Powered By Blogger

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Round Two for the AFC North Crown

Open the history books and get ready to add another chapter to one of the best rivalries in the NFL. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are meeting for the twelfth time since 2000 for AFC supremacy and it happens on Christmas Day. Six out of the last seven meetings have gone to Baltimore including earlier this year. The Steelers have more AFC North titles since 2000, at seven, with Baltimore owning just four titles in that span. Both teams are relatively healthy, which means this clash of North super powers should be one for the ages. If you are looking at both teams' paths to this point since their last meeting, the cards have to be leaning to the Steelers, what do you think? Who are you rooting for?
“A lot of guys are treating these games like the playoffs already started”. That's what Steeler linebacker Ryan Shazier had to say, following Pittsburghs 24-20 victory eliminating the defending AFC North champion, Cincinnati Bengals, this past Sunday. The Ravens come in sneaking out of last Sunday with a 27-26 win over the Eagles. Setting the stage for these two giants to clash, for the Steelers they would love to win, clinching both the playoffs and fifth AFC North title, under head coach Mike Tomlin. For the Ravens, it's a chance to extend their winning streak to six games, a streak that dates back to Thanksgiving day 2013. Ravens saftey Eric Weddle said of the upcoming game against Pittsburgh “this is what we live for, it's all the hours, sacrifice and time for a chance to win the division and get into the dance.” If the Ravens want to come out of Pittsburgh Sunday with a win, they will have to contain Le’veon Bell and that means the Steeler's offensive line. A task the Ravens were up for in the first meeting between the two teams back in November. 
Here's what the Christmas Day game holds in the balance, for the Steelers it's an easy win, and they are the AFC North champions and more than likely the third seed going into the playoffs. The Ravens have a bit of a tougher path, they will have to win this week and next week against the Cincinnati Bengals to win the AFC North title and get into the playoffs. Jim Harbaugh said to win the Ravens will “need to play complete defense” as an old football coach of mine said “you have to get 11 hats to the ball if you want to win” meaning it has to be everyone on defense flying to the ball. This was the case for Baltimore in the first game between the two back on November 6th. The Ravens held Bell to his season low only 57 total yards on the day, but the Ravens will have to stop a guy who, just two weeks ago, had three touchdowns, a franchise single game record of 236 against Buffalo. Baltimore has had Bell's number in four of the six games he's played against them limiting the phenom back to less than 75 yards in those games. For both come in healthy for the most part. 
The Steelers have two big question marks on the injury wire: Ladarius Green left Sunday's game against the Bengals after taking a hit in the fourth quarter, he will need to complete all of the NFLs concussion protocol before a determination can be made on his playing status. The other big name on the injury report is Stephon Tuitt, who left Sunday's game after the first series with a knee injury. It's still early on in the week to have a decision made on either of these guys, but if you are Todd Haley and the offense, Green is someone that could be a huge factor in this game. The tight end has come into his own as a Steeler since coming off the Physically Unable to Prefrom list. Tuitt is the third Defesive tackle to go down for the Steelers. If the Steelers could get Javon Hargrave back from the concussion protocol the Steelers will be in good shape. 
Three big questions for both teams, first for the Ravens: Can they stop the run? Can they contain Antonio Brown and the rest of the receiving core? Which Joe Flacco shows up for the Ravens? For the Steelers: Can they establish the run game early? Can they play a complete football game? Can the Steelers avoid get to emotional and play with out commuting costly penalties? The stage is set for another instant classic between these two powers. Christmas Day in Pittsburgh kickoff is at 4:30 wether in front of the tv or going to the game, this is not a game you want to miss. Who do you think will win? Is this the best rivalry in football right now? Is there anything better than December football in the AFC North? 
Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino 
Twitter: @TheDINGOhimself
Edited by:
Alaina Roberts
Daniel Bishop M.A.
References:
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Army vs Navy: End of the 14 Year Drought for West Points

The most American game of the year in college football enjoyed the 117th installment as the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen squared off in Baltimore this past Saturday. There was a lot going on with this game, President-Elect Donald Trump was in attendance, it was only the 8th meeting in 117 years that the game was played in Baltimore, this year was also the highest TV ratings the game has received in 22 years. All of those things combined for one hell of a story, but don't forget chuckleheads there was also something to play for in this game, ending a 14 year streak dating back to 2001. 14 years of Army losing, of Midshipmen domination, 14 years of mediocre football. The game this year was exactly what the rivalry needed.

Three years ago, Jeff Monken was named the 37th coach in Army’s history. He's now 13 and 33 at the helm, has a winning season for Army under his belt with this years 7 win season, no win bigger than the 21-17 victory over the Midshipmen of Navy. Monken has done some big things in his career, both at Army and before. He joined Army as the head football coach after a successful head coaching stint at Georgia Southern, where he went 38-14, while thrusting Georgia Southern into the spotlight of the Football sub-Bowl division. Throw an even bigger wrench in the rivalry, from 2002-2007 Monken was on the other side of the Army-Navy rivalry, serving as the running back and special teams coach. In fact, Monken was there at Navy 12 weeks after 9/11, when Army last beat Navy by the score of 26-17. Fast-forward 9 years, and he has brought victory back to the Black Knights locker room over the fellow Servicemen.

A year ago, the game between the Black Knights and the Midshipmen ended in the same score but for the Midshipman, a 50 yard bomb from Keenan Reynolds put the Midshipmen up for good in 2015. In 2016, all signs really pointed to the Black Knights and this being their year. Navy was without the help of starting QB Will Worth, slot Toneo Gulley, and wide receiver Tyler Carmona, all three were lost in the prior weeks 34-10 loss to Temple in the American Athletic Conference, formerly the Big East. The Black Knights also had 3 weeks to rest and boy did it show. Army took a 14-0 lead into halftime, and throughout the first half, made the first start of Sophomore Zach Abey a nightmare to say the least. Abey did settle down enough to have 73 rushing yards and two scores while briefly giving the Midshipmen the lead, 17-14. With 6:05 left to play QB Ahmad Bradshaw scored from 9 yards out and with the extra point the Black Knights were back in front 21-14, with 6 minutes to play. The Black Knight defense came out and forced Navy to punt, the defense would not be needed again. Two first down runs by sophomore Andy Davidson and just like that Army was able to kneel and end a 14 year drought in the best Army-Navy game in recent history.

Finishing up, let's look at the facts that come with having such a historic rivalry. The two teams combined for just 14 passing attempts. Army lost the turnover battle 4-3, normally not the formula to win, but the Black Knight did avoid the laundry committing no penalties. Army rushed the ball 70 times and ran a total of 74 plays. Navy's Jamir Tillman was the only receiver to go over 30 yards for the game, had 3 catches for 33 yards. The Black Knights had the ball 40:32 compared to Navy's 19:28. That is a huge stat because Navy is normally a team that, like the boa constrictor, wants to have the ball for most of the game. The teams combined for 14 pass attempts totaling 124 yards, no touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Navy leads the series all time with a record of 60-50-7. The final stat for you chuckleheads out there is that this past Saturday is the first time that Army has beaten Navy in the state of Maryland since 1944.

For college football this is great but more importantly for the rivalry of Army- Navy this was incredible. Two teams came into the game Bowl bound, with winning records, and they did not disappoint, for those that watch football for passing and little offense between the tackles, this was not the game for you. For those fans out there that love old school knock down smash mouth football, this was a game for them. Heavy running, little to no passing, our guys and their guys who wants it more and that's what the game of football is all about. Army will be in action again on December 27thin the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl against North Texas. The Midshipmen of Navy are back in action December 23rd, when they take on Louisiana Tech in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Could this be the change in this rivalry that swings towards Army for a few years? Only time will tell.

Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited by:
Alaina Roberts 

References:



Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Strike a Pose: It's Heisman Time

Thirteen quarterbacks have won the Heisman since 2000. Last year, with running back Derrick Henry winning, a five-year straight streak of QB’s being named the Heisman was snapped. The five finalists are: Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Jabrill Peppers, Deshaun Watson, Dede Westbrook. Who is your pick for the Heisman this year? This year will add another QB to the list. The two front- runners going into Saturday should be Deshaun Watson of Clemson and Lamar Jackson out of Louisville. The two best players in the ACC are only the second two ACC players to be named finalist for the Heisman. It happened back in 2013, with Heisman Jameis Winston, and Boston College running back Andre Williams, who would finish fourth. Never in the history of the conference has the ACC had two players finish 1 and 2 in the final Heisman vote, that could quite possibly happen this year with these two stand out QB’s.

 Update: Lamar Jackson was named the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner. Jackson becomes the youngest player to ever win the award.

 Lamar Jackson:
Only a sophomore! Has he made his mark on college football or what? The 6’3, 218 lbs, QB led Louisville to a 9-3 record, racking up 4,928 total yards of offense, 51 touchdowns total. He threw for 3,390 and 30 passing touchdowns while rushing for 1,538 and 21 scores. He's Louisville first Heisman finalist in program history. Jackson is the first player in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) with 3,300 yards through the air and 1,500 yards on the ground in a season. He's the third player to throw for 30 and run for 20 touchdowns in a season. All that amounted to Jackson being named the 2016 ACC player of the Year. This is the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner by far, but could there be a dark horse in the pack?

 Deshaun Watson:
This will be the Clemson Tigers Quarterback’s second straight trip to New York for the ceremony. Last year, Watson finished third in the selection for college football most coveted individual award. The junior for the Tigers had himself a year as well: 3,914 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns, while adding 529 rushing yards with 6 touchdowns, with stats like this and Jackson’s you can see why the ACC thinks that it could be two ACC players at the top of most experts’ boards. For the second straight year, Clemson with its 6’2, 210 lbs, Quarterback, are in the FBS playoff and for the second straight year they are ACC champs. Will this be enough for the members of the Heisman to overlook Jackson for Watson?

 Jabrill Peppers:
The first Michigan Wolverine to make the finalist for the Heisman since Chris Perry in 2013, Peppers plays all over the field, he's the first defensive player to make the list since 2012 when Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o made it. A junior standing at 6’1, 205 lbs, Peppers had himself a heck of a year, finishing the season with 71 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception and a forced fumble. On the offense and special teams side of the ball Peppers showed his versatility, racking up 197 rushing yards and 3 scores, and returning punts for 1 score and 310 yards and kickoffs for 260 yards. The man was everywhere, a poor showing in the Ohio State vs. Michigan will be the biggest obstacle with naming Peppers the 2016 Heisman, some experts are even questioning why he made the list.

 Baker Mayfield:
The most efficient passer in college with a rating of 197.75, which if it holds up, would break the record set by Russell Wilson in 2011 of 191.8. Mayfield and teammate Westbrook are the first Sooners to make this list since 2008 when Sam Bradford took home the hardware. Mayfield helped lead Oklahoma to a 10-2 record, a Big 12 title game while throwing for 3,669 and 38 touchdowns as a junior this season. If that is not enough, Watson is returning for the second year in a row. In 2015, he finished fourth in the voting and with the looks of the finalists he could be in the same place this season.

 Dede Westbrook:
The only senior in the group, Westbrook joins the list of finalists, along with Mayfield, is one of eight Sooners who have made it to this point. In 2016, Westbrook hauled in 74 receptions for 1,465 yards while also setting a school record with 16 touchdown catches. He averages 19.81 yards per catch which is phenomenal and is also a finalist for the Biletnikoff award for best receiver in the country. He's also the first receiver to be on the list since Amari Cooper was in 2014. This could be, and chuckleheads that is a very loose could be, the dark horse but it is safe to say as of now this is a two-man race.

 Bo Jackson, Charles Woodson, Tim Brown, and Cam Newton are all members of one of the most exclusive fraternities in the world, they are all Heisman winners. The Heisman is given “once a year to the most outstanding college football player in the United States, based on the performance throughout the season that exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.” On Saturday December 10th 2016 at 8pm on ESPN, one of five Student athletes will be placed in that exclusive class of top notch college football players. The five finalists are: Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Jabrill Peppers, Deshaun Watson, Dede Westbrook. Who is your pick for the Heisman this year?

 Written By:
Carlo Guadagnino
http://cguadagn.wixsite.com/carlo-guadagnino

  Edited By:
Daniel Bishop M.A.
Lani Roberts

 References:
http://heisman.com/news/2016/12/5/heismancentral_1205165900.aspx?path=heisman_winners
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/sports/news/5-heisman-trophy-finalists-revealed-000743357.html?client=safari
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ncaa.com/amp/news/football/article/2016-12-05/heisman-trophy-finalists-announced?client=safari
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/awards/heisman.html
http://www.espn.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/97182/lamar-jackson-deshaun-watson-give-the-acc-a-big-heisman-moment
http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/heisman-trophy-presentation/tv-listings/299488/
https://www.google.com/amp/www.si.com/college-football/2016/12/05/heisman-trophy-finalists-lamar-jackson-deshaun-watson%3Famp%3D1?client=safari

Posted by at 2 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)