MattCenter

NFL TIME BABY!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-13T17:39:00.004-04:00

Want my NFL predictions for the year? Here they are.

Division winners:

NFC

Chicago Bears

New York Giants

New Orleans Saints

Arizona Cardinals

Wild Card - Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings

AFC

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Diego Chargers

new england patriots

Wild Card - Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans

Super Bowl will be:

Chicago Bears beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 24 - 17

Get more detailed info on the season this week after we get the first week under out belts...

Really? I mean really?

2009-09-13T16:30:00.003-04:00

So I go to the Tennessee Vs.Ucla football game and yes I am excited about the game and I am ready to see our D, our running game, and YES even our QB. After last week against Western Kentucky there was a good feeling in the air. I know that Western Kentucky was an FCS team last year but we still beat them like a drum. So here it is Saturday afternoon and I am thinking the final score is going to be 27 - 13 or something like that. I feel confident about or D and I like the way our O looks. Then here it comes... Crompton throws a bad looking pass and it is intercepted. OK well last week against Western Kentucky he also had a few bad looking passes and a couple of INT's so maybe it is all good. I am sure he will pick it up and play better. I was WRONG. I was DEAD WRONG. Crompton played as badly as he did last year. He was just plain AWFUL!!!! 13/26 for 93 yards, 3 INT's, a lost fumble, and NO TD's. He was back to his old ways. The running game was decent but after UCLA saw that Crompton was so bad they focused on stopping the run and they we able to hold us to 115 yards on the ground. Once again our D was outstanding. The D held UCLA to 4 field goals and 1 TD even though it seemed like they started with the ball on our end of the field all day because of the 4 turnovers that Crompton had. The D held them to 186 total yards of offense, only 12 first downs all day, and got a safety when it mattered. The D getting that safety gave us a chance to win with 1:41 to go in the game. All we had to do was drive 65 yards and score a td.... Too bad Crompton sucks sooooooooo bad that we could not even gain a yard and we turned the ball over on downs and the game was over.

Overall the game was terrible from the offensive side of the ball. It really sucks to see such a great defensive effort go to waste with the pathetic showing from the offensive side of the ball.
I give the defense an A.
Running game gets a C+.
Crompton gets a Z. I know the grading scale only goes to F but in this case Crompton was SO bad he deserves a whole new level of badness.

Next week florida. I think you all know how I feel about florida. Stay tuned for a blog this week about the UT/florida rivalry...

Oh and for the record... Eric Berry is my hero. I love that kid!!!!

VOLS WIN... VOLS WIN... VOLS WIN!!!!

2009-09-05T17:29:00.005-04:00

63- 7..... Go Vols!

What a great way to start off the Lane Kiffin Era. Now I know what you are thinking..... Hell it doesn't count.... You played Western Kentucky? Well that may be true BUT the last time the Vols scored 63 points was the year 2000. Last year we should have had this same score against Wyoming but instead lost 13 - 7. How does this make me feel. EXCELLENT!!! A few things to point out.
1.) Freshman are playing and playing well. Bryce Brown runs for over 100 yards and scores, David Oku scores 2 TD's, and Marsalis Teague led the team in receiving and also scored a TD. Freshman play for Kiffin and I am excited to see what he can get out of them next week.
2.) Montario Hardesty runs for 160 yards... Well done. he did have 1 fumble and that was early. I tihnk he will fix this issue and continue to have a good year.
3.) The team only had 6 penalties in the entire game. Discipline makes this happen. I love the fact that wea re not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties.
4.) The offensive line was outstanding. The Vols ran for 380 yards and gave up NO sacks. This is a huge win for us.
5.) The D is stout. We gave up 83 total yards of offense. Are you kidding me. Only 83 yards? At one point in the 3rd quarter we had given up -17 total yards of offense. -17.... HOLY COW. Our D was on fire. The only reason they even scored is because we were playing our 3rd string in all of the 4th quarter and even part of the 3rd quarter, NOT 2nd string but 3rd string.
6.) Crompton played well. This is a huge change from last year. Last year Crompton threw for 4 TD's for the entire year..... Today he had 5 TD's. A HUGE change for what we have seen from him since he got to UT. I hope he continues to improve. He did throw 2 INT's and both were tipped passes with one of them actually being a terrible pass and the other being a pretty good defensive play. We need him to step up and just control the ball and not turn it over for us to continue to win.
7.) The offense had 657 yards.... Are you kidding me. The last time we looked like that had to be when Peyton was here.
8.) I will say that since most of you know I am a huge Eric Berry fan. Although he did not get an INT today I will say that he did not even play the 4th quarter and to be honest he did not play much of the 3rd quarter either. The thing that made me very happy was that even though he did not get the 2nd half playing time, EVERY time I saw him on the sidelines he was smiling and cheering for his teammates. At NO point was he being a team cancer and frowning because he was not able to play the whole game. He was quite happy that the team was winning and not worried about his stats. He is the epitome of a true Vol, and TRUE team player, and a true badass on the defensive side of the ball.

Overall I will give the team a grade of an A-. They only get the - because they had 3 turnovers. D gets an A+.

Wimbledon

2009-07-05T11:51:00.003-04:00

As I sit here and watch Wimbledon I remember from my childhood when I used to love to watch tennis. It brings back interesting feelings from childhood in which I watched tennis sitting on the floor legs crossed and cheering for my favorite stars. I know that some people don't find tennis interesting and to be honest I respect that but keep in mind this is my sports blog NOT yours.
So this has been a very good Wimbledon final so far and currently Andy Roddick is tied in the 5th set with Roger Federer. Now as far as tennis goes I think the reason I have not been following it as much these days is because there are no huge American stars like there were 10-20 years ago. We have no Pete Sampras, Andre Aggasi, or hell even no John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors. The lack of big American stars has hurt the sport to the normal American fan like myself. Now that may sound strange or stereotypical but to me since this is an individual sport and not a team sport I need someone to cheer for. Instead of the hometown hero I find myself cheering for the underdog. And cheering for the underdog is fun but at the same time can get old really quickly. When you are never cheering for the same person twice it feels bad as a sports fan. I like to stick with my team. I really enjoy supporting my team in sports. It gives you a gratifying feeling when you win and that hurt when you lose makes you want to come back for another shot to win. Well these days I don't watch as much tennis because there seems to be no one to cheer for like the old days. It seems like Roger Federer is the only one out there that gets any publicity and is the only one you ever hear about winning (because he is the media darling) so I find myself not liking Roger Federer and hoping that Rafal Nadal wins instead. I get sick of hearing how everyone thinks that Roger Federer is the best of all time. I want him to lose. I find that the only real American heros (G.I. Joe reference there) in tennis these days are the female stars of Venus and Serena Williams. Now don't get me wrong, they OWN female tennis these days. I just want more from our hometown heros. In a strange way this is exactly what has happened to Boxing. There are no huge superstars in the heavyweight world and in turn that sport has fallen from grace in my opinion. I can remember watching Mike Tyson on pay-per-view and seeing him dominate someone in 3 rounds or less. Now the other thing that has really hurt boxing as a sport is the fact that MMA has taken over. But we will keep that for another blog. Meanwhile back to tennis. They keep showing Pete Sampras who is one of my favorite athletes of all time not just my favorite tennis player. I found his calm demeanor and amazing professionalism off and on the court to be what I admired in all athletes and on top of that he was a champion. He won 14 Grand Slams (which is the most of ever). Individual sports like tennis and golf are very entertaining as long as you have someone to follow. Sadly these days I just don't have anyone to follow. As far as Andy Roddick goes... I like the kid. But he has been a disappointment as far as wins when it comes to the world of tennis. He has only won 1 Grand Slam title and that was back in 2003. This is his first appearance in a Grand Slam title match since 2006.

This has gone to epic proportions now... it is 11-11 in the 5th set.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching todays Wimbledon. I wanted to wait until it ended to actually publish this blog so I coudl post the winner....

And once again Federer wins... Damn.
Epic match though, went to the 5th set and Federer wins 16-14 in the final set.

I'll Be Back!!!!

2009-06-23T12:55:00.001-04:00

I will get this rolling again soon. I have been a bit busy with the kiddo and such..... More to come soon.

UT/Auburn

2008-09-27T12:36:00.002-04:00

So I am going to save my overall State Of Tennessee Address for after this game. I want to give the coaching staff, players, and fans the benefit of the doubt for one more day. Until then I am going to stay optimistic and just give you my hopeful prediction for how this game should or could go.

First of all just as last week we need to be very very very careful with turnovers. Last week not only did we lose the turnover battle against florida but we lost the turnover battle at crucial times. We turned the ball over inside our own 5 yard line two times. That can NEVER happen if any team wants to win. Well today we play one of the best defenses in the country. Auburn has dominated people defensively this year and if we turn the ball over again we will be beaten badly.

If we have ANY chance in this game it is because we theoretically have a better offense than Auburn. Our D has played well including last week against florida giving up only 96 yards passing and 26 yards rushing to tim tebow, That is a strong statement however we have struggled on offense and on special teams. This week we need our defense to step up again.

I am going to predict that Auburn is reeling after a heartbreaking loss to LSU last week in the last 2 minutes of that game, Because of this if UT can strike early and then stay with the running game consistently the Vols can win.

Final score Vols 21 - Tigers 17

A BIG day.....

2008-09-19T23:49:00.003-04:00

So I am not sure if you know this but there is a pretty big game this weekend....

UT VS. florida

There are not many rivalries in college football which have as much hatred embedded into them as the UT/florida game. I know that Auburn/Alabama and OSU/Michigan get a lot of discussion but to be honest I am just not sure there is as much deep down hatred as in the UT/fla game. There is more foul language and more fights at a UT/fla game than anything else I can eve think of. Hell I am pretty sure there are more F-Bombs dropped at the UT/Fla game than in a Quentin Tarantino movie and more fights than in Braveheart. I am not taking anything away from these other rivalries I am just pointing out that the level and hatred is higher in this game.

Now that all of that build up is done lets talk about the game. This could be an interesting game for sure. NO one is giving UT a chance in hell for this game but I am calling it now. UT WILL WIN. It will be a game that is dominated by running of the ball.

This game comes down to 2 things EVERY YEAR.
1.) Turnovers.... If UT can win the Turnover battle they can win. Eric Berry is a machine at the safety position and if he can force a turnover that will be a BIG win for UT. Crompton NEEDS to take care of the ball as well. Tennessee CAN'T afford to give the ball to florida. If we can win the turnover battle we CAN WIN.
2.) Running the ball. If UT can stick with running the ball they can control the clock and they can win. This series has shown that the team that runs the ball better wins this game. Foster, Hardesty, and Creer can run the ball VERY well and if the coaching staff will stick with it they can control the clock and get in the endzone.

The Vols can and WILL win IF and only IF they control the ball with the running game AND they win the turnover battle.

Vols 31 - florida 27

Does anyone know what time it is?

2008-09-07T12:37:00.003-04:00

Just in case you don't know what time it is let me inform you. This is the time of year that we all look forward to. I know I know some of you like Spring showers and some of you like that time of year when there are no real sports going on AKA Summer (of course I think you are all dumb but who am I to say that I am just not a Baseball fan). I guess bottom line is the real time of the year that matters is FOOTBALL season!!!! I am just giddy with excitement and now I have Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and sometimes Thursdays to look forward to.....

Lets get down to it.

Division winners....
Dallas
CHICAGO
New Orleans
Arizona

Indy
Pittsburgh
new england
San Diego

Your SuperBowl will be Dallas VS Indy....

I know I just ruined the season for you if you are not a Dallas or Indy fan but you will live with it and you will watch every game because you are a fan. Also you will watch to see how incredible my picks are!

My Picks for the day...
Dallas beats Cleveland 34-28
NY Jets beat Miami 27 - 17
New Orleans Beats Tampa 38 - 14
CHICAGO beats INDY 27-21

It is FOOTBALL time in Tennessee and I have had some changes...

2008-09-01T17:24:00.005-04:00

So a LOT has happened since the last time I blogged. I moved, had a baby (well my wife did, BUT I helped), and I forgot to blog.... That being said I am back and better than ever. My life feels so good after having my wonderful daughter that I feel like you all need to be graced with my sports blogging presence again. So lets get right to it. I will give you a run down on a lot of other stuff later this week but as for today lets talk about the only thing that matters in the sports world... UT FOOTBALL!!!!

First of all let me just say that tonight in the UT vs UCLA game UT should dominate. This in my opinion should be a stroll in the park. UCLA has lost 2 starting QB's in the off season so we are looking at a 3rd string guy. Our D SHOULD be bigger, stronger, and much more healthy than they were last year. That being said we did win 10 games last year including a win in the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin 21-17. Our record ended up pretty good after losing 3 of the first 7 games last year. We made a move and ended up winning the SEC East only to lose to National Champions LSU 21-14 in the SEC Championship. Our BIG question mark is the QB.

Now in my mind I can see this going the way of Tee Martin. Now NO ONE thought Tee was good enough to win us a National Championship but that is exactly what he did. Following Peyton Manning is no easy task but Tee did just fine. How did he do it you ask? Taking care of the ball, consistency, and control of the game. Tee did not turn over the ball and he made plays with his feet when he had to. Bottom line is he did not make mistakes that cost us games. IF Jonathan Crompton can play with his head in the game and not make mistakes we will have not only a good year but a GREAT year. Now I am not saying National Chaps or anything but we will certainly not lose 4 games like last year and could very well be playing in a BCA game come Jan.

This leads me to tell you that the game tonight should be a blow out. I expect final score of 34-17.

The SEC is SO much better than any other conference in the country good so keep in mind that if you have a 3 loss year in the SEC that is like going undefeated in most conferences. That being said I will give you my complete predictions for the entire NCAA football year later this week. Until then keep an eye out for my boys on ESPN tonight at 8:00 Eastern....

GOOOOOOOO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tough road ahead.........

2007-11-10T12:32:00.000-05:00

So here it is. I have not posted in a while and of course I want to appologize to my loyal readers (or actually the one - Thanks Pops). Anyway today is the beginning of a tough stretch for the VOLS. They have Arkansas and the mighty running game of McFadden and Jones to deal with today. The Vols hold their own destiny in their hands and if they win out against Arkansas, Vandy, and Kentucky then they go to the SEC championsip (most likely against LSU). We need today to be a big game out of the running backs and WR's in order to keep the ball away from that powerful offense of Arkansas. In order to win the game we are going to have to force them to beat us with the passing game. Our D has struggled throughout the entire season so far and they will need to pick it up the last 3 weeks in order to salvage the season. The D will need to force a few turnovers in order to put up more points than this powerfull Arkansas team.

Vols 34 Arkansas 27

GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Winners Weekend!!!!!

2007-10-13T13:55:00.000-04:00

So I know I have not been blogging as often as last year and that is partially because I have been in and out of town so much this summer. See KnitterWife's Blog to understand that. So I have no real plans to be out of town for the rest of the year which means I can completley focus on blogging anytime I get a chance.

On to football season......

Today we have a huge matchup between My Tennessee Vols and someone elses Mississippi State Bulldogs. Miss State is actually 4-2 and does not look like the complete doormat that they have looked like in the last few years but today should be an fugly game. I expect Tennessee to come off of the big victory from last week against Georgia and make a move to win the SEC East. With only 1 loss in the conference and the other coming to Cal (my sleeper to make it to the the national title game)we are still well in the hunt to win the SEC East and play in the SEC championship. We have Kentucky and South Carolina both on the schedule if we beat both of them as well as Bama, Vandy, and Arkansas we will win the SEC East. Today starts a very important run of games with Miss State>>>Bama>>>South Carolina. After we come out of this 3 game run and our record is jumps to 6-2 watch for us to be ranked around 15 again.

Final score prediction: Vols 38 - Miss State 17

Other big games today:
#6 Oklahoma Vs #11 Missouri - Oklahoma shows that losing to Colorado was a fluke and wins this one 31-21
#1 LSU Vs #17 Kentucky - This could be a very interesting game but I think the talent level for LSU is just too much for a very up and coming Kentucky team. LSU wins this one 42-28

On a separate note lets just all cheer for #1 LSU, #2 California, #5 South Florida, #6 Boston College, #15 Cincinnati, #16 Hawaii, and #20 Kansas to all finish undefeated to really screw with the BCS.
WE NEED A PLAYOFF SYSTEM IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!
We will talk about that towards the end of the year when I run my own playoff bracket to show the real national champion!!! Let me knwo your thoughts on this idea and look for it at the end of the year.

Home Game........

2007-09-22T16:13:00.000-04:00

OK First let me just say last week was a debacle. I have never been so mad or even embarrassed in all my years of Tennessee football. I have so many things I could say about florida and how they ran up the score or how they left their starters in all the way to the end even when they were up by 29 points or the fact that florida was going for it on 4th down in the fourth quarter, hell I could go on for hours about the total classless act that happened last week but I will stop there. The bottom line is that even in all my anger towards florida Tennessee still played in the game (if we even want to call it playing). Tennessee still gave up 59 points, Tennessee still only scored 20 points, Tennessee still played their worst game in years. Enough about last week.....

Tennessee will win this week simply because they are playing Arkansas State. There is not much more I can even say about this game. If Tennessee does not win by 4 TD's then they just did not show up. I expect after last week Tennessee will need to show some real heart in order to get their season back on track. Watch for a final score of 48-17..

On a different note look for my Pro Football talk to come back this week .

This weekend something happens????

2007-09-13T21:17:00.000-04:00

So this weekend is kind of a big deal. We have the most important college football game of the year....
#22 THE TENNESSEE VOLS Vs. #5 florida

Of course in MattCenter tradition the floriida gators will NEVER be capitalized due to my pure down right loathing and lack of respect of the entire team and all of their fans. Anyway lets talk football....

This is a huge game with my #22 Vols in florida and we will be playing for our ranking lives. After losing their first game against, my BCS sleeper Cal, we came back and beat Southern Miss 39-19. Now down to florida to play against the team that I HATE more than any other team in any other sport. Have I mentioned that I despise florida and everything they stand for? And when I say florida I do mean players, coaches, fans, teachers, janitors, etc..... Anyway back to the game. Ainge has played pretty well, having 276 yards and 2 TD's last week and all of this with a broken finger on his throwing hand from a couple of weeks ago. Overall I am happy with how he has played so far. This week the team that wins will win the turnover battle. If we can play a game without turning the ball over and force 1 or 2 Int's from sophomore tim tebow we will win this game. tebow has not faced a real team on his own yet and neither has florida. florida played Troy last week and gave up 31 points to this tiny little team and the week before played Western Kentucky High School. A huge advantage for Tennessee is that we played #8 Cal in Cal and the front runner to win Conference USA Southern Miss before we play our arch rivals. We have seen real talent whereas florida has played 2 high schools and is not going to be prepared for the team speed or power of my TENNESSEE VOLS. This will be a battle like every year and the Vols will come out on top because we will be more prepared and we want it more. Did I mention that I hate florida?
VOLS WIN 27 - 17

Is there anything cool happening tonight????

2007-09-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

I was sitting at work thinking about if I had anything to do tonight and BAM it hit me..... It is OPENING NIGHT OF THE NFL!!!! This lead me to want to let everyone know what is going to happen in the NFL this year. I know some of you might be thinking that after I tell you how the season is going to go then there is no reason to watch because of how perfect I am, BUT there will be plenty of games to watch that I won't be telling you about so it will be OK. I am going to tell you about my 3 favorite teams and the rest is up to you. I will also tell you who wins each division, conference, and of course the Super Bowl (Hint it is the Bears).

So first of all let me tell you about my 3 favorite teams:

Baltimore Ravens - This team lost a huge man on the defensive side of the ball with Adalius Thomas HOWEVER they did make a big move to get Willis McGahee to replace former Vol Jamal Lewis. This team has proven over the years that a healthy team and a STRONG defense can go along way. 12-4 with losses to the Colts, Bengals, patriots, and Pittsburgh.

Indianapolis Colts - Now I know what you guys are thinking... Is this guy a band wagon fan or what? But for those of you who know me my blood runs orange and in turn follows Peyton Manning (not to mention my knitting wife lives and dies for her Colts). They are one of the most fun teams to watch in ALL of football and look for them to have another great year. Colts finish 13-3 with losses to Chargers, Broncos, and Jaguars.

THE CHICAGO BEARS - The team to beat in the NFC... MY CHICAGO BEARS will avenge their loss to the Colts and win the Super Bowl this year. The D is brutal and got better by adding Archuleta in the safety position which will allow Mike Brown to play that Ball Hog style of play and back up Urlacher in that strong secondary. The offense lost Thomas Jones and will rely on Cedrick Benson to carry the load behind Grossman. Grossman will make less mistakes and will play well enough to win games. First round draft pick Greg Olsen will be the security blanket that our QB needs and will help with some big plays of his own. Look for a record of 13-3 with losses to the Chargers, Saints, and Broncos.

Spoiler alert!!!!!!
Division winners will be as follows:
NFC East - Philadelphia Eagles
NFC West - St. Louis Rams
NFC South - New Orleans Saints
NFC North - THE CHICAGO BEARS

AFC East - new england patriots
AFC West - San Diego Chargers
AFC South - Indianapolis Colts
AFC North - Baltimore Ravens

Conference Champs to represent in the Super Bowl:
Indianapolis Colts vs THE CHICAGO BEARS
BEARS WIN BEARS WIN BEARS WIN!!!!!

Let The Games Begin..........

2007-08-31T22:14:00.000-04:00

First of all let me just say it is good to be home. For all of you who missed me understand that I missed you as well. Understand that the boring part of the year (Baseball Season) has come to an end because FOOTBALL IS UPON US!!!! I am going to give you a few things in my first Blog of the 2007 football season. 1.) Predictions for the season for my favorite teams. 2.) Conference champions for the big boys, and last but not least 3) a prediction for this weeks big Tennessee Vs. Cal game (which can be seen on ABC at 8pm EST on Saturday night.

1.) Let me present the predictions for my favorite teams.

Oklahoma Sooners - Preseason #8 - After losing Adrian Peterson the Sooners are replacing one of the best running backs in recent college football with Allen Patrick. Patrick is a 6'0 191lb senior with explosive talent and will have HUGE shoes to fill. The skill on the defensive side of the ball is there and the bottom line is what will they get out of the QB position? Sam Bradford a freshman will be taking the snaps and will be the entire key to the Sooners season. With the biggest games being 11/03 against Texas A&M, 11/24 against homestate rival Oklahoma State, and of course the BIG game 10/06 against Texas and the rest of the schedule being pretty simple I fully expect Oklahoma to be in the BCS again this year. Lets just hope that Boise State is not in the equation again. Sooners end the season 12-1 and win the Big 12.

Wisconsin Badgers - Preseason #7 - After getting snubbed from the BCS because of Michigan (who coincidentally got spanked by USC) the Badgers are in for a battle this year in order to win the Big Ten and make it back to a BCS game. Big games on 10/13 at Penn State, and then back to back HUGE games against 11/03 Ohio State and then 11/10 against Michigan. This year we will see the best of the big ten all play against each other. I am hoping that the rumors of the Big Ten adding a 12th team and getting a championship game will come true and we will actually get a true Champ coming out of the big 12. Badgers end the season 11-1.

Tennessee Vols - Preseason #15 - My boys are back and ready to play some football. What can we expect from Ainge this year. He is starting the season playing at Cal with a broken pinky finger BUT with Crompton as our backup I feel comfortable with our offense. The running backs are stacked and so is the WR corp so the real question will be what can we get out of the QB position. Tennessee has the issue of having to play in the SEC and having a disgusting schedule that includes Alabama, Georgia, florida, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Cal from out of conference but has the talent to succeed. Keep an eye out for the Vols to have a record of 10-2.

Conference Champs:
Big Ten - Wisconsin Badgers 11-1
Pac Ten - USC Trojans 11-1
Big East - West Virginia 10-2
Big 12 - Oklahoma 12-1
ACC - Virginia Tech 10-2
SEC - LSU 12-1

Tennessee Vs. Cal - This is a revenge game from last years destruction when the Vols won 35-18. The thing we need to watch out for is Ainge's pinky. Will it hurt him and have him make a mistake? I don't think so. Ainge will play well enough and NOT make any mistakes and in turn the Vols will win. The running game of Tennessee will play a huge part in how the game goes. The defense will have to have a big game against the speed of Cal and I expect them to stop the run and have a couple of big plays from the secondary. VOLS win 27-21

Coming Soon!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-18T17:05:00.000-04:00

Football season is coming and so will the return of the best blog on the net. Keep an eye out for MattCenter to return!!!!!!!!!

MattCenter Madness

2007-03-15T12:53:00.000-04:00

March Madness is upon us......

This is one of the few times of the year that you will find sports enthusiasts, wives, and even the people who have absolutely no idea what a basketball looks like joining together, hand in hand, cheering for their favorite teams, their Alma Mater, the coolest mascot, or even the team with the coolest colors. It's BRACKET TIME baby!!!! Now if for some reason I am wrong (which has never happened in the history of sports) I will also be updating throughout the tourney so stay tuned for my analysis.

Lets start with my picks for the final 4 and then the eventual National Champions.

Wisconsin will beat florida to get to the Final Four
Texas will beat Georgetown to get to the Final Four
Kansas will beat UCLA to get to the Final Four
Tennessee will beat Texas A&M to get to the Final Four

Now I know what you are thinking..... This guy is crazy, he's putting Tennessee in the Final Four? Well as noted in the original statement I AM one of those guys cheering for my Alma Mater!!!! Watch out for it because I am the first and possibly the only person to say this. Tennessee has the potential to pull a few huge upsets because of Chris Lofton and his ability to carry this team. Unfortunately I think the best player in the country, Kevin Durrant, will carry Texas past Tennessee to make the finals.

Now I also know that if you know me you are saying this guy is crazy he is putting Kansas in the Final Four. Well back to my original statement again... Kansas is my favorite Team (besides MY TENNESSEE VOLS) so I am cheering for them.

So my picks for the Finals are.... A rematch of the Big 12 Title Game...
Kansas VS. Texas
Kansas will prevail in the end winning 88-83
KANSAS WINS THE NATIONAL TITLE IN 2007

The Day After Yesterday

2007-02-05T10:51:00.000-05:00

Well the big game did not go the way I wanted it to. The Colts pulled out a victory 29-17 over my beloved Bears. I can take a few things out of this loss and hold my head high though. 1.) I have never seen the Knitting Goddess as happy as she was last night when it comes to a sporting event. She wept with joy and I love her for this. 2.) The Colts won this game and deserved to win. Peyton won the MVP and hopefully this will be the moment that the media stops saying he can't win the big game. Tony Dungy is truly deserving of this win and is the type coach and man that the NFL should be proud of having around. 3.) My Bears made it to the Superbowl with essentially a rookie QB. Rex made a lot of mistakes and still our defense held us in the game until the end. The Defense carried them all year and they deserve the credit that is due to them. They held the explosive offense of the Colts to 22 points. The other 7 came off of a Rex Grossman INT taken back for a TD. 4.) The Bears are only going to get better. With more experience next year and the rest of that defense staying healthy I can send out a message to the rest of the NFL..... Watch out for the Bears in 2007.

Super Sunday

2007-02-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

So here it is and expect a long one. I have not blogged since the NFC and AFC championships and the reason for that is the idea of how big and important this game is in the Hubba's household. For me I have talked about the Bears all year long and have been a Bears fan my ENTIRE life (not just one of these Bears fans to come out of the woodwork recently). The Knitting Goddess has been a Colts fan since 1998 when her hero Peyton Manning left our Alma Mater THE Tennessee Vols to take over as QB of the Colts. This in turn has caused a riff in the Hubba Household. No matter what happens The Knitting Goddess will be allowed to stay here tonight, she just might be on the couch. This is the moment that I have been waiting for since the 1985 Superbowl. Lets break down the game but keep in mind I will be TRYING to talk from the mind and not the heart here:

The Indianapolis Colts 12-4: This team as anyone who knows anything about football knows is all about the offense. It would be impossible to talk about the Cots and NOT talk about Peyton Manning. By the time Peyton's career is over he will have every statistical record for a QB. Peyton has been harassed by defensive line man and linebackers his entire career but for some reason no matter how well he does the media has always been his biggest nemesis. The media will get on his bandwagon about how great he is and in the same breath talk about how "he can't win the big game". I have never seen bigger turncoats against anyone in the history of sports (except maybe Philly fans). The other thing about Peyton is this... Peyton does not play defense. No matter what happens if he puts up 37 points and they lose 40-37 the media will go back to "Peyton can't win the big one". The defense is FAST. The only problem with the defense is that they are just small in size. My grandmother always used to say to me "Dynamite comes in small packages" and this is true about the Colts defense. Honestly I could probably go on for hours about the Colts offense with Marivin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and so on and so on.....

The Chicago Bears 13-3: As the Bears have been know for years as a team with a Great defense and an offense that keeps the ball on the ground and pounds you with smash mouth football this year was a little different. The offense was opened up a little bit with Rex Grossman staying healthy and throwing the ball deep on many occasions. The running game is still there with Thomas Jones and Cedrick Benson but look for a few opportunities for Berrian to be deep down the middle of the field for a 40+ yard throw. Enough about the offense, here is what I LOVE about football.... Defense. The Bears had the best defense in the NFL for most of the year and the media turned on them as quickly as they turn on Peyton for some reason. They had 3 games that were average at the end of the year (after they had clinched everything) and the media started to talk about the Bears defense as if they had lost 13 games throughout the year instead of winning 13 games. They came out in the NFC championship and dominated the #1 offense int he NFC winning 39-14.

The game itself will be one hell of a game in my opinion and come down to protecting the ball. The team with the least turnovers will win. If Grossman can come out and get a few first downs his confidence will grow and he will have a good game. If the Bears defense can hold the powerful Colts offense to field goals that will give them the momentum to play a bend but not break type of defense. This game could come down to a momentum changing turnover on the opponents side of the field. At first I did not want to give a score prediction of this game because of my heart trying to very take my mind but I felt that my faithful readers need one (you both know who you are). The Knitting Goddess did find a lady bug and even gave our 4 dogs treats to bribe them to cheer for the Colts so I might be the only one cheering for the Bears her at Hubba Mansion in the long run. The Colts are favored by 7 points in this game and I expect them to play very hard. So here it is my last prediction of the NFL season:
Bears 24 Colt 23

Championship Sunday

2007-01-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

Bears win
Colts win
That is all I have to say about that.

NFL Playoffs part 2

2007-01-14T12:09:00.000-05:00

Today we have part 2 of the divisional playoffs. The most important game of the week is of course MY CHICAGO BEARS!!!
The #1 seed Chicago Bears playing against the Seattle Seahawks.... The Bears have been a rollercoaster all year but still ended up with the best record in the NFC. The Bears defense has been outstanding all year but in the last couple of games has been giving up the big plays. The Bears destroyed the Seahawks 37-6 earlier in the year in a game in which Shaun Alexander did not play. This game will be a little different from that earlier game. The Bears game comes down to turnovers today. If the Bears don't turn the ball over they will win,and yes it is as simple as that. All the talk recently has been if Rex Grossman can play well. Grossman has to simply not turn the ball over in order for the team to play well. When the Bears force turnovers and they give that Bears running attack a short field watchout for a lot of points. Seattle has had some serious issues in the secondary and with Berrian and Bradley healthy look for the Bears to take their chances down field.
Bears win in a very good game 24-17

San Diego Chargers Against the new england patriots..... This game is very interesting because the media has allowed this to become about the patriots somehow. The Chargers not only have the MVP with LT but their offense it the highest scoring in the entire NFL and yet for some reason all anyone can talk about is how the patriots are going to win because they have brady and belichick. Last time I looked the Chargers were the BEST team in the AFC and for some reason the media can only talk about how great the patriots are. Strange how the media has the power to sway this game. Chargers are going to keep playing the way they did all year with LT scoring TD's and Gates making huge catches throughout the game. The patriots are gong to have to out score this team and to be honest I don't think they have the fire power.
Chargers win 34 - 21

The NFL Playoffs

2007-01-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

So here we are in the second week of the playoffs and now I can start telling all my faithful followers in the Blog World who is going to win. Since I know you all hang on my every word I might even drag it out a bit by rambling about this and that and everything in between or I could get straight into it. There are 4 games this weekend and they are all pretty big, so lets get right into it by talking about today's big games.
Colts Vs Ravens..... This is a huge matchup between the high powered offense of Peyton Manning and the Colts against the equally high powered Defense of the Ravens. The Ravens have been one of the top 3 defenses for the last 6 years or so and is lead by Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, and new comer Bart Scott. This defense forces turnovers and turn them into points and that makes them very dangerous. No one is talking about how good the Ravens have played even though they have won 9 out of their last 10 games and are coming off a bye week. The only thing that people are talking about is can Peyton win the big game. Well to answer all those doubters the Colts are going to have to have more than just Peyton show up, the defense will have to show up like they did last week against the running force of Larry Johnson and the Chiefs. The key to this game will be the running game. Will the Colts 2 headed running attack be able to penetrate the dominate defense of the Ravens and in turn will the Colts defense be able to stop the power running of former Tennessee Vol Jamal Lewis? I LOVE Steve McNair and his tough attitude and in his first year with the Ravens he has been one of the main reasons that the Ravens are the #2 seed in the very tough AFC.
Colts win in a very tough game 27 - 24

Tonights game is a tough one to call between the suprising New Orleans Saints and the even more suprising Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were considered all but done when All Pro QB Donovan McNabb went down with a torn ACL mid way through the season but somehow showed what a great head coach they have with Andy Reid by pulling together and not only making the playoffs but winning the Division that sent 3 out of 4 teams to the playoffs. That might be one of the most suprising teams in the year. The problem with that statement is we are talking about them playing the Saints. Yes I said the Saints. Commonly known for so many years as the Aints. Not only were the Saints good this year but they had the 2nd best record in the NFC. They made some huge moves in the off-season by picking up a real QB in Drew Brees and then drafting Reggie Bush. Bush turned out to be one of the best rookies this year by having over 1300 yards from scrimmage for the season and even more importantly helped the offense spread the field and open up running holes for Deuce McAllister. They have such a high powered offense it will come down to the pressure that Philly puts on Brees. Philly will blitz from every angle and try to get Brees off of his game by throwing different coverages at him throughout the game.
Saints win an exciting game 31 - 24

The National Championship

2007-01-08T19:58:00.000-05:00

Well it is here.... The last college football game of the year. Everyone has been talking about this one for over a month. The big thing has been that OSU has a 51 day lay off between games. Well that will only be a factor in the first quarter if it is an issue at all. No one is remembering that florida has not played since 12/02. That is one of the many factors that the experts have been talking about. The defense of florida has been brought up for the past few weeks but I think the real deciding factor will be the running game. Will OSU come out and pound florida with the 2 running backs that beat up Michigan or will florida's speed catch OSU off guard? This could end up being a better game than many of the experts are saying and a possible instant classic. florida did play in the SEC which is hands down the hardest conference in the country and came out with only 1 loss. florida played the hardest schedule in the country according to CBSSportsline and people are forgetting that. I am trying not to let me deep hatred for florida come out in my pick here but I feel like I have to add that there is NO team in any sport that I despise with my inner soul like the florida gators. Now that I have gotten that off my chest lets move on to the pick.....
OSU 31 florida 21

Sugar Bowl

2007-01-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Let me just throw out there my ideas about my favorite bowl game every year. The Sugar Bowl is hands down my favorite bowl game every year because of the SEC tie in. I love to see the best SEC team playing another great BCS team. I of course love this because of the Idea that it could be my last game of the year because this is the Bowl game I am hoping that My Tennessee Vols are going to be playing in every year (unless of course hey are playing for the National Championship). Now this year it did not turn out that way. This year we have LSU against Notre Dame. Now this is exciting because:
a.) I love football
b.) I love the SEC
c.) I hate Notre Dame
d.) New Orleans is pretty cool and I got very drunk there one trip after winning an award at work
e.) LSU is one of the most exciting teams in college football this year
f.) All of the above
.......... The correct answer is F.

I expect this game to be a very exciting game with 2 very good offenses and 1 very good defense. Just in case you did not know LSU is one of the best defensive teams in the country and both of these teams can really score some points on offense. This is Brady Quinn's last game before becoming the next QB for the hopeless Oakland Raiders in April and he wants to go out a winner. Notre Dame has lost its last 8 bowl games and has not looked good in any of them. Last year Ohio State destroyed them by putting up over 600 yards of offense. LSU was the best 2 loss team in the country and more than likely could beat almost anyone on any given day. The key for LSU is Jamarcus Russell. Will we get the Russell who looked like a top 10 draft pick or will we get the inconsistent Russell who forgets how to throw a pass? Well I am guessing that LSU wants to be recognized as the team that I am giving them credit for being because we all know everyone wants my approval. Both teams will put up points tonight so look for a high scoring game.
LSU wins 38-31

The Most Wonderful Week Of The Year

2006-12-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

Now it has been a little while since I have blogged but maybe it was just because I was saving up for this week. Either way we will just let it slide. I will be partying with our good friends The Hajek's in Charleston for the New Years celebration but I wanted to give you all just a taste of my predictions for the big games coming up. When I get back it will be time o finish up on the NFL season and then move on to my Tennessee Vols in Basketball and the rest of the crowd as well as the NBA. So let me just give you a sampling of what will happen in all the Jan 1st bowl games.
First up is my Tennessee Vols against Penn State in the Outback Bowl: Now this could end up being a pretty good game with a lot of history between these two programs. Everyone under the sun knows how great Joe Paterno is and what he has done as the head coach at PSU but for some reason because of recent years no one talks about Phil Fulmer. Fulmer has one of the highest winning percentages in NCAA history and last year was the first bowl game he had missed since the 80's. Now watch out for Ainge and Meachem to start their Heisman push for next year in this game. Paterno is coming off a big leg injury and wants to coach from the sidelines for the first time since the Badgers took him out of the game. Linebacker U of course has 2 Bednarik award finalists that want to put a stop to the high powered Tennessee offense but I just don't see that secondary stopping Meachem.
Vols win 31-17
Next is the Wisconsin Badgers against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Capital One Bowl: Arkansas has the best player in the country in my eyes with Darren McFadden. McFadden can run, catch, and pass the ball from any formation. He will get over 150 total yards in this game and will play very very well. The Badgers have a freshman in P.J. Hill who ran for over 1500 yards this year and have a great defense as well. The Badgers went 11-1 this year and no one talked about them, even though their only loss was against #3 Michigan. This game will be a great game and I am going to cheer my heart out for my good friend Jason Sudar's Wisconsin Badgers. I look for the explosiveness of McFadden and Felix Jones to cause some serious problems for the Badgers but in the long run a strong defensive play will turn the game.
Badgers win 27-24
The Rose Bowl: USC takes on Michigan in what all the media personalities are calling the what if game. It seems that everyone thinks that Michigan should be playing in a rematch against Ohio State and of course if USC had handled their business by beating UCLA they would be playing for the National Title. Not sure why anyone would be upset about playing in the Rose Bowl but I guess we all want the biggest prize and don't want to settle for 2nd place. USC is too dominate on offense and underrated on defense. Michigan does not have their head in this game because they want to be playing somewhere else.
USC wins 31-21
The Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma takes on Boise State in a game of interesting contrast. Oklahoma is one of the biggest programs in the history NCAA football and has won more national titles than the amount of Rocky Movies. Boise State is a team who plays no one but still went undefeated and is ranked #9 in the country. Oklahoma has a lot to prove after losing its last 2 BCS games and will come out fighting mad. Oklahoma is just too tough for Boise in this game.
Oklahoma wins 31-20
Watch for the rest of the BCS game predictions later.....

Championship Saturday

2006-12-02T12:55:00.000-05:00

Today is the day we find out who plays where in the big bowl games. Today I am going to tell you who wins the SEC Championship, Big 12 Championship, a Pac 10 game that means so much, and the biggest game of the year every year.

Pac 10 game.... USC Vs. UCLA.... Not only is this a huge rivalry in the state of California but this year the game could decide who plays for all the marbles. USC HATES UCLA and this comes through year in and year out. This is the type of rivalry in which a bad team (UCLA) can somehow overachieve and pull off a huge upset. This year however USC and Pete Carroll will not look past this game because they know what happens if they win....National Championship here we come. USC has too much talent and too much to play for today.
USC 38 UCLA 17

Big 12 Championship.... Again this game is not only for a Championship but is also a HUGE rivalry....Oklahoma Vs. Nebraska... WOW.... This has always been one of those games in which the winner was in the running for a national title. Think about the 70's and 80's and even the early 90's. "The Game of the Century" back in the early 1970's, the wishbone, Barry Switzer Vs. Tom Osborne, the Orange Bowl.... The Sooners have been impressing me every week and I have made note of the adversity they have had to overcome all year, and today will be no different. Oklahoma should be 11-1 but the refs in the Oregon game decided they should not win. Sadly this loss took them out of a National Championshp race.
Oklahoma 31 Nebraska 21

SEC Championship.... Arkansas Vs. florida.... Arkansas matches up so well with overrated gators that in my opinion we will see florida exposed today. florida has not been impressive all year, they have beaten SEC teams by a margin of victory of 6.5 points per game and the Razorbacks have been winning by 10.9 in the SEC. Darren McFadden is averaging 132.5 yards per game against ranked opponents and he will have a HUGE day today. McFadden will be in the running for the Heisman next year and he will make another statement game today. Watch for McFadden to run for over 150 yards today.
Arkansas 31 florida 17

THE GAME.... Army Vs. Navy.... With a win by Navy they will have won the Commander In Chief's Cup for the 4th straight year which would be a record for the Naval Academy. Now I have heard rumors that Roger Staubach is thinking about making a comeback in order to make this game more of a blow out but to be honest with you he does not need to play for the Midshipmen to destroy the Black Knights. Watch for Navy to win their 9th game of the year by a BIG margin. Admiral Broyles this one is for you.
Navy 117 Army 0

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!!

2006-11-26T11:42:00.000-05:00

Today is the game I have been waiting for all year long. MY DOMINANT CHICAGO BEARS Vs. overhyped overconfident new england patriots. Now I could not hate the new england patriots any more than I do now but then I started to read some of the predictions from the so called experts about this game. For some reason the Bears are still getting NO respect with the experts. On CBSSPORTSLINE.COM 4 out of 6 of the so called experts pick the patriots to win. Here are 4 HUGE reasons why the Bears will beat the patriots.
1.) Everyone seems to think that just because bill belichick has won superbowls in the past that he can out coach ANYONE? Last time I checked the patriots have lost 3 games this season and last year they lost 6 games. That tells me the big secret that no one in the NFL seems to realize.....belichick is not the almighty nor is unbeatable. He can and will be beat. Lovie Smith won coach of the year last year because he took a team that should not have won to 11 victories and his year Lovie has a better offense and the most dominating defense in the league. Love WILL win coach of the year again this year.
2.) Everyone seems to be comparing tom brady to the 2nd coming of Jesus. I have never seen more comparisons to Hall Of Fame Qb's in all my sporting life. Everytime someone in the media talks about tom brady it is to compare him to Joe Montana. The only comparison in my eyes is because they both won superbowls. Joe Montana was the most composed gentleman I have ever seen play the position of QB and tom brady does not deserve to breath the same air that Joe Montana does. I have seen tom brady explode in a press conference more times than I have seen Lindsay Lohan in a car accident. tom brady has an ouchy on his shoulder and they Bears will do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to bury his shoulder into the ground today. The Bears front 4 will put huge pressure on the patriots and will get to brady to the point that he makes mistakes. Watch for lots of incomplete passes out of brady as well as 1 or 2 interceptions.
3.) The patriots are not the team that everyone gives them credit for. They have lost too many big time players to be considered the same team that won superbowls from the past. Dieon Branch, David Givins, Willie McGinest, and Adam Viniteri all left for the money and that hurts the limping patriots. rodney harrison is out with a broken shoulder in a perfect piece of irony as he hurt himself trying for a head first shot against the Colts and in turn hitting the ground instead of the player. Watch for depth to be a problem with the patriots today.
4.) The BEARS ARE A GREAT TEAM. The Bears are outscoring opponents 28 - 12 and will continue the trend this week. They have the #1 Defense in the entire league and the #2 offense. The Bears defense will force a couple of turnovers today on the patriots side of the field which will lead to easy short field scores for the Bears. The Bears have a lot to prove today with all the experts saying that the Bears are not as good as advertised.
CHICAGO BEARS WIN 27 - 17

In other NFL games today:
Colts will win 31 - 14 against the hurting Eagles
Baltimore wins 24-17 against the lifeless Steelers
New Orleans Wins 31 - 24 over the exciting Falcons

Rivalry Weekend Part 2

2006-11-24T15:34:00.000-05:00

Well besides feeling the after effects of Thanksgiving I love this weekend in college football. This weekend has no less than 15 huge rivalries. Games from Texas Vs. Texas A&M to the second longest rivalry in history outside of the Ivy League with Kansas Vs. Missouri. These games mean something no matter what. Even when 2 non-football teams like Duke and UNC play it comes down to being a BIG game for the students and Alumni of each school. Rivarlies are one of the main reasons why college football is so compelling and why every Saturday in the fall men, women, and children find themselves watching the TV and drinking themselves into a frenzy. Games this weekend mean so much more than many of the other weeks of the year to the point that they actually have names like "The Civil War", "The Holy War", The Egg Bowl", and "The Bedlam Game". They play for trophies that none of us would care about if it wasn't for these rivalries like "The Victory Bell", The Commonwealth Cup", "The Jeweled Shillelagh", "The Governors Cup", or even "The Golden Boot". Not only that but teams that should not win find a way to beat really good teams. In fact by the time I finish posting this the unranked Texas A&M will have beaten #10 Texas 12-7.

Here are a few picks for some of the weekends big rivalry games:

#19 Tennessee 8-3 Vs Kentucky 7-4.... The Vols have won this matchup 21 straight times and in the last 13 with Fulmer by an average score of 44-17. This year the 2 teams are very similar in every statistical category from passing to scoring to total yards. Kentucky is going to a bowl game this year but they will not end this streak of 21 games this weekend. Watch for Ainge to throw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's as well as a big day from the running attack of Cocker and Foster.
Vols 37 - Wildcats 17

#13 Oklahoma 9-2 Vs. Oklahoma State 6-5.... Bedlam in the Sooner state. This game means a lot more after the Texas loss today to A&M. Oklahoma has really impressed me after the year of turmoil they have had. 1 week before the start of the season they kick their starting QB off the team for violating NCAA rules, Oregon beats them because the refs who were suspended after that game blew 2 HUGE calls, and then their best player Adrian Peterson breaks his collarbone. Even through all of this they have a 9-2 record and look very good. If Oklahoma wins they go to the Big 12 championship against Nebraska and will play for a chance at a BCS game.
Oklahoma 24 Oklahoma State 17

#4 Florida 10-1 Vs. Florida State 6-5.... Florida has looked very vulnerable this year. They should have lost to Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vandy. They beat those teams by a grand total of 15 points. The big move for them seems to be putting Tim Tebow in the game. Tebow before last weeks game against Western Carolina had been in 86 plays and had run the ball 67 times. Here is the secret that for some reason the rest of the NCAA does not understand... WHEN TEBOW IS IN THE GAME HE IS GOING TO RUN THE BALL!!!!! Florida State has played a lot better since putting Xavier Lee in at QB. Florida State is bowl eligible but barely and this game is all about pride.
Florida State 24 Florida 21

#3 USC 9-1 Vs. #6 Notre Dame 10-1.... This game could potentially be the final piece of the National Championship puzzle. Usc and Notre Dame played possibly the best game of the year last year with USC winning with a Matt Lienart QB sneak with 3 seconds to go in the game winning 34-31. Expect this game to be one hell of a game as well. This years USC is not as good as last years and Notre Dame came into this year with all the hype of winning the title. Notre dame is coming off one of the weakest 8 games streaks of teams I have seen in years. Notre Dame just finished playing Purdue, Stanford, UCLA, Army, Navy, Air Force, Michigan State, and North Carolina. These teams have a combines record of 36 - 53. Now you tell me if that team is worthy of playing for a national title. Notre Dame lost its only game against a good team Michigan at home 47-21. Notre Dame is the most overrated team in the country and we will see them exposed for playing teams like that.
USC 37 Notre Dame 24

Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

Oh what a wonderful day. I love the fact that we can all be thankful for the 4 F's.
1.) Family
2.) Friends
3.) Food
4.) FOOTBALL!!!!!

Since we all know how important family is and instead of naming you all just know that I love you. Friends of course you should all know who you are and if you think you are my friend then you probably are and I love you as well. Food well that is something that makes me smile especially when it comes to turkey, green bean casserole, and PUMPKIN PIE.

Now lets talk some turkey football......
We have 3 games on Thursday to talk about:
The resurgent Dolphins against the lackluster Lions... The defense of the Dolphins has made them better. Jason Taylor is trying to play himself into the defensive player of the year race. Joey Harrington has played pretty well going 3-3 with a running game with Ronnie Brown playing well in every other game. The Lions have so much fire power on offense and yet they suck? Not sure what can be done about their underachieving attitude but they are 7-5 on Thanksgiving in the last 12 games.
Dolphins win 24-17 with one defensive score.

The wounded Bucs against the overconfident Cowboys... Chris Simms injury really hurt the Bucs and this week they actually had to put their most impressive sack master Simeion Rice in IR. They have injuries after injuries and on top of all that their running game with Cadillac Williams has been up and down with him only running for 619 yards in the first 10 games. I used to love the Cowboys back when they had Emmitt, Aikman, and Irvin but since Jerry Jones has tried once again to prove that he is the God of all owners and he signed T.O. they seem to have a different kind of attitude. One that I personally don't like and I have a hard time cheering for them at all. Tony Romo and his rib joint will fail soon enough but sadly it won't be on Thanksgiving.
Cowboys eat the Bucs 27-13

The powerful Broncos against the underachieving Chiefs... Is Al Wilson the same kind of defensive player he was in college back at the UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE.... NO. He is better. He has kept his 3 S's speed, strength, and scariness but now he has gained something extra.....Smarts. He leads one of the best defenses in the league by playing smart. He has all the skills and leadership and now he has the players to back him up as well. Champ Bailey, John Lynch, Ian Gold, and the entire defensive line that underachieved in Cleveland yet makes for a solid unit in Denver help make that team a top contender purely based on that side of the ball. The Chiefs have an offense that reminds me of a sleeping giant that has been woken up with the return of Trent Green. The game will be tight but will come down to a home 3 as I call it.
Chiefs will win in Arrowhead 24-21

Rivalry Weekend

2006-11-17T18:15:00.000-05:00

So this Weekend we have a few games that go beyond the regular week in and week out games. That is right, this weekend we have some games we all know as rivalries.

Last night we had the beginning of it with the "Backyard Brawl" West Virginia Vs. Pittsburgh. This game has been played 99 times and the hatred between these 2 teams comes down to blue collar workers and pride. The Hillbillies of West Virginia Vs. the blue collar working class on Pittsburgh. My wife feels that West Virginia should fall off of the planet where as I hate the state but I do have 2 things good coming out of it..... I personally picked West Virginia as the best team in the country at the beginning of the year and 2 I have a good friend named Stoddard who moved there. Besides that I agree that West Virginia is me least favorite of all the Virgianas. The final score of the game was West Virginia 45 Pittsburgh 27.

Tomorrow we have 4 more huge games this weekend to talk about....
USC Vs. Cal... This game has become a huge rivalry and on top of that if USC wins it puts them 1 game away from a National Title shot. USC has to beat Cal and then an overrated Notre Dame in order to play the OSU-Michigan winner for the title. I have to say purely because I DESPISE Notre Dame I want USC to win this one and then destroy the Fighting Leprechauns. I am picking a high scoring game and the final score will come down to a couple of big turnovers. USC 38 Cal 31

Auburn Vs. Alabama "The Iron Bowl" Not played as many times (only 70) as some of these other games but not many other games played through out the year are as bitter as these 2 rivals. These 2 teams HATE each other and when they play no matter the records the game is hard fought. This year Auburn is 9-2 and Alabama is only 6-5 but watch for an upset. This rivalry makes the bad teams play like it is their last game ever and Bama will win 24-21 over Auburn.

Ohio State Vs. Michigan... Played 102 times, it is know as "The Big Game" and is one of the fiercest rivalries in all of college sports. This game has put out 14 national championships overall. Families disown their children for going to the other school and couples breakup when they find out the the other person went to the opposite school. There will be additional emotion involved this year after Bo Schembechler the long time coach of the Wolverines died today at the age of 77. Personally I think that all the hype of this game is overdone and I don't think that these 2 teams are actually the best 2 teams in the country. They play in a conference in which OSU, Michigan, and Wisconsin are the only 3 teams worth a damn, not to mention they play weak out of conference games with teams like Ball State, Central Michigan, Bowling Green and, Northern Illinois. I feel like in the long run West Virginia, USC, Arkansas, and even teams like LSU, Cal and Rutgers cold beat these teams. Michigan will win with heavy hearts 31-21

Tennessee Vs. Vanderbilt This game has been played 99 times with the Vols kicking Vandy's butt 67 times. Some might say this is not a rivalry but anytime you can play any type of game 98 times that makes it something for sure. The Vols will destroy the Commodores by a final score of 38-16

To all the Haters out there.....

2006-11-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to bring up a few things after this last weekend of football.

Although My beloved Vols lost it was honestly to a better team. The Hogs are going to be very tough to deal with the rest of the year. Arkansas has only lost 1 game and it was to USC and interestingly enough the BCS has USC as #3 right now. That tells me that The Hogs are a fantastic team. They will beat Miss State and the LSU and the Florida in the SEC championship. Then it will come down to USC, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Arkansas for the national title against the loser of the BIG GAME this weekend between Ohio State and Michigan.
Look for my predictions to some of the big games coming up this weekend on Friday.

MY BEARS..... Why does everyone say that they are not that good? First they are undefeated through 7 weeks but the critics say it is because they are playing a weak schedule..... Then they lose a game to Miami and now that of course proves they are not very good.... Now they put a HUGE Butt-Kicking on the "Best team in the NFC" in New York and all the critic's can say is that they are the "Bears are clearly the class of the second class NFC". Why Cant the bears get any credit for being a GREAT team? The power rankings have the Bears as the second best team in the league but an article on CBS.Sportsline.com goes on to say that yes the Bears are good but in general the NFC is BAD? Why not give the Bears the credit due. They went into a hostile game in New York and were losing 13-10 at the half and ended up spanking the Giants 38-20 and all the critics can say is they looked bad in the first half but the Giants gave the game away? What about saying the Bears were a better team and at the half made the right adjustments and came out and kicked butt? The Bears are scoring 30.22 points per game (2nd in the NFL) and only giving up 13.33 (also 2nd in the NFL)? Last I checked winning in the NFL by double digits was considered a blowout well how about winning by an average score of 16.89 points?????? Sounds like an ass kicking to me!

Bears go into New York for the second week in a row to play the up and down Jets this weekend. Watch for my prediction on Friday.

Forgive me Father for I have sinned

2006-11-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

It has been 6 days since my last blog. Some of you might think it is because the Vols lost last Saturday and the Bears lost last Sunday but you would be wrong. I can actually say that even though those losses hurt last weekend they gave me plenty of hope and here is why:

Vols lose 28 - 24 with a TD pass with 9 seconds left in the game and you ask what can I take positive out of that..... Jonathan Crompton is what. The big physical freshman looked quite impressive against the #1 defense in the country. Without Ainge Meachem still caught passes of 37 and 57 yards for td's because Crompton put the ball in places where only he could catch them. I was very very impressed with Crompton's poise and that gives me hope. Seeing that a freshman could come in and not only keep us in the game but give us a chance to win makes me see that Tennessee is back where they need to be.

Bears lose 31 - 13 to a 1-6 Miami Dolphins team and you want to know what I take out of that? Symmetry!!! The 85 Bears went 15-1 with its only loss being to the Miami Dolphins 38-24. Now you think well that might just be a coincidence but look at this as well.... In 3 weeks the Bears play the New England Patriots..... Everyone knows that the 85 Bears beat the snot out of the Patriots in the superbowl 46 - 10 but not many people remember that we played the Patriots earlier in the year as well. So here it is.... Symmetry. The bears lose to the Dolphins and then beat the Patriots in the regular season then go on to DESTROY all comers in the playoffs and win the superbowl.

Predictions for the weekend:

Vols Vs. Arkansas..... I can tell you that everyone else in the country feels the same way I do about the Arkansas razorbacks.... HUH??? Arkansas as a front runner to go to the SEC championship out of the SEC west is as "Strange As Fiction". No one saw it coming except maybe for Houston Nutt. He is a very good coach and their running game scares me. Crompton has been named the starter and will have to play a good controlled game to win this one. I think that with Ainge hurt and Crompton taking most of the snaps this week in practice the coaching staff of the Vols will have him prepared and the vols will put up points. Will the Defense step up this week? The Defense has looked GREAT at times and HORRIBLE at others. If the Defense can cause a few turnovers then the Vols win.
Vols win in a great game on ESPN2.... Vols 31 Hogs 24

Bears Vs. Giants.... This is the first week of the "Flex Schedule" and this game will be a big matchup on Sunday Night. The Giants are a little banged up with Amani Toomer out for the year with an ACL tear and Michael Strahan out for 3-4 weeks with a sprained foot. This will help the Bears who are also a little banged up as well. Berrian is out with bruised Ribs and the best defensive player on the team, Urlacher, has a sprained toe. Urlacher should play and the 2 defenses will play very well. The offense for the Bears has struggled in 2 of the past 3 weeks but expect them to break a big play for over 40 yards to give them a huge momentum swing and turn the game. This is Rex Grossman's 16th game as a starter, that right after being drafted 4 years ago he is finally starting the equivalent of a full season. The Bears have something to prove and this will be their chance.
Bears win in a very exciting game on NBC Primetime.... Bears 31 Giants 17

Tennessee Vs LSU

2006-11-04T12:46:00.000-05:00

Today is a huge day for us Vol Fans because it could lead to bigger and better things....... This is a rematch of last years most exciting game of the year with the huge win by the Vols in a 30-27 OT game. The key will be how well the most underrated QB-WR combo in the country, Ainge to Meachem, plays. Meachem quietly has the 4th most receiving yards in the country and no one seems to be talking about him. Ainge has been putting up huge numbers in the second half of games all year. Ainge has an injured ankle and that will be the key point to this game as to how well he can play. LSU has one hell of a great defense but has struggled on the road. Look for the VOL NATION or Smokey's Bandits as I like to refer to them as, to make some noise and cause LSU to have a few mistakes. This game will be one hell of a game and will be close until the 4th quarter when a score will stretch the score and make it look worse than it really is.
Vols win this one 27-17

A few predictions for all of my biggest fans:
Watch for the Vols to win out... If they win out and a few things happen this could be what happens....
Louisville loses to Pitt.... Ohio State Beats Michigan.... Florida loses to South Carolina...Texas loses to Texas A&M
With all of these things happening the Vols will play Ohio State in the National Championship!!!!!

When all of that happens the VOLS will be NATIONAL CHAMPIONS after beating Ohio State 24-17

Write it down today and see what happens. GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Opening Night

2006-10-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

This is a great night for sports fans..... Opening night in the NBA. Here are a few questions that this season gives me:

1.) As for the Chicago Bulls.... I have always thought that Ben Wallace was a bit over-rated to be honest with you. Wallace averages 6.6 points per game for his career and the highest he ever averaged for a season is 9.7. Shoots 41.8% from the Free Throw line for his career and had a high of 49.0%. Averages 1.3 Assists per game with 1.9 per game being the highest he has ever averaged. Then comes his defensive stats...10.7 rebounds per game for his career with a high of 15.4 back in 2002-03 and this stat has gone down ever year since that high in 2002. Now my feelings on this could change during the season if Ben Wallace does some amazing things. I am a BULL fan and I want wins but the question comes up as to why would you trade a 24 year old with similar stats in Tyson Chandler for a 32 Year Old Ben Wallace. The league and the media seem to think that Ben being a Bull makes them the favorites.... well only time will tell.

2.) Will Lebron win the MVP this year? In my opinion Lebron should have won the MVP last year averaging 31.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals. If these stats don't give you the MVP what the hell does? Well apparently it is 18..8 points, 10.5 assits, and 4.2 rebounds because that is what Steve Nash did last year to win the MVP. Looks like Lebron will have to actually average a triple double this year in order to win the MVP.

3.) Who will win....... This year it will come down to 6 teams with a chance to win. 1.) Miami Heat 2.) Cleveland Caviliers 3.) Chicago Bulls out of the East......1.) Dallas Mavericks 2.) San Antonio Spurs 3.) Phoenix Suns out of the West.

If Miami stays healthy they make the finals again...
If Lebron has some one else step and give him some scoring support they are there...
If Ben Wallace pans out to be the defensive player of the year and deserves it they are in the Finals...
If The Mavericks can play defense in long enough spurts and can continue to score at high levels they are there...
If the big 3 in San Antonio Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili stay healthy through out the year watch out...
If Phoenix can learn to play a little defense they can make it...

All of that being said watch for my prediction of Chicago beating San Antonio in the NBA Finals 4 -2.

NFL Week 8

2006-10-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

This week has a few big games that we must talk about.
1.) Chicago Bears Vs. San Fransisco 49ers: I am not sure we actually need to talk about this other than to figure out a final score? To be honest before this week I was not even sure the 49ers still had a team in the league. I guess what we will have to keep an eye out for is whether Roger Craig and Jerry Rice will have a big impact on today's game offensively and if that secondary with Ronnie Lott in it can really make the Bears receivers not want to go across the middle.... Oh wait my bad the 49ers have no one on their team besides Alex Smith and to be honest I am not sure how he is even a starting QB in the NFL. This one should be a big blow out watch for the final score to be:
Chicago 31 San Fransisco 9

2.) Indianapolis Colts Vs. Denver Broncos: This will be the game of the day hands down. Up until this point people are saying that the Broncos have the best Defense in the NFL. Lets look at the actual numbers though because the media might be mistaken... The Broncos have beaten Baltimore 13-3, Cleveland 17-7, Oakland 13-3, Kansas City 9-6 in OT, and New England 17-7. The numbers add up in the wins however look at the quality of the teams they are playing? Baltimore has no offense, Cleveland has only scored 88 points all year, Oakland might be the worst team in the NFL and Kansas City did not have a QB. The only team I will give any real credit to beating is a very unimpressive New England. The Colts are being dogged by the entire media because "they can't win a big game". Last time I checked they are UNDEFEATED. I look for this game to be a great one with the Colts winning:
Indianapolis 24 Denver 13

3.) The Sunday Night Game Dallas Vs. Carolina: Interesting matchup here with the Carolina Defense playing well and a new QB coming into the mix in Dallas with Tony Romo. I have to say I do love his ribs but his QB ability is not there. He played at Division 1-A Eastern Illinois and ran a 5.02 at the combine? Now the media is saying he is more mobile but last time I check a 5.02 not in pads at the combine does not lead into mobility against a Defense with Julius Peppers coming after you. Watch for the Carolina Defense to jump all over the new QB and win:
Carolina 27 Dallas 17

Tennessee Vs South Carolina

2006-10-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

Today's post is about the big game tonight. A few things I want to point out about tonight. 1.) Does Phil Fulmer have a mental hang up when playing Steve "I throw my visor" Spurrier? 2.) Will we get a lead and then play prevent defense and let them back in the game or will we go for the jugular? 3.) Will the referees be as bad as they have been in the last couple of weeks?

My Prediction for tonight's game: Tennessee 31 South Carolina 17

Other questions for the college football day:
1.) Does Notre Dame play Navy in order to raise their strength of schedule or just because the Indiana School of Beauty's schedule was filled already?
2.) Will the Worlds Largest Cocktail party live up to recent years contests or will it be so one-sided that you turn your head and cough?
3.) Does anyone actually care that St Louis won the world series last night?
4.) Why doesn't anyone care that after the disgusting brawl between Miami and Florida International the players who were all suspended from Miami indefinitely are all some how eligible to play again 1 week later?