The Bills opened their season 4-0, then 5-1, and seemed to be on pace to win the division with ease, especially given Tom Brady’s injury.  Then they lost to Miami.  And the New York Jets.  And the New England Patriots.  Going into Monday’s game they were 5-4 and behind both the Jets and the Patriots in the division.  This game was win or find themseles in a deep hole.

The Browns on the other hand were already in that hole.  After being a popular AFC North pick (and even Super Bowl pick) the Browns have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL.  In the previous two games (against Baltimore and Denver) the Browns gave up thirteen point halftime leads and lost; only the second team in NFL history to do so.

Well, the Browns won.  It was hardly a satisfying victory though.  When a team gives you four turnovers and you are winnng 13-0 there is no reason your victory should ever be in jeopardy.  It took a field goal that went Wide Right (sorry Bills fans) for the Browns to hang on to the victory.

The Browns were up 13-0 and appeared to be on easy street, except the Bills put together a tough drive making it 13-7.  A few field goals later the score was up to 16-13.  It was then that Browns running back Jerome Harrison broke a 72 yard touchdown run, opening up a 23-13 lead.  In the bag, right?  Never with anything from Cleveland.  Ever.  The following kickoff Bills special team man Leodis Mckelvin took a kickoff return back for 98 yards, putting the score to 23-20.  The Browns got another chance off of a Buffalo fumble but yet again could only manage a field goal bringing the game to 26-20.

For the third time in a row the Browns victory was in the hand of the defense, and they failed.  The Bills scored a touchdown giving them a 27-26 victory with three minute left on the clock.  Brady made a couple of passes and got within kicker Phil Dawson’s field goal range, but just within it.   Good thing he is the 5th all time in NFL History in terms of completion percentage.  The 56 yard field goal was perfect, putting the Browns up 29-27.

The Browns then had to do something that had worked to the Bills advantage all game:  Kickoff.  The squib kick was returned to around the 45 yardline and the first pass of the drive Trent Edwards completed for a pick up into field goal range.  The following three plays were conservative runs, and on fourth down the Bills settled for the 48 yard field goal.  Wide right.

In going wide right it put the Bills in a much worse position for making the playoffs and gave the Browns some hope that they still can.  Either way, no team is feeling especially good right now.  Neither’s playoff hopes are overly large, but a win is a win for Romeo’s squad.

The NBA Season is in full swing and the NFL Season is coming to a close.  Last I wrote NBA hadn’t even begun and NFL was only four weeks in.  To open this blog back up, I’m going to lay out what I believe the final NFL seedings will look like come week 16.  Enjoy.

NFC:
1.  New York Giants
If you didn’t see this coming, you clearly never watch football.  The Giants recently demolished the best run defense in the league and have only one loss at this point in the season (to my Browns, I might gloat).  They are the best team in the NFC and in my opinion the best in the entire league.  Number one seed for sure.
2.  Carolina Panthers
This team is quietly the number two seed in the NFC, and have a very modest schedule from here on out, their biggest game being a Monday night game at home against division rival Tampa Bay.
3.  Arizona Cardinals
I’m ranking them third not because I think they will have the third best record, but because there is no doubt they will win their division and will almost certainly have a better record than the winner of the NFC North.  This isn’t to take away from their power packed offense or MVP Kurt Warner; this is a good team nobody wants to play at home.
4.  Green Bay Packers
The way the playoff seeding works is the four division leaders are the top four seeds.  The Packers will have the worst record of NFC playoff teams.  In fact, there may be an NFC East team with a better record that does not make the playoffs.  However, the Packers are in.  Bad news to the Bears and Vikings.
5.  Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys had a big win over Washington on Sunday and that momentum will carry them through the rest of the season.  This team is far too talented to not make the playoffs, and they could be this years Giants.
6.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Their schedule is kind and they’re playing well anyways.  A crucial MNF game against the Panthers will help decide if they get the six seed or two seed.

AFC
1.  Tennessee Titans
This is obvious.  They are three games ahead of their closest contendor.  Don’t let this placement allow you to think they are my Super Bowl Pick.  They’re not.  I do not believe they will go undefeated and I do not believe they will get to the super bowl.  They are good however and will have home field advantage.
2.  Pittsburgh Steelers
I like Baltimore and I think they there is a chance they could make the playoffs.  They will not get ahead of the Steelers though.  The AFC North crown (sadly) belongs to them yet again.
3.  New York Jets
Originally I was going to give this spot to the Patriots, but after comparing the two teams schedule, there is no reason for the Jets to not maintain their pace to win the division.  Most games are at home against <.500 teams.
4.  Denver Broncos
Simply put, the AFC West is a bad division.  Denver is on top and will remain that way.  They will not get past the first round of the playoffs though.
5.  Indianapolis Colts
The ship is right.  Peyton is Peyton.  Once Marvin Harrison starts playing like himself this team is going to be just as good as they always have been.  They are only fifth because they won’t get ahead of Tennessee.
6.  New England Patriots
Matt Cassell is for real; he proved that Thursay night.  They have a tough schedule (Pittsburgh, Arizona, and others) remaining.  They will win just enough to get into the playoffs and God-willing will play the Jets in the first round.  I cannot think of a more exciting game.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

SUPER BOWL: Rematch.  New England Patriots vs. New York Giants

These are my predictions.  Nothing too earshattering here.  As far as the AFC North is concerned, I hope I’m wrong.  Here’s to an exciting end to the season!

Atlanta Falcons:  13
Carolina Panthers:  21

Cleveland Browns:  20
Cincinatti Bengals:  17

Houston Texans:  14
Jacksonville Jaguars:  24

Denver Broncos:  34
Kansas City Chiefs:  20

San Francisco 49ers:  24
New Orleans Saints:  21

Arizona Cardinals:  28
New York Jets:  20

Green Bay Packers:  28
Tampa Bay Buccs:  17

Minnesota Vikings:  17
Tennessee Titans:  14

San Diego Chargers:  31
Oakland Raiders:  10

Buffalo Bills:  24
St. Louis Rams:  14

Washington Redskins:  14
Dallas Cowboys:  27

Philadelphia Eagles:  20
Chicago Bears:  17

Baltimore Ravens:  17
Pittsburgh Steelers:  14

I will repeat that.  Our nation believes that the best teams in the AFC are the Broncos, the Titans, and the Bills.  These three teams were rated above New England, above Indianapolis, above Pittsburgh, above San Diego.  What happened?

Well the answer to that question depends on which team you’re referring to.  The Patriots?  You could point to Tom Brady’s absence and call it a day, or you could go further.  The Patriots defense that looked so good last year got old in a matter of months.  In this past game, high and mighty Bill Belichick got straight up out coached.  This year’s Pats are not the ones we are accustomed to. The ones that walk into a stadium and win, no matter how badly they play.  Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here, though.  The Patriots are still a good team.  Randy Moss is still Randy Moss.  Bill is still one of the best coaches in the league and Foxborough is going to be a lot more angry after their first loss in two years was served to them there.  Last I checked, 2-1 was still a winning record.  The Patriots are in one of the worst divisions in the league.  They have a bye week upcoming and will be taking an extra hard look at what happened Sunday.  The Patriots are still playoff contendosr.   Are they super bowl contendors?  No way.

So what about the Colts?  Well the fact that Peyton Manning didn’t play during the preseason is obviously hurting them, as they are not gelling as well on offense as they have in previous years.  Also, the loss of Bob Sanders was a big time hit on the defensive side of the ball.  The equation is simple for the Colts:  Less turnovers on offense and better defense.  The Colts are still a good team and are still very capable of making a playoff run.  Will they?  The way the season is headed right now, if the teams that are good continue to be good and the Colts don’t improve, then no.  I do not see them winning their division.  The Titans are 3-0, 2-0 against division.  That’s a steep hill to climb.  Its possible, but will be tough.  The wildcard spot is pretty up for grabs though, so I expect Indi to drag itself into the playoffs one way or another.

Another team I’d like to talk about is the San Diego Chargers.  These guys are good.  Their record is 1-2, but let’s be honest, it should be 2-1.  On Monday night they spanked the Jets.  They disrupted Bret Favre (without Shawn Merriman) and Philip Rivers looked like a probowler, as he has all year.  With Rivers playing like the best QB in the league and LT’s presence, these guys are the best team in the AFC in my opinion, especially when you look at the injuries other elite teams are facing (Willie Parker?  Vince Young? In addition Brady and Sanders).  Next week the Chargers beat Oakland and level back off at 2-2.  The Denver Broncos currently hold the division crown and may hold it for some weeks, but I expect San Diego to reclaim its place up top.

The AFC is a lot more open than many would have thought going into this year and it could be the year we see some new faces representing it in the super bowl.

For my predictions I made I went a sweet 12-4.  If you notice, I forgot to write my prediction for San Francisco vs. Detroit. I would have gone with San Fran in that contest, so I am giving myself thie credit.  This brings my record for the season to 20-12.  Now on with the rankings:

1.  Dallas Cowboys
2.  New York Giants
3.  Tennessee Titans
4.  Philadelphia Eagles
5.  San Diego Chargers
6.  Buffalo Bills
7.  Denver Broncos
8.  Pittsburgh Steelers
9.  Green Bay Packers
10.  Carolina Panthers
11.  New England Patriots
12.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13.  Washington Redskins
14.  Indianapolis Colts
15.  Baltimore Ravens
16.  Jacksonville Jaguars
17.  New Orleans Saints
18.  Arizona Cardinals
19.  San Francisco 49ers
20.  Minnesota Vikings
21.  Chicago Bears
22.  Miami Dolphins
23.  Cleveland Browns
24.  New York Jets
25.  Atlanta Falcons
26.  Seattle Seahawks
27.  Houston Texans
28.  Detroit Lions
29.  Oakland Raiders
30.  Kansas City Chiefs
31.  Cincinnati Bengals
32.  St. Louis Rams

I will go more into detail on this ranking tomorrow when I post.  For now though, its interesting to note how high I rated the Chargers and Titans.  The Titans speak for themselves, and I beleive the Chargers deserve to be that high due to the play of Phillip Rivers and that, in all reality, they should be 2-1.

Kansas City Chiefs:  14
Atlanta Falcons:  27

Oakland Raiders:  10
Buffalo Bills: 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  17
Chicago Bears:  24

Carolina Panthers: 24
Minnesota Vikings:  21

Miami Dolphins:  10
New England Patriots:  27

Cincinnati Bengals:  6
New York Giants:  20

Houston Texans:  17
Tennessee Titans:  27

Arizona Cardinals:  17
Washington Redskins:  20

New Orleans Saints:  20
Denver Broncos:  30

St. Louis Rams:  13
Seattle Seahawks:  14

Cleveland Browns:  24
Baltimore Ravens:  21

Jacksonville Jaguars:  21
Indianapolis Colts:  20

Pittsburgh Steelers:  31
Philadelphia Eagles:  38

Dallas Cowboys:  27
Green bay Packers: 35

New York Jets:  17
San Diego Chargers:  20

Some Lakers fans did not take so kindly to this statement.  They felt that nothing should rank above winning an NBA Championship for the city of Los Angeles (which, by the by, he alread has done a few times).

Those fans should be embarrassed.  I’m not a huge Kobe Bryant fan, but I felt a lot more respect for him when I heard he ranked the gold medal above anything in country.

The Olympics are the highest level of sports in the world.  Going there and winning a gold medal means you proved you were the best in the world.  Kobe Bryant and Team USA were representing America more so than any other American athlete or team (except maybe Michael Phelps).  Now what should be  more important to him?  Representing the United States of America in a world class sporting event or the city of Los Angeles in a national title game?

Kobe Bryant actually has his priorities straight and that is something you should take pride in Los Angeles, not flay him for.

Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel

Taking a look at this past weekends slew of football games, there are three teams that have something in common.  Minnesota, Cleveland, and San Diego would all tell you they could have won and should have won.  All three of these teams had very high expectations coming into this season and all three are now 0-2 after coming oh so close to being 1-1.

First let’s look at the team who legitimately should have won:  San Diego (video highlights are posted below).  With time running out Denver was down by 7.  As they approached the end zone, quarterback Jay Cutler stepped back to throw a pass and the ball slipped out of his away from his body.  There was no contact and it did not go toward the line of scrimmage, much less in front of it.   The play was whistled dead after the ball hit the ground, being ruled an incomplete pass, despite the fact that it was undisputably a fumble; this is made doubly painful by the fact that San Diego had successfully recovered it, thus clinching the W.  San Diego was unable to challenge the clearly incorrectly called play and Denver scored a touchdown followed by the game winning two-point conversion.  This loss that should never have happened is especially troubling for a disappointing Chargers team.  San Diego is now 0-2 and in last place in their division, a division that does not seem quite as securely theirs.  The Denver Broncos are now 2-0 with both victories coming over division opponents.  Pressure is mounting on San Diego and they will be hardpressed to overtake Denver unless they start winning soon. 

Cleveland is another team on this list.  Division opponent and hated rival Pittsburgh came to town on Sunday evening and pulled out with a 10-6 victory over the reeling Browns.  This game very well could have (and from a Cleveland perspective, should have) gone the other way.  As time expired in the first half the Browns drove the ball all the way down into the Pittsburgh ten yard line.  With about 10 seconds left and 3rd and short coming up, Romeo Crennel, the Browns’ head coach, did not call a time out.  Instead, confused, Derek Anderson ran a QB sneak for the first down (since he could not spike the ball to stop the clock).  The problem was that took so much time that there was only 8 seconds left.  Down by 7, the Browns did not want to settle for a field goal, but 8 seconds is barely enough time to run a play and kick a field goal if need be.  They tried the play and in the rush Derek Anderson threw an interception as time ran out, leaving the Browns down 7-0 at halftime.  This intermixed with many drops by Braylon Edwards, another inteception by Anderson, a lackluster run game, and a questionable 4th quarter field goal, the Browns practically handed the Steelers a win.  The Browns are now 0-2 in the division and battle Baltimore this week followed by Cincinnati the following week; both games are road games, division games, and must-win games.

The Minnesota Vikings are another team that let a game slip away from them.  On Minnesota’s first five possessions of the game they crossed midfield into Colts territory.  All they had to show for that feat was five field goals, aka, all their points.  Adrian Peterson was dominant, as usual, but the terrible passing game did them in.  In fact, it was so bad that it was recently announced that Tavaris Jackson will no longer be the starting quarterback, instead, backup QB Gus Frerotte will.  A quarterback controversy going into week three of the regular season is not something any team wants, but if the passing game does not improve do not expect Minnesota to win many games this season.  Next weekend the Vikings take on the Panthers, a team that has beaten teams better than Minnesota this season, so it will not be easy pickings.

1.  Dallas Cowboys
2.  New York Giants
3.  Philadelphia Eaglse
4.  Pittsburgh Steelers
5.  Green Bay Packers
6.  Tennessee Titans
7.  Indianapolis Colts
8.  New England Patriots
9.  Carolina Panthers
10.  Buffalo Bills
11.  Denver Broncos
12.  Cleveland Browns
13.  Arizona Cardinals
14.  New Orleans Saints
15.  Jacksonville Jaguars
16.  Chicago Bears
17.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18.  San Diego Chargers
19.  Washington Redskins
20.  New York Jets
21.  Minnesota Vikings
22.  Houston Texans
23.  Oakland Raiders
24.  Baltimore Ravens
25.  San Francisco 49ers
26.  Atlanta Falcons
27.  Detroit Lions
28.  Cincinnati Bengals
29.  Kansas City Chiefs
30.  Seattle Seahawks
31.  Miami Dolphins
32.  St. Louis Rams

As it is early in the season I am giving some teams more credit than they deserve and some teams less credit than they deserve, but again, it’s hard to tell early on.  I expect Indi to rebound and work its way back up and the Steelers to fall a bit simply because their schedule is quite challenging.  Other teams will obviously fluxuate as well.

2010.  It has been the talk of the basketball world the entire offseason.  Superstars abound will become free agents in 2010.  Lebron James.  Dwayne Wade.  Chris Bosh.  Speculation after speculation has been made about who they will sign with, especially Lebron James.  “Jay Z is his best friend!”  “He’ll go to the Knicks for sure.”  First of all, I firmly believe he will stay in Cleveland, but that is not the point of this blog.

Cavalier fans should not need to worry about 2010 because they have enough to look forward to in 2008.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have quietly had an incredibly productive offseason.  The Cavs locked in guard Daniel “Boobie” Gibson for five years.  They signed last years starting playoff Delonte West for three years.  They drafted J.J. Hickson who had a very impressive summer league performance and should fill in nicely at the gap left by the trade of Joe Smith, which brings me to the top move of the offseason:  the signing of point guard Mo Williams.  Williams is a combo guard that can score – exactly what the Cavaliers needed.   He is not there to pass the ball a ton because Lebron handles that.  He is there to score and run with Lebron.  Finally the Cavaliers have somebody who can be a legitimate scoring threat.  All of this plus the additions of role players Lorenzen Wright and Tarence Kinsley made for a terrific offseason.

Now let’s take a look the hope given from last season.  The Cavs took the NBA Champion Boston Celtics to seven games, and let’s be honest, should have won.  They had so many opportunities in that series that slipped through their fingers.  All this despite the fact that last season was plagued by contract hold outs, injuries galore, and the fact that half the team had only been wearing a Cavalier uniform for two months.  This season we already know will not contain two of those problems.  It is early September and the Cavs already have this seasons team locked in.  I wouldn’t expect a trade bringing in more than one or two players either, so that shouldn’t be an issue.  If the Cavaliers are healthy I would expect them to win fifty-five plus games this season.

There is one more point that will help the Cavs win a championship this year.  Wally Sczerbiak.  I am not talking about his playing abilities (though if he performs well it will be a big boost).   I am referring to his contract.  The man is making 13 million dollars and his contract expires at the end of this year.  That contract is going to be quite appealing to a team looking forward to the lottery when the trade deadline comes around.  Packaging him with an Anderson Varejao could potentially bring another star caliber player to the Cavaliers; in other words, the final piece of the Cavaliers Championship Puzzle.

Don’t worry about 2010 Cleveland fans.  Instead, be excited for this season.  Boston is the only team that stands in our way, and we proved last season we can take them.  We only got better and they only got older.