Why the New York Jets are Overrated

Ah, the New York Jets...you gotta love 'em right? They have a fat,lovable boisterous coach who just took his team to the AFC Championship game overcoming all expectations. They also have a team loaded with free-agent stars, including running back LaDainian Tomlinson, defensive end Jason Taylor, wide receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

This all makes everyone forget the Jets miraculously snuck into the playoffs with a 9-7 record and won two games in a row on the road in the playoffs. As a result, people do stupid things like ranking them as the second best team in the entire NFL, ahead of the defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints and behind the AFC champions Indianapolis Colts.

I have one example for all those people: the 2004-05 Miami Dolphins. They had just gotten quarterback Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings and Sports Illustrated predicted they would face the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. The end result was a much sadder and dissappointing one. Miami stumbled to a 3-7 start that season and finished 9-7 thanks to backup Gus Frerotte. The Super Bowl ended up being played between the Patriots and the Panthers.

The way I see it, Cromartie is the only free agent that will pay off for the Jets. Tomlinson and Taylor are getting older and less productive every year, and Holmes has emotional baggage with a four-game suspension to start this season.

I predict that opposing teams will stack the box against them and dare sophomore quarterback Mark Sanchez to throw the ball, which will result in a very humbling 8-8 season.
The New York Jets are victims of the offseason hype, and they will be taking plenty of "Hard Knocks" this year, and not just on the HBO documentary they wll be starring in during the summer. They are simply overrated.

Wild, Wild West

In my last NBA post, I said that upsets are very rare in the NBA Playoffs. The Eastern Conference has proved me right so far, with the top four seeds being ahead halfway through their first round series.
However, the Western Conference is upside down right now. The four lower seeds either have a decisive advantage or are ted four games into their series.
Right now, the San Antonio Spurs look like the best team in the NBA, the L.A Lakers are the most disappointing, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are, by far, the most surprising.
How did I come to those conclusions? Let's just take a look at how each series is shaping up and you will see why.

Western Conference: Where Everything is Upside Down .

(1)L.A Lakers 2-(8) Oklahoma City Thunder 2: Edge...OKC/LAL 50%.
Kevin Durant has made the leap from NBA boy to man. In just his third year in the league, Durant has lifted the Thunder from an 0-2 hole against the mighty Lakers with help from point guard Russell Westbrook, who is also having a breakout series. Do I think the Thunder can shock everyone and eliminate the defending champs? I don't think so...but taking the series to seven games would really be something too.

(2) Dallas Mavericks 1-(7) San Antonio Spurs 3: Edge...San Antonio 70%.
Ah...poor Dirk Nowitzki. No matter how hard he tries,it looks like he will never win a championship. The straw that broke the camel's back came on Sunday night, when the Mavs looked primed to even up the series with a 15-point lead earl in the third quarter and shutting down the Spurs' big three (Ginobili, Duncan, Parker). However, the Spurs made an electric run and won the third quarter 29-11 behind backup point guard George Hill's 29 points in the game and backup power forward DeJuan Blair's relentless hustle. That's right Dirk, a guy named DeJuan just beat you..think about that.

(3) Phoenix Suns 2-(6)Portland Trail Blazers 2: Edge...Portland 55%
Both teams split their games at home, and Blazers point guard Brandon Roy came back from an injury that was supposed to keep him out of the playoffs in Game 4 to tie up the series and put some life back on a team that had beer blown out in Game 3. I find absolutely no explanation for Portland hanging around, but Phoenix is going to pay a very high price if they don't put them away soon.

(4) Denver Nuggets 1-(5)Utah Jazz 3: Edge...Utah 85%.
Denver is stumbling, all Utah has to do is deliver its final punch at home to advance to the second round. As far as the Nuggets go, I am not going to judge a team that has its coach bed-ridden and battling throat cancer. George Karl was their compass, and they look lost without him.
I want to see Utah win it all, because Jerry Sloan has been coaching them for 20 years and hasn't been to the Finals since 1998, when he was denied by a certain player called Michael Jordan.

Eastern Conference: Superman vs LeBron..It's on.

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers 3- (8) Chicago Bulls 1: Edge...Cleveland 99%.
What does LeBron James, the best player in the NBA, do on Sunday afternoon on national TV in the game that would decide which way momentum would swing in the series? he just goes for a triple-double and lifts his team to a 121-98 victory that puts the series beyond any reasonable doubt. LeBron looks unstoppable...but there is one team that has the recipe to ruin his championship ambitions once again, just like they did last year...

(2) Orlando Magic 3- (7) Charlotte Bobcats 0: Edge...Orlando 99%.
And that team is the Orlando Magic. This series marked the difference between a team that only wants to be an NBA champion (Orlando) and one that s just giddy to be in its first playoff series in team history (Charlotte).
I think Cleveland has the best player, but Orlando has the best team to get to the NBA Finals and will sweep the Bobcats on Monday.

(3) Atlanta Hawks 2-Milwaukee Bucks 1: Edge...Hawks 55%.
Atlanta looked to be in complete control and primed to sweep the series after the first two games, but Milwaukee revived in Game 3 with a convincing blowout victory. Game 4 is an absolute must-win for the Bucks if they want to have a chance to advance to the second round, while Atlanta has a chance to prove it is a serious contender for the Eastern Conference Finals.

(4) Boston Celtics 3-(5) Miami Heat 1:
Edge...Celtics 95%
I'm leaving that five percent margin because I don't know what Dwayne Wade can do to follow up his amazing 46-point performance in Game 3, single-handedly pulling his team back from elimination by overcoming a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter by making three after three.
No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in a series in the history of the NBA, and the Heat don't look like a team capable of doing so. Watch out if they win Tuesday in Boston though, because then they would become truly, really dangerous and steal momentum.

Is Tim Tebow first-round worthy?

I say no, but at the same time I think that he is the third-most promising quarterback in the draft. Don't get me wrong, I didn't say talented, I said promising. Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy are the three most talented QBs in tonight's draft, but I see a higher ceiling for Tebow than I do for Bradford.

I don't think Bradford has what it takes to be great, I see him being a Chad Pennington type quarterback. Solid in the regular season, very respected in the league, but can never muster enough to get his team to the Super Bowl.
Tebow will emerge after Bradford, but if he lands with the right team (Patriots, Colts, Saints) he could develop into a very good quarterback that maybe isn't great himself, but would make his teammates great and knows how to shine in the harshest spotlight.

For every superstar that effortlessly becomes great, there are players like Tebow that are willing to work tirelessly to transcend expectations and prove experts wrong. However, it takes the right coach and the right system to make all that hard work pay off. It remains to be seen whether Tebow will be lucky enough to land there.

The REAL championship game

The UEFA Champions League semifinals start today with the titanic clash of two superpowers like FC Barcelona and Inter Milan and, with all due respect to Bayern Munich and Lyon, this is the real championship game as we know it. The tournament champion will be decided at Inter's Giuseppe Meazza and Barca's Nou Camp, not the Santiago Bernabeu.
Inter has a massive inferiority complex, having never won the Champions League since 1965, while Barcelona has the cockiness and confidence of a team that knows that's playing with house money.
Barcelona may be favored, but Inter can put up a good fight if you break the teams down position by position.

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter) vs Victor Valdes (Barcelona). Edge: Inter. The brazilian goalkeeper has been going through a rough patch lately, but he is more solid than his Spanish counterpart.







Defense: Maicon-Lucio-Samuel-Zanetti (Inter) vs Maxwell-Pique-Puyol-Dani Alves (Barcelona). Edge: Inter. By a landslide. Barcelona's attacking style of play leaves gaping holes in its defense sometimes, while Inter's success comes from its rock solid defensive mindset.


Midfield: Cambiasso-Motta-Sneijder (Inter) vs Busquets-Xavi-Keita (Iniesta). Edge: Barcelona. Cambiasso evens out with Keita, Motta with Busquets, but Xavi is better than Sneijder. Xavi is smarter and a better ball handler.






Forwards: Milito-Eto'o-Pandev (Inter) vs Messi-Ibrahimovic-Pedro(Barcelona). Edge: Barcelona. Messi is a monster right now, and nobody can stop him. However, Milito could dramatically increase his chances of going to the World Cup as Argentina's sixth forward if he has a good series.

NBA Playoffs. Where Underwhelming Happens.

The NBA Playoffs are the complete opposite of the NCAA Tournament. The higher seeds almost always prevail, leaving no room for shocking upsets. We all know that in all likelihood the Lakers will face the Cavs in the Finals, but Nuggets fans can dream, can't they?
The first round of the playoffs starts this weekend, and the eight best teams from the Western and Eastern Conference respectively will battle for the right to advance.
The West seems like the deeper conference, but the East has the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. Without further ado, here are my predictions for the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Western Conference:

#8 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #1 Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers in 5. Kevin Durant will drive the Thunder to their first ever playoff win, but that is as far as he will take them against a pissed off Kobe Bryant and a Lakers team with far more playoff experience.

#7 San Antonio Spurs vs #2 Dallas Mavericks: Mavericks in 7. The Mavs have home-field advantage and more versatility and depth than the Spurs. However, I would not underestimate the playoff savvy of the Spurs' starting lineup, which includes four players that have been to the NBA Finals a combined NINE times.

#6 Portland Trail Blazers vs #3 Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudamire are back to their 2006 form, and the Suns are the hottest team in the West having won eight of their last ten games.

#5 Utah Jazz vs #4 Denver Nuggets: Jazz in 6. This series is a toss up, it will all come down to who performs better, Utah's point guard Deron Williams or Denver's forward Carmelo Anthony. That will be the difference between Jazz in 6 or Nuggets in 7.

Eastern Conference:

#8 Chicago Bulls vs #1 Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavs in 4. The Bulls don't stand a chance against LeBron James and his desperate quest for a ring.

#7 Charlotte Bobcats vs #2 Orlando Magic: Magic in 5. The games will be close, but Dwight Howard will prove to be the difference for the Magic against a Bobcats team that struggled on the road in the regular season, going 13-28.

#6 Milwaukee Bucks vs #3 Atlanta Hawks: Hawks in 6. This would normally be a seven game series, but the Buck won't be able to contain Hawks' center Al Horford with their own big man Andrew Bogut being out for the season with an elbow injury.

#5 Miami Heat vs #4 Boston Celtics: Heat in 6. Miami breaks serve in the first game in Boston and then holds on behind vintage Dwayne Wade performances.

Five reasons why the Miami Dolphins need Brandon Marshall

The Miami Dolphins made a fan-pleasing trade on Wednesday morning, acquiring Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall for second-round draft picks this year and in 2011. Marshall bitches too much and is the typical "diva receiva"...however, he is exactly what Miami needs right now after their main rival, the New York Jets, are loading up on talent, questionable as that talent may be. That brings us to the five reasons the Dolphins need Marshall to contend next season.

1) The fans are tired of every 3rd-and-7 pass attempt becoming a six yard completion to Davone Bess to set up a 4th-and-1.

2) They are also fed up with mediocrity. The Dolphins have an overall 48-68 record since 2003, making the playoffs only once and including such stinkers as 4-12 in 2004 and 1-15 in 2007.

3) Marshall will prevent opposing defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage against Ronnie Brown and/or Ricky Williams.

4) The Wildcat will run more effectively.

5) Marshall will also be consistently double-teamed and create opportunities for the rest of the receiving corps (I'm talking to you, Ted Ginn Jr.)

So there are no more excuses for Tony Sparano and his team. They either step up and win the AFC East this year, or shut up and be in a financial hole that will compromise them for years to come.

Chocolate Idol

Chocolate plays a big role in people's lives. It fulfills you, it picks you up when you are sad, it makes you rejoice when you are happy, it's a a good band-aid for when you are hungry and dinner is just too far away, and it can can calm you down when you are nervous.
That is why I decided to unveil my Top 10 chocolates of All-Time. The Top Three was decided by how many fans each candy bar had on Facebook.

#10- Three Musketeers: Underrated, yet appreciated at the same time. The addition of strawberry to the already potent combination of chocolate and vanilla cements its place in this ranking.


#9-Milky Way: Not my type of candy, but anything that has been around for almost 100 years in vending machines everywhere deserves my respect.


#8-Twix: Popular enough to have a Seinfeld episode centered around it, Twix has lived in the shadow of Reese's for as long as I can remember. However, it's simplicity and carameliciousness earns it a spot in my rankings.


#7- The Gold Coin: Staple of my childhood, there was nothing I loved more than unwrapping the golden wrapping and happily enjoy the chocolate inside. The only knock against it is that it lasts briefly and doesn't satisfy you.



#6-Kinder Surprise: I wonder how many of you actually remember this one. It was a chocolate egg with a plastic toy inside of it. The egg came apart easily, but its combination of chocolate on the outside and milk on the inside was a lethally delicious combo.


#5- Hershey Kisses: They may be small but they pack a big punch. They come in bunches, so you can overindulge if you are not careful. Perfect for Valentine's day or any kind of social event, you can always count on them to be a hit.They are like the solid point guard you want on your team.

#4-Snickers: It may have more fans than Crunch on Facebook, but I don't care. I have never cared for it and never picked it out of a chocolate lineup. I guess peanuts and I just were never meant to be together.


#3-Crunch: My second favorite candy bar and with 220,092 fans on Facebook. It has its own hotline, which has become an internet sensation. People have too much time on their hands nowadays. I, on the other hand, spend my time writing worthwhile blog posts about worthwhile things. Anyway, fulfilling and delicious, you can't go wrong with it.


#2-Kit Kat: 775,647 fans on Facebook and my favorite candy bar EVER. Just ask my family or friends. Some people are addicted to cocaine, others to gambling, I'm addicted to Kit Kats. It was love at first sight when we first met in 2002,and we have been together ever since. King size or crispy, in Atlanta or after Late Night at Andros in Tampa, I can't say no to Kit Kat.I hope that whenever I get my own office I can get that awesome Kit-Kat only vending machine they show on that commercial.

#1-Reese's: I've never tried them, but their popularity is undeniable. Over a million fans on facebook and TV commercials everywhere you look, Reese's cups are the king of American chocolate. The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is time-proven and will be passed on for generations to come.

My Brief 2010 MLB Preview and Predictions

Before I leave for Atlanta on Monday, I wanted to leave you with my predictions for the 2010 baseball season. I will be working at CNN for the next week, so I won't be posting again until Monday, April 12. However, there is the possibility of guest bloggers posting throughout the week, so keep checking in.

American League:

AL East: New York Yankees. Too much depth to be anything short of a division champion. I'm intrigued about how Joba Chamberlain will handle being a reliever though.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers. They were so close last year before they choked the title away to the Minnesota Twins, but they will finish the job this year behind their aces Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello.

AL West: Texas Rangers. The Angels' reign ends at the hands of Josh Hamilton. The Seattle Mariners are a sexy pick, but no team that has Milton Bradley as a cleanup hitter can win more than 85 games.

Wild Card: Boston Red Sox. I feel sorry for the team that has to play a three-game series against Josh Beckett, Jon Lackey and Clay Buchholz. Boston's starting pitching will ultimately prevail over Tampa's potent offense.

National League:

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies. The lethal combination of Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard will propel Philly to 97 wins and yet another playoff berth.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals. They are fundamentally strong and will get an otherwordly performance from Albert Pujols as he nears free agency.

NL West: Colorado Rockies. Ubaldo Jimenez is the most underappreciated ace in the majors and he will be the difference in a tight division race with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.

NL Wild Card: Florida Marlins. No Braves, no Dodgers, no Cubs. The Marlins will emerge from the pack and, as always, nobody will know how the hell they did it. Ace Josh Johnson and shortstop Hanley Ramirez will have monster years, while second baseman Dan Uggla will be a consistent run producer for once in his life.

Champions League is Wide Open

The Champions league quarterfinals kicked off in the best way possible, with every series still hanging in the balance and an improbable, impressive comeback that brought a certain underachieving English team back from the dead.
Let;s take a look at how each first leg turned out and which teams have the edge heading into the defining second leg that will decide who the four semifinalists are (home team goes first).


Arsenal 2-Barcelona 2: Edge...Barcelona 70%
Barcelona was the team we all know, admire and fear in the first 60 minutes of the match, taking a 2-0 lead while having possession of the ball 70 percent of the time. Keep in mind, they weren't playing at Camp Nou in Spain, but rather at Emirates Stadium where Arsenal was undefeated during the entire competition.
However, forward Theo Walcott came in off the bench and teamed up with Cesc Fabregas to improbably tie the game and bring the Gunners back into the conversation.
Barcelona doesn't defend well at all, but its offensive prowess and ball possession often masks those deficiencies. However, the Blaugranas won't be able to count on their defensive leader Carles Puyol and fellow central defender Pique for the second leg.
Arsenal will have to overcome Fabregas' leg injury and their own limitations to have a chance to pull off the upset in Spain. A 0-0 tie does nothing for them, so the Gunners will have to have no fear and take advantage of Barca's fragile defense in order to advance.


Bayern Munich 2-Manchester United 1: Edge...Man U 60%
Bayern was lucky to win that game, scoring the game-winning goal in the 90th minute to finish off a gritty comeback. However, Manchester got the away goal it wanted and a one-goal deficit coming back to England is a pretty sweet deal for the Red Devils.
However, Manchester lost its star forward Wayne Rooney for two to four weeks and that is a huge blow to a team that doesn't have much offensive depth to speak of.
However, Manchester is still Manchester and they are very strong at home, so they have a slight edge in a series that will be in doubt until the very last minute.

Inter 1-CSKA Moscow 0: Edge...Inter 55%
The Russians are tough, and they won't go down without a fight. They defended extremely well at the San Siro in Italy and went back to Moscow with what they were looking for, a series they can win at home in the bitter cold and what Weather.com predicts to be possible rain.
Inter wasn't too unhappy with the result either because they got the win and kept a clean sheet. They are a better overall team with seasoned veterans as well, so that combined with the win gives them a very narrow edge.
If I was Inter, I wouldn't hesitate and attack CSKA in the first 20 minutes of the second leg in Russia, because if they score one away goal then the Russians have to score three to advance.


Lyon 3-Bordeaux 1: Edge...Lyon 65%
Lisandro Lopez is the best Argentinean forward that is not going to go the Woeld Cup, and he scored two key goals to give Lyon a huge win at home over red hot Bordeaux. In fact, if Argentina had any coach other than Maradona Lopez would probably be the sixth forward in the World Cup roster instead of Palermo.
Bordeaux got an important away goal, so they are still alive in the series, but I see Lyon advancing barring a major collapse.