Happy Tuesday!
After months and months of blabbing on and on about the NHL lockout, this week on 15MOF we finally get to discuss the END of the work stoppage, breaking down the deal and trying to figure out who – if anyone – came out on top. Also, we recap a tough run for Team Canada at the World Juniors in Russia.
In the GABBYs: The NHL & the NHLPA, Alex Ovechkin, Jose Canseco, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Rory McIlroy & Trevis Simpson. The Punchline this week is NY Jets coach Rex Ryan!
Happy Tuesday!
If you thought you had already received the last gift you’d be receiving this holiday season – you’re wrong! This week on the festive edition of 15 Minutes of Fame we’re looking at the latest NHL lockout news, the World Juniors, a big trade by the Blue Jays & a couple of notes from the NFL!
In the GABBYs: Santa Claus, Arian Foster, Lance Armstrong, Russian soccer fans, the Spengler Cup & Aston Villa. The Punchline this week is Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins!
MEANWHILE: Since we are feeling generous (and didn’t end up getting last week’s video up in time), here is a second dose of 15MOF!
Mark Sanchez (Ed Yourdon, Wikimedia Commons)
Last week I went 11-5 and improved my record to 129-63. Here are my week 14 picks:
Thursday:
Pittsburgh over Cleveland– The Steelers win easily but may not score a lot of points if Roethlisberger’s thumb continues to be sore.
Sunday:
11am
Baltimore over Indianapolis–The Colts are gettinbg a little better each week, but will run into a tough defense Sunday.
Atlanta over Carolina–A big game for the Falcons as they try to stay in the NFC playoff picture.
Cincinnati over Houston–The Bengals finally beat an elite team. The Texans squad though, at 9-3, is battling key injuries.
Braylon Edwards (John Kusinski, Wikimedia Commons)
Heading into the 2011 NFL regular season, there was a belief by many that the New York Jets would be significantly better on offense with the inclusion of Plaxico Burress from the New York Giants.
Now after being unable to re-sign Braylon Edwards, who signed a one-year contract worth $3.5 million with the San Francisco 49ers, I’m not so sure.
Don’t forget Mark Sanchez hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet. I know the Jets did beat the New England Patriots at Foxboro in the playoffs last year, but the Jets then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship.
If I was Sanchez, I would rather have Edwards as my number two target rather than Burress, who don’t forget, is just coming out of prison.
The Patriots, in my opinion are now the team in the AFC East to beat, with the Jets battling the Miami Dolphins for second place.
As for Edwards, who had 904 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season, he will become a viable target for 49er quarterback Alex Smith who now has a strong third option at his disposal. Edwards will join tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, on a 49er squad more than capable of winning the NFC West.
Plaxico Burress (Bing Images)
NFL Wide Receiver isn’t changing cities or stadiums. Just teams.
On Sunday, the New York Jets signed the controversial wideout to a one year deal worth $3 million, of which all is guaranteed.
Burress, spent the last two years in prison for having an unlicensed hand gun in his possession at a Manhattan night club. The gun went off accidentally, and struck him in the thigh.
Burress spent the first five seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and then the next four with the New York Giants, winning a Super Bowl in 2008.
Four times in his career he has had over 1,000 yards receiving, including a personal high 1,325 yards with the Steelers in 2002.
With the Jets, he will be joined by former Steeler Santonio Holmes and veteran Braylon Edwards, giving the Jets one of the most experienced wide receiving corps in all of football. Whether the addition of Burress, will substantially improve inconsistent quarterback Mark Sanchez’s statistics remains to be seen.
Hair We Go!
When the current NFL season started back in September, there were 32 teams getting ready for what they hoped (realistically or not) would be a championship season.
Heading into the last weekend of January only two teams remain though, as the Pittsburgh Steelers get set to face the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas. Now, if you think the big story here is Ben Roethlisberger vs. Aaron Rodgers, I regret to inform you that you are absolutely wrong.
No, there is a much bigger battle being waged on February 6th: That would be the one between Head & Shoulders and Suave.
That’s right folks, the flowing locks of Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu (our hero here in the football division of Kerrzy’s Notebook) will go “head to head” with the golden mane of Green Bay’s Clay Matthews on that fateful Sunday. (more…)
Greg Olsen (Wikimedia Commons)
Four teams are left in the NFL Playoffs. This past weekend there were two very exciting football games and two dull ones.
The battles in the AFC were terrific. Hats off to the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, and the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Sunday.
The 31-24 score in the Baltimore-Pittsburgh matchup Saturday afternoon was very deceiving. The Steelers knocked off the Ravens, sure. But the Ravens were able to score 24 points despite only putting up 126 total yards of offense. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was significantly better than Ravens QB Joe Flacco. Roethlisberger put up 101 more yards passing.
Defensively, the Steelers were led by safety Ryan Clark, who had an interception and a forced fumble.
Marshawn Lynch (Ted Warren, Associated Press)
This is the right time for me to blow my own horn.
I successfully predicted the Seattle Seahawks to win on Saturday. So how did they beat the Saints 41-36? A combination of excellence through the air and on the ground. Matt Hasselbeck was spectacular, posting a quarterback rating of 113, and throwing four touchdowns for 272 yards. Hasselbeck found his tight end John Carlson twice and wide receivers Brandon Stokley and Mike Williams each once.
There were thirty-two teams that mattered back in September when the 2010 NFL season began…we’re now down to twelve as the first round of the playoffs gets underway in four cities around the United States.
There are eight teams in action around the league on Wildcard Weekend, including the defending Super Bowl champs, an “elite” team that went down to the wire to get in and even a team with a losing record.
Here are my predictions:
New Orleans @ Seattle
I need to clear a couple of things up before we get into this match-up: Yes, a team with a losing record is actually hosting a playoff game (I called the league office to double check and everything!). Secondly, no, the Saints aren’t being paired up with a 7-9 team because they’re the defending Super Bowl champions.
Alright, now that we’ve got that sorted out, let’s get into it: (more…)
Kaillie Humphries (Wikimedia Commons)
At the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, one of the most electrifying moments for Canada was the 1-2 finish in women’s bobsled. Calgary’s Kaillie Humphries won Gold and Calgary’s Helen Upperton won Silver.
Fast forward to the 2010-11 women’s bobsled season and the expectations aren’t as high for the Canadian teams as they were a year ago. Humphries’ Olympic breakwoman Heather Moyse of Summerside, Prince Edward Island ruptured two ankle tendons at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England and will be sidelined until January. Upperton meanwhile is competing with recognizable agony in her shoulder.
The fourth stage of the Women’s World Cup bobsled season takes place Saturday 12:30PM (www.cbc.ca/sports) from Lake Placid, New York. The favourites are two German sleds led by Cathleen Martini and Sandra Kiriasis along with American Shauna Rohbock.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend–
Loading ...
|
Edmonton Sports Blog – Any Sport Any Time is proudly powered by
WordPress
|
 |
