Top 10 Storylines Heading into the NFL Season -- Part I

We are almost to the halfway point in the NFL pre-season schedule, and from what I can tell, we don’t really know that much more than we did two weeks ago. The pre-season – which just about everyone (including coaches and players) agrees is pretty worthless other than conditioning – really only gives us football-starved fans a glimpse into the season. The results mean nothing. And we should remember that as we watch games and look ahead longingly to the real deal. The Redskins beat the Colts on Thursday night, for example. Zero significance.

As we endure the rest of the pre-season, I wanted to offer up some thoughts on the Top 10 storylines for the upcoming season. These are the big-ticket items of interest we’ll be talking about for weeks.

10. The Pack: Can anybody beat the champs? – Scores of prognosticators picked Green Bay to be in the Super Bowl last year, but many of them lost faith when a number of key players went down with injuries during the season. Despite the setbacks, the team finished 10-6, claimed a wildcard playoff spot and rolled on the road to the championship. Can they do it again? The chances are good.

9. Peyton’s Pain: Will his pain in the neck end the consecutive starts streak? – Peyton Manning has started 227 consecutive regular season games for the Colts. But, for the second time in as many years, he has undergone neck surgery; this time it was a minor procedure to fix a disc-related issue. Last year it was to relieve pain from a pinched nerve. Colts Owner Jim Irsay tweeted Saturday that the Colts are preparing to start the season without him. I seriously doubt that. Until we see it, I won’t believe it.

8. NFC South: Which team wins it this year? – This division, more than any other, seems to have a knack for having one of its worst teams rise up and win it the next year. In 2003 the Panthers went from 7-9 to the Super Bowl; in ’05 the Bucs went from 5-11 to 11-5; and in ’09 the Saints went from 8-8 to 13-3 and won the whole thing. Last year, the surprising young Buccaneers went 10-6 and barely missed the playoffs. This year … Carolina maybe? All the other teams appear to be loaded.

7. Jet Stream: Can the team’s play finally match Rex’s talk? – Ever since the flamboyant Rex Ryan was named as Jets head coach in January 2009, he has constantly run his yapper. Last year he signed the ESPN NFL Training Camp tour bus with “Next Super Bowl Champs.” How did that work out? I’m all for being confident, but the dude just never shuts up. And the team has to try and cash the checks his mouth writes. They are a good team, going to the last two AFC Championship games … just not that good.

6. Flying Philly: Are the Eagles really a dream team? – Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Ronnie Brown, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie … this is just the beginning of the list for the so-called “Dream Team” Eagles assembled by Head Coach Andy Reid in Philly this year. The Miami Heat proved that you need more than the best players. We’ll see if the chemistry is there. I say they win the NFC East.

I originally intended for this whole thing to be posted at once, but after drafting the first half and seeing how long it was getting, I decided to break it into two pieces. Part II will post tomorrow.

To Be Continued …

Top of the Brain: Thursday

So, for my new readers (like almost everybody since this blog is only two weeks old), these Top of the Brain (TOTB) posts are basically a collection of odds and ends from the sporting world. Some are hot topics, some are just things I have opinions on and some are just interesting (well, maybe). Anyway, here goes.

Terrelle Pryor Suspension – It’s amazing to me what a stink this has caused in the sports media world today. Bottom line, I applaud what the NFL did and am glad Commissioner Roger Goodell took the stance he did. Pryor is eligible for the supplemental draft, but will have to sit out five games; the same length of time he would have had to sit in college. Somebody, somewhere, sometime has to draw the line for these rule-breaking prima donna college athletes. Roger isn’t afraid to be the heavy. Bravo!

Cardinals Swan Dive – The Brewers are making it very hard on the Redbirds. Milwaukee (before losing this afternoon) had won 18 of the last 20. As of this minute, the Cards trail them by 6.5 games. Regardless of what the Brewers do, the Cardinals have to find some consistency and get on a winning streak. This win-one lose-one win-one stumbling act they’ve been one isn’t going to cut it, and frankly it’s getting pretty old. The formula: solid starting pitching, consistent hitting and average defense. It’s not asking for much, but it may be more than they have to offer. 40 games to go … the window is rapidly closing.

Georgetown Brawls in China – Of all the teams to send East to play and represent the country, why in the world would you send the Hoyas. They are and basically always have been a group of thugs. I don’t know all the details surrounding the dust-up, but I’m not surprised it happened. America at its finest … brawling on the basketball court in China. Geez.

Miami Scandal – This puppy has everybody buzzing. Nevin Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi scheme architect, is sharing details of how he paid recruits to attend and play and the U of Miami for years. It’s bad. The guy is a liar, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he is lying. The dude is a scumbag, no doubt, but the NCAA can’t ignore the allegations. Of primary importance to Mizzou fans is the fact that newly minted basketball coach Frank Haith is implicated. Shapiro says he finalized a recruit with a $10,000 cash payment, and that Haith knew about it. So much for the honor and integrity sale that MU AD Mike Alden sold us. I hope it’s not true. And  even if it isn’t, rival coaches are going to use it to sway student-athletes away from good ole Mizzou. It’s going to be a tough road ahead. Keep the faith, Frank.

FOX Inks the UFC – The Ultimate Fighting Championship and FOX Sports Media Group announced a seven-year multi-media rights agreement today that will position mixed martial arts' leading organization on network television for the first time. This is great news. It means that MMA is headed to the mainstream sports market, and that boxing is in big trouble. I love the UFC, and this deal only means it is that much closer to joining the big boys. Heck, ESPN is even covering the live events now.

I guess that’s about all for today’s TOTB. Upcoming blog posts will include my Top 10 storylines heading into the NFL season, division-by-division predictions, and my very specific prognostications for the Chiefs and Rams.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and rants, on any and all of these topics, and anything else you’d like to spout off about. Join the conversation. That’s the fun part.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve

Cards on the decline?

It’s mid-August and the baseball season is in the stretch run. The July 31 trade deadline came and went with a handful of teams making moves to improve their chances of making the cut for the second season – the MLB playoffs. Among the teams making deadline moves was the St. Louis Cardinals, and the team was more aggressive that is its typical bent. Management is playing with a win-now attitude. As they should.

Two major moves were made. First was the Rasmus trade where they finally sent Colby and his dad packing to Toronto in exchange for some lefty bullpen help (much needed by the way), a veteran starter and a utility outfielder. Then Cards General Manager John Mozeliak went out and filled the teams last glaring hole – a steady fielding shortstop that could bat leadoff: Rafael Furcal.

Question is … is the team any better off than they were before the trades? That remains to be seen throughout the remainder of the year, I guess. But so far, the results seem to be about the same. We win a few, lose a few and still to barely be scraping by. Regardless of what you think of the deals made and whether it was smart or not, one fact cannot be refuted … ownership and the manager are playing for right now. With Pujols contract situation still unresolved and LaRussa only managing on a year-to-year basis, it is obvious the team is playing for this year’s playoffs and gambling with the future. I’m all for going for it, but the risks taken should be measured and smart. I’m just not sure.

The Cards currently stand in second place in the National League Central, six games behind the Brewers and six games behind Atlanta in the wildcard race. T­heir record is 65-57; a .533 winning percentage. If they keep playing at that pace, that would equate to a record of 86-76. Even in the weak NL Central, that is just not going to be good enough.

With football heating up and the regular season (Go Rams and Chiefs!) just around the corner, it’s only a matter of time before St. Louis’ beloved baseball team fades into the summer landscape. It just may not be in the Cards this year …

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Steve