The Chase

The city of Detroit may not be going to the playoffs this year, yet they are still going to be watching every play of the Lions last 2 games as they prepare and hope to see history. In 1995 we saw Jerry Rice have one of the greatest seasons for a wide-out in NFL history as he raked up 1,848 receiving yards, the current NFL record (another fun fact is that 1995 was also the season Herman Moore set the franchise record with 1,686 yards receiving yards). Heading into the final 2 weeks of the season Calvin Johnson is at 1,667 yards, where was Jerry Rice with 2 games remaining in 1995? 1,406 yards. This leaves Calvin 181 yards away from breaking the record, he averages 119 yards a game and has only totaled less then 91 yards(the average he needs) in a game 3 times this season. Those games were in weeks 4, 7 and 8. Calvin suffered nerve damage in his hand against Minnesota week 4 when he got hit on a helmet to helmet play by linebacker Chad Greenway and was also playing with a left knee injury, which could have slowed him down. The remaining games for Detroit will be against the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears who can both shut down the pass. In week 7 Calvin was held to only 3 receptions and 34 yards against the Bears in his worst performance of the season. In 10 career games versing the Bears Calvin has compiled an average of 72.9 yards per game, against the Falcons he has an average of 111 yards a game in 2 meetings. If Calvin can manage to meet his average against each team he would end with 184 yards over the last 2 games, bringing his total to 1,851. If your team isn't in the playoff race or you have nothing else to do, tune in to the Lions games as history is on the verge in Detroit.

The Time has Come

Nothing reminds us more about the golden age of baseball than the playoffs. Dramatic finishes and heartbreak throughout the nation, all to accomplish one thing. Now its time to see who will come out on top. The Detroit Tigers and the San Fransisco Giants will face off Wednesday to start off the World Series. We don't know who will get the crown yet, but we do know it wont be given to either team without a fight. Both teams have the potential, but what needs to be done for them to accomplish greatness?
Giants - The main goals for the Giants should be to get ahead of the count against the Tigers pitching, strike early and shut down Delmon. The Tigers pitching has been phenomenal so the Giants are going to need to change that, the easiest way to do that would be to get ahead in the count, and knowing the Detroit staff scoring early is the best option to success. Both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have shown all year they are nearly unhittable after the third inning, before that is when they have some vulnerability. The other thing that must be done if the Giants want to win it all is they must shut down Delmon Young. Everyone knows the damage Cabrera is capable of but Delmon is one of the best players in the postseason in the MLB and if he gets to you, it could be over early.
Tigers - For the Tigers they need to keep the momentum and  secure the lead. After sweeping the Yankees and sitting for almost a week the Tigers could lose their momentum and come to a slow start, yet if this momentum is kept it would be easy to see a sweep in the World Series. With one of the greatest team starting pitching performances in a single postseason ever the Tigers still had a major problem, closing the game. It doesn't matter how good the starters for Detroit are if they cant find an answer to the closer spot, obviously Valverde isn't the answer. With as much as the Giants have been coming back in this postseason a weak bullpen could be all the comeback kids need to bring another title to San Fransisco.

The MVP has been Crowned

It's official, the impossible has been accomplished. How many times have you herd sport fans say "we will never see another Triple Crown winner"? Every year a player goes on a run and then it gets mentioned, could it be done? Every year we have the disappointment of it not happening, until now. It's been 45 years since the great Carl Yastremski accomplished the feat in 1967. Now it's time to give the credit to Miguel Cabrera who finished the 2012 season with a .330 average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs to make him the first Latino-born player to do so. While this is an unbelievable story the talk has seemed to lead to the "Trout for MVP" campaign, almost as if to try to disregard the work it took for Cabrera to have such a great season. In reality there isn't a debate for MVP, it goes to Miguel. Need some reasoning? I will pick apart every argument for Mike Trout while adding in statistics to prove my points.

1. WAR? - Wins above replacement? This is the most ridiculous of all stats I have ever herd of, and the center of the Trout campaign. According to these numbers Trout is worth 10.7 more wins than an average replacement while Cabrera is worth only 6.8 wins. So according to this the discussion should be over, right? Wrong, this takes into consideration alot but where does it rank your teammates? How do we calculate the numbers increased by Prince Fielder due to Cabrera? Should this be completely ignored? To say that how a player effects his team, or in other words how VALUABLE he is to his team, doesn't play a role in being the MVP is complete nonsense. I can guarantee you right now that the Tigers would have lost at least 20 games more this season without Miguel Cabrera. I don't need some silly calculations to tell me otherwise.

2. Stolen Bases - Countless people are raving at the fact that Trout led the league with 49 SBs, is this suppose to impress everyone? When Rickey Henderson stole 130 bases in 1982 he finished 10th in MVP voting. Henderson would have three career seasons with at least 100 stolen bases, finishing no better than 10th in MVP voting in any of them seasons. Now lets talk Ron Leflore, who stole 97 bases in 1980. He would finish 22nd in MVP voting. One last name to mention is Lou Brock. In 1974 Brock stole 118 bases to see his name fall 2nd in the MVP voting. So for all who say Trout has this speed that can't be matched on the base paths, you need to look back to see true speed. Trout is fast yes, but if 130 stolen bases isn't enough to win MVP then how is 49 impressive?

3. Fielding - From every one's perspective you would think that Miguel Cabrera would be dead last in the majors when it comes to fielding percentage, this is false. Cabrera owns a .966 fielding percentage at third base, which puts him as the 3rd highest in the category in the American league and only .001 away from 2nd. Mike Trout finished with a fielding percentage of .993, which while it seems better than Cabrera's is not. That put Trout as the 5th highest amongst American league center fielders. Want to use another way to show coverage area? Let's use the range factor calculation. Trout has a range factor of 2.42, also the 5th highest amongst American league center fielders. Cabrera on the other hand is at a 2.40 on the range factor scale, putting him in 3rd at his position. Truth is that Cabrera is a better fielder than given credit for.

4. RBIs and average are pointless - Believe it or not, this is a true argument by many Trout supporters. We will start with the RBIs. The main reason people want to discredit Cabrera and his RBIs is by saying it takes base runners to get RBIs and Cabrera has had more base runners than Trout has. True, but when people argue that Trout has more runs scored than Cabrera shouldn't we discredit it since you have to have help just like you do for RBIs? You can't disregard this for that reason alone, otherwise you have to take away Trouts runs scored. Another stat that we would have to take away is the double plays each has grounded into, since Cabrera grounds into more double plays it should be disregarded right? According to this theory it should, but once again, that is an unrealistic way to calculate value. Now on to average. I'm not too sure how to even counter this claim due to the stupidity behind it. Average calculates how many hits you get per at bat, which leads to run production. Without average we would be looking at players like Carlos Pena or Mark Reynolds as some of the leagues elite batters right now.

5. Home runs don't tell a batters power - Ive herd alot of talk about how Trout has shown just as much power as Cabrera. This has no statistically proof at all. Lets look deeper into it. Obviously Cabrera beats out Trout at home runs with 44 compared to 30, and remember Cabrera plays in one of the deepest ball parks in the league. When we compare doubles Cabrera leads with 40 to Trout's 27. Triples goes to Trout with his 8 compared to 0 from Cabrera. That means Cabrera had 84 extra base hits while Trout had only 65. That 65 doesn't even lead the Angels, teammate Albert Pujols has 15 more extra base hits than Trout. Now lets take the slugging percentage of both players and see how it stacks up. Cabrera is sitting high with a .606 slugging percentage compared to .564 by Trout.

6. Clutch - When I think of an MVP I think of someone who helps his team in crunch time. So when is it that a team would want its player to perform its best? I would say its the final months without a doubt. So August and September are the months we will look at. In August Cabrera hit .357 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs, Trout hit .284 with 7 home runs and 26 runs scored. In September Cabrera hit .308 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs, Trout hit .257 with 5 home runs and 21 runs scored. Clutch goes to Miguel.


7. Strikeouts - A great ball player puts the ball in play. When you see a batter strike out with runners on and no outs it really hurts the team. This year Cabrera struck out 98 times compared to being walked 66 times. Trout on the other hand struck out 139 times this year, 17th most in the AL, compared to being walked 67 times. No one ever mentions it but Mike Trout is a strikeout machine, and it hurt his teams chance to produce runs.

The debate will continue but true fans across the globe are aware that there is already an MVP and voting won't change that. Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown and definitely had the best season in the majors. Take your crown Cabrera, as you are the 2012 American League MVP!

Quest For the Crown

Back in 1967 greatness happened, yet no fan thought it would have been this long to see it done again. I'm talking about the Triple Crown of course. Carl Yastrzemski finished his great race with a .326 average, 44 homers and 121 RBIs, back then this was a less incredible feat though. The year before that it was also done, by Frank Robinson. Its been 45 years since Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown, yet there were 10 Triple Crown winners in the 45 years prior to 1967. Now in 2012 we see a potential Triple Crown winner yet again in Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera has a .333 average, 41 homers, and 130 RBIs. That gives him a 9 point lead in average, 7 RBI lead and only down 1 homer behind Josh Hamilton with 13 games left in the season. To think he doesn't have a shot is insane, especially when he only plays against the pitching staffs of Minnesota and Kansas City for the rest of the season. If Cabrera wants to make history he will need to finish strong though, but this is when he hits best. Numbers don't lie, Cabrera is statistically having one of the greatest season in MLB history. Fans all across baseball should watch this great race, as it may be a magical season in Detroit that could go another 45 years to see again.

City of Shame to City of Fame

          Years of disappointment and shame have spread upon the Detroit community when it involved football, the Lions were just plain horrible. It seemed like an eternity of mistakes and bad ownership would put the team underground forever. Draft picks like Joey Harrington, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Kevin Jones, Charles Rogers, and Ernie Sims led us to lose all hope in a rebuilding program. It was almost like a curse, the curse of losing Barry Sanders.
          The true disappointment started showing during the 2008 season, where they would finish the season as the first team in history to have an 0-16 record. From 2001 to 2010 the Detroit Lions would compile a total record of 39-121. All hope was surely lost, paper bags were worn over the heads of fans, a team that has brought shame to an entire city.
          This all turned around starting with the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 draft. The team was still going to be bad, but with the pick of wide out Calvin Johnson the Lions would gain a true superstar. We would add onto this in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft by getting a steal in defensive end Cliff Avril. Neither of those drafts would compare to the load we would haul in from the 2009 draft though. In 2009 the Lions got Mathew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew and Louis Delmas with their first three picks. All would become elite players and help the Lions in a historic run in 2011. This was not the end just yet in the draft process though, they would add defensive animal Ndamukong Suh, wide out Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure in the next two seasons. These would prove crucial.
          In 2011 the Lions would finally get what the city had been dying to see, the first Lions postseason game since 1999. The Lions would go on to lose that game, but still a step into the right direction. The team has shown its potential, and the whole world can see the offense can compete with the best of them in the passing game. The problems were the rushing game, secondary and penalties. With LeShoure out the entire 2011 season due to injury we have still yet to see how he can perform in a Lions uniform, 2012 will be his time to show us (once his suspention is over of course).
          2012, the season we get a complete glimpse. By drafting Reiff Riley in the 1st round of the draft we can surely say the offensive line should hold up a little better than it has over the past. This should be a huge factor towards the running game, which will mostly consist of Mikel LeShoure and Kevin Smith. LeShoure is the one to watch though, as here will look to become the first successful back in a Lions uniform since the great Barry Sanders. With the potential he holds he could truly push the Lions over the edge to having one of the greatest offenses in the history of the NFL. The defense is a different story. The Lions have cut their cornerback Aaron Berry due to multiple arrests, but did add a young stud in Bill Bentley and made a nice move by signing veteran Drayton Florence. These moves should improve the secondary, how much it will improve is the question that needs to be answered. The last problem I stated was penalties, which we will have to wait to see how the team has matured through the off season. The 2012 Lions squad definately has talent, the kind of talent that can break records and win championships year after year. Starting Sunday we will see which road this team will take. Will we become the city of shame or the city of fame? It's time to find out

10 Bold NFL Predictions for 2012

When football season hits everyone has these wierd feelings of things that shouldnt happen but sometimes do. Most of the time these have no proof that you ACTUALLY predicted these, well mine are right here for everyone to see after the season. Expect the unexpected, and here are a few

1. Marshawn Lynch will win the rushing title.

2. Mathew Stafford will break Brees single season passing record and be the 2012 MVP.

3. The Detroit Lions will trade for Jones-Drew and win the NFC North.

4. Andrew Luck will throw more interceptions that touchdowns.

5. The Broncos will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

6. Tim Tebow will start week 1 for the Jets.

7. Russell Wilson will be the Rookie of the Year.

8. No team from New York will make the playoffs.

9. The Steelers will NOT make the playoffs.

10. The Dallas Cowboys will make the playoffs and Tony Romo will be a top 7 QB

Fantasy Sell High Options

Mike Trout: The numbers are impressive while he has battled in the majors to hit .348 with 12 homers and 30 bases swiped. While he has tons of speed, power and agility (the reason Al Kaline related him to Yankee legend Mickey Mantle) but realistically I don't see these kind of numbers being on his resume for the 2012 season. If your in a keeper league than you should be set on Trout but in a 1 year league he could have enough value right now to give you some major improvements, but you must do it before he comes down to Earth.

R.A Dickey: While I was big on Dickey before the season I didn't see numbers this good coming from the knuckleballer. His 2.66 ERA and 12-1 record along with 127 strikeouts has impressed everyone. Dickey has looked so sharp as of lately though giving up 5 runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, but this doesn't mean he wont be efficient. Dickey will continue to have dominant games but with a knuckle ball as his main pitch we may start to see some inconsistency in his game, which is why now is the time to sell.

Melky Cabrera: A .353 average has highlighted the season of Cabrera but I doubt he will end the season with that number so high. Cabrera is a solid batter and has shown solid consistency in his career but these numbers surpass his expectations. If there's one thing I've learned about consistent players its that they rarely break out this much, so history is against Melky and that's why his value has peaked. 

Carlos Beltran: 20 long balls and 65 RBIs so far is far from the expectations fantasy owners expected from Beltran, which is why now is the time to sell. With the age and injury past he has had you cant expect these numbers to keep going. Beltran was once expected to hit like this every season but that was years ago. With the value Beltran could bring in you could get some solid young studs in return, and I recommend doing so.

Underrated MLB Prospects

Everyone knows the major prospects like Bryce Harper, Matt Moore and Mike Trout but what about the guys no one hears about? Every year prospects come out of nowhere and some of them become stars. This week I am going to take an in depth look at some of the more under the radar prospects. Some of these may be failures but I think these are some guys that you will soon here more about.

1.       #82 Drew Smyly – DET – A 2^nd round pick out of Arkansas in 2010. With a mixture of 4 pitches, fastball, changeup, curve and cutter, Smyly showed domination in the minors. In 14 starts at Advanced-A Lakeland he posted a 7-3 record and 2.58 ERA.  That year Smyly pitched 80.1 innings while only giving up 1 homer and striking out 77. When promoted to Double-A Erie his numbers only got better, a 4-3 record and stunning 1.18 ERA. That season he pitched 45.2 innings while striking out 53, walking only 15, giving up only 1 homer and holding batters to a .201 record. Smyly now has the #5 spot in the Tigers rotation; he can now prove what he is made of.

2.       Robert Stephenson – CIN – As a 1^st round pick in 2011 we have yet to see how he handles the minors. Stephenson contains a mid-90s fastball with a good curve ball, but could use a little work on his changeup. If he gets a solid changeup he could have 3 potential deadly pitches. He has great command and could be a deadly starter alongside Chapman in the future. Plenty of time will pass before we see him; somewhere around 2015-2016 I would guess.

3.       Matt Adams – STL Finally Adams has a chance to play in the majors, with Pujols gone there is an opening at 1B and Adams could fill that soon. In his 3 seasons as a minor leaguer he has a .316 average and has hit 64 homers, 32 last season and 22 in 2010. He also has little strikeouts for a power hitter, only 209 in 1293 plate appearances I don’t see a .300 average once he hits the majors but he has potential to hit .285 and hit 30+ homers.       

4.       Tim Wheeler – COL – As a 1^st round pick in 2009 Wheeler is edging towards a spot in the outfield.  He struggled early in the minors but last year he showed he deserves a spot on the roster. He crushed 33 homers and stole over 20 bases.  With Seth Smith gone is Colorado he will have a real good shot at gaining a starting job sometime in 2012. With great power and solid speed Wheeler could be a potential 20/20 hitter in the majors.

5.       Keyvius Sampson – SD – Sampson has some injury concerns after missing most of the 2010 season but he quickly gained followers in 2011. The 12-3 record and 2.90 ERA show it all. He also struck out over 10 batters per 9 innings over the 118 innings he pitched. I don’t see the best stuff out there from Sampson but I do see a solid competitor with 3 solid pitches, add that in and toss the guy in Petco Park and I love the chances he has, if injury doesn’t stop him he could see some time in the majors in a couple years.

6.       Edward Salcedo – ATL – As a Dominican player that transferred to the MLB Salcedo went under an investigation to whether or not he was giving false, this investigation led nowhere and nothing was found to prove he wasn’t the man he claimed, but this threw off his development and his numbers in the minors show it. The .248 average shows it all, yet he still put together a decent 12 homers. Now that the investigation is over Salcedo can finally concentrate on his career and hopefully bring back his development to where it should be. At only 20 years old I could see some improvements and maybe an MLB career starting around the year 2015.

7.       Taylor Jungmann – The 12^th pick in the 2012 draft could be the most MLB ready guy there was, at 22 years of age many believe he could see time as soon as late 2012, I think it will be 2013 before we see him though. Either way his 13-3 record, 1.60 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 141 innings as a Texas Longhorn are impressive. Even with his talent the Brewers should give him time in the minors to develop before bringing him up, besides the Brewers are pretty strong on pitching. Once we see him in the majors it shouldn’t be long before we see him as an ace.

8.       Edwar Cabrera – COL – Another prospect out of the Dominican here and Cabrera has proved he has some of the best stuff the Dominican has to offer. His 3.34 ERA in 2011 was nice but that’s not what caught my eyes about this lefty. He stuck out 217 batters and walked only 41 in 167 innings, not that’s impressive. To make it even more impressive his fastball touches low-90s at best and. There’s no doubt his best pitch is his changeup and he is working on developing a curve. If Cabrera could master a 3^rd pitch he could have a deadly impact in the majors as soon as 2014.

9.       #94 Noah Syndergaard – TOR - The 38th pick in the 2010 draft is only 19 but he is making some noise in the minors.  In 2011 Syndergaard pitched for 3 different levels of the minors and combined for a 5-2 record and 1.83 ERA. He pitched 59 total innings and struck out 68 batters, 29% of the batter he faced which led the minors. In his 11 starts Syndergaard gave up only 1 homer and walked only 18. With an upper 90s fastball, good breaking balls and a solid changeup we could be hearing this name more often in the future, but as young as he is it could still be awhile.

10.   Charlie Blackmon – COL – His short stint in the majors in 2011 seemed bad, a .255 average in 98 at bats. Don’t count him out though, he played centerfield in the minors and the switch to left field can throw a batters numbers off till they get adjusted and feel comfortable. In 4 years in the minors he had batting averages of .338, .307, .297, and .337. There isn’t too much power to Blackmon, his career high is 11, and his speed is good but not dominating. The strong area to him is his contact. Blackmon has great eye hand coordination and usually always puts the ball in play. He could be a solid leadoff hitter in the near future.

*All ranking are based on mlb.com top 100 prospects list.

2012 Fantasy Baseball Bust Watch

Every year fantasy baseball players are overrated due to previous seasons and unfilled hope. Last year we had one of the worst failed players in a season, Adam Dunn, who was ranked highly in the ESPN rankings. This year I am going to give a heads up on some of the players that could end up hurting a fantasy team by position due to injuries or high hopes that have been built up from previous seasons.

Catchers: Carlos Santana

1B: N/A

2B: Ben Zobrist

3B: Kevin Youkilis

SS: Jose Reyes

OF: Curtis Granderson, Alex Gordon, Shane Victorino, Jay Bruce

SP: CJ Wilson, Matt Garza, Mat Latos

Fantasy Sleepers Pt. 3 of 3

SP:

Carlos Zambrano (361) - In 11 seasons Zambrano has a career record of 125-81 and an ERA of 3.60. Many people overlook these numbers due to the attitude problems he has had the last few years, but his talent is still there. Zambrano has been on fire his last few starts in Spring Training and his attitude seems to be improving. I think with Ozzie Guillen coaching him and the nice move out of Chicago he could be a changed player and maybe we can see part of the game we saw in his premier days.

Rick Porcello (505) – At only 23 years old Porcello is already in his 3^rd season as an MLB starter. He has a career record of 38-30 and an ERA of 4.54. While Porcello has weak stats he was once a top prospect and has shown glimpses of his potential throughout his short career. Porcello has only had more than 100 strikeouts in 1 of his seasons so he is definitely weak in the strikeout category. While many say he was just another fluke his problem could have been forced by being brought up so early and may have caused some confidence problems. With the line-up supporting him having potential to break many MLB records he could get a lot of wins and this could boost his confidence and put him in line to finally be the player he can be.

 Guillermo Moscoso (548) – Guillermo finally broke into the majors as a starting pitcher last season at the age of 27 and man did he prove he can play. In 128 innings Guillermo posted a 8-10 record and 3.38 ERA for the Oakland Athletics in 2011.  He also carried a solid 1.09 WHIP for the season. The only problem with Moscoso is he isn’t too good at striking out batters, only 74 in 2011. Strikeouts aside thought Moscoso could be one of the biggest steals of the draft. After being traded to Colorado he is sure to have a slight increase in ERA, I’d put him in the mid-3.50s, but he will have a better line up supporting him and should get between 12-15 wins in 2012.

Fantasy Sleepers Pt. 2 of 3

SS:

Alex Gonzalez (314) – At 35 years old Gonzalez is past his prime and many think his career is done. Don’t give up on him just yet. Even with a horrible .247 career average you could still get some help late with Gonzalez. You can find better average but the power is the key to this sleeper pick. Averaging 16 homers per season for 13 seasons is pretty good and he will most likely have another 20+ HR season, if you can get 20 or more homers this late at shortstop you made a smart pick.

 Zack Cozart (340) – This young stud hit .324 with 2 HRs last season in 37 Abs. a .310 average in 2011 in the minors shows this was no short fluke though. There’s no question the kid can play, the question is his health. Cozart had surgery on both his elbow and ankle in the offseason but should be back to complete health now. I wouldn’t expect a lot of power here 10 to 15 HRs is reasonable, but with a great average potential Cozart is worth a late risk.

Tyler Pastornicky (364) – Part of the Yunel Escobar deal, Pastornicky seems ready to move to the major league level in 2012. A solid line drive hitter shows he has potential to hit above his .278 average His .365 average in AAA ball also shows this. His weak spot is power, only hitting two homers in his first 636 minor league ABs. He did hit 6 in 2010 but this still isn’t much. The strong spot for Pastornicky is his speed.  He has stolen 146 bases on 189 attempts. I expect an utility roll in 2012 so expect to see him play many positions, but this late in a draft you could use some steals and a solid line drive hitter.

3B:

Chris Davis (277) – Four years of unpromising talent has led to much disappointment in Davis. Over his four year career he has struck out in 31.5% of his ABs. Only players that have a worse strikeout percentage are Mark Reynolds and Kelly Shoppach.  This is a sure sign he will not be a high average hitter, but it doesn’t mean he is useless.  I could see a solid amount of power out of Davis and he could really help out some power number (15-25 HRs is reasonable). If you need some pop he’s worth the risk, if not then stay away.

 Scott Rolen (325) – The 31 year old veteran has a career .282 average and 308 homers in his career. You may look at his numbers last season and look in shame, but he didn’t play a complete season. Take a look at Rolen in 2010. A .285 average with 20 HRs and 85 RBIs. Rolen may be out of his prime but he showed in 2010 he can still play. If he plays an entire season in 2012 he could be a .280+ hitter with 15+ homers.

 Placido Polonco (332) – One of the greatest contact hitters of the era, or even ever, has got little recognition for his career .301 average. In 13 seasons Polanco has only struck out a total of 482 times, that’s only 37 per season! With eligibility at 2B/SS/3B there’s no excuse to not have Polonco on your roster. He has proven is his dominant career he is consistent and he WILL help your average and won’t cost your many Ks if your league counts them.

OF:

Ben Revere (378) – Revere stole 34 bases last season and has potential to reach 50+ in a season. You won’t get much of an average of power from Revere (and considering his team few runs also) but you will get speed. At only 23 years old Revere has a bright future and will be racking up steals for years to come. His team will help and hurt his value at the same time, while he won’t be drove in as much I am sure he will be put into more steal plays. With no one to drive him in I see a lot of attempts at making an easier scoring opportunity for the team and with his speed that means steal.

 Seth Smith (422) – As a fantasy owner I always love having Seth Smith on my roster. I mean who wouldn’t of like his .284 average, 15 HRs and 10 SBs on their team? I really don’t understand why Smith gets no credit at all, he’s actually a solid player. If your league counts triples how does 9 sound? Well that’s what he hit last season. An overall talented batter that only has one problem this season. He plays for Oakland. With a horrible offense I would assume his numbers decrease slightly but with a few talents in the mix I’m sure Smith can handle himself.

 Jason Bourgeois (529) – 31 stolen bases in only 93 last games last season. Add in a .294 average on the worst team in the league, the Astros, and you got a diamond in the ruff named Jason Bourgeois. If you look closely you will realize he is identical to a former Houston play, that player in Michael Bourn. With the same speed and potential to hit for average Bourgeois is the Astros new Michael Bourn. I’m sure soon he will be traded away to a contender but I wouldn’t pass on Bourgeois if you’re in a deep league, this guy is FAST!

Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Part 1 of 3

Fantasy baseball is a challenge to many and people seem to get the idea that superstars will win you the championship in your league. I have learned from experience this isn’t true, while stars will make your team good it will not win the league. In a league of mine I have won consecutive championships while only having one or two true stars, Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Beltre last season while another team had set his roster to explode with superstars Prince Fielder, Jared Weaver, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, Troy Tulowitszki, Dustin Pedroia and Evan Longoria. While he had a lot better roster than me I still beat him in the championship due to sleepers throughout the season such as Johnny Cueto, Justin Masterson, Alex Avila, Brandon Allen (for a week when he hit a few HRs), Guillermo Moscoso and Jose Constanza. So if you want to win your fantasy league this season here is a list of 3 sleepers at each position and 5 at outfield.

Catcher:

Salvador Perez (290) – The 21 year old rookie for Kansas City showed a little of what he was made of last season by hitting 2 HRs, 13 RBIs and holding a .331 average in 148 Abs. His weaknesses are his plate discipline and speed, being one of the slowest guys in the league. With good contact and slightly above average power at his position he should be a sure sleeper.

Jonathan Lucroy (309) – At 25 years old Lucroy has a career .260 average, 16 HRs and 85 RBIs in 707 Abs. At this pace a season with a .260-.270 average, 12 HRs and 75 RBIs is easily reachable by the Brewers catcher. If we can see them kind of numbers from a catcher, especially around pick number 300 then he could help your team a lot.

Josh Thole (388) – In 672 Abs the 25 year old catcher for the Mets has hit .267 with 6 HRs and 66 RBIs. These numbers may not look good to the eyes but were looking at a last resort catcher here, don’t be picky. With little power Thole will have to look to his contact to increase his value. Thole hasn’t had a great career average but a .300 average in A ball in 2008, and .328 average in AA ball in 2009 show he can hit for average. He may not be a stylish pick but if you’re the guy who picks his catcher after the others are gone he could be the guy for you.

1B:

Brandon Allen (281) – With a .210 average, 11 HRs and 38 RBIs in 324 career at bats the 235 pound slugger seems unattractive to many. To see the potential you would need to watch the guy play, if you did this you would see the raw power he has. After switching from the AL to the NL and back to the AL again Allen might have finally found a full time starting job in 2012 for the Athletics. Throughout 8 seasons in the minors Allen has a .268 career average and 142 HRs. With so much power we could see Carlos Pena stats from Allen.

Todd Helton (319) – The .323 career average and 347 HRs in 14 seasons says all we need to know about the Rockies veteran first baseman. At 38 years old the consistency showed as Helton put together another wonderful season while batting .302. To me any player that is a 300+ pick and hits .300 with 10+ HRs for you is a steal. Perfect late first basemen or guy to fill a utility spot. DO NOT pass up Helton if he fits into your roster.

 Justin Smoak (345) – Remember when Smoak was coming up and everyone was in love with him? His .227 average is what took away the hype but his power is there. 28 HRs in less than 2 full season isn’t bad and he has even more power than that. If you need average stay away here but if you have the average on your team to balance it out Smoak could give the pop needed to take over a few categories. If you average out his stats into a season he would average 20 HRs, 75 RBIs and 78 Runs for a season. For a bench player or late pick Smoak has the power to help you a lot and if some average comes you got the steal of the year.

2B:

Ryan Theriot (406) – If you need some cheap steals at second base or shortstop Theriot is an underrated guy who could help. Theriot has stolen at least 20 bases in 4 of his 5 full played seasons. Power will not be here at all though, and a solid .282 average should hurt to have as a 400+ pick. You don’t need to worry about strikeouts with Theriot either since he has only stuck out 75+ times in 1 season of his career. I wouldn’t recommend starting Theriot unless the league is deep but he is a great utility guy to switch in at 2B and SS.

 Freddy Sanchez (455) – The 2006 NL batting champ is probably the most underrated player in baseball, especially fantasy. With eligibility at 2B, 3B and SS you can always find a slot to put Sanchez in. I personally take Sanchez in almost every league I have. With a .297 career average in 10 seasons you know he can slap the ball around with consistency. Just don’t expect anything but average from Sanchez, cause you’re not getting it, unless it’s doubles, which he also lead the NL with in 2008. Must have sleeper!!!

 Ryan Raburn (553) – With plenty of talent Raburn is being held back by inconsistency, we see it every year. This season he will compete with Brandon Inge, Don Kelly and Ramon Santiago for the starting job at 2B for the Tigers. If Raburn gets the spot it could mean big numbers for Raburn in a line-up that includes Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. A 20 HR season and .270 average is possible for Raburn and who else will give you them numbers that deep into a draft?

Mel Kiper's Top 5 Review

1.       Andrew Luck – At 6’4” and 235 pounds the quarterback out of Stanford has the size to play in the NFL. Luck was almost solidified as the 2012 1^st overall pick when he decided to return for his senior year after finishing 2^nd in Heisman voting behind Mark Ingram. Once again Luck fell short and was again voted 2^nd in Heisman voting, this time behind Robert Griffin III. Luck has been compared to Peyton Manning and John Elway by many scouts but he is overrated. The numbers behind his career are great and he runs the offense well but he does have some NFL-caliber flaws. The problem is his receivers always seem to be more open than he should expect at the next level. While this is not his fault at all it seems Luck has not been forced to pin point the ball and put more power into a covered receiver like he will be forced to in the NFL. Luck seems to take the easier and softer throws, while this is smart he will not be able to do that as much at the next level. Luck will need to prove he has the power and accuracy to force some throws once he gets drafted. Instead of the ridiculous comparisons to Manning and Elway write it down, Andrew Luck is comparable to Matt Hasselbeck.

2.       Matt Kalil – The Junior out of USC stands in at 6’7” and 295 pounds. Kalil is one of the most dominant offensive linemen to come out of the draft in years. With fast hands, solid run blocking, great pass blocking and quick feet Kalil is the complete package. Add his talent to his ruthless aggression and attitude and you have a player no defensive lineman would want to face. The only problem with Kalil is his muscle build, which should come easy once he is working out with fellow NFL players. It’s easy to see a long, excellent career coming for Kalil and little reason to believe otherwise. I see a reasonable comparison to Orlando Pace here.

3.       Trent Richardson – The 5’11” running back out of Alabama weighs in at 224 pounds, a respectable size to play the position. Richardson isn’t the fastest running back in the draft but he has enough speed to take advantage of opening gaps and has the ability to make quick cuts. Besides having one of the best vision sites at his position Richardson is almost undoubtedly the most powerful back in the draft. Not only a good runner but Richardson is also an excellent pass catcher and can be a huge factor coming out of the backfield and catching passes. The weakest part of his game is his blocking; he has the strength and intensity to block any blitzing lineman but often seems to miss his assignments on blocking plays. With proper coaching Richardson should be able to lock on better to his targets and be one of the better blocking backs in the league. With no injury problems and the toughness to carry the ball 30+ carries per game Richardson should be a dynamic running back in the NFL. He has the strength comparable to Michael Turner and about the same speed as Turner did when he got drafted, so I’ll make the Turner comparison here.

4.       Morris Claiborne – The 6’ 185 pound Junior out of LSU is easily the best cornerback in the draft. Claiborne seems to be one of the lesser talked about corners from LSU over the last few years but can match up evenly with all the others, including Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Clocked in at as fast as 4.36 second in the 40-yard dash there’s no questioning Claiborne has the speed needed in the NFL. Claiborne is more of a zone coverage corner due to his lack of aggression. When facing bigger receivers he never gets the good jam he needs. Other than the lack of aggression Claiborne also isn’t very good at defending the run. While these are two major factors Claiborne has some of the best hands, awareness and zone coverage in the nation. A major factor in special teams has been showed through his elusiveness to make big plays on kick returns. He will need to bulk up a bit and be more aggressive to be great at the next level. With similar body structures, strengths and weaknesses he is very comparable to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

5.       Justin Blackmon – Blackmon isn’t the biggest receiver in the draft at 6’1” and 211 pounds, but he surely isn’t the smallest either. Blackmon is the type of receiver that can, and will, make the big play when the ball is released. With excellent speed and jumping abilities Blackmon is a huge playmaker. Good body language while running routes leads him to cause a lot of open routes for easy pass plays. The main concern about Blackmon is his ability to make the plays after the catch and to break tackles. With more aggression and determination after the catch Blackmon has the size to dominate smaller defenders trying to tackle him. Comparison here would be to Hakeem Nicks.

BCS vs. Playoff Debate

As one of the most controversial matters in college football today we have a fan base that, according to http://collegefootball.procon.org/, votes 85% in favor of switching the current BCS System to a playoff system similar to that in the NFL.

With arguments from both sides it seems hard to decide which of the systems would be the best fit for college football. The people favoring the switch might say the 3^rd ranked team is left out and might deserve a title shot. So if we switch to a four or eight game playoff system won’t the 5^th or 9^th ranked team be left out? No matter how many teams make the playoffs there will always be a debate on if the last team left out should have been in. Other will tell you that every other sport has a playoff system so why not make college football a playoff sport? Its simple why we don’t, the NFL allows the winner of each division and two wildcard teams from each conference a spot in the playoffs, yet the set-up of the NFL will not allow that due to its overpowered conferences. If we want a playoff system so bad we need to evenly balance each of the conferences and only allow the conference winners to make the playoffs, that way we don’t have one conference with 4 teams in the playoffs and other conference being represented by no teams. Also instead of deciding by strength of schedule we will need to transform like the NFL and go by only record, no matter who you face your record will decide your fate. Then we can compare the teams factors, the leagues that have playoff systems vary between 30 to 32 teams, which allows them to face almost every team throughout an entire season, college football has 120 teams in the FBS which makes it impossible to play even a quarter of the teams in the league in a season. Not only will making a playoff system ruin the college football championship but it will ruin a tradition that is over 100 years old, college football is recognized due to its Bowl Games and it should stay that way. If we made a playoff system without balancing conferences it would be taking away money from conferences that don’t have a playoff team and that would be giving even more of an advantage to the larger conference teams. Or maybe you would say the income would be better for playoffs? False, the five BCS games alone brought a total of $1.2 billion to the host cities, so instead of making one city rich why don’t we split it between five?

It makes no logical sense for a change in the system of college football. You can break down each argument made for the reasons to switch and see the playoff system would not fix, and in some cases worsen, the problems. Sometimes the majority of society reads into things without needing the facts and underlying truth of an argument and yet they can still favor the side being pushed into their heads.

NFL Super Bowl Preview

New England Patriots (13-3) vs. New York Giants (9-7): After two stunning wins off mistakes by opponents the Patriots and Giants will be facing off in a rematch of one of the most memorable Super Bowls in history. The two teams will be facing off on February 5^th in the game we have been waiting all season to watch, this is the one that matters. Can the Giants come up with the upset again? Or will the Patriots show the last time was a fluke? The rumors about Eli having the edge over Brady are just absurd and Brady will prove this. As one of the greatest quarterbacks in history Tom Brady has proven this by winning 3 Super Bowls since replacing Drew Bledsoe as the quarterback in New England. One more Super Bowl win would tie him at most alongside Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, this could solidify Brady as the greatest ever and Brady will be determined not to let Eli and the Giants stop him from getting this again. If Eli wants to prove me wrong he will need the performance of his life to knock off the high powered Patriots. Most people would say the Giants defense is the better of the two and that is usually true, yet the Patriots defense is never the same once they hit the playoffs and that was proven last week against the Baltimore Ravens. The biggest concern for the Patriots is on the Giants defensive unit though. The problem is the monster defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul. With 16.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles it’s obvious Pierre-Paul has proved the doubters that said he was drafted to early wrong. If Pierre-Paul can get in and force pressure on Brady its possible he could cause some mistakes from Brady and force big defensive plays. Every Super Bowl has a surprise player; the surprise player in this game will be the man who has only 15 catches for 276 yards and 1 touchdown, Chad Ochocinco. I’m expecting 50+ yards and at least one touchdown against the Giants. If you’re a gambler and are thinking about putting a bet on the Giants winning id strongly recommend you reconsider, and all this is coming from a man who hates the Patriots. Expect Brady to get his 4^th ring on February 5^th, 2012.

NFL Conference Championship Round

New York Giants (9-7) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3): After a 37-20 win over the best team in the NFL the Giants now have to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship. In week 10 the 49ers defeated the Giants 27-20. San Francisco also had a tough match up last week against the New Orleans Saints. In one of the most exciting games in a long time it was a fight till the end. The Saints made what seemed like the final comeback to cap off another win until the 49ers led down the field and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to seal a 36-32 win. The amazing touchdown pass was made on the 30 year anniversary of “The Catch” Joe Montana threw to Dwight Clark. With one of the best running defenses in history it’s unlikely the Giants, who rank dead last in rushing yards, will be able to produce at all in the running game. With such a stellar running defense the Giants will need to take advantage of the 49ers 16^th ranked passing offense. The Giants are ranked 5^th for passing yards a game. With a top 10 rushing game the 49ers will be looking to run the ball unlike the Giants.  It seems like the major factor will be if the Giants weak pass defense can stop the 49ers weak passing game. The winner of that factor could be the one representing the NFC in the Super Bowl; I’ll give the 49ers an advantage in this game.

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at New England Patriots (13-3): With two of the more dominant teams over the last few years facing off in the AFC Championship it’s sure to be a good one. One of the best offenses in the league, the Patriots, will be going against one of the best defenses, the Ravens. The Patriots are ranked 2^nd in the NFL for passing yards a game but only managed a 20^th ranked running game. The defense is one of the weakest in the NFL though ranking 31^st in passing yards allowed and 17^th for rushing yards allowed. The Ravens have dominated on defense to get a 4^th ranked passing defense and 2^nd ranked rushing defense. While the defense is the strong suit for the Ravens they have also put together a respectable offense that ranks 19^th in passing offense and 10^th for rushing yards. While both teams deserve a Super Bowl appearance we will have to see how this one ends to see who deserves it more. With a more balanced team I’m giving the advantage to the Ravens.

NFL Divisional Playoffs

After an exciting first week in the playoffs we are left with only division winners.Without the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals there will be no wild-card Super Bowl winner in 2012. With some great match-ups this weekend we should see just as much excitement as last week.

Houston Texans (10-6) at Baltimore Ravens (12-4): Coming off a win in their first ever playoff game the Texans are determined to keep moving through the playoffs but the Ravens will be alot harder to beat than the Cincinnati Bengals. With two of the top defenses in the NFL alot of people are expecting a low scoring game but with two of the best running backs in the league we could see a ground battle. The Ravens running back, Ray Rice, ran for 1,364 yards on 291 carries, while the Texans running back, Arian Foster, ran for 1,224 yards on 278 carries. Houston also has a dynamic runner coming off the bench in Ben Tate. Tate compiled 942 rushing yards on 175 carries this season as the back-up. With evenly ranked defenses and two top running games this could come down to the passing game. While the Texans are ranked 15th, while the Ravens rank 18th, in passing yards a game the Ravens still have a major advantage in the passing game. The reason Houston is ranked higher is due to the yardage thrown while quarterback Matt Schaub was healthy. While back-up T.J. Yates has been good he has yet to face a defense like the Ravens. If the Texans want to win this Yates will need to shuttle off shorter passes and try to open a gap of weakness in the Ravens defense. The Ravens will need to stop the running game like they do almost every game and force turnovers. Advantage easily goes to the Ravens who beat Houston 29-14 with Houston's starting quarterback in.

Denver Broncos (8-8) at New England Patriots (13-3): After a stunning 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime last week the Broncos made a shocking upset to eliminate the Pittsburgh Steelers from the playoffs. If the Broncos put up 29 points against possibly the best defense in the NFL there's no telling what they can put up against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Patriots are ranked 31st in passing yards allowed and 17th in rushing yards allowed, but with a high powered offense it will be hard for the Broncos defense to keep this game in control and low scoring. When these teams faced earlier in the season the Patriots blew out the Broncos 41-23. The Broncos defense will have to allow alot less than 41 points in this game if they plan on moving to the AFC Championship. The biggest differences between a quarterback match-up in playoff history is taking place in this game. Superstar Tom Brady will be taking on the comeback kid Tim Tebow. It's hard to believe a player with horrible stats can be such a great leader and lead his team to win games in the 4th quarter but Tebow has done just this, and for those who still believe Tebow isn't the reason they are winning, look at his 4th quarter stats and compare them to the best quarterbacks in the NFL. If the Patriots put up over 35 points its hard to see the Broncos being able to compete, but if the Broncos defense can hold the Patriots to 21 points or less than we might be seeing Tebow in the AFC championship. Advantage still goes to the Patriots.

New York Giants (9-7) at Green Bay Packers (15-1): With two horrible defenses, each in the top 5 for passing yards and both in the bottom 5 for rushing yards this game is sure to be decided through the air. While Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are looking to win back-to-back Super Bowls the Giants are also in the hunt to get Eli Manning his 2nd ring. With a win last week against the Falcons the Giants are moving towards possibly the best team in the NFL. The Giants are used to being underdogs thought, and its not the first time they have been doubted and huge underdogs against unbelievable teams. With running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and bruiser Brandon Jacobs the Giants have the edge in the running game while the Packers get the edge in the passing game. This game will come down to which defense can stop the pass. The advantage goes to the 15-1 Packers.

New Orleans Saints (13-3) at San Francisco 49ers (13-3): It's defense vs offense in this game. The saying is offense wins games and defense wins championships, this will show us which is better to have. While the Saints are making history with quarterback Drew Brees they have been the top passing offense in the NFL and the 6th ranked rushing team. The weakness of the Saints is their defense, ranking 30th in passing yards allowed and 12th in rushing yards allowed. The 49ers are the opposite, with having a 29th ranked passing offense and 8th ranked running defense the Saints defense wont be too challenged, yet with the 16th ranked passing defense and best rushing defense in the league the Saints will be challenged on offense. The 49ers rushing defense did not allow a single touchdown in their first 14 games, which is an NFL record and has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 36 games. With running back Frank Gore, the 49ers can move the ball as good as anyone on the ground and will need his help this weekend. For the 49ers to win this game they will need to take advantage of the Saints weak passing defense and create some points. The Saints just need to have Drew Brees and his receivers play at a high level. This game is so close I refuse to give a favored team, we will let game time decide that.

NFL Wildcard Week Preview

Some teams swept into the playoffs while others had to fight till the end to have the chance to play in January. No matter what it took for these teams to make it, the tables are now even. Whether you’re the Green Bay Packers or the Denver Broncos, you made the playoffs and your record doesn’t mean anything except maybe one week of rest. Here’s a look into each game for the Wildcard week.

Byes: Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at Houston Texans (10-6): A battle of rookie quarterbacks is the headline in this game. Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton, the 2^nd round draft pick out of TCU, will be taking on Houston’s TJ Yates, the 5^th round pick out of North Carolina. Houston was looking like one of the best teams in the AFC till injuries of starting QB Matt Schaub and back-up Matt Leinart. The Texans lost three consecutive games to end the regular season, their last win coming in a 20-19 battle against their playoff opponent Bengals. Both teams have obvious weaknesses. The Texans weak spot is the passing game with TJ Yates in. The Bengals are 1-7 against teams with winning records which shows they struggle against good teams. With two of the best defenses in the NFL this game should be a low scoring battle. Both defenses rank among the top 10 in both rushing yards and passing yards allowed. While the Texans have never played in a postseason game the Bengals have also had some playoff struggles, not winning a postseason game since 1990. If Houston wants to win this game they will need to shut down star rookie sensation A.J. Green. Green in his rookie season has been the best wide receiver on the team putting together 1,057 yards and 7 touchdowns. On the other side of the field the Bengals will need to stop the 2010 rushing leader Arian Foster and back-up running back Ben Tate. Foster has 1,224 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns while Tate has 942 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. If either team can accomplish these feats they have the edge and will most likely move on to play another week. Going in I’m giving the advantage to the Bengals.

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at Denver Broncos (8-8): Two dominant defenses face off in this battle. The Steelers have proven over the years they are one of the best defensive teams in the NFL and showed this again in 2011 by ranking 1^st in passing yards allowed and 8^th in rushing yards allowed. The Broncos defense doesn’t look good when you look at season stats but led by Von Miller and Brian Dawkins this defense can compete with any offense when locked on. Pittsburgh will need very little help defending the passing game considering the Broncos offense is 31^st in passing yards with only averaging 152.1 passing yards per game. The passing may not be good but with more rushing yards per game than passing the Broncos average 164.5 rushing yards per game, which is 1^st in the NFL. Quarterback Tim Tebow is part of the reason, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. After a 7-1 start in his first 8 starts this season Tebow has finished losing his last 3 games. There are concerns for the Steelers on their offense also, Ben Roethlisberger, the running game and one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Their star quarterback Roethlisberger missed the season finale against the Rams due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered two weeks earlier against the Cleveland Browns. As the toughest quarterback in the league Roethlisberger should be fine but if the injury messes up his pocket movement the Broncos defense could put a pounding on him. The Steelers could have trouble running the ball after losing their starting running back Rashard Mendenhall to an ACL tear. With Mendenhall out the Steelers will be giving more attempts to Isaac Redman who averaged 4.4 yards per carry in 110 attempts this season. The Broncos need to limit Ben Roethlisberger’s pocket movement and send in a mix of blitzes to try and take advantage of his injured ankle. Pittsburgh must take advantage of the weak passing skills of Tebow and force him to commit turnovers. Advantage here goes to the Steelers.

Detroit Lions (10-6) at New Orleans Saints (13-3): Two of the top offenses will almost assure an exciting shootout in New Orleans. With two quarterbacks that exceeded 5,000 yards on the season this could be the highest scoring game throughout the playoffs. The Saints have a nice running defense but the Lions compete strictly with their passing game, the Saints are 30^th in the league for passing yards allowed. The Lions are also bad on defense ranking 22^nd in passing yards allowed and 23^rd in rushing yards allowed. The big difference in these teams is their running game. The Lions rank 29^th in rushing yards while the Saints rank 6^th. The Saints will be looking to add on to their recent postseason success while the Lions will be looking for their first playoff win since 1991 and to prove they are contenders after becoming the first team to ever go 0-16 only three years ago. The two teams already faced this season when the Saints beat the Lions 31-17 in New Orleans. This was the first of two games missed by pro bowl defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh due to being suspended for stomping on Green Bay’s Evan Dietrich-Smith. With Suh in this game could be completely different. Suh has little stats to show this season yet his teammates numbers are starting to improve due to Suh being double to triple teamed on most plays. The main worry for the Saints should be controlling wide receiver Calvin Johnson who had an amazing 1,681 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns this season. Detroit will need more help to win this game, with playing such a balanced offense the main thing they can do to shut it down is hope their linebackers can make the open field tackles and fill the gaps on running plays. With an 8-0 record at home this season the Saints are no doubt the favorites here.

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at New York Giants (9-7): With two of the better passing games in the NFC and weak passing defenses this game has potential to put up some big numbers. While both teams can produce in the passing game the Giants are ranked dead last in rushing yards, while the Falcons rank 17^th. With such a bad rushing game for New York there will definitely be a struggle against a solid running defense in Atlanta that ranked 6^th for rushing yards allowed. No doubt to me this game has the best wide receivers. With two superstars each the Giants will hope for big numbers from Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks while the Falcons put their hope in Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones. Each set of receivers combined for a total of over 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. With only a 4-4 record at home the Giants home field advantage seems to mean less than it would for most teams. The weakness for the Giants is the lack of a solid rusher, while the Falcons showed little effort to make the big plays. In five games against playoff teams the Falcons scored fewer than 23 points each game and had a 1-4 record against them teams. Atlanta will need to get off the track of medium gain plays every attempt and throw in some big time play attempts to throw the defense off. The Giants will need their secondary to tackle well and not let receivers Roddy White or Julio Jones get any amount of space between them and their defenders. Atlanta will need defensive end John Abraham, who has 104.5 career sacks, to put pressure on quarterback Eli Manning and prevent the Giants weak running game from making big plays. Atlanta gets the edge in this game.