ball over like he does so well, and the awful defense showed up and let Tarvaris Jackson connect on as many passes as he pleased. Dont let the numbers fool you, Eli's 420 passing yards were only there because of the Giants inability to run...again. The three interceptions were scary for Giants fans to see because they've all seen this from him before, and know this doesnt end well. The Giants have a serious issue running as Jacobs is out again this coming week against the aforementioned Bills, and Ahmad Bradshaw ran his way for a whopping 58 yards on 17 carries. What fans have been watching thus far in the season, has NOT been New York Giants football, and as well as Eli has been able to play, it is NOT the way they want games to go. The D-Line of the Giants (and Michael Boley), and the receiving core, are the only units on this team doing their jobs. This week it wont get any easier, as I mentioned playing the Bills, and being without Chris Snee, Brandon Jacobs, and Justin Tuck amongst many more.

Those loveable losers the J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets, this week they had another tough task in front of them in the form of the New England Patriots. The Jets are quickly falling too far back in, what looks to be, a very tough AFC East. The 30-21 loss to New England this week was a game that has become exactly the way the Pats want to play now. A Lot more running for BGE (Benjarvus Green-Ellis) than usual, and when they do let Brady throw its often to Wes Welker. Green-Ellis with 136 yards on 27 carries, AND 2 TDs was not only a sign of how well the Pats now are able to run, but also how much the Jets defense has changed and now have trouble stopping the run. Some of the keys for the Jets last few winning seasons have been the O-Line, and the defense. Nowadays in Jets world, both are failing at what they did best. Mark Sanchez cant be blamed for much this season because the O-Line cant keep him upright long enough. The defense has seemed to have lost something, whether its pride, or hard work, something has changed. Its almost like they just thought they were so good, that whether they worked or not theyd get it done, its not the case. Darelle Revis, Jim Leonhard, Im not talking to you...its just about everyone else though. It Should get easier this week with a game against the winless Dolphins, but that being said, if they cant pull out a win this week, its panic time.

Not a lot of surprises around the league this week. The one game that, anyone who knows me, knew I would cover is, the Denver/SD game. San Diego (or San Diago...which we all know what that means) won this game 29-24 but all the focus was on Denver. The one reason everyone was watching Denver, like they will for the rest of the season, is the new starting QB the one and only Timothy Richard Tebow! Now Ill try to be as unbiased as possible, being a Huge Tebow supporter. Tebow came in to this game to start the 3rd quarter replacing Kyle Orton. To be fair, with the fan base in Denver...he never stood a chance. Tebow proceeded to go 4/10 for 79 yards and 1 TD. Along with this he had 38 yards on 6 carries and a score. Tebow Obviously has a long way to go to being a pro bowler or leading his team to the playoffs, but I for one think it is a very smart idea doing what Denver did, naming him the starter for week 7 after Denvers bye. Tebow has shown us though, that he can win, and loves to work hard and improve. I have high hopes for him, and really believe he can and will develop into someone that proves ALL the doubters wrong.

For the look at the rookies, it has to start once again with Cam Newton. Newton this week against an underrated Saints defense went 16/31 for 224 yds 2 TDs and a pick, while running 7 times for 27 yards and another TD. Not his best game obviously, but had his team in a position to win. However, as the story goes for Carolina this year, they lose another close one 30-27. Every city Newton visits on his road games should be excited to see him because more and more he seems like the future poster boy of this league. Andy Dalton and Blaine Gabbert faced off against one another this week and Dalton got the best of Gabbert and the Jags (as most teams do). Dalton went 21/33 for 179 yds with 2Tds and 1 Int, while making himself and AJ Green more and more of a legit threat to any defense they face. AJ went for 90 yards on 5 catches, one of which was for a TD. Blaine Gabbert completed 15 of his 28 attempts for 221 yds and a touchdown of his own. Gabbert hasnt started as many games as the other rookie QBs but is still coming along nicely. I just think when Jason Hill is your go to receiver along with Mike Thomas...Gabbert just needs more help.

I guess thats all for me this week, as always drop a comment, tell me what game I should be looking at closer for next week, I would be thrilled to oblige. Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Happiness, and healthy fantasy weeks to all

Joe (@CorporalJoe)

Things To Watch For In Week 6

2011-10-14T18:00:00.001-04:00

So we're approximately a third of the way through the NFL regular season which has brought great starts to teams that weren't predicted to do well (i.e. Bills 4-1, Lions 5-0, and the Redskins 3-1) and very disappointing beginnings to others (e.g Jets 2-3, Eagles 1-4, and Falcons 2-3.) But any die-hard football fan and expert can tell you, the NFL is a week-to-week league and all it takes is one or two weeks of solid play or poor performance to reverse a team's and fans confidence.

So what are some key matchups to watch this week?

1. Bills @ Giants 1pm.

The Bills have been one of the surprise teams and have an MVP candidate in RB Fred Jackson and played very well offensively but not defensively.
For the Giants, they have been hit with injuries since the opening week. First on the defensive side and now offensively. G Chris Snee will miss his first game since his rookie season of 2004. RB Brandon Jacobs and DE Justin Tuck will also miss the game.

Keys to the game:

For the Bills the Keys to the game are the same as they have been in previous weeks, get big games from their QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jackson.
For the Giants, it will not be easy but they can win this game IF: Eli Manning has another sharp game which he has had all season with the exception of opening week. The Giants WILL HAVE TO run the football, and what that means is for Ahmad Bradshaw to get 100+ yards on the ground (Buffalo is 29th in Rushing Defense) Finally get a pass rush going, yes the G-men's best pass rusher may be out but this team still has two solid players on the Defensive Line that can get to the QB and the lack of a pass rush was a big reason as to why they loss a tough game to Seattle last week.

Prediction: It will be a close and high-scoring affair, but look for the GIANTS to take this one late thanks to Eli and Bradshaw. Giants win 28-24.

2. Eagles @ Redskins: 1pm

Looking at this game during the preseason, you would think it be first place @ last place, but in a reversal of fortune it's last place @ first place.
The "Dream Team" Eagles are trying to avoid their first five game losing streak since 1998.
The 3-1 Redskins are proving this start is not a fluke, allowing the third fewest points in the NFL (15.8), as well as a dominant pass rush that has produced 15 sacks.

Keys to the game:

For the Eagles: LIMIT THE TURNOVERS. Eagles are -10 this season as compared to the 'Skins who are a -1 . They are putting up fine offensive numbers but the turnovers from this team need to end before the "Dream Team" becomes the "Nightmare reality"
For the Skins: look for two key positions on Washington to be key contributors to this game; the RB [Eagles have allowed over 1oo Rushing Yards in every game this season] and LB [specifically pro bowler Brian Orakpo who has 3.5 sacks this season]

Prediction: another close game that will be decided late in the 4th quarter, but with the momentum, home field advantage, and with all the pressure that is on the Eagles look for the REDSKINS to pull it out 24-21 at FedEx Field.

3. Panthers @ Falcons: 1pm

Cam Newton gets his first professional start in his home state. Newton has been nothing short of spectacular to start his NFL career and his abilites will be a challenge for the Atlanta D.
The Falcons, already with as many losses as in 2010, have been plagued with a fickle offense and a defense that has taken some steps in the wrong direction.

Keys to the game:

For Carolina, keep the game close. Don't be fooled by their 1-4 start, the Panthers have been in every game, with all of them decided seven points or less. Look for that trend to continue against a struggling Falcons defense.
For Atlanta, it really comes down to the play of QB Matt Ryan. Ryan, or "Matty Ice" as they call him has unfortunately been ice cold in the team's first five games, some of which is not his fault, his offensive line has yielded 14 sacks to start the season. It won't help that rookie receiver Juilo Jones will not play due to injury.

Prediction: look for Cam Newton's talents to be too much for Atlanta's struggling D. If Matt Ryan can return to the Matt Ryan of 2010 then expect a fierce battle. As much as it is a must-win game for Atlanta look for the PANTHERS to win 28-17.

-Johnny Montalbano

-follow Johnny on Twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to his recap of the week that was and his sneak peek into the week that will be in sports every Wednesday on "Review and Preview" from 5-6pm only on WCWP.org

Fantasy Cover 2 - Week 6 by Patrick Creighton

2011-10-13T18:43:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Fantasy Cover 2 for Week 6

Last week, this column warned Kyle Orton owners that if the Broncos continued to flounder, that a change could be coming soon. Well, soon is now. Tim Tebow has officially been installed as the starting QB, and should be grabbed in all leagues. Tebow’s mechanics aren’t the best, and his accuracy has been a problem, but he still somehow manages to make plays with both his arm and his legs., and gets points on the board. The rebuild in Denver is here, and John Fox may as well get Tebow as many reps as he can to better prepare him for next season. Consider Tebow a middle of the road QB2 for now.

Jackie Battle insists hes ok after being held out of practice earlier this week according to KCChiefs.com. He was fortunate to not get a concussion after a hit to the back of the head. Hes clearly established himself as KC’s top back, significantly outplaying Thomas Jones. Hes the #2 hot pickup this week behind Tim Tebow.

This column has been pushing Curtis Painter for several weeks now, and Colts HC Jim Caldwell emphasized to the media today that Painter is his starting QB, barring injury, according to Philip Wilson of the Indianapolis Star. The O-Line will continue to be a problem, and while Painter’s accuracy (48.5%) hasn’t been good, look for it to improve as he gets more comfortable and continues to improve his pre-snap reads. Painter has shown tremendous rapport with Pierre Garcon, and those two should continue to yield dividends for fantasy owners. Painter is a decent QB2, Garcon is a high WR2. Joseph Addai won’t play this week, as Delone Carter and Donald Brown will split carries. Neither figures to be a good fantasy bet. With the Colts on the bye week 7, look for Addai to return to the lineup week 8. Its been a tough year for Dallas Clark. Clark already has 6 drops this year, vs. 7 the last 2 years combined according to ESPN.com. Clark is being asked to block more with the Colts O-Line being so hideous. Hes a TE2 at best.

Aaron Hernandez will be ready to go this week vs. Cowboys, according to a Boston Globe report. Hernandez saw more targets than expected last week vs. Jets due to Rob Gronkowski being very ill before the game. Gronk fought through the virus but mainly stayed in for blocking duty. He should be fine to start as well this week in the Patriots’ 2 TE attack. Both players are worth starting every week. Danny Woodhead also returned to practice for the Pats. Since a 14 carry, 69 yd effort opening week vs. Miami, Woodhead has not managed to gain more than 21 yds on ground or 41 yds total in a game since. However, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis missing practice this week (per Ian Rapoport), keep an eye on Woodhead and rookie RB Stevan Ridley, who could share time if the Law Firm is shut down for a week.

Bengals owner Mike Brown continues to state there will be no Carson Palmer trade before the deadline, per a Cincinatti Enquirer report. Palmer will have to wait until March 2012 when the next NFL year begins. The Bengals have already moved on to the Andy Dalton era. Owners looking for QB help should wipe Palmer off their boards for 2011.

Peyton Hillis will be getting the bulk of the carries for the Browns this week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Backup Montario Hardesty will still get a few touches, but expect Hillis to get 20+.

Lee Evans missed practice today according to the Baltimore Ravens official twitter account. Downgrade him for this week. His ankle must not be responding . Find a better option for this week.

Tony Gonzalez returned to practice on a limited basis today. Start him as you normally would. Roddy White was a full practice participant, and should see an increase in targets with Julio Jones out, per reports from AtlantaFalcons.com. With Jones out, the Falcons will use a 3 WR rotation of Harry Douglas, Eric Weems, and Kerry Meier. None are worth rostering at this time.

Rashard Mendenhall is no longer on the Steelers’ injury report, per a Scott Brown report. Get him in your lineup as you normally would. Isaac Redman will return to backup duties. Jonathan Dwyer will likely see very little, if any, action. Ben Roethlisberger is also off the injury report. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Big Ben was only hit 2x all last week vs. the Titans, and that Ben believes he will not need to wear a special shoe designed to protect his foot. Expect Ben to be plenty mobile vs. the Jaguars this week in a strong matchup. Mike Wallace is looking at a big day vs. a weak Jacksonville secondary..

John Keim reports that Chris Cooley was limited in practice, and that HC Mike Shanahan admitted Cooley needed to have his knee drained again. Expect a reduced role this week vs. Eagles. Fred Davis is a TE1 play this week.

Matt Schaub returned to practice today, according to Nick Scurfield, but hes taking a banged up shoulder into a matchup against the Ravens. If you have a comparable option, it might be a good week to sit Schaub down, since he will still be without top WR Andre Johnson. Jacoby Jones has been a total washout since Johnson went down. If you must start a Texans WR this week, look at Kevin Walter. Arian Foster was limited in practice but that is likely the Texans letting him take it easy after handling the ball 27 times last week. He should be fine to start but has a very tough matchup.

Daniel Thomas is back in practice according to Ben Volin. He gets a favorable matchup vs. Jets struggling run D this week.

Brandon Jacobs missed practice again according to Ralph Vacchiano. Looks like he will be a no-go for Sunday. With David Baas set to return to the Giants O-Line this week, bump Ahmad Bradshaw up to RB1 vs. Bills run D. DJ Ware has no value.

LeGarrette Blount hasn’t practiced this week according to Roy Cummings and is unlikely to play this week. With the Bucs having a week 8 bye, Blount could sit next week too. Earnest Graham will shoulder the load, with Kregg Lumpkin as backup.

Redskins beat writer David Elfin believes that Ryan Torain will be given the reins to be the Skins top RB. Tim Hightower has a bum shoulder and is likely looking at being relegated to the 3rd down back. Its Torain’s job to lose at this point.

Panthers OC Rob Chudzinski has said the team will proceed with Cam Newton as its goal line back. While Joe Person reports that HC Ron Rivera said the team would like to “whittle down” Newton’s rushing attempts, don’t expect those carries to be removed at the goal line. They want to limit Newton’s open field running, and prevent him from taking any unnecessary hits. As long as Newton is carrying the ball at the goal line, hes a QB1. His progress from preseason to the regular season has been nothing short of remarkable. DeAngelo Williams value takes a hit with Newton getting carries at the goal line.

Miles Austin and Dez Bryant have been full participants in practice this week, and barring any late setbacks, are must starts this week vs. a weak Patriots secondary in what is shaping up to be a very high scoring game. Tony Romo is also a must start this week.

Marques Colston is fully healed from his collarbone injury and is no longer on a snap count, per a report in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Colston is now getting the most snaps and should be in fantasy lineups. Robert Meacham is getting the second most snaps, followed by Lance Moore and Devery Henderson. Even though Drew Brees likes to spread it around, Colston is a must start, Meachem is a matchup start, Moore and Henderson arent currently worth starting.

With the trade of Derrick Mason to Texas, Jeremy Kerley becomes the Jets #3 WR according to ESPN New York. While he isn’t worth adding at this time, he will be first in line should injury strike Santonio Holmes or Plaxico Burress. Keep an eye on how Kerley progresses, especially if Burress continues to disappoint.

Mike Gehlken reports that Antonio Gates will not guarantee he will be healthy enough to return to the lineup following the Chargers week 6 bye. This is maddening to owners, who likely drafted Gates early and havent gotten anything in return yet. Its too early to write Gates off, especially considering his excellent production from the TE spot. Owners just have to grin and bear it for now.

A Seattle Times report has the Seahawks considering surgery on Tarvaris Jackson. HC Pete Carroll says team won’t know Jackson’s status for week 7 following their bye. Charlie Whitehurst will be handling all first team reps in practice this week and looks to be the odds on favorite to start at this time. Doug Baldwin gets a bump in value if Whitehurst plays, as these two seem to have good chemistry. The majority of Baldwin’s 136 receiving yards vs. Giants last week came with Whitehurst at QB. Baldwin is worth a flier in deeper leagues, and could be a spot starter going forward.

According to the Cincinatti Enquirer’s Joe Reedy, an official at Cincinatti’s National Labor Relations Board office gave a 3-4 week timetable on how long it would take before it reached a decision on Cedric Benson’s unfair labor practice charge. Reedy says the official is also the one who will make the final decision in the case as well. The NFL appears to be holding off on ruling on his suspension until this issue is also settled. Benson owners appear to be safe through weeks 9-10 at the least.

Start/Sit questions? Send them to me on Twitter: @PCreightonWCWP

Catch me on The Sportswire, Fridays from 6-7pm on 88.1fm and www.wcwp.org

Patrick Creighton has appeared on WFAN-NY and YES Network, and is the play-by-play voice of C.W. Post Football and Women’s Basketball

With The First Pick In The NFL Draft...

2011-10-11T20:38:00.004-04:00

by Jason Comack

With the first in the 2005 NFL Draft the San Francisco 49ers select QB Aaron Rodgers from Cal University.

Scouting Report: Rodgers lacks footwork and composure in the pocket. He doesn't throw deep often (or with enough accuracy.) Jeff Tedford is a QB guru that makes college QB's look great. Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, David Carr, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller all were coached by Tedford. How is Rodgers is going to break the mold? He's a system quarterback.

Rodgers is going to get rushed into action with the 49ers. He needs to sit back and learn, instead he's going to be thrown to sharks playing for a team with expansion level talent.

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2005: Rodgers is yanked in and out of the starting lineup. He shows flashes but is more bad then good.

2006: Offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy leaves for the Green Bay Packers and is replaced by Norv Turner. Rodgers is now on his second offensive coordinator in as many years. Rodgers leads the 49ers on a three-game winning streak in November. In a statement game on national television against the Seahawks Rodgers leads a miraculous comeback. Commentator Chris Collinsworth observes that this “is the best I've ever seen [Rodgers]. That drive is the best I saw...What a second-half he has had!". Rodgers improves his stats greatly from year one.

2007: Norv Turner is hired as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Rodgers now is on his third coordinator in as many years. Turner is replaced by Jim Hostler who once again changes the offensive philosophy. On September 30th Rodgers is hurt when his offensive lineman blow yet another assignment. Rodgers suffers a serious shoulder injury. After missing three weeks head coach Mike Nolan openly questions Rodgers toughness. Upon returning to the lineup Rodgers re-injuries himself. After the season Dr. James Andrews would note that Rodgers shoulder never healed properly and he shouldn't have been playing. It's a lost season for Rodgers.

2008: Hostler is fired and replaced by Mike Martz. Martz brings in a totally new system and wants to entirely change Rodgers mechanics. Everything Rodgers has learned in three years is now useless. Rodgers loses his job to J.T. O'Sullivan. On September 10th he breaks his collar bone. Rodgers is labeled a bust.

2009: Mike Nolan is fired. Jimmy Raye is brought on as offensive coordinator. The Niners fifth in as many years. Mike Singletary is hired and the team mends fences with Rodgers. Rodgers loses the quarterback competition to journeyman Shaun Hill. Rodgers returns to the starting lineup on October 26th. In Week 13 he records the first 300-yard passing game of his career. Rodgers is showing signs of life.

2010: Rodgers takes a pay cut to remain with the team. For the first time in his career, he has the same offensive coordinator from the previous season. After a 0-5 start Jimmy Raye is fired and Mike Johnson becomes Rodgers sixth different offensive coordinator. Rodgers clashes with Singletary on the sidelines. The fans boo him off the field and chant for much maligned back up David Carr. Call it the Jeff Tedford curse.

2011: Singletary is fired. Quarterback guru Jim Harbaugh is hired. A long lockout presents a situation where the 49ers and Rodgers need each other. Harbaugh showers Rodgers with coaching and praise. For the first time in his career Rodgers is allowed to play to his strengths. He can roll out of the pocket, he can make quick strike throws. Rodgers enjoys a break out season.

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Meanwhile.....

With the 24th pick in the 2005 NFL draft the Green Bay Packers select quarterback Alex Smith.

Scouting Report: Smith is a dual threat QB who can get you with both his arm and his feet. He's a tremendous leader and a hard worker. The worry about Smith is rushing him to play when he isn't ready.

College coach Urban Meyer says:

"It's going to be interesting in [Green Bay]...Alex is an extremely quick learner. However, he's a guy that, until he understands it, he is nonfunctional. He is a guy that -- I keep hearing how Brett Favre kind of makes something out of nothing and is a person that runs around to make a play -- Alex Smith is not that kind of player. Alex Smith is a person that, once he is taught, has to learn it all. He might struggle early, but once he gets it, he gets it...That's why, early in his career, and early in our career with him at Utah, he was not an effective passer, because he really didn't understand. Once he understood, there was no one better. He learns quickly, though. But he's not a guy that you throw the ball out there and tell him, 'Go play.' He wants to know what is exactly expected of him and then he becomes a dynamite player.”

2005 – 2007 : Smith gets to learn behind hall of fame QB Brett Favre. Mike McCarthy teaches Smith the ins and outs of the west coast offense that made stars out of Joe Montana and Steve Young. Consistency and the ability to learn from the sidelines are key for Smith.

2008: Brett Favre is ousted as QB in what becomes a very public and ugly breakup. With the world on his shoulders Smith breaks out, passing for over 4,000 yards.

2010: Smith reaches sports nirvana. Holding the Lombardi trophy his teammates rush to put a replica world title belt around his waist. He is named Superbowl MVP.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We often ignore external factors in sports and instead look for narratives that are convenient rather then truthful.

Alex Smith has tiny baby hands. Alex Smith isn't tough. Alex Smith doesn't have the heart.

The truth is Alex Smith never had a chance to succeed those first six years in San Francisco.

It's not to say this is how things would have turned out if the 49ers had drafted Aaron Rodgers...but it tells you what might have been.

Like what you see? Read Jason on ProSportsBlogging.com ,you can also hear him every Monday and Thursday on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.com . Follow him on twitter at J_Comack

RAW Reaction 10/10/11

2011-10-11T14:47:00.002-04:00

Let me begin by saying that I love professional wrestling. I love the WWE. However, I most certainly don’t love convoluted, rushed, lackluster angles that seem to take up an inordinate amount of television time every week when I watch Monday Night Raw. Having said that, you probably already know how I feel about this week’s edition.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think that there were some well done elements to this story. Unfortunately, everything they had been building towards after the walkout at the conclusion of last week’s show was completely forgotten before the end of the first hour last night. This is something that has been plaguing this company going back to the beginning of the summer, when the angle involving CM Punk’s absence from the company was cut prematurely, taking a lot of the edge away from what was the most exciting storyline in years. It’s becoming ever apparent that this company has no real long term plans in terms of the direction of their product; guys have been fired and re-hired within a week or two, titles have been passed around like a hot potato, and feuds have been pushed along without any real build or excitement to deliver hot-shot PPV matches.

The jovial interaction between CM Punk and Triple H last night was such a stark contrast to where they were in the story only a few short months ago. If you just started watching Raw again over the past few weeks, you wouldn’t even know that these two men were in a heated rivalry resulting in a brutal No Disqualifications match at the Night of Champions PPV last month. Suddenly, Punk was “in the foxhole” with Hunter, ready to take a stand against the rest of the roster. A lesser performer would have succumbed to all of the possible character inconsistencies that presented themselves in this scenario, but Punk managed to inject at least a bit of logic into a less than logical turn of events.

I suppose the big story coming out of this show is the newly appointed interim General Manager of Raw, John Laurinaitis. Truth be told, it was only a matter of time before the Dynamic Dude himself became a kayfabe authority figure, but the question is, how long will it last? With the current trend within the company being rushed angles, I’d say not for too long.

Enjoy the era of ADD booking, folks. It’s sure not over yet.

You'll hear the rest of my thoughts on Over The Ropes every Thursday night from 7-9, right here on WCWPSports.org.

-Chris Maffei

Dallas Cowboys 1st Quarter Recap

2011-10-10T00:31:00.006-04:00

As the resident Dallas Cowboys fan of WCWP’s Sports Department, it’s time to post my reaction to the first quarter of the season. Although a fan, I strongly believe that this team could be 4-0 as they go through their bye week.

The Dallas Cowboys opened the 2011 season with an emotional Sunday night matchup against the New York Jets. Even though I’m nervous before every game, I was especially concerned about how the ‘Boys passing game would stack up against a solid Jets secondary. My nerves subsided early on after Dez Bryant made two spectacular catches, including a leaping touchdown grab to put them up 7-0. Fast forward a couple of hours and with a 14 point lead in the 4th I mistakenly felt comfortable. But I should know better. After a Tony Romo goal line fumble, and the blocked punt (correctly predicted by Jordan Lauterbach), Mr. Romo sealed the Cowboy’s gruesome fate, propelling the Jets to a 27-24 victory and sinking the Cowboys to 0-1.

After taking some ribbing from the media for his Sunday night meltdown, Tony Romo took additional ribbing in week 2 at San Francisco. A first half hit suffered at the hands a Niners defender, Romo would not start the second half. His team, down 24-14 and looking at an 0-2 start, needed him in the worst way. Tony answered. My much maligned Q-B reversed his teams fortunes, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat., winning 27-24 (the same score of their week 1 loss). All of this with broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

Tony took his ribs and lung back home, bruised but not beaten, and led his team to a come-from-behind victory in week 3, Monday night, against long-time rival, the Washington Redskins. Romo’s legend was growing.

Then the Lions came to visit. The DEE-TROIT LIONS strolled into Jerry’s World 3-0 for the first time since the Model T was introduced. However, they were still the Lions. They had to pull out a miraculous victory in week 3 against the lowly Vikings and, although a feel good story, I didn’t take them seriously. I was justified when the ‘Boys took a 27-3 lead into the the third quarter. And just like Sunday night, week 1, when I feel comfortable, it all fell apart. Back-to-back Romo interceptions were returned for touchdowns and, just like that, a once comfortable feeling became a familiar nightmare. I don’t want to go into the painful details, but the Cowboys fell into the bye week with a 2-2 record looking up at the Redskins. Yes, the Redskins.

I’d like to say that I’m not nervous. The NFC East isn’t as daunting as it has been in years passed. The Giants are average, I don’t trust the ‘Skins as long as Rex Grossman is under center, and the “Dream Team” Eagles are anything but. I should feel comfortable. But, then again, we all know what happens when I think everything is peachy.

-Bryan Gallucci

Follow me on Twitter @bryangallucci

and catch me on the Sportswire every Tuesday from 6-7PM on 88.1FM and WCWP.org

Time To Shine

2011-10-09T23:16:00.001-04:00

It's been a while. I feel like I'm dusting off the cobwebs from this old file. Regardless, it's been a pretty demoralizing week for sports in the New York area which leaves more questions that need to be answered.

Did the Giants and Jets switch up their playbooks this week when they played their opponents?

Would it have killed Kevin Gilbride to call for one run play on that final drive against the Seahawks?

Did the Jets forget New England actually had a potent rushing attack with the "Law firm" Ben Jarvis Green Ellis ripping the Jets run defense apart?

Will anyone (And I mean ANYONE) actually buy Nick Swisher's music CD? Such awful post-season play deserves an equally awful music cover CD.

Will the NBA ever return? I hope so just so I can see the Hornets again. I miss the defensive master-mind, Monty Williams on the side, yelling at Trevor Ariza to stick to his Iso-defense.

Why do the Rangers have to open the regular season outside of the US? The Rangers deserve to play in MSG at least for their opener even while construction is going on.

With all that disappointment out of the way, wrestling provides that entertainment that you just can't get out of some sports event. The stories inside the ring are often more intriguing and entertaining than an Islanders/Panthers opening night contest. Lets be honest, that'll happen mostly any night regardless of who the Islanders are playing.

Anyways, with Pro Sports in the New York area in the dark and sound-proof basement, pro wrestling has that opportunity to take advantage and gain some noticeable attention. While I'm sure most will groan at that possibility and just wait for another eye-gouging moment in pop-culture on TV and the gossip pages, If you look at the product as it's currently constructed in both companies, there is alot to be excited about.

1) WWE: Chaos is the name of the game the WWE has been selling since 2011 started. The back-stories and character identities have changed immensely over the last 3-4 months but even if you look back to January, when the "Road to WrestleMania" was really taking shape, it's hard to deny that guys like R-Truth, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Christian, Zack Ryder (To a lesser degree), The Miz, among others have risen greatly that most would not have predicted other than Sheamus or The Miz to important positions within the company. John Cena is off doing his thing with Albertoooooooooooooooooooooo Del Rioooooooooooooooooooo. But the most important and satisfying sign has come in the form of the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

After 15 long years, most were shocked that he was still apart of the WWE. Granted, due to the size of this guy and the weight he's carried since he competed in the 1996 Olympics (Kurt Angle was the only one to medal), crippling injuries and lackluster baby-face turns have sidelined Henry's emergence as the WWE's next diamond in the rough. Mark Henry is a believable Heel that just wants to beat people up and he looks convincing doing it. Sounds simple but somehow that philosophy and psychology had been dropped in recent years. Building up Henry as this unstoppable monster to WrestleMania is crucial to the long-term success of restoring faith and pride in actually holding a championship.

Did you know that Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne of Air-Boom and Kelly Kelly holding the Divas Championship (before she dropped it to Beth Phoenix at Hell In A Cell) had longer title reigns than any of the last WWE Champion over the last 5 months.

2) TNA: Quietly, maybe very quietly, but the last few weeks, TNA's Impact Wrestling program has been logical which is a far cry from the crap they showed just last month revolved around Joker Sting and Ken Anderson and Kurt Angle. The push of Robert Roode after winning the Bound For Glory series has been fun to watch. The dissension of his Beer Money group brings down a legendary Tag Team from that company and one of the best Tag Teams from the last 5-10 years. But what TNA is doing in pushing the younger talent brings hope that maybe 5 years later, TNA will have gotten the message to push the AJ Styles, James Storm, Austin Aries among other non-WWE talent that hasn't worked for years other than Christian. Let's hope this trend continues especially with Vince Russo stepping down as Head-writer in exchange for long-time former WWE employe, Bruce Pritchard. Brother Love to save the day?

Wrestling has a great spot to take advantage of the doldrums of the fall month. With Survivor Series around the corner in MSG, The Rock, John Cena, it's going to be crazy. You can catch all the excitement every Thursday Night at 7PM for Over The Ropes for the 2 greatest hours of wrestling analysis you'll ever hear with Chris Maffei and I, on this very page.

Till next time,

I'm Nick Malone.

Tebow Time!

2011-10-09T20:19:00.003-04:00

Oooo yes! It looks like it's that time again...Tebow Time!

In today's matchup between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, QB Kyle Orton was replaced by former Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow. Orton looked horrendous today, finishing the first half with an ugly statline. He completed six of thirteen pass attempts for a grand total of 34 yards, to go along with one interception. Orton did however, lead every player in one (completely unreal) statistic: Boos. No other player who stepped foot on the field could compare to him. The boos were raining down on Orton like Game 1 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Tigers. It just didn't end...

Until Tebow made his way onto the field. John Fox, first year Broncos head coach, had previously said all throughout the preseason and during the first couple weeks of the season that Orton was the quarterback, and there was no competition at the position. Orton was his guy, and it was even thought by commentators and analysts that Tebow may have been listed as third at quarterback on the depth chart behind (eww) Brady Quinn. Really? Yes, you did just read that sentence correctly. Brady Quinn was viewed at as the back up quarterback, just as recent as the preseason. Thankfully, the Broncos coaching staff came to their senses and moved Tebow ahead of Quinn.

Going back to today's game, if you look at Tebow's numbers, you'd probably say something like, "Ok," or "Ehh," or maybe "Not anything special." But Tebow just being in the game got the Denver crowd fired up and wanting to see more of him. Tebow had six rushes for 38 yards (who needs to throw the ball?), including a tough 12-yard TD run. Passing the ball, Tebow was decent, going 4-10 for 79 yards and 1 TD.

He may not be the most graceful passer in the league, but he is sure exciting and entertaining. This Broncos team was not going anywhere this season, no matter who was starting at quarterback (Yes, even Brady Quinn). So why not put in Tebow so he can prove the haters wrong? This guy has immense talent and should start on a regular basis. Because really, what do the Broncos have to lose?

-David Otero

You can follow David on Twitter @David_ODog or listen to him every Tuesday from 6-7 pm on the Sportswire on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org, as well as Talkin' Baseball: The Hot Corner on Tuesdays from 7-9 pm on wcwp.org.

Al Davis

2011-10-08T22:51:00.005-04:00

Raiders principle owner Al Davis died this Morning Saturday October 8, 2011 in his home in Oakland. The cause of his death is still unknown to the public. He was born in Massachusetts but was raised in Flatbush. He graduated from Syracuse with a degree in English, soon after graduation he was a line coach for Adelphi from 1950-1951. He then became the head coach at army from 1952 to 1953. From there he became line coach and chief recruiter for The Citadel. From 1957 to 1959 Davis was an offensive line coach at the University of Southern California.
Davis' first coaching experience in professional football came as the offensive end coach of the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers from 1960 to 1962. After the 1962 season, Raiders general partner F. Wayne Valley hired Davis as head coach and general manager. At 33, Davis was the youngest person in professional football history to hold the positions.

In 1966 he was named AFL Commissioner and set out to prove his league was Superior to the NFL, he did this by signing many big name NFL players. He was also against the AFL and NFL merger, so much so that on July 25, 1966; Davis resigned as commissioner rather than remain as commissioner until the end of the AFL in 1970.

After resigning as AFL commissioner, Davis bought a 10 percent stake in the Raiders. Under Davis's ownership the Raiders won three Super Bowl titles and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He is also credited with being one of the creators and the "West Coast" offense. Today football loss a great owner and innovator, may he never be forgotten.

-Jason Gieser

MLB Upset

2011-10-08T15:37:00.004-04:00

So my picks have been jumbled. The two teams I had going to the World Series have been knocked out this week.

The Yankees were beat by the Tigers and so the Tigers now move on to face the Rangers. The Cardinals beat up the Phillies and now move on to face the Brewers.

Quite the upset so now I'd have to say the Tigers move on along with the Cardinals, the two teams that upset my picks are going to the World Series.

-Joe Voce

NFL Week 5: Giants/Seahwaks Preview

2011-10-08T12:32:00.002-04:00

by Jason Comack

Do you believe in trap games? I don't. I don't believe that sometimes teams just fall asleep and lose to a team that shouldn't have any chance to beat them. The concept of “trap games” is a nice story but, more often then not if a team loses a game it wasn't suppose to there was a reason.

Please don't say the Giants are in a trap game situation this week.

This Giants team is playing great football but they are far from perfect. They've had issues running the ball and in the secondary. Returning from a concussion Mario Manningham looked totally lost (and was benched) against the Cardinals and defensive MVP Justin Tuck will miss this game with a neck and groin injury.

Meanwhile the Seahawks are better then you think. Tarvaris Jackson has been far from the absolute train wreck many expected. Coming back from injury Sidney Rice reminded us just how good he. It also might shock you to find out that the Seahawks have the fifth best run defense in the NFL (by Football Outsiders DAVE metric.)

If the Giants lose don't call it a trap game.

Here are the key matchups for Sunday's Seahawks/Giants game:

Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham...Do Work

While the Seahawks run defense is better then advertised their pass defense might be worse. Ranked 30th by the same DAVE metric. Brandon Browner has been getting picked on all season and the Seahawks might be without number one corner Marcus Trufant who is questionable this week. If there's ever a game for Mario Manningham to get right this is it.

So Tarvaris Jackson, Sidney Rice and Cory Webster Walk Into A Bar...

As alluded to in the introduction T-Jax has been sneaky efficient this year. He's got an 80 QB rating and completing 60% of his passes. Last Sunday, against an Atlanta team many thought was super bowl caliber entering this season, he completed 66% percent of his passed for 319 yards (QB rating of 96.3) Jackson just got his best offensive play maker back in the form of Sidney Rice. In just two games Rice has 11 catches for 188 yards and one TD.

With Aaron Ross likely guarding Doug Baldwin (with Mike Williams out for the game) Webster will draw the responsibility of stopping Rice. The Giants have been middle of the pack against #1 receivers this year allowing 84 yards per game.

Aaron Curry Where Have You Gone?

Aaron Curry was the 4th pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. Linebackers don't usually go that high but Curry was labeled as a “can't miss prospect.” The truth is can't miss prospects don't exist. Curry has gone from potential pro-bowler to high priced back up. Yikes.

Prediction

Sidney Rice makes a few highlight reel plays, the Giants are unable to run the ball but Manningham, Cruz and Nicks all come up big. Giants win a close game and people talk about how they were looking past the Seahawks.

Giants 23 Seahawks 20

Like what you see? Read Jason on ProSportsBlogging.com ,you can also hear him every Monday and Thursday on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.com . Follow him on twitter at J_Comack

10 reasons you can't blame A-Rod for the ALDS loss

2011-10-08T10:18:00.003-04:00

When A-Rod swung and missed on a 1-2 fastball, the Yankees season was over. Gone were the dreams of winning their 28th championship, gone was the dream of holding another parade down the canyon of heroes. What was left was a fan base left in huge disappointment and lots of hatred toward Alex Rodriguez, who batted just .111 during the series.

Now I'm not the biggest A-Rod fan you will find, in fact for long I have had an issue with the Yankees third basemen. I hated that he opted out in 2007, hate how he loves himself so much, and hate how he creates much of the drama that follows him around in New York. Must of the issues I have with Rodriguez are off the field stuff. After he struck out, to end the season for a second year in a row, it made me wonder if the baseball gods are punishing A-Rod for his insane 2009 Postseason. Apparently, I was the only one thinking about 2009, as most Yankee fans absolutely bashed Rodriguez, taking out their frustrations with the team on him. But just because he is the highest paid player on the team, and the fourth place hitter does not put the loss on him. Here are 10 reasons you can't blame Alex Rodriguez for the ALDS loss to the Tigers....

1). Playing injured: Last I checked A-Rod had spent time on the DL with his knee and then had problems with his thumb. Rodriguez on purpose opted for the knee surgery so that he could be ready for the Postseason. The knee and thumb ended up taking much longer to heal, and you could tell that his timing was way off at the plate. I still rather have Alex at third at 50% then Eric Chavez or Eduardo Nunez at 100% in his place.

2). Rafael Soriano: For the series, Soriano was very effective. Too bad in one of the most meaningful games in the series, with the score tied up he gave up a solo home run to Delmon Young. The Yankees would eventually lose that game because of that homer. Yanks win game 3, and then route the Tigers like they did in game 4 and suddenly nobody blames the lightning rod that is A-Rod.

3). CC Sabathia: The ace of your staff finishes the series with a 6.23 ERA. of course in Sabathia's defense he looked like he was sharp to start out game 1 and then was messed up cause of the weather. In game 3, he was gritty but was not his dominant stuff and was out dueled by Justin Verlander. In game 5, he eventually gave up what was the winning run. If CC had been lights out, the offensive woes suddenly don't loom as large.

4). The weather: I don't care what anybody says it simply screwed the Yanks. Sure Verlander was only seen once, but the lost off day hurt the Yanks. It messed up Sabathia on his rest schedule and messed up the rest for A-Rod, who hadn't been starting at third everyday since his return from injury.

5).Mark Teixeira: You can talk all you want about A-Rod and his struggles in the Postseason, but Tex has been just as bad, if not worse. Of course against the Twins in 2009 and 2010 Tex was on the Mark, but in the ALCS and World Series he hasn't done much. The same could be said this series against the Tigers. Teixeira gets cut some slack because he doesn't have the long past like A-Rod, but he is just as bad and has yet to prove that he can carry a team the way A-Rod or even Cano have proved in past series. But when you hit behind A-Rod and you can't pick up the slack for him, you also deserve to be on blast.

6). Nick Swisher: You could group half the line up into why you can't put it all on A-Rod. Jeter struck out and did not come through in a few key spots, Granderson didn't exactly prove why he was the MVP of the AL, Russell Martin was flat out awful and Nick Swisher continued to prove that he tries way to hard when it comes to the Postseason. The guy is great during the regular season, but since coming to the Yanks in 2009, Swisher has been terrible in the Postseason. So bad that his batting average of .169 is amongst the worst in Postseason play history. In one of the biggest moments of game 5, Swisher struck out with the bases loaded. Looking at the pitch tracker not a single ball was in the strike zone. In 38 Postseason games Swisher has just 6 runs batted in, not exactly what you expect from a guy in the middle of your lineup.

7). Always trailing: In games 1,2 and 5 the Tigers drew first blood starting off the scoring. In game 3 the Yanks scored first but the game was quickly tied up. It's tough to put the pressure of always coming from behind on the offense, even on as powerful as the Yankees.

8). Joe Girardi: We have seen the skipper defend his players till the end this year (See A.J. Burnett), but Girardi should have though about moving A-Rod to some place else in the line up. It was obvious that the 4-5-6 hitters (A-Rod, Tex and Swish) were the three best killers in the series. A-Rod didn't look right since his return from the DL and was putting up a batting average below .200 and hadn't hit a home run since July. Girardi basically was setting Rodriguez up for failure by batting him clean up. I'm not saying that Girardi should have moved him all the way to eight like Torre did in 2006, but he should have looked to take some pressure of him.

9). Rob Thompson: While I agreed, and still feel it was the right move Rob Thompson deserves to take some blame for the game 5 loss. With A-Rod on second and one out, Jorge Posada ripped a bullet to center. Austin Jackson fielded it cleanly and was ready to fire home, but their would be no play at the plate as third base coach Rob Thompson had held up A-Rod to load the bases. Of course Russell Martin and Brett Gardner never got a run across, and the rest is history. But A-Rod is by far the smartest base runner on the Yankees, it would have been a close play at the plate but if Rodriguez wanted to take the chance, I would have had no major issue with it.

10). How the fans have changed: That's right, the fans are one of the biggest reasons that A-Rod should not be the one getting blamed. Yankee fans have become extremely spoiled over the past 17 years. I know this, because Postseason success is the only thing many young fans know. No longer are the days when Yankee fans were happy with the chance to make the playoffs, they now expect a World Series championship each and every year. Too bad that is not going to happen. The current Yankee Stadium is no longer the one that stood across the street, now fans are more interested in being seen at the game, and grabbing an over priced drink at the Tommy Bahama bar. No longer are they their to cheer on the team, the stadium crowd was embarrassing during Game 5, at how they never cheered to get anything going, they only cheered when the team did do something. Many of the fans that could afford tickets, aren't always the biggest fans, they know the past history of A-Rod and think that it is cool to boo him. If someone like Jeter or Posada had a similar Postseason all would be forgotten, but because it is A-Rod they plan to channel their inner 2006 and boo A-Rod regardless.

Was A-Rod a part of the reason that the Yankees lost? Of course, but it is irrational to think that the whole series loss is his fault.

- Matt Saur

For more on the Yankees and the ALCS and NLCS tune in to Talkin Baseball: The Hot Corner every Tuesday from 7-9 pm.

Let's Not Hang Out At The Wax Museum

2011-10-08T01:12:00.007-04:00

Let me start this blog off by saying this. I am all for practical jokes and pranks. I really am. Don't believe me? I once stuck 2300 Post-It Notes on our good friend Matt Saur's car to get him back for a prank he pulled on me months ago. So I do not want people to think that Matt Soldano can't handle a practical joke every now and then. I am no buzzkill. Never have been. Never will be. But this is where I cross the line.

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu wanted to have some fun at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum out in Hollywood. He stood around the rest of the wax figures and when people came up to take pictures, well, yeah...

This is why I will never go to wax museums. Ever. Even before watching this video I've always been creeped out by these ridiculous exhibits. I once went to the Madame Tussauds in London but not by choice. I was part of the foreign exchange program in 7th grade and that was one of the stops. Freaked me out when I was 12. Freaks me out even more when I'm 21.

It's not like I am anticipating for the figures to actually be real every single time but even when they are wax, they are so creepy looking. They just look uninviting. And posing with them? Even stranger.

You want to hang out in the city with me? Let's do it. We'll play chess in Central Park. We'll see Fiddler on the Roof. We'll get in a nice round of Subway Tag. I draw the line at wax museums.

-Matt Soldano

Hip Hip Jorge!!

2011-10-07T21:57:00.005-04:00

With the Yankees being eliminated after only one round of playoff baseball, fans can expect to see any number of changes that will take place this offseason. One of the biggest changes that is very likely to take place is the loss of Jorge Posada. You can look at this years numbers for Posada and argue that the loss isnt so big, and maybe, as far as numbers go, you would win that argument. What the Yankees lose however is a man that is, and should forever be loved for what he meant to the New York Yankees over the last 17 years. He leads all catchers since the year 2000 in HR and RBI. 275 career homeruns, over 1,000 RBI, a .273 career batting average, an OBP of .374, and most importantly 4 World Series championships. All of that leads to him being a key part of the group known as the "Core 4" to baseball fans.

Posada only hit over .300 once in his career, hitting .338 in the 2007 season. That season was not his best as far as driving in runs, only in average. He had other great years in other categories as well. The 13 time All-Star hit over 20 HR's 8 times in his career, and hit 30 for the only time in his career in 2003, also the only year he had 100RBI (101 to be exact), and Also the year he finished THIRD in the MVP voting. This was only some key numbers in his regular season career. Although his numbers weren't as good in the Postseason, you can NOT look past him calling the pitches, and handling the pitching staffs for 4 World Series winning teams.

Posada is the old time type of baseball player, that the game of baseball is running short on. He could always be noticed by his pine tar covered helmet and his lack of batting gloves. He was never the one seen in the midst of all the celebrations with younger players, and often times it was known that he didnt want the attention or celebrations of things he did. All Jorge ever seemed to want was to be known as a guy who played hard for his team, and a man who won.

Jorge has things in his personal life that could have easily taken away from his on field production if he let it. His son Jorge III is living with Craniosynostosis and has been since 10 days after he was born. Jorge III has undergone many surgeries on his head, and in June 2011 he underwent what is believed to be his last surgery for the condition. Through it all Jorge kept his work ethic where it needed to be, and kept doing what needed to be done continuously get the Yanks back to where they needed to be.

All signs point to Jorge not being back with the Yankees, and maybe not in baseball, next season, however Yankee fans of this generation should make sure he is always remembered for the solid, consistent catcher, Yankee, and man that he is.

Joe (@CorporalJoe)

Put Down The Phone And Get Off The Ledge

2011-10-07T17:28:00.006-04:00

by Jason Comack

Talk radio is maddening. Most radio personalities are the type I hope to never be. They’re over the top, reactionary, spin narratives, play arm-chair psychologist and will throw logic and fact away for a story or angle. If you listened to NY sports talk radio at all today it's apparent why these people have jobs.

Below is a smattering, taken from Kevin Goldsteins' excellent Twitter Feed (@Kevin_Goldstein) that demonstrate what some New York Yankee fans are thinking today;

“Albert Pujols, period. You trade Teixeira.”

Mike in Utica: “You need a big time right fielder like a Reggie Jackson or a Paul O'Neill”

Caller: “We had a right fielder last year in Berkman, and we let him walk!”

Pat: “Montero is too young to DH everyday, what do you think of trying him at third base?”

Kevin: “They've alienated the original fans. The ones that could will a hit.”

“Jeter just took pitch after pitch waiting for Gardner to run!”

Greer in Morristown: “Cut [Swisher] lose and send Montero to winter ball or something and see if he can play right field”

Kevin in the Bronx: “The six-man rotation cost C.C. A shot at 20 wins!”

Caller: “Let Nunez play! Other than Jeter, they don't have a fire in them!”

You get the point.

Although this Yankee season will be regarded as a failure it's kind of amazing they were as successful as the were (yes, even with a bloated payroll.) The Yankees didn't have a second starter all year and still won the AL East. They had the best record in the AL and lead the league in run differential. Despite what average Joe Somebody think it's not Swisher’s fault or Jeter's or any one person. The flaws in this Yankee team were apparent since spring training.

Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were another year older (and clearly on the decline) Jorge Posoda went from everyday catcher to partial DH. These players skill level, relative to their salary, are why the Yankees have such a high payroll in the first place. A.J Burnett never put a full season together, Colon and Garcia were wild cards and Phil Hughes role was never defined. Bentances and Banuelos weren't yet ready for the big leagues.

Whether it was game one of the regular season, or game five of the playoffs, the problems are the same.

Which is why we should be applauding Brian Cashman for all that he did. Getting production from the scrap heap from guys like; Chavez, Jones, Garcia and Colon. For not panicking and trading his stud prospects (Banuelos, Betances, Montero) at the deadline.

While the town might want someone’s head this Yankee team probably won't look much different next year, and that's a good thing.

Montero will replace Posoda. Chamberlain will be on his way back from injury. The prospects will be a year closer to being major league ready. And the font office will probably over pay for someone like C.J. Wilson.

No one is talking about how a team, with an awful lot of flaws, just won 97 games and came within one run of advancing to the ALCS....but they should be.

Like what you see? Read Jason on ProSportsBlogging.com ,you can also hear him every Monday and Thursday on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.com . Follow him on twitter at J_Comack

Joes NFL Week 4 in Review

2011-10-06T23:54:00.004-04:00

Sooooo, baseball season for Yankee fans is over, and for this Yankees fan its quickly become Giants/Islanders season...

So On To The Football!
This week was another interesting one with some mixed reviews for the New York teams. Since the Giants are the one NY team to win we'll start there. Big Blue had a strange, not always pretty week, but it lead to a win. The run defense for the Giants didn't exactly get the job done like fans wouldve hoped. Beanie Wells ran around and through the defense for 138 yds and 3TDs. Missed tackles were abundant and from more than a couple of players. When it came down to it though Eli Manning had another very good game, and improved yet again, held on to the ball and made the big throws when needed. With a little help from Victor Cruz, and a lucky call from the refs the Giants pulled out a close one. The rush offense and defense must improve to keep winning, but this week they host Seattle and should be able to sure some things up.

The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets, looked pretty B-A-D to me. In the 34-17 loss to the Ravens Mark Sanchez was a victim of a lack of running game, and an incredible defense. Sanchez threw for 119 yards and 1 Int. As much as I give a TON of credit to Baltimore and their D, I put a lot of this on the lack of a running attack. Shonn Greene going for 23 yds on 10 carries is not going to be enough against any semblance of a good defense. The Ravens used this, and the poor offensive line to just flat out attack Mark Sanchez. If this O-Line continues to struggle (and play Vlad Ducasse), as well as the run game things could stay tough for gang green.

Then theres those Bills from Buffalo. Coming off the big win over the Pats the Bills stumbled against Andy Dalton and the Bengals, falling 23-20. Fred Jackson was finally kept in check, being held to 66yds on 17 carries. Ryan Fitzpatrick played decent enough, though not his best game going 20-34 for 199yds and no scores. The offense didnt play too terrible, however the big play ended up getting them. Rookie WR AJ Green 4 catches for 118 yds, and that paired with Cedric Benson running for 104yds and Dalton throwing for almost 300 yards (the week after picking off Tom Brady 4 times) turned in to a big win for the lowly Bengals.

Looking around the league I take interest in the Houston Texans beating the Steelers. Arian Foster came back in a big, big way. Foster racked up 155 yds and a TD on a whopping 30 carries, and a bunch of broken tackles. On top of that Foster is Off the Texans injury report this week. Someone however on the injury list is Andre Johnson. After going to the ground on his own in this game and leaving the game he is out for several weeks. This is a huge loss for Houston, as just as it seemed that the Texans got a big boost, they suffer another big loss. However in my opinion in this weak division the Texans will hang on to this division long enough to get Johnson back and get healthy. In other news from this game, another bad showing from the Pittsburgh defense, and even more important, an Awful showing from the O-Line. The Steelers could be in real trouble if they dont find a solution to that O-Line of theirs.

Another game I took interest in is the Detroit Lions coming back to beat the Cowboys in the closing moments of the game. The long and short of this game is easy, Calvin Johnson should NEVER see single coverage because he IS the best receiver in the game, with props to Larry Fitz...maybe a tie. This Lions defense seemingly haven taken the preverbial next step, that could be what the Lions needed to get to those, once far off playoffs. On the other side of the ball you look at the Cowboys and although Tony Romo is not nearly as bad as people make him seem to be, he is not someone Dallas fans can count on late in games when needed. All the talent the Cowboys have on both sides of the ball, its intriguing to see if/when the 'Boys can turn this around.

On the rookie QB report, since we mentioned earlier how Andy Dalton did which was pretty well. So we can focus on the super talented Cam Newton. Newton used his arm very well going 27-46 for 374 yds, 1 TD, and 1Int, and with his legs he rushed for 2TDs. Unfortunately for him it was in another loss, this time to the Chicago Bears. He continues to impress, has helped bring Steve Smith back to what he once was, and given Carolina fans a reason to be proud to be Carolina Fans. In only his second start Blaine Gabbert went 16-42 for 196yds and 1TD. Not the best numbers, but you also have to realize it was only his second start, and against a very good Saints defense. Still plenty of room to grow there, and whether its at the same pace as the other rookie throwers, he shows Plenty of potential.

Thats all for this week, hope you enjoyed, and hope to get some comments back, and you can tell me what game youd like me to give my take on next week.

Happiness, and healthy fantasy weeks to all!!

Joe (@CorporalJoe)
If you like what you read listen to Joe on Talkin' Baseball on wcwp.org on Tuesdays from 7-9PM, and the Sportswire on 88.1FM and wcwp.org on Wed and Thur from 6-7PM.

Fantasy Cover 2

2011-10-05T22:31:00.004-04:00

Patrick Creighton

Frank Gore had his predicted breakout week vs Eagles last week, and while Matt Barrows reports Gore was limited in practice today, expect Gore to be ready to go for week 5.

Terrell Owens told Stephen A. Smith he will be ready to play in month. Now, normally, a 37 yr old WR coming off a torn ACL has nothing left to offer, but TO is incredibly physically gifted, and if he can show hes healthy, with the rash of injuries in the NFL this year, he could latch on to a team. Its worth watching.

Arian Foster rewarded patient owners last week with a big effort on 31 carries, and now hes no longer listed on the injury report. With Andre Johnson possibly sidelined through week 8, look for the Texans to rely on Foster heavily. Foster owners should still be handcuffing him with Ben Tate for now.

Beanie Wells had no further hamstring issues following his 3TD outburst vs Giants according to Darren Urban, so look for him to be all systems go for week 5.

Mark Sanchez should be happy to see All Pro C Nick Mangold back this week, according to a New York Daily News report. Sanchez could find himself in a pass happy situation, vs a weak Patriots defense, as Jets presumably will be playing catch up all game long vs NE high powered offense.

Vincent Jackson only payed 22 snaps last week, but as Kevin Acee reports, still gained 108 yds & a TD. Expect him to play this week.

Kerry Collins still hasn’t been cleared to play from his concussion, and while Colts aren’t saying so yet officially, expect Curtis Painter to be the starter. The Kansas City Star reports the Colts locker room has been lobbying for Painter to play over Collins. Realistically, Painter is better than Collins at this point, especially playing behind what could be the worst offensive line in the league, a line that just lost 2 more players. Painter clearly has a rapport with Pierre Garcon, whom he targeted 5 times in relief duty vs Pitt week 3 and connected on 2 long TD bombs with last week vs Tampa Bay. Garcon is worth starting with Painter under center.

Jeremy Shockey needs to be cleared for concussion under NFLs new protocol according to report by Joe Person. Greg Olsen is likely to get the start, and is a strong play this week.

Marques Colston was declared healthy by Saints HC Sean Payton and is expected to get regular snaps this week. Hes the #1 option in that offense while healthy.

Danny O’Neill reports that Seattle’s Mike Williams has yet to be cleared for concussion and is a long shot to start this week.

Stevie Johnson says he feels the best he has in 2 weeks, according to the Buffalo News. He and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick could be in for big games in potential shootout with Eagles.

Devery Henderson’s calf injury isn’t considered serious per a Jeff Duncan report, but with the return of Colston and Lance Moore, plus Robert Meachem ahead of him on the depth chart, Henderson’s fantasy ride is likely over.

Plaxico Burress didn’t practice today due to an elbow injury according to Rich Cimini. Now this elbow injury could be a mild injury, or it could be Plax’ notorious non-practice schedule in action. Either way, look for him to play in favorable matchup vs Patriots defense this week.

Adam Caplan of TheSidelineView.com says Danny Amendola is done for the year with a torn triceps. If you needed reiteration to avoid Rams in your starting lineup, you are probably at the bottom of your league.

Ryan Torian got the most snaps of all Washington RBs last week, heading into the bye week per CSN Washington. This could be due to Tim Hightower’s shoulder injury, but either way he looks like the lead back right now for the Skins.

Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports Ben Roethlisberger didn’t participate in team drills today but expect the Steelers franchise QB to suit up this week vs Tennessee. Ben told the paper that his foot injury is just a bruise and that theres no structural damage.

Chris Johnson had his breakout last week as well, and look for the Titans to ride CJ2K without Kenny Britt for the foreseeable future. Patient owners who rode through his struggles can now start him and smile vs banged up Steelers D this week.

Ryan Grant’s bruised kidney kept him out week 4 but he’s expected back this week according to Tony Silverstein. He needs to build on his week 3 effort where he outplayed James Starks or he could find himself in a dreaded RBBC situation.

Rashard Mendenhall’s hammy injury isn’t considered so serious that he wont play this week by the Steelers yet, per Jonathan Hutton, but owners should still be grabbing Isaac Redman as a handcuff this week.

David Garrard is still a FA. A Miami Herald story claims Garrard wants to be a Dolphin, but the 2 sides haven’t come to an agreement. This could be due to Garrard wanting a guaranteed deal, or it could be the Dolphins aren’t convinced Chad Henne’s shoulder injury will be a season ender. Either way, Matt Moore is likely to start for Miami this week, and all Dolphins players should be avoided in fantasy leagues.

An ESPN.com report notes Kyle Orton is 4-13 in his last 17 starts. While HC John Fox still believes Orton is the best QB on his roster (he is), if Denver loses this week to San Diego, the rebuilding process could begin, and since Orton is a pending FA and not likely to be back, the Tim Tebow era could get a jumpstart. Orton owners should be wary and plan accordingly if Broncos continue to falter.

Percy Harvin played 40 snaps last week according to Pro Football Focus and appears to be the healthiest he has been all season. Start him without hesitation.

Follow me on Twitter @PCreightonWCWP

Catch me on The Sportswire, Fridays from 6-7pm on 88.1fm and www.wcwp.org

Patrick Creighton has appeared on WFAN-NY and YES Network, and is the play-by-play voice of C.W. Post Football and Women’s Basketball

It all comes together for the Yankees in game 4

2011-10-05T06:34:00.006-04:00

Unfortunately for Yankees fans heading into game 4 last night, the 2011 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers was looking similar to the '06 ALDS.
In 2006, the Yanks took an impressive game 1 at the stadium, loss a tough second game, loss game 3 in Detroit and were eventually eliminated in 4 games that year.
Fast forward 5 years later deja vu was hitting the Yanks again. The bombers won an notable game 1 only having to deal with Cy Young and MVP candidate, 24 game winner Justin Verlander for one inning thanks to mother nature. Lost a disappointing game 2 after battling down 4-0 and 5-1 to have the winning run at the plate ground out to end the game. And dropped a pivotal game 3 to Verlander despite getting to him for 4 earned runs in 8 innings.
So enter game 4 last night, a must win for the Yankees and just like in '06 a #34 was starting for the Yanks. In '06 it was Jaret Wright, in 2011 it was A.J Burnett. While much of the pressure was on Burnett, who hasn't lived up to the 5yr/$82 million contract he signed before the '09 season, there was just as much tension on the offense. Entering last night the Yanks 4-5-6 hitters were 3-32 in the series.
Well, everything began to come together. In the bottom of the first, Burnett walked three Tigers but got out of it thanks to a grand catch by OF Curtis Granderson. While the offense accounted for 4 runs through the first 7 innings it was Burnett who was helping the Yankees to a game 4 win. Burnett would allow just a 4th inning HR to Tigers DH Victor Martinez in 5 2/3 innings on his way to a win.
So Burnett contributed, the defense provided help thanks to 2 outstanding catches by Granderson (who, go figure was on the winning Tigers of 2006) and the offense would eventually wake up scoring 6 times in the 8th (the 4-5-6 hitters entered the 8th 3-39 would go 4-5) on route to a 10-1 win. This sets up a deciding game 5 in New York on Thursday. Doug Fister for Detroit will take on rookie of the Year candidate Ivan Nova for the Yankees.

-Johnny Montalbano

-follow me on twitter @MontalbanoNY and listen to me on "Review and Preview" every Wednesday from 5-6pm only on WCWP.org.

Dispelling The Justin Verlander Myth

2011-10-03T16:37:00.003-04:00

by Jason Comack

Justin Verlander is an elite front line pitcher. However, the notion that he was in a tier of his own this year is a foolish one.

Simple stats will tell you Verlander won 24 games and had a 2.50 ERA. I prefer to dig deeper.

This year Verlander struck out 8.96 batters and walked just over two batters per nine innings. He posted a 2.99 FIP (fielding independent pitching) and a 3.12 Xfip (FIP with a normalized home run rate.)

Verlanders low ERA was based on luck.

Verlanders batting average on balls in play was .236. That number is unsustainable. The league average is .290 and for his career Verlander has averaged .285. His low ERA is also a factor of his high strand rate (meaning the percent of runners left on base when he exited games that ended up not scoring) of 80% (up almost 10% percent for his career norm.)

The last two numbers (BABIP and strand rate) are entirely luck based. There is no evidence both in the history of baseball and Verlanders career to show that those numbers won't fall back in the league average range over the long term. All over these fancy numbers boil down to one simple stat WAR (wins above replacement.) Simply put Verlander was worth 7 wins over a league average pitcher this year.

Let’s compare those numbers to another front line American League ace C.C. Sabathia;

Sabathia struck out 8.72 batters and walked just over two per nine innings. He posted a 2.88 FIP and a 3.02 Xfip. Sabathia’s BABIP was above league average at .318, his strand rate was similar to Verlanders at 77%. All of this also boils down to a number of 7.1 WAR.

Exactly .1 higher then Justin Verlander.

If you expand the discussion to the NL you can argue that the seasons put up by Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee are comparable (if not better in the case of Halladay) to Verlanders.

What’s funny is that with all of the attention Verlander has gotten this year it seems no one has realized that this isn’t even the best year of his career. In ’09 Verlander had better metrics almost across the board (8.3 WAR) but only won 19 games…which means that the Tigers poor offensive showing in games he pitched that year somehow made his season less important

That’s the Justin Verlander myth. That him winning 24 games is somehow proof of anything. That because of it the Tigers tonight with Verlander on the mound have a giant advantage over the Yankees with Carlson Charles pitching.

Justin Verlander is human not some robotic baseball machine. And just like any other person Verlander can only control certain aspects of his job. He can't control how many runs the Tigers score (unless he picks up a bat), he can't control if Austin Jackson is able to make a diving catch or not, he can't control if the ball hits the lip of the infield and takes a crazy hop.

People think stats take the human element out of the game but the truth is it makes the players seem more human.

NFL Week 4: Giants Recap

2011-10-03T15:55:00.001-04:00

by Jason Comack

At a pivotal moment in the game Victor Cruz lost his footing, fell and assuming he had been touched or tackled got up without the ball. Whistles blew and the play was blown dead. Replays clearly indicated that Cruz broke a tackle, regained his balance and then fell forward on his own accord. By the untrained eye it should have been a fumble, but of course the NFL rulebook often defies logic. In what has become a very controversial call the referee ruled that Cruz “gave himself up” therefore the play was over (giving yourself up is not a reviewable play.) By the rulebook you can argue the referee made the right call. Giving yourself up is not clearly defined by the two measures we often associate with it; either taking a knee (think kick off returns) or sliding feet first (think a QB on the run.) The subjectivity of this rule has become the games story line and that’s unfortunate.

While the Cardinals caught a bad break it’s important to note that the referee’s decision didn’t force them to give up a go ahead touchdown. While the blown call was a turning point, it’s not fair to ignore Arizona’s defensive struggles, or Manning and Nicks’ ability in the process.

What Went Right?

Manning to Nicks

Hakeem Nicks was having a great game before the final play but, with 10 catches for 164 yards there’s no doubt Manning and his favorite receiver are on the same page. What Nicks lacks in height his makes up for in his ability to time jumps and pluck the ball out of mid air. Manning also had another great game going 27/40 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Cruuuzzzzzzzzzz

Outside of his bone headed play the past two weeks Cruz has emerged as the third receiving option the Giants so desperately needed. Emerging similarly to Mario Manningham last year, Cruz caught 6 passes for 98 yards.

What Went Wrong?

Justin Tuck

Is it crazy to say that outside of Eli Manning no one on the Giants may be more valuable than Justin Tuck? The Giants defense struggled mightily in games Tuck missed (against the Redskins and Cardinals) but looked great in games he played (against the Rams and Eagles.) In this game Jason Pierre-Paul had trouble adjusting to the left side of the defensive line in Tucks absence. Umeniyoria had two sacks in a strong return to the lineup. When this Giants defensive line is full healthy it’s going to be impressive to see the havoc they can create.

Beanie Man

The Giants defense also missed Tuck in run defense. Beanie Wells rushed for 139 yards (averaging 5.1 a carry) and three touchdowns. He barreled over many Giants in the process and looked like a vintage Brandon Jacobs clone.

Run Blocking

The Giants offensive line still failed to provide running lanes for Bradhsaw and Jacobs. Bradshaw averaged 3.1 a carry and Jacobs 2.0. This is something that needs to improve as the Giants go forward. Center David Baas left with a neck injury during the game and did not return. He is considered day to day.

Looking Forward:

The Giants get the Seahawks at home. The Seahawks are always competitive at home but are dismal on the road. The Giants should win this one with ease.

Clueless Joe: ALDS Game 2 Edition

2011-10-03T10:28:00.002-04:00

Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of Joe Girardi, I defend most of his choices but some of his moves in yesterdays game absolutely baffled me.

First move might not be on Girardi, but why are the Yankees pitching to Miguel Cabrera? I know that it was early in the game, and that the night before the Yanks pitching held Cabrera down but since 2009 Miggy has hit atleast .370 against them with 7 home runs and 18 RBI. I think its time for the Yanks to get a new scouting report on him, cause its pretty obvious that the current one doesn't work.

The second move was pinch hitting Eric Chavez for Brett Gardner in the bottom of the seventh. Chavez has shown that he has no pop left in his bat (5 home runs since 2008), also bats left handed like Gardner and is much slower. The move was essentially trading Brett Gardner up for someone of lesser value, atleast with Gardner at the plate he could beat out an infield grounder, and you would have speed on the bases. In the end Chavez went down on three straight pitches, looking at the third strike.

The final move Girardi made was in the top of the ninth, sending Luis Ayala out to the mound when the game was 4-1 Tigers. Luis Ayala apparently must have some good black mail on Girardi cause he had no business being in the game. The night before Girardi brought him into a eight run lead, and Ayala had a tough time throwing a strike, it got so bad that Mariano Rivera had to come into the game to close it out. Soriano and Robertson have not gotten into a game since last Tuesday, they have more then enough rest to throw an inning in game two and then again in games three and four, this is after all the playoffs. Instead Girardi managed it like it was just another regular season game, the out come was Ayala giving up a run to help the Tigers win the game. The run loomed large when in the bottom of the ninth the Yankees held a mini rally against Jose Valverde. With the score 5-3 the Yanks had first and second, so the tying run was on first not second had the run not scored.

Game three now proves to be a huge game, as CC and Verlander face off again, this time in the motor city. If the Yanks can't beat the Tigers in game three the season would rest in the hands of ::gulp:: A.J. Burnett.

- Matt Saur

If you want to hear more about the Yankees Postseason and their quest for title 28, tune in to Talkin Baseball: The Hot Corner every Tuesday from 7-9pm on WCWPSports.org.

Islanders Trim Roster to 28 Players

2011-10-02T21:52:00.005-04:00

Earlier today 19 players were sent down to AHL Bridgeport as the New York Islanders made their second round of cuts today.

The Isles sent down forwards Michael Haley, Sean Backman, Casey Cizikas, Justin DiBenedetto, Brett Gallant, Tomas Marcinko, Tyler McNeely, Tony Romano, David Ullstrom and Tim Wallace. Defensemen Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan, Anton Klementyev, Aaron Ness, Benn Olson and Ty Wishart. And goalies Mikko Koskinen, Anders Nilsson and Kevin Poulin.

The biggest surprise of today’s cuts was the demotion of Michael Haley. Haley was not officially sent to Bridgeport until 12pm, the other 18 players were sent down earlier in the morning. Haley didn’t help his cause during the game against the Devils where he took several bad penalties. He racked up 26 penalty minutes in the 2011 preseason, along with tallying one assist.

Also hearing that some fans were surprised with Calvin de Haan being sent down. After seeing him in camp this year de Haan still could use some touching up and the AHL will be a good spot for him. And there is no doubt that he will be called up at some point this season to make his NHL debut.

Koskinen, Nilsson and Poulin’s assignment to Bridgeport is also not a shock. The Islanders have three quality goaltenders in Al Montoya, Evgeni Nabokov, and Rick Dipietro, which did not leave room for the three youngsters. Poulin will get ample time to continue his development along with Nilsson, who begins his North American hockey career. The two will benefit immensely from the amount of playing time they’ll get playing the minor league.

The Islanders still have several roster moves to make before Saturday night’s season opener against the Panthers. Those moves are expected sometime this week.

-Christian Arnold

You can follow Christian on Twitter @isleshockeyblog or listen to him every tuesday from 5-6pm on The Power Play on wcwp.org.

Jets and Ravens Preview

2011-10-02T18:34:00.004-04:00

In less then one hour the Jets and Ravens kickoff in Baltimore on NBC, but you are probably still wondering like many people as to who will win tonight; I am here to shed some light on the subject.

Both teams are 2 and 1 in the AFC and are both projected to make the playoffs. Both teams have talented young QB's; the Jets with Mark Sanchez with 70 completions,112 attempts, 62.5 completion percentage, 886 yards, 6 TD's, 4 interceptions, and a 90.1 QB rating and the Ravens with Joe Flacco with 59 completions, 109 attempts,54.1 completion percentage, 810 yards, 7 TD's, 2 interceptions, and 91.9 QB rating. The real x-factor is in the trenches. Will, Nick Mangold play? Can the Jets defensive line get pressure with only four rushers? Will the Jets run the ball?

Only time will tell, but those are the Jets keys to victory; Nick Mangold's play, Jets pass rush and running the ball frequently and well (at least four yards per carry). Also Mark Sanchez needs to be smart with the ball, when in doubt throw it away.

My prediction is the Jets lose, 28-14.

By Jason Gieser

C.W. Post vs. West Chester Live Blog

2011-10-01T12:33:00.001-04:00

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d2c9252790" >C.W. Post Pioneers vs. West Chester</a>

Yankees/Tigers Game 1 Preview

2011-09-30T14:47:00.007-04:00

It's that time of the year again...it's the baseball postseason! Every team in the MLB has worked to get to this point since the offseason. But now, only eight teams have the right to say that they have made the playoffs.

The two teams that I'll be focusing on right now are the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees boast the American League's best record at 97-65, but the Tigers aren't too far behind as they are only separated by two games, and finished with a record of 95-67. This ALDS beginning tonight at 8:37 pm should be exciting as these teams are very evenly matched.

Looking at the final statistics from the regular season, the Yankees finished with an average of 5.35 runs per game, compared to the Tigers 4.86 runs per game. With these numbers, both teams finished within the top five in the league in total runs per game. In addition, the Yanks and Tigers again finished within the top five in on-base percentage. During the playoffs, each and every pitch means something. Walks, baserunners, and driving up the opposing pitcher's pitch count are qualities that are similar to successful teams in October. Now these numbers would make you think that there will be plenty of offense in this series, but at the same time, you have to take into account the pitching that both teams have on their respective rosters.

The Tigers have the best pitcher in baseball: Justin Verlander. We all know that he will win the Cy Young Award, in most likely a unanimous vote. Oh, and he may even win the MVP with his incredible season. Verlander has filthy stuff on a consistent basis, and has been the most exciting pitcher in the majors this season. He has a record of 24-5, a 2.40 ERA, 250 strikeouts in 251 innings, a WHIP at 0.92, and has held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average.

Verlander has faced the Yankees twice this year, and has only been decent, to his standards anyway. His counterpart in Game 1 is C.C. Sabathia, who he has faced once already this year. That was all the way back on Opening Day. Both aces went six innings and allowed three runs. But the past is the past, and Verlander has become a superhuman since Opening Day.

Verlander in the postseason has four career starts, and has not once gotten deeper than the sixth inning. On the other hand, Sabathia has been just as good in the playoffs as he has been in the regular season in the pinstripes. In his last eight playoff starts, Sabathia is 5-1, with the Yankees winning seven of those eight games. Runs will be hard to come by in Game 1, but the team who is more pesky and a drives up the pitch total of the starter will most likely come away with a win because once you get into either one of these bullpens, the game is all but wrapped up.

Jose Valverde for the Tigers has not blown a single save this season, and of course for the Yankees, the all-time saves leader in Mariano Rivera will be shutting the door when given the opportunity.

My keys for the Yankees to win in Game 1 are Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira is 3-22 against Verlander for his career, and is coming off a disappointing 201o postseason. A-Rod has had a bunch of injuries to deal with this season, but if he is healthy, and that's a big IF, the Yankees are given a tremendous boost. Both of these stars need to do what they've done throughout their career: work the count, drive in runs, and strike fear into the opposing pitchers. If that is done, I believe the Yankees can beat the hard-throwing Verlander.

It will be an exciting matchup, as two of the best pitchers in the league square off tonight. I can't wait to see how Game 1 shakes out because this game can dictate what happens in the games to follow.

Prediction of Game 1: Yankees win 5-3.

-David Otero

You can follow David on Twitter @David_ODog or listen to him every Tuesday from 6-7 pm on the Sportswire on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org, as well as Talkin' Baseball: The Hot Corner on Tuesdays from 7-9 pm on wcwp.org.

For The Pioneers, The Season Starts Now

2011-09-30T00:26:00.004-04:00

Something strange happened this past Saturday. Maybe it was a 9 hour bus ride that never happened. Maybe it was a jersey that wasn't white. Maybe it was seeing familiar faces in the stands. Or maybe it was the turning point for what has been a very frustrating, tumultuous start for the C.W. Post Pioneers football team.

The Pioneers were staring at 0-3 with 27 points to their name. The previous two games, the defensive secondary was torched by standout receivers in Cal's Thomas Mayo and Mercyhurt's Trevor Kennedy. The running game which was considered the strongest point of the offense heading into the season, looked like the worst. However, on Saturday at Hicox Field, the Pioneers resembled a football team that looked like they were 3-0 and not 0-3.

When a team is going through a period of soul-searching or trying to find their identity, it's usually one or a couple of players, depending on the sport, that will step up and motivate their teammates. The Pioneers hadn't found that person up until Saturday.

Sophomore running back, Jeff Mack, exploded for a breakout game carring the ball 17 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Remember a few lines ago when I mentioned how dreadful the running game had been for Post? Well, Mack had carried the ball only one time during their two game road trip after he hurt his ankle in the opener against AIC. People who followed Post for the past couple of years, envisioned Junior back Thomas Beverley to be the featured back at the start of the season but it's clear that Mack brings a burst and level of explosiveness that can mask the Pioneers offensive line's deficiences by scurrying away from the tightest of situations. That isn't to say Thomas Beverley still cannot be asset moving forward. He excels at pass blocking and is a solid enough goal line back (with two touchdowns inside the 5 yard line to show this season).

If Mack was Michael Jordan on Saturday, then Quarterback Steven Laurino was Scottie Pippen. Laurino threw for 185 yards but also rushed for 117 more. If you look at the box score, you'll notice Laurino had zero touchdowns on the day. That doesn't take away from how effective he really was, considering how quickly he was able to rebound from one week ago in Mercyhurst where I campagined for backup Tyler Heuer to get some reps. (Steven, if you are reading this, I apologize. Keep up the good work!) The beautiful thing about Laurino and the gameplan that is made up for him is that the coaches are not asking for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns every game. If he plays well enough to move the chains, sustain drives, and keep defenses honest so they do not stack the box to contain the run, Laurino will succeed.

Quickly, a note on the defense. I've been saying for most of the season that the defense has not played as bad as the final scores would indicate. I think we saw the true potential of this offense when they held a Shippensburg offense who was averaging over 40 points per game to just 22 on Saturday. Kadeem Huggins did man things after returning from a two week absence thanks to a concussion. Rob Bright made some huge plays and recorded 3 sacks in the game and the secondary is steadily maturing.

For the Pioneers, the West Chester Golden Rams come into Hicox Field on Saturday sporting a 2-2 record. Both wins have come at home so they are eagerly trying to prove they can win on the road. There will be no easy tests for the Pioneers as this is a team in transition but they finally were able to establish a blueprint of what it is going to take to win football games in the PSAC. Maybe last week was just the start to something special...

You can listen to all of the game's coverage against West Chester starting with Pioneers Kickoff at 12:30 PM on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports . Patrick Creighton and Joe Szadok will have your call at 1 PM.

-Matt Soldano

You can follow Matt on Twitter @msoldano531 or listen to him on the Sportswire on Mondays and Wednesday-Friday from 6-7 PM on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org

Joe's NFL Week 3 in Review

2011-09-29T20:14:00.005-04:00

Sorry to all of you who read this for being so tardy on my week 3 NFL post, but wait no longer.

This week we're starting off with the locals, because two of the three NY teams pulled off two of the biggest upsets of the week. Going in order of the their record...we'll start with the 3-0 Buffalo Bills! The Bills went into this game vs the New England Patriots with very few people actually believing they can win, except for members of the Buffalo Bills. Never the less they picked off Tom Brady 4 times, and took a win against New England 34-31. Ryan Fitzpatrick did it again, leading a game winning drive, all the while using to his advantage guys like Stevie Johnson in his 4th year, and Donald Jones a 2nd year receiver from Youngstown St. Also, never to be overlooked is Fred Jackson who may have only had 74 yards, but then you realize it was on only 12 carries (6.2 YPC). Bills fans, Im sure you remember when this man was sitting behind Marshawn Lynch! With all that being said, I can't say I believe the Bills are playoff team yet, however they are making some big steps, and look out New York Jets.

On to my boys in blue the New York Giants. A 29-16 win in Philly against the Eagles make ALL Giants fans think, "Hey, maybe this division is winnable". It was 2 weeks ago I was watching the G-Men slowly lose a sloppy game to the Redskins. This game was a complete turn around from that. The often chastised (by me) Eli Manning played an incredible game going 16/23 and throwing 4 TDs. The play calling by Gilbride was absolutely where it needed to be, and Victor Cruz had the game that Giants fans were waiting for since last years great preseason. On a side note that Great catch Cruz made at the goal line, is not a pass I commend Eli for making, its a pass I commend Cruz for snatching away.

Let us now look at those J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. Im sure a 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders is not what the Jets had planned for this past Sunday. This game showed me that this team is NOT at all what it used to be. Looking at the offense, the run game is Not the go to strategy for this team anymore, and for good reason. As Ive been saying since preseason, Shonn Greene is not a feature back which means the Jets do not have one. Hence the reason Sanchez threw 44 passes. Now looking at the defense, very few people were running at all on this defense the last few years...this year, and in this game McFadden ran for 19 carries for 171 yards which equals 9 yards per carry. McFadden is a top running back in the NFL right now, but he would Not have been able to do this the last two seasons. This could be more of a problem season than expected for Jets fans.

Some other key games Id like to mention are the Tampa Bay Bucs finally beating the Atlanta Falcons 16-13, and the Carolina Panthers getting their first win this season, beating the Jaguars 16-10. Its strange to note that Matt Ryan threw for 330 yards, while Josh Freeman threw for 180. LeGarette Blount had an unimpressive 24 carries for 81 yeards, but even more unimpressive than that, and a big reason why the Bucs won this game is due to Michael Turner having a meager 11 carries for 20 yards. Adds a real wrinkle to the so far unimpressive (except for the Saints) NFC South. The other game I target is Cam Newton's first win of his career beating the Blaine Gabbert lead Jags 16-10. Newton had his least effective game so far, throwing only 18/34 for 158 yards and only the 1 touchdown to Greg Olsen. I am still impressed with Newton, and a Big Fan none the less. Which leads me to my last point.

The rookie QB portion of the blog begins now. I mentioned Newton, and I see only big things ahead for him and Im glad to see his humble press conference after the win. Blaine Gabbert gets his first start for the Jags this past week and wasn't the main reason the Jags lost. Gabbert went 12/21 for 139 yards and a score. Not that impressive, but for a first start, and his lack of receivers, you cant complain about much. Andy Dalton went against a very stout 49ers defense this week and went 17/32 and had 157 yards. I still have faith in "The Red Rifle" (one of the few nicknames I like). Again though, the man has limited options, AJ Green helps but if these two can spend some years together I like where it Could go.

Thats it for now, let me know what you think about this weeks views,and any games you would want me to cover next week. Without feedback, this is how it will stay, for better or for worse. See you all next time. Joe (Twitter - @CorporalJoe)