Superbowl XLIII Preview-Josh Jakers

So, Super Bowl Sunday is only two days away and the more I think about it, the more this Super Bowl reminds me of last years. The Cardinals remind me of the Giants, and the Steelers as the Patriots. We all know how that Super Bowl turned out and every football fan hopes that this years Super Bowl is going to be just as exciting, just as crazy, and just as good of a game as last years. Super Bowl XLIII matches up two unbelievable stories. Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals meet up with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa. As halftime performer Bruce Springsteen once said, “Baby we were born to run.” This game will feature some of the fastest and most exciting football players in the league. Larry Fitzgerald has set the record for most receiving yards in a postseason and already passed Jerry Rice. He will now try to win a Super Bowl and add to an already amazing postseason. With Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward’s health in question this week many people doubt what the Steelers are going to be able to do against a surprisingly stingy Cardinals defense. After Ben Roethlisberger’s last Super Bowl performance, he feels as though he has something to prove to the world and I feel that he will play exceptional in this game. My feeling is that the Steelers will win this game by the score of 21-17.

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Superbowl XLIII Preview-Daniel Weberman

Superbowl XLIII showcases the Arizona Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Generally speaking this matchup is more of an event for everyone then a game. My overall feeling has always been that true fans watch the AFC and NFC Championship games as well as the Superbowl and partygoers just watch the Superbowl. Real football fans (I would count myself as one of them) want to see how each team got the opportunity to play in such a huge game, not just once they got there. Now that I talked about my opinion of the game lets discuss the facts and what each team has to do to win. The lower seeded Cardinals come into this game as a seven-point underdog betting wise and in most fans minds as well. As a team they are going to have to play a near flawless game if they have any chance of winning and I think they have the ability to do so. In football, especially in the National Football League experience means a lot but team chemistry and talent is worth even more. Any day I would take Kurt Warner over Ben Roethlisberger because of his football instinct. Kurt is just one of those guys that just knows how to play the game and in sports terms that is called “raw talent” and he posses it to the fullest. Don’t get me wrong, excellent wide receivers such as Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin help but I bet even if Eli Manning had those two receivers he would not be nearly as good. You can still play in the NFL with talent and hard work but instinct is what puts great players into Canton and gets them Lombardi Trophies. With that said the key to the Cardinals winning this game is going to be to break down the Steelers defense through the use of a good mix of running and passing at the correct times. The other side to this game is the Steelers who definitely have the experience advantage, rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led them to a Superbowl in 2005 and they still have many of the same players. Pittsburgh has arguably fastest and most aggressive defense in the entire league led by Troy Polamalu but I have a feeling that all of their blitzing will backfire in this game and Kurt Warner will have a field day throwing deep passes. The way the Steelers will win this game if their defense can pressure Kurt Warner, create turnovers and stop the run. That is a lot of ask of a defense in one game but heck it’s the Superbowl and if you want the ring and trophy you have to play the best game of your life. My prediction for this game is that there will be a huge upset and the Cardinals will win this game 31-28. It will be high scoring and the high-powered Arizona offense will be too much for the Steelers defense to handle. Even though most people disagree with me on this pick including fellow writer Josh Jakers we will wait and see how this game we wait all year to watch will play out.

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Pro’s and Con’s of the NHL All Star Weekend

The idea of the NHL All Star Game in theory is a great one. The game features the best players around the entire league going against each other; top goalies battling the best shooters and defensemen versus quick skaters. There are some things the NHL is doing right with the weekend event and other things they can improve on. First I will list and explain the positives, then the negatives and then my suggestions all around.

Pros
The start time of the game- The actual game on Sunday started at 6PM Eastern Time which is perfect for all of the young hockey fans. This is great in comparison to the MLB or NBA all star games that start much later. This is probably the most important aspect of the weekend because if you get children involved in the sport most likely they will enjoy it as adults and that creates long term revenue.

The atmosphere- There is nothing better than playing an all star game where hockey itself originated, in Canada. The NHL should keep the game there every single year. Hockey is number one in Canada and they should reward their top fans on a yearly basis. The game should be rotated throughout all of Canada’s teams to keep it fair.

Cons
Lack of intensity- I understand that none of the players want to get hurt in the middle of the season but if the playing are not giving it their all what is the point of even playing? At first the players doing tricks and scoring goals is exciting but as you continue to watch the game you are wondering why you are wasting your time watching it.

Similar jerseys- The isn’t exactly important to the game itself but from a marketing stand point and just for the players not getting confused why do the jerseys have to be so similar? It would be so much more convenient and simple if the jerseys were completed opposites, such as one all black and one all red.

Get rid of skills night- This may be the least logical night of the whole weekend. Think about it, why should I waste my time watching players skate around the rink and have a pointless penalty shootout where a win is not on the line. I would much rather watch players skate as fast they can trying to be victorious in game then on an empty rink. Also I want to see Alexander Ovechkin score a shootout goal against the Rangers not against a minor league goalie.

In other sports an all star game can be played with less intensity and still be enjoyable but in a game such as hockey it is very difficult because it is such an intense sport. If you are not going to have checking and the offense players are not going to shoot as hard as they can why bother playing this game? The NHL teams would never let their star players or any player for that matter go all out in a game that doesn’t count; hockey is all about the players emotion and giving it everything they have every time they step on the ice so if they are going to be restricted on playing the game the way it is supposed to be played the game has no purpose whatsoever.

I will be sending this blog post to NHL commissioner Bettman to see what his opinion on this matter is. Don't forget to post comments and I will discuss your views as soon as possible.

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Capitals Vs. Islanders 1/19

Today the New York Islanders faced the Washington Capitals at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. It was an excellent game that featured NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin and many others. The game was a low scoring defensive battle with many unlucky shots that on a different night could have been goals. For instance, many Islanders shots went off the post and Alex Ovechkin had an opportunity to score his second goal of the game on a practically empty net, but he missed. In my opinion, the game was surprising, I thought for sure that the much better Capitals would dominate this match up and win by a large margin but that wasn’t the case. The final score of the game was 2-1 in favor of the visiting Washington Capitals after a beautiful goal by none of than Alex The Great in overtime. It was a pretty good game for the Islanders since they had virtually no chance to win the game; they at least got one point out of it. The game was definitely something to build on because they were taking many shots and barely missing, if they could keep this up maybe they could win a few games here and there. Alex Ovechkin had two powerful goals in the game for the Capitals and Kyle Okposo scored the lone goal for the Islanders. I was in attendance for today’s game and I can definitely tell you it was noisy, but for the wrong reason, the Coliseum was mostly filled with Capitals fans. Out of all the Islanders games I have went to this season I have never seen so many away fans come out to support their team. After speaking to many fans around me, they said, “they are only Capitals fans because of Alex Ovechkin not because they specifically like the team.” Overall the game was great, it was low scoring and I got to see arguably the best player in the NHL dominate a lesser opponent.

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Ravens Vs. Steelers AFC Championship

This years AFC Championship Game may possibly be the best game of the playoffs. It features the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The stage for this game is perfect. Both teams are known for their excellent defense and it snowed earlier today in Pittsburgh so good defense will be key. If the Ravens have at chance at winning the game Joe Flacco is going to have to play the best game of his short NFL career. He will have to make excellent throws and have virtually no turnovers because the Steelers defense has been so dominant throughout the entire season. For the Steelers to win the game they just have to manage the clock and not do anything crazy. If they play good defense and covert key third downs they should be in good shape and dominate this game.

Predictions- Daniel Weberman-Pittsburgh Steelers
Josh Jakers- Pittsburgh Steelers

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Eagles Vs. Cardinals NFC Championship

Eagles vs. Cardinals-With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the two best teams in the NFC will battle to represent the the conference in the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles will travel across the country to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The Arizona Cardinals are the lowest seed (4) to host a NFC championship in the history of the NFL. They will try to take advantage of this by advancing to the Super Bowl. The Eagles finished the regular season at 8-8 and with one more win they will be in the Super Bowl. This week, the key to the game will be whether the Eagles cornerbacks can stop Cardinals wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. If the Eagles corners can stop the Cardinals receivers then they will have a good chance of winning this game.

Predictions- Josh Jakers- Eagles

Daniel Weberman- Cardinals

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Divisional Round Weekend Wrap-Up

The NFL divisional round was very surprising. In only one of the four matchups this past weekend the higher seed won the game. I will first start by reviewing the games. On Saturday the Baltimore Ravens beat the higher seeded Tennessee Titans by the score of 13-10. Later that day the Arizona Cardinals defeated the heavily favored Carolina Panthers 33-13. On Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles beat the defending Superbowl champion New York Giants 23-11. The final game of the divisional round was between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers, where the favored Steelers won 35-24. Most people including myself felt as though the Ravens could beat the Titans because of their great defense and they did. The game was a great defensive battle and it ended with a Matt Stover game winning field goal with 53 seconds left on the clock. Joe Flacco played a great game but the numbers weren’t there. Anytime in the playoffs when your quarterback has no turnovers you are most likely going to win the game.

The Cardinals versus the Panthers was very interesting. Going into the game I thought for sure that the Panthers would dominate this game and win by a large margin because of the Cardinals poor defense. In this game it was exactly the opposite, the Cardinals played good defense causing five interceptions thrown by Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme and one forced fumble. I don’t want to take anything away from the excellent game the Cardinals played, but on the majority of the interceptions Delhomme just made poor decisions and even a non football player such as myself could have caught a few of the balls he threw. The supposedly excellent running back tandem of Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were non-factors in this game only rushing for a total of 75 yards. In a playoff game if your passing game isn’t working you must rely on your running backs and they could not handle the load.

The next game was the Eagles versus the Giants, this game was the one match up all season that I felt posed a threat to the Giants. I picked the Giants I guess because I was hoping that they would win but I had a bad feeling about it all week. Eli Manning and the Giants offense had their worst game of the season. They were stopped on almost every fourth down they went for and anything they tried did not work. I give all the credit to the Philadelphia Eagles defense, which is most deserving, they blitz hard and often as they saw that Manning was getting rattled and could not handle the pressure. I am not sure what type of game plan the Giants coaches prepared because it was awful. Think about it, this was the third time that these teams played each other this season, after all that time I think Tom Coughlin and his coaches could have found some weaknesses in either the Eagles offense or defense. On the other hand, the Eagles definitely did and it payed off in a huge way. When you put in hard work good things happen and in this case if the Eagles win their next game they will be going to Tampa for the Superbowl.

The final game of the weekend was the Steelers versus the Chargers, which was the only game where the overall better team throughout the season won. The Steelers were just as advertised, playing great defense and having a power running game led by Willie Parker. The score of this game was much closer than it actually was. During the third quarter the Chargers only had one play for seventeen seconds. If that isn’t dominance I don’t know what is. Ben Roethlisberger had a quality game with one touchdown and no interceptions. This has been a theme throughout this years playoffs and it always is, the quarterback who makes the fewest mistakes has their team win the game. All in all this weeks NFL divisional round playoffs were great, even though I was upset about the Giants getting eliminated, upsets always keep the playoffs interesting and when that happens it is in the best interest of the fans and the National Football League.

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Giants Vs. Eagles Divisional Round

Eagles vs. Giants- In the most intriguing matchup of the divisional round, the New York Giants will host their division rival Philadelphia Eagles. The defending champion New York Giants lead by Eli Manning, and Brandon Jacobs will try to start their repeat run in the Meadowlands. In order for the Giants to win this game, Kevin Boss and Dominik Hixon will have to pick up their respective roles with the loss of Plaxico Burress. The Eagles on the other hand lead by Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook; beat the Vikings in the first round and hope to keep their streak going this week in New York. The key for the Eagles to win this game is; they are going to have to stop the Giants run game and put the Giants into 3rd and long situations. Jim Johnson the Eagles defensive coordinator, loves to blitz on passing downs and the Giants cannot put themselves in that position. During week 10, the Giants beat the Eagles 36-31. The Giants rushed for 219 and held the ball for 40 minutes. During week 14, the Eagles got their revenge as Brian Westbrook had 203 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. This week will be the deciding game as the loser gets to watch the rest of the playoffs from their house.

Predictions- Josh Jakers- Eagles

Daniel Weberman- Giants

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Chargers Vs. Steelers Divisional Round

Chargers vs. Steelers- In the last matchup of the divisional round the San Diego Chargers travel to Heinz field to play the Steelers. The San Diego Chargers are not only the hottest team in football but they also have the hottest quarterback, Philip Rivers. In the first round of the playoffs the Chargers beat the Colts in overtime. Darren Sproles had 323 all-purpose yards filling in for Ladainian Tomlinson. We all know what Philip Rivers is capable of doing but this game is going to come down to whether or not the Steelers can contain Darren Sproles. On the other side, the Steelers led by Ben Roethlisberger, will need to limit turnovers and the offensive line with have to protect Big Ben. When these teams last met on week 11, the swirling snow limited both offenses and defenses. The game was a defensive controlled the game. Willie Parker rushed for 115 yards and Jeff Reed hit 3 field goals as the Steelers won 11-10. In today's game the weather will be an issue again as the temperature is predicted to be around 0 degrees.


Prediction- Josh Jakers- Chargers

Daniel Weberman- Steelers

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Ravens Vs. Titans Divisional Round

Ravens Vs. Titans- In the first game of the divisional round, the Tennessee Titans will host the Baltimore Ravens. After taking care of business in Miami during the Wild card round the Baltimore Ravens will face the top seed in the AFC and arguable the best defense in football. Joe Flacco proved that he could handle the pressure of a big game in Miami, but this week he will have to through for more than 132 yards if the Ravens have any chance of winning this game. This game is going to come down to whether or not the Ravens defense can stop the duel running attack of Chris Johnson and LenDale White. This season Chris Johnson had 1228 yards and 9 touchdowns with the Titans. LenDale White had 773 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. When these teams met in week 5, it was a defense-controlled game until the end. The difference in the game proved to be penalties as the Ravens were penalized 11 times for 91 yards. Kerry Collins had a late touchdown pass to push the Titans past the Ravens 13-10.

Prediction- Josh Jakers- Tennessee Titans

Daniel Weberman- Baltimore Ravens

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Cardinals Vs. Panthers Divisional Round

Cardinals Vs. Panthers- In the first NFC divisional matchup the Arizona Cardinals travel to Carolina to play the Panthers. Coming into the playoffs, the Cardinals were the coldest team. They were 9-7 and many people including myself doubted that they could do anything in the playoffs. We were wrong. The Cardinals beat down the Atlanta Falcons at home to advance to the divisional round. After being only the 3rd quarterback to have Tommy John surgery, Jake Delhomme has gotten the Panthers into the divisional round of the playoffs. Dellhome has 3288 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. The Panthers running game is also a reason that the Panthers are in the Divisional round, The running core of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart hope to control the tempo of the game and spark the Panthers offense. The key to this game is going to be if the Carolina Panthers can put pressure on Kurt Warner and force turnovers. If they do so they will win this game. If Warner has time to throw he will beat the defense all day and the Cardinals will win.

Prediction-Josh Jakers- Arizona Cardinals

Daniel Weberman- Carolina Panthers

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

Knicks Recently Inconsistent

If I could describe the New York Knicks season in one word it would be, “unbelievable”. In case you haven’t been following their season so far I will give you a quick recap. At the start of last year’s off-season the Knicks felt as though they needed a coaching change to inspire their team to play to its full potential. James Dolan responded by hiring an excellent coach in Mike D’Antoni on May 10, 2008. The next interesting story of the season has been how the Knicks finally got rid of Stephon Marbury, they have been attempting this for the past two years and were able to get him to stay away from the team as per he was causing to much of a distraction. The most recent Knicks event took place on Sunday and Tuesday. On Sunday the Knicks hosted the Boston Celtics and shockingly defeated them by the score of 100-88. The entire team played great as they beat a team who at the time had the best record in the NBA. Wilson Chandler lead the team in scoring with 31 points, followed by Al Harrington with 30. Paul Pierce did score 31 points for the Celtics but it was not enough as Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett had off nights. So at this point all Knicks fans were very excited thinking, wow this team might actually be coming together after all. Now lets fast forward two nights later to the game against the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks team who was supposedly back to its glory days after its big win two nights before got defeated by the score of 107-99. As a Knicks fan myself I was thinking they are just as bad as they have been all season and the Celtics just didn’t bring their A game the game before. It is unbelievable how a below average team such as the New York Knicks could one game beat the mighty Boston Celtics, then the next game lose to the worst team in league, the Thunder. Obviously the Knicks players were a little bit too excited after their big win that they forgot that it is not even the all star break and they were still six game under .500. In my opinion this up and down trend over the past week has to be blamed completely on the coaching staff lead by Mike D’Antoni. At practice the next day after the victory over the Celtics you have to tell your team that it is no different than beating any other team and that a win is a win no matter who you play. I guess he did not do that because they were outplayed on offense and defense, they gave the Thunder fifth win in 36 games. It is unbelievable how a Knicks team with so many resources including money and publicity could be this bad. It is terrible for the NBA as a whole because as a league they need their big market teams to win games and go deep in the playoffs. I understand that this was only a two game stretch but it has been a trend throughout the season. If the Dolan’s cannot make the Knicks into a winning team, the NBA must take action and try to figure out a way to find owners who take an interest in their team.

Daniel Weberman

NYchalktalk.com

Philadelphia Set-Up Man Suspended

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, J.C. Romero has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in September. Although Romero tested positive in September, he took the case to arbitration, which allowed him to play in the 2008 playoffs.
The Phillies will miss Romero's lefty arm out of the bullpen. In 2008, he was a key part of the Phillies World Series run and was the set up man for Brad Lidge in the 8th inning.There is no word yet on whether the Phillies will pick up another lefty arm in free agency or look to the farm system to help fill the void until he returns.

Josh Jakers

NYchalktalk.com

BCS National Championship Preview

The 2009 BCS National Championship Game showcases the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners against the #2 ranked Florida Gators. The game will be shown at Thursday January 8 at 8:15 ET on your local FOX station. As a college football fan myself I would not call this game an ideal match up to determine the National Championship, any two teams in the top six of the BCS ranking could have easily been playing in this game. I am almost certain that we as a college football fan society will never understand the BCS computer system. It does not make sense how it can rank teams when obliviously a computer cannot watch and analyze a football team. With that said, the game features two excellent teams with 12-1 records. The Sooners are known for their unbelievable offense as they have scored over sixty points in each of their last five games. Throughout their entire season their offense has been unstoppable but their defense worries me because they have let up large amounts of points to teams that they shouldn’t have. Sophomore Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford, star running back Chris Brown and standout wide receiver Juaquin Iglesisas lead the Oklahoma offense. The Gators come into this game trying to be the first team in BCS history to win the National Championship twice in the past three years under Junior Quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow feels as though he has something to prove after not winning the Heisman trophy. His counterpart in Thursday’s match up Sam Bradford took home the prize instead. In sports the way you quiet your doubters is to play as hard as you can and get a big win in a key game. This is the perfect opportunity to do just that, if the Gators win the National Championship again anyone who tries to criticize Florida or Tebow has no reason whatsoever. Other standouts on the Gators offense are wide receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy. The key running back is Chris Rainey. Now lets take a look at the defensive keys to the game for each team. For Oklahoma to win this game they must stop the run, first and foremost. If Tim Tebow cannot run the ball effectively on draws or options and Chris Rainey does not get going to help out, the Gators are in for a long night. The Sooners offense line must step up and get into running lanes. If this happens you can expect a big win for the Oklahoma Sooners. The defensive key for the Florida Gators is to stop the high-powered Sooners passing attack. Quarterback Sam Bradford always makes good decisions as he has only thrown six interceptions all season. The Gators must blitz him often and make sure that he is not comfortable in the pocket to throw his favorite wide receiver targets. After going over all of the different angles of the game I am fairly confident in my decision that the Florida Gators will be victorious in the game and win their second BCS National Championship in the past three years. Fellow co-owner and writer for the website Josh Jakers also feels the same way. To sum up this entire article, the writers at NYchalktalk.com feel that the Florida Gators will win this huge game.


Daniel Weberman
NYchalktalk.com

Wild Card Weekend Review

After the first week of the NFL Playoffs, we have learned many things about various players and teams.

1. The playoffs are unpredictable- anything that happened in the regular season is thrown away when it comes to playoff time. We have all seen from the MVP of the league Peyton Manning and the Colts getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the 8-8 San Diego Chargers after winning nine games in a row. The two #6 seeds (Baltimore and Philadelphia) both crushed their respective opponents; anything can happen come playoff time.

2. Chargers with talent at running back- with Ladanian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, and now Darren Sproles the San Diego Chargers have proved that they know how to draft at this position. First, LT, the name says it all. One of the best backs in all of football. Second, Michael Turner, after backing up LT for over two years, Turner has excelled in Atlanta finishing second in MVP voting behind Peyton Manning. Third, Darren Sproles, after backing up LT for the whole season, Sproles got his chance in his first playoff game and busted out racking up over 320 all purpose yards with two touchdowns. In overtime Sproles broke off a 22-yard touchdown run to put the Chargers into the next round of the playoffs.

3. Joe Flacco is the real deal- Drafted out of the University of Delaware; Joe Flacco has lead his Baltimore Ravens into the divisional round of the playoffs. He tossed up 135 yards passing and ran for 8 yards and one touchdown, but more importantly Flacco didn't turn the ball over and for a rookie quarterback he shows excellent poise in pressure situations.

4. Cinderella's must wait until next year- Both the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons had their feel good stories come to an end this weekend as both teams lost in the first round of the playoffs. Although both teams were eliminated they both showed great signs for things to come in the near future and we will be seeing these teams back in the playoffs next year.

5. Lastly and most importantly, the best teams won- all of the teams that were victorious this past weekend all deserved to win their games. They all played better than their opponent and advanced to the next round. It's good to see that there were no boneheaded calls by officials and unnecessary penalties. For once the officials let the players play and the game was better for it. The teams that won this week used both the pass and the run effectively on offense and on defense put PRESSURE ON THE QUARTERBACK. The old antic, "defense wins championships" is looking more and more true this year as all of the best defenses are still in the playoffs!!!

Josh Jakers
NYchalktalk.com

Eagles Vs. Vikings Wild Card Weekend

Eagles Vs. Vikings- Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Minnesota to face Adrian Peterson and the Vikings in this NFC matchup. The Eagles beat up on the Dallas Cowboys in week 17, 44-6 to lock up the last NFC wild card. The Vikings on the other hand, beat the defending champion New York Giants 20-19 with a field goal with no time remaining on the clock to clinch the NFC north. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for 3916 yards with 23 touchdowns this season. Running back Brian Westbrook rushed for 936 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. For the Vikings, running back Adrian Peterson ran for 1760 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, while wide receiver Bernard Berrian had 48 receptions for 964 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Prediction- With Adrian Peterson healthy, the Eagles are going to have trouble with the Vikings running game. The Vikings will control the clock and win this game
30-20.

Josh Jakers
NYchalktalk.com

Falcons Vs. Cardinals Wild Card Weekend

Atlanta vs. Arizona- The Atlanta Falcons will travel to the NFC west winning Arizona Cardinals for this wild card weekend matchup. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan has lead the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs with a record of 11-5 in his first season in the NFL with 16 touchdowns and 3440 yards. On the ground, Michael Turner has excelled in his first year as a starter with 1699 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Falcons. He finished second in MVP voting behind Peyton Manning. With quarterback Kurt Warner having one of his best seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have won the NFC west with a record of 9-7. Warner has thrown for 4583 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald have combined for 276 catches for 2500 yards and 23 touchdowns. They have developed into Kurt Warner’s key weapons. Although the Cardinals are 9-7 they have stumbled as of late as they have lost their last two out of three games. The Falcons on the other hand have won their last five out of six games to put them in the playoffs.

Prediction- Quarterback Matt Ryan has shown a lot of poise for a rookie and has not been raddled by the pressure of being a highly watched player. The Cardinals have been shaky in their last couple of games and Kurt Warner has not thrown for 300 yards since week 12 and he will not have 300 yard again this week. The Atlanta Falcons will win this shootout 36-27.

Josh Jakers
NYchalktalk.com

Bridgestone NHL Winter Class 2009

The Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic of 2009 was definitely something to watch. In past years I was not much of a hockey follower but for some reason this year I decided to give it a try. Like most hockey fans I watched a few of the exciting opening night games and I thought to myself, wow this sport that only Canadians watch isn’t so bad. So after being impressed by opening night I decided to try live hockey. I purchased tickets for a few games to see my local New York Islanders play. I got to see the NHL star himself, Sidney Crosby in person and many other high quality players. The game as a whole is very exciting and is action packed throughout. It includes hard hits and beautifully scored goals by some of the best hockey players on the planet. Now that you have a little background about my hockey experience this is my review on the winter classic. The Winter Classic featured the visiting Detroit Redwings who came into the game with a record of 26-7-5, against the home Chicago Blackhawks who were 20-7-7. These two have been rivals of each other for a very long time as they are both part of the original six NHL teams. The goal of this game was to attract attention to the NHL that has lost a lot of interest since the lockout of the 2004-2005 season. The stage for this game couldn’t have been set any better it was at the legendary Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game was played in a completely outdoors baseball stadium that is the home of the Chicago Cubs. The game featured hard hitting and finesse goals. The Blackhawks went into the first intermission leading in the game with the score at 3-1 in their favor. Then the second period was dominated by the Red Wings when they scored three consecutive goals to make the score 4-3 going into the second intermission. In the final period the Blackhawks were scored on twice and then they scored one final goal. The final score of the Winter Classic was 6-4 in favor of the Detroit Redwings. For both teams and the NHL this was more than just a game it was an advertisement to the United States to show the people what the NHL has to offer. The thing that impressed and fascinated me the most was that when a player delivers a big hit to his opponent he does not help him up or say “sorry” as they do in the NFL, which to my knowledge has a much tougher image. This small part of the game that the average fan would not recognize really amazed me. It proved to me that NHL players are competitors and they want to win at all costs. They may like their opponents off the ice, but when they step on it they are all business. This is much different compared to the NFL where it seems as though when the players go onto the field that are playing a fun football game and having a party. That is not the way professional sports is supposed to be. It is called professional sports for a reason and the NHL understands that. Overall the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic of 2009 was a huge success it turned myself as an occasional NHL follower, to a fan. It has many aspects of games that the other three major American sports are lacking. In my mind because of this game the NHL is on the right track to becoming popular in America as in once was many years ago.

Daniel Weberman
NYchalktalk.com