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Well, it appears that we might have reached the breaking point for the NFL and their replacement referees. It had been bad through two weeks of the season, but on Monday Night Football in Seattle, things got out of hand.
With :08 remaining on the clock, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back, bought sometime from the rush, and heaved a last-second desperation attempt with Seattle down 12-7. Continue reading
Leadership is a quality that some people just have frankly been born with. For others, they are tagged with this type of responsibility.
Whatever the case, when someone is carrying that characteristic it requires a demeanor that will allow others to follow and one that will be respected. After all, a leader is supposed to be someone who leads, whether vocally or by example.
It doesn’t take a special person to vocally lead a group, organization or even a sports team. But what really is a true statement is that actions most often speak louder than words. Continue reading
With each team coming off tough week one losses, both the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants got into the win column on Sunday. The Panthers sent division rival New Orleans to 0-2 on the season, while the Giants held on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their home opener.
THE GAME
Explosive offenses could be on full display Thursday night in Charlotte. With Cam Newton at the helm of the Carolina offense and fresh off a win over the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers are looking to make a statement on national television. Carolina and New York combined for 76 points in week two, including the Giants 41-point outburst against the Buccaneers. Though both offenses made plenty of plays, it could be defenses that enter Sunday with the most question marks. The Giants gave up 34 points to Tampa Bay on Sunday, including big plays down the stretch, raising questions about the play of the secondary. With Cam Newton and the big-play Panther offense, it could be wise to take the over in this match-up, as both defenses could be in for long days. Both the Giants and the Panthers are giving up over 22 points per game through the first two games of the season.
WHAT TO WATCH
Cam Newton showed his worth on Sunday against the Saints, throwing for 253 yards and running for 71 more yards in the Panthers win. Newton’s biggest weapon, Steve Smith, returned to form with over 100 receiving yards in the game, which also opened up the game plan for the Panthers running game. Obviously for the Panthers to repeat Sunday’s performance, the offensive attack must show up and limit turnovers. For the Giants, all eyes fall on the secondary. With the offense looking much-improved in week two, the secondary for New York must fix the mistakes given up in the 41-34 win over Tampa Bay. With Eli Manning at the helm and weapons on the outside offensively, the Giants believe – as they should – that they can score with anyone.
GAME LINE
The Giants have been set as the favorites in this Thursday night game, but it’s not by much. Carolina gets this one at home, which is good enough to make this a close bettnig line. This Giants vs Panthers Week 3 matchup have set New York as 1.5-point favorites. The Giants will need to win by at least two points to cover.
PREDICTIONS
The Giants and the Panthers make for an intriguing Thursday night match-up in Charlotte. The Panthers showed they could be true contenders with the win over the Saints, but taking on the defending world champions on national television could be a different story. 
Regardless of the storylines, the stars seem to be aligning for quite an offensive showcase, which would make sense given the over/under set at 51.0 as of Tuesday. The Giants should have the better football team on paper, but with an eager crowd in Charlotte and a playmaker at quarterback, the Panthers seem primed for the primetime. Look for this game to be close regardless, and could come down to the defense that makes the big play.
We are through two weeks of the 2012 NFL Season, and already there have been a host of great games and compelling matchups, as well as some big upsets and unfortunate injuries. So with all of that, here are a few observations on things that we have learned through the first couple of weeks.
1. The San Francisco 49ers Are Really Good
The 49ers won 13 games in 2011 and reached the NFC championship in what was definitely the surprise of the season. But so far in 2012, San Francisco has proved that 2011 was not a one-time thing. The 49ers have beaten two playoff teams from last season right out of the gate in 2012, including going on the road to Green Bay in Week 1. They are the most complete team on both sides of the ball, with even quarterback Alex Smith looking pretty good. It’s all about the defense and running game for the most part though. Look to the 49ers to keep rolling through the regular season on the way to a playoff berth.
2. Indianapolis And Washington Hit Home Runs With Their Picks
The Colts took Andrew Luck and the Redskins took Robert Griffin III No.1 and No.2 in the draft in April. And so far through two weeks, both look like they are going to be really good for their teams. Luck got his first win in Week 2, while Griffin defeated the Saints in Week 1. Both have shown why they were picked as highly, and I expect them to have great rookie seasons.
3. Julio Jones And Roddy White Form The Best WR Duo In The NFL
Matt Ryan has to be the happiest quarterback in the league with his weapons outside. Julio Jones and Roddy White are the best wide receiver tandem in the league, both with Pro Bowl level talent. It was Julio who shined with two touchdowns in Week , while White had over 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. Teams have to pick their poison with these two, freeing up the other for some one-on-one matchups.
4. Peyton Manning Makes The Broncos A Contender
Sure, Manning didn’t have a good first quarter on Monday Night, but he still looks like he is in control of this offense. And once Manning gets the rust off from missing a full season, he will settle in. Even while he is finding his form though, Manning and the Broncos look like they will be the team to beat in the AFC West.
Labor disputes are always going to occur in professional sports. Many reasons are behind these issues and for the most part both sides typically have valid arguments.
The CBA is what has led to the NHL issuing a lock for its players which is the second time this has occurred in eight years. Now hockey fans are left in limbo as to what will transpire leading up to the
start of the regular season.
Even though the NFL and its players were able to resolve matters a year ago, this year has brought about other changes in the league. Continue reading
One of the great things about the NFL, is the parity throughout the years. It is most definitely a cyclical league, with every team having success, unlike some other professional leagues where there is an inherent advantage for the super rich, and big market teams.
In the NFL, it is about as even as you can get, and it shows on the field.
We had a couple of crazy finishes, and unexpected outcomes in Week 2 of the 2012 NFL Season, highlighted by a shocker in New England, and a surprise in North Carolina. Continue reading
Following Chicago’s 23-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, it did not take long to get kind of a clear picture as to what might be going through the head of Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler.
Leading up to the game, Cutler showed (what some might say) signs of arrogance in relaying a message to the Packers’ secondary wishing them “good luck” with their matchup against the Bears receivers. Continue reading
There were lofty expectations installed for both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens coming into the season. And an early Week 2 matchup has some thinking that this could possibly be a super Bowl XLVII preview.
The Ravens looked great in Week 1, brushing off the colossal disappointment from last season’s AFC championship game.
The Eagles did not look like a Super Bowl team in Week 1, but they got the win and that is the most important thing. Continue reading
Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season is in the books, and while there is still a ton of football to be played, there were some definite things to pick up on in the opening games to pay attention to. Some were good, some were potential red flags.
Here are a few things that I noticed that could be important for some teams throughout the course of the 2012 NFL Season. Continue reading
Week 1 of the 2012 NFL Season is in the books, as teams get ready to flip the chapter to Week 2. And it will start soon, with the appearance of thursday Night football opening about two months earlier than usual. So we get more football early in the season on more days.
After reviewing the games on the opening weekend, there are definitely some teams that looked like they are ready to make a run for the Super Bowl already.
Let’s take a look at the power rankings for the top-five teams in the 2012 NFL Season, and see which made the cut, and whether or not they will drop out after this next weekend of games. Continue reading
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