NFL Regular Season PREVIEW

AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco is a rising NFL superstar, and with the additions of Lee Evans and Ricky Williams, the Ravens look sharp. However, they did lose Willis McGahee, and Todd Heap, and the defence isn't getting any younger. Record 11-5

Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben Roethlisberger looks to take the Steelers to another Super Bowl. Adding Jerricho Cotchery adds some offense, but nothing else has changed much. The AFC is getting tougher, and the Steelers should look to improve the offensive line, and add more players that can contribute significantly. Record: 9-7

Cleveland Browns: Colt McCoy seems to be the answer. With Mohamed Massaquoi back and practicing, this season looks bright for the Browns. They weren't extremely active during the offseason, but they did give a new contract to future Hall of Famer LT Joe Thomas. Look for the Browns to improve significantly. Record- 7-9

Cincinnati Bengals- Last season was a disaster for them. With Carson Palmer "retired," rookie Andy Dalton steps in. But nothing new has come around for the Bengals, so look for them to have another disastrous season. Record- 2-14

Next Time: AFC SOUTH

BK does it again

No. Not Burger King. Brad Keselowski, that is, winning at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ever since Brad broke his ankle during a practice session, he has been red hot, never finishing lower than 3rd in the past four races, also with 2 wins. He has more combined wins this season than Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch total. That's pretty impressive. Brad is almost 100% assured of a Chase spot, and Denny Hamlin holds the #2 wild card spot.

Other News:
NFL- Wes Welker left the Patriots and Lions game with a neck injury. The Lions took an opportunity to pounce, and seized the moment, winning 34-10

NFL Regular Season PREVIEW

So what should we expect from each team in the regular season, and what they should do? We break down each division and list teams in the order I believe they will finish.

AFC East
New England Patriots- Again. Obviously, the Patriots are not stopping now, and with the additions of Chad Ochocinco, re-signing Logan Mankin and Matt Light. And the Patriots drafted Ryan Mallet, to seek back-up QB or to rest players before the next game. Record-12-4

New York Jets- Getting Nnamdi Asomugha would give the Jets the best secondary in the league. Unfortunately, he went to Philadelphia. They did mange to sign Plaxico Burress, who was released from jail after spending 22 months in jail. They also signed Aaron Maybin, to help with defense after Shaun Ellis went to New England. Record-10-6

Miami Dolphins- They need to find a QB. Chad Henne is a decent QB, but is he the long-term solution? They also signed Matt Moore, who struggled with the Carolina Panthers. Either one of them should give the ball to one of their star players, Brandon Marshall. Record-5-11

Buffalo Bills- The Bills haven't see much outside of last place. They need to find the one player to build around, which none of the players seem to be able to answer that call. After dealing Lee Evans to the Baltimore Ravens, they dont have threats to the outside. All they can hope to see light from is C.J. Spiller, but he was a disappointment last season.  Record-2-14


NEXT TIME: AFC NORTH

Terrelle Pryor gets picked!

So we heard how Terrelle Pryor elected to be part of the NFL Supplemental Draft, but we didn't where he would be drafted, or maybe he couldn't have been picked at all. But when he clocked about a 4.36 on the 40-yd dash, that caught the eye of the Oakland Raiders, who prize speed the most out of all 32 teams in the NFL. Oakland has had trouble at the QB spot, with many unsuccessful play callers. They hope Pryor will be the franchise QB the Raiders have longed for.

Other News:

NFL- The Colts signed Kerry Collins, afraid Peyton Manning's neck would not recover in time. Collins had retired earlier this season, after playing 5 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. This will be his sixth team in 16 seasons.

NASCAR- Kyle Busch wins at Michigan, clinching a spot in the Chase. He leads the points by a mere 10 points over Jimmie Johnson. The biggest story this season, however, is Brad Keselowski, with a broken left ankle. He is 12th in points with a secure wild-card spot, and Has one win, a 2nd, and a 3rd in the 3 races he raced with his broken ankle. Look for Brad to make a big push in the Chase.

College Football

The University of Miami is being investigated for improper benefits for 72 players from 2002-2010. Convicted felon Nevin Shapiro told Yahoo! sports that he did provide players with money, cars, and other improper benefits. The death penalty could be given for Miami, which means their football program will be shut down for a year. The death penalty was issued once, to SMU in '87 and '88.







Other News:
NASCAR- Danica Patrick will move to Nationwide full-time with JR Motorsports. She also plans to run a few Sprint Cup races with Stewart-Haas Racing.

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NASCAR

Despite having a broken left ankle, Brad Keselowski won at Pocono Raceway. With this win, Keselowski has 2 for the season, putting him atop the wild card standings, with the second spot going to Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch finished 2nd, and his brother Kurt finished 3rd. After what Kurt did in Richmond, things started to turn around for Penske Racing. Brad won at Kansas and now Pocono. Kurt Busch had 3 straight poles before winning at Sonoma.

With 5 races to go, drivers need to crack down to get in the wild card spots or solidify their current position in the Chase. The top 6 in the Chase look to be close to clinching, as Jeff Gordon in the 7th spot is 26 points behind Matt Kenseth. Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. are one point away from each other. Neither of them could afford to make a mistake, as Denny Hamlin might steal one of their spots.


Many surprises have occurred this NASCAR season. Here are my rankings in order of the most surprising things this season

1. Multiple first time winners


Who would have thought Trevor Bayne, in the first race of his career, could win the Daytona 500?! No one. But he wasn't the only one who won their first race of their careers. Here is a list:

Regan Smith (Darlington)


David Ragan (Daytona 400)


Paul Menard (Brickyard 400)


Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500)


2. Dale Jr. a Chase contender?

Yeah, we all waited for him to win a race. But good news for Junior fans, he is in Chase contention, 23 points ahead of 11th place Denny Hamlin. After making the Chase in 2008, he had never finished above 20th in points. This is a significant improvement after Hendrick Motorsports switched crew chiefs for Mark Martin, Dale Jr., and Jeff Gordon. It worked for Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon, not so much for Mark Martin.

3. Former Chase contenders without wins or are not in Chase contention??


Some drivers that looked good last year could not repeat this year, such as Greg Biffle, and Clint Bowyer. Greg Biffle had 2 wins last season, as did Clint Bowyer. Clint was really good early in the season, but fell into a slump lately. Greg Biffle changed crew cheifs, but that didn't work out either.

4. Red Bull pulling out of NASCAR?


Red Bull hasn't been as successful in NASCAR than in Formula 1, with Sebastian Vettel. Brian Vickers made the Chase for Red Bull once, but ended up last. Before this season, he had blood clots, and missed 2009-2010, and was replaced by Scott Speed, who did not produce. This is bad news for some drivers such as Mark Martin, since this was a possible destination for him after he was told he will be replaced by Kasey Kahne.

Remember to watch the Chase to see if JJ gets knocked-off!! 

Are the Eagles the new Miami Heat?

We all remember when LeBron James announced on public television that he would take "his talents to South Beach." So much for that, as the Heat failed to win a championship with the new Big 3 consisting of Lebron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Now this NFL offseason, many players are flocking to the Philadelphia Eagles's training camp. Some of the free agents that signed with the Eagles turned down higher offers from other teams and went to Philly to play.


This offseason, the Eagles acquired Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Cardinals), Vince Young (Titans), Cullen Jenkins (Green Bay), and Ronnie Brown (Miami). Adding great corners shuts down wide receivers. Cullen Jenkins will help Trent Cole to get sacks on the defensive line, and Vince Young could help Michael Vick as no speed and throw skills are sacrificed. Ronnie Brown has the experience and will guide help the Eagle's running game. Only time will tell if all these free agents made the right choice.

NFL

Randy Moss decided to retire after 13 seasons in the NFL. Randy Moss was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings 21st overall, from 1998 to 2004. Then in 2005, he found himself in Oakland from '05-'06. After that, he landed in New England, where he was part of the record breaking season, with the Patriots wining all 16 games of the regular season. Tom Brady passed for 50 touchdowns in 2007, and Moss caught 23 of them, another record. After Moss was not producing in 2010, the Patriots dealt him to back to Minnesota. He was not producing there either, and then found himself in Tennessee. He did not fare as well there either. Moss has traveled a lot in his career, but his stats should get him a Hall-of-Fame ballot. Here are some of Randy Moss's best plays: