We are less than a week out from Super Bowl XLVI, but we’ve technically already seen this game before, so what’s the fun in talking about it?
Instead, let’s talk about the best Super Bowls that never happened. [Read more...]
Tim Tebow, Broncos Shock The World By Beating Steelers
January 8, 2012 By 1 Comment
On all of the playoff preview shows, it was a unanimous decision in favor of the Steelers to defeat Denver. The Broncos were given no chance to win, and the Steelers were presumed to be favorites to compete for the Super Bowl.
Tim Tebow, John Fox, Demaryius Thomas, and the Broncos had other ideas.
Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos Must Be Bold On 4th Down To Beat Pittsburgh Steelers
January 8, 2012 By 1 Comment
The big news out of Denver is that Brady Quinn took half the snaps with the first team during practice.
If the purpose of these snaps were to keep Quinn sharp in case of an injury to Tebow, than having him take snaps is understandable. If these snaps represent doubting Tebow, than the Broncos are wavering at the worst time.
NFL: AFC Playoff Scenarios and Predictions for Week 17
December 26, 2011 By 9 Comments
I just broke down the playoff scenarios for the NFC (including my predictions for what the first round matchups will look like).
Now let’s break down the playoff scenarios for the AFC based on what happens in Week 17. There is still a lot to be decided.
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Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers: Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction
December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In one of the most promising, if not the best, Monday Night Football match-ups of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) head west to take on the San Francisco 49ers (10-3).
Unlike last week’s less-than-stellar showing from the Rams and Seahawks, this game features two teams each near the top of their conference, both fighting for playoff seeding and the hope of a first-round bye.
The game will kick off a crazy holiday week for the NFL, with games on five of the next eight days. This one has the potential to be a slugfest and will definitely be worth watching Monday night.
Mike McQueary’s Testimony On The Sandusky Shower Incident, The Sam Hurd Drug Saga, and Other Football Nuggets
December 16, 2011 By 1 Comment
It’s been a busy 24 hours in the football world.
Mike McQueary provided some disturbing but important (and damning) testimony about Jerry Sandusky; the Sam Hurd drug saga continued to unfold; and Adrian Peterson explained one of his motivations for returning to the field.
Baron Batch and Operation Random Christmas Blessing
December 15, 2011 By 2 Comments
Following sports is so much fun, but occasionally, negative situations sour us to the athletes involved and even athletes in general.
In fact, it seems like there are so many athletes that are doing things “the wrong way,” that when an athlete like Tim Tebow comes along who is doing things “the right way,” he gets beaten into our heads so much that we end up turning on him as well.
Personally, I think that there are just many good guys in the sports world as there are bad guys; it’s just that they don’t make as compelling of a story.
Everyone loves to read about the guy that choked his coach, or broke a television, or stomped on a dude’s arm…so an athlete reading to a bunch of kindergartners isn’t that big of a story.
However, there is one athlete – maybe an athlete that folks outside the Midwest have never even heard of – who is doing things the right way.
Meet Baron Batch.
Video: Another Mike Polk Rant, This Time On Browns-Steelers
December 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
As usual, Mike Polk is hilarious in the video below.
You may remember his recent “Factory of Sadness” video that went viral throughout the sports blogosphere. Well he’s at at it again, this time ranting on Pittsburgh Steelers fans and the Browns-Steelers “rivalry” before Thursday night’s game.
Pay special attention to his excoriation of the “terrible towels” and his explanation for why no one, ever, can accuse a Browns fan of being fair-weather.
My Sympathy for Colt McCoy
December 10, 2011 By 3 Comments
After watching the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Cleveland Browns 14-3 on Thursday night, I noticed a familiar sight.
It was the battered Browns’ quarterback Colt McCoy, slumping his shoulders with a disappointed and depressed look on his face after yet another though loss.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs: Preview and Prediction
November 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Chiefs and Steelers are two teams going in different directions and they play on Sunday Night Football. This game is so lightly anticipated that the most notable storyline has to do with a player who will not even be involved in the game: Kyle Orton.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers Preview and Prediction
November 5, 2011 By 6 Comments
The AFC North is usually one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, at least at the tops, and its best two teams will square off Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
The 5-2 Baltimore Ravens will head to Pittsburgh to face the 6-2 Steelers in Heinz Field, where the Steelers are 4-0 this season. The Ravens embarrassed the Steelers in Week 1, winning 35-7. The Steelers had seven turnovers in that game, and the Ravens coasted to victory.
Sunday night’s game should be much more competitive this time around.
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Fantasy Football Week 9 Start Em, Sit Em Advice & Projections
November 2, 2011 By 150 Comments
Before we get to the Week 9 fantasy football start/sit advice, I want to add a couple more thoughts on my Tebow article from yesterday. (And don’t worry; I’ll analyze his fantasy prospects for Week 9 too.)
NFL Power Rankings Week 9: The Midseason Motown Edition – One Classic “Hitsville, U.S.A.” Track For All 32 Teams
November 1, 2011 By 2 Comments
Week 8 is now in the books after Philip Rivers fumbled away a road win in Kansas City, which means we are right around the midway point of the 2011 season. Most teams have played 8 games, a few have played 7, and we can finally start to state with some level of certainty who is good, who is not, and who is too enigmatic to declare.
Without question, the story of the first half of the season (other than this) has been the ascent of the Detroit Lions.
They went 0-16 three years ago, then 2-14 in Jim Schwartz’s first year, then 6-10 last year; and now halfway through their 2011 slate Detroit, sitting at 6-2, is a bona fide contender in the NFC. And the Lions aren’t just an empty record either. They have the skill, attitude, reputation, and right now the health (knock on wood) to suggest that they aren’t going away.
So in honor of the Motor City Mufasas, and their roaring wreakers of wreckage Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson, I give to you my Midseason NFL Power Rankings, with each team presented alongside a Motown classic that sums up the first half of its season.
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Fantasy Football Week 8 Start Em, Sit Em Lineup Advice, Projections, and Roster Q&A
October 25, 2011 By 89 Comments
I’mmm baaaaaaccccckkkkk!
Did you miss me?
Jon has himself a busy schedule this week, so he texted me this morning and asked if I’d be up for reprising my role as the author of our weekly Start/Sit column here at MSF. I have to admit, as soon as I saw his text I was pretty pumped.
Doing these posts every week, week after week, can admittedly be a bit of a grind, as I learned over the last couple of years; so I was happy to let Jon take it over this year and focus my efforts in other areas. But I’ve missed the weekly challenge of poring over matchups and stats and trends to figure out which players to recommend to you as starts and sits.
So it’s good to be back in the saddle.
Anyway, It’s not like I’ve been totally absent. I still offer commentary on Jon’s posts, answer questions in the comment sections, and monitor the @FantasyMSF Twitter account. So I haven’t really given you a chance to miss me even if you wanted to. Now though, for the first time all year, I have to go on record with start and sit picks.
I’m ready. Let’s roll.
NFL Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos Preview and Prediction
Get the Tim Tebow counter ready, because his name will be mentioned a countless number of times before tomorrow’s game against the Steelers. He has led the Broncos to an AFC West championship, and a home playoff game.
The only problem is that they are taking on the 12-4 Pittsburgh Steelers, who do not care for the buzz around Tebow.
[Read more...]